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Tzaddi is not the Star

To: thelema93-l@bitsy.hollyfeld.org
From: Jeffrey Smith 
Subject: Re: Tzaddi is not the Star
Date: Sat, 17 Feb 1996 23:16:27 -0500 (EST)

Varying Formats of the Tree of Life

(as requested by Fr. Also)

Column 2 is the arrangement of Isaac Luria, the Ari;  Column 3 that of 
Elijah, the Vilan Gaon.

Letter		Sefirot/Ari		Sefirot/Gra		Atu
Aleph		Chesed/Gevurah		same			Fool
Bet		Chakhmah/Chesed		Keter/Tiferet		Magus
Gimel		Binah/Gevurah		Chakhmah/Chesed		Priestess
Dalet 		Keter/Tiferet		Binah/Gevurah		Empress
Heh		Keter/Chakhmah		same			Emperor
Vav		Keter/Binah		same			High Priest
Zayin		Chakhmah/Gevurah	Chakhmah/Tiferet	Lovers
Chet		Chesed/Tiferet		Binah/Tiferet		Chariot
Tet		Tiferet/Hod		Tiferet/Chesed		Strength
Yod		Tiferet/Netzach		Tiferet/Gevurah		Hermit
Koph		Chesed/Netzach		same			Fortune
Lamed		Hod/Yesod		Chesed/Yesod		Justice
Mem		Netzach/Hod		same			Hanged Man
Nun		Netzach/Yesod		Gevurah/Yesod		Death
Samekh		Chakhmah/Tiferet	Yesod/Netzach		Temperance
Ayin		Binah/Tiferet		Yesod/Hod		Devil
Peh		Gevurah/Hod		same			Tower
Tzaddi		Gevurah/Tiferet		Netzach/Malkhut		Star
Qoph		Binah/Chesed		Hod/Malkhut		Moon
Resh		Tiferet/Yesod		same			Sun
Shin		Chakhmah/Binah		same			Judgment
Tav		Yesod/Malkhut 		same			World

To better understand this,  bear the following in mind:

The Ari (Isaac Luria) depicted paths from Tiferet to Chakhmah and Binah which
are not in the G/D version;  contrawise,  he did not depict paths from
either Netzach or Hod to Malkhut.
The Gra (Elijah, the Vilna Gaon) used a version of the Tree which has a 
different spatial arrangement of the Sefirot, not only of the paths.
			1
		3		2
		     4(Tiferet)
		6(Gevurah)    5(Chesed)
			9
		8		7
			10

Both follow the attributions of the Sefer Yetzirah tradition:  the three
Mothers (Aleph, Mem, Shin) are the horizontals,  the double letters are
the verticals,  and the single letters are on the diagonals.  The Sefer
Yetzirah specifically places the Mothers in the positions both Ari and Gra
give, and by inference,  the doubles.  Hence they only disagree with
each other over the singles.(The placement derives from configuring the ToL
as Adam Kadmon, the Supernal Man.)

These are the main two configurations of Rabbinic Tradition;  as can be 
seen, they have different implications from the standard Crowley/Golden 
Dawn configuration.  For one thing, there is no Abyss...

Correlation of the Atus is based on the standard Golden Dawn/Letter 
attributions:  the Ari and the Gra were interested only in which Letter 
went on which path.  Thus, Atu placement is, to put it mildly,  highly 
speculative.  Each path also has a verse of Genesis Chapter I assigned to 
it.  Information on all this may be found in Kaplan's edition of the 
Sefer Yetzirah.

I will leave it to Fr. Also to post his version of the Tree.

May the Divine Compassion be upon you and upon us all.
Chaver Nu
Jeffrey Smith
f901030k@bcfreenet.seflin.lib.fl.us

It is proper for man to emulate his Creator, for then he will attain
the secret of the Supernal Form in both image and likeness. .... What
good is it for a person to reflect the Supernal Form in physical form 
only, if his deeds do not imitate those of his Creator?
--Ramak [Moses Cordovero],Tomer Devorah [The Palm Tree of Deborah]




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