Texts of Judaism

Zohar: Genesis: Chapter XIV. A Kabbalistic Symposium by Rabbi Simeon's Students

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This is an excerpt from the Zohar (or a closely related Kabbalistic commentary), presenting a rabbinic dialogue between Rabbi Simeon, Rabbi Eleazar, and Rabbi Jose in the tradition of Jewish mystical exegesis. The text's central project is interpreting the opening words of Genesis ("Brashith bra Alhim") through the framework of the ten sephiroth, arguing that creation proceeded through three divine Logoi or manifestations: Kether (crown), Hochma (wisdom), and Binah (understanding). A distinctive claim is that the letter "B" beginning the Torah is numerically two, encoding the teaching that creation was accomplished *by* Hochma—the second sephira—rather than by the absolute Ain Soph directly. The text also offers an esoteric reading of the Tabernacle's physical furnishings (rings, staves, borders) as symbols of the elemental chain of fire, air, and water, and of cosmic mysteries hidden from the spiritually uninitiated. The discussion concludes by mapping each word of Genesis 1:1 onto specific sephiroth, presenting Scripture as a precise encoded description of the divine architecture underlying creation.

Zohar: Genesis: Chapter XIV. A Kabbalistic Symposium by Rabbi Simeon's Students

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