# Entering the Divine Name ![[Your God is Within You]] - [[#1 Introduction to the Torah of Avraham Abulafia|1 Introduction to the Torah of Avraham Abulafia]] - [[#2 Kavanah for the Hazkara (Intension for the Vocalization)|2 Kavanah for the Hazkara (Intension for the Vocalization)]] - [[#3 Pirush (Commentary) on the Kavanah|3 Pirush (Commentary) on the Kavanah]] - [[#4 The Basic Elements of the Hazkara|4 The Basic Elements of the Hazkara]] - [[#5 The Vowels and Motions of the Hazkara|5 The Vowels and Motions of the Hazkara]] - [[#6 The Vocalization of the Circular Tenfold Name|6 The Vocalization of the Circular Tenfold Name]] - [[#7 The Vocalization of Ehevi: Aleph and Y-H-V-H.|7 The Vocalization of Ehevi: Aleph and Y-H-V-H.]] - [[#8 The Experience of Entering the Divine Name|8 The Experience of Entering the Divine Name]] - [[#9 The Significance of Breath when Vocalizing the Divine Name|9 The Significance of Breath when Vocalizing the Divine Name]] - [[#10 The Meaning of the Letters Aleph, Yod, Heh and Vav|10 The Meaning of the Letters Aleph, Yod, Heh and Vav]] - [[#11 Spiritual Pleasure|11 Spiritual Pleasure]] - [[#The 72 Letter Name|12 The 72 Letter Name]] ## 1 Introduction to the Torah of Avraham Abulafia Coming soon... ## 2 Kavanah for the Hazkara (Intention for the Vocalization) ![[In the hour you desire - Hebrew and English]] ## 3 Pirush (Commentary) on the Kavanah ![[Commentary on kavanah for hazkarah]] ## 4 The Basic Elements of the Hazkara ![[2 Basic Elements]] ![[Elements of Hazkarah]] ## 5 The Vowels and Motions of the Hazkara ![[Vowels and Motions]] ## 6 The Vocalization of the Circular Tenfold Name ![[Circular Tenfold Name Chart]] ![[Circular Tenfold Explanation]] ## 7 The Vocalization of Ehevi: Aleph and Y-H-V-H. ![[Ehevi Chart]] ## 8 The Experience of Entering the Divine Name ![[21 Abulafia Anointing Oil Text in Hebrew-English Table]] ![[Anointing Oil Commentary]] ## 9 The Significance of Breath when Vocalizing the Divine Name ![[08 Abulafia on Breath Hebrew English]] ## 10 The Meaning of the Letters Aleph, Yod, Heh and Vav ![[34 אותיות אהוי עברית אנגלית]] ![[34 אותיות אהוי - זה זכרי לעולם]] ## 11 Spiritual Pleasure > [!example] *Hevruta Study* > After discussing the vocalization, we will enter into study mode, and get deeper into the idea of *spiritual pleasure* (התענוג הרוחני). There are many ways to frame in Abulafian terms what we are doing when we vocalize God's name. We are engaging in prophecy; realizing the highest human potential; becoming the messiah; becoming one with the active intellect; dissolving the self as "part" and becoming the One as self. Some pretty heady and dramatic stuff. > > Sometimes I resonate with these descriptions, but sometimes they seem too big and important, too over my head, to actually motivate me to do the practice. A lot of the time, what I will do in reality is what I most feel like doing right then, without much consideration for the larger arc of my moral or spiritual aspirations. > > It is in this context that I find Abulafia's talk of the pleasure of the vocalization so interesting. He understands the experience of the vocalization as involving a spiritual but also this-worldy pleasure that I think I recognize (more on that in a minute). And this pleasure is of a kind that sometimes when I ask myself the question "What do I feel like doing?", the answer is engaging in a practice leading to that pleasure. From this point of view, the purpose of the practice is the pleasure that accompanies it. That pleasure is not indifferent to moral and other aspirations, because it opens up a flow that motivates good works and creative projects. But from this angle they are by-products. The initial aim of getting up and doing the practice is the pleasure. > > Below appear relevant selections from Abulafia's writing. We'll try to understand from these selections what kind of pleasure he's talking about and in what sense it is the purpose of the vocalization. > > As a point of departure, recall that the basic elements of the vocalization involve what we described as the *space* and *flow* that accompanies *presence* or *awareness* (in the first class). When I think of spiritual pleasure, I think of the pleasure of the space and flow. Like in Abulafia's descriptions, this is a pleasure that we experience when, during the vocalization, we "die in this world and become alive in the world to come" by "letting go of thoughts of this world". What I mean by the pleasure of space and flow may not be exactly what he meant by spiritual pleasure, but I think they must at least partially overlap. First, review the fourth paragraph of the text we learned last week from the Introduction to Hayei Haolam Haba (Life in the World to Come): | (4) At first, that which emerges from the combinations in secluded meditation [התבודדות] will reignite an experience of fear and trembling, and the hairs of hir head will stand, and hir limbs will be shocked. Afterwards, if one should merit this, the spirit of the living God will pass over hir, *And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon hir, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and might, The spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. (Isaiah 11:2)*. And s/he will feel as if hir whole body, from head to foot, has been anointed with the anointing oil, and s/he will be the anointed one [*mashiach*] of God, and God’s emissary. And s/he will be called "the angel of God", and hir name will be like the name of hir master, which is *Shadai*, the one who is called *Metatron*, the heavenly ministering angel. | (4) ובתחילה מה שיעלה לו מן הצירוף בהתבודדותו תתחדש עליו פחד ורעדה ויעמדו שערות ראשו ויזדעזעו אבריו, אח"כ אם יזכה תעבור עליו רוח אלהים חיים, **וְנָחָה עָלָיו רוּחַ יְהֹוָ"ה רוּחַ חׇכְמָה וּבִינָה רוּחַ עֵצָה וּגְבוּרָה רוּחַ דַּעַת וְיִרְאַת יְהֹוָ"ה** (ישעיהו יא:ב) וידמה לו כאילו משחו כל גופו מראשו ועד רגליו בשמן המשחה ויהיה משיח ה' ושלוחו ויקרא מלאך האלהי"ם ויכונה שמו כשם רבו והוא שד"י אשר כינוהו מטטרו"ן שר הפנים. | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | > [!example] *Hevruta Study* >Does anything in this text answer to your idea of pleasure? Let's now examine a text we haven't seen before that expresses how Abulafia thinks about the pleasure involved in vocalizing the name: ![[Ears of Pleasure]] > [!info] An Explanation of this text by me and Chat GPT: >The text uses the metaphor of music and sound to describe _tziruf_ (the combination or permutation of letters) as in the permutation of letters we engage in when we vocalize divine names. Abulafia is comparing the permutation of letters with the permutation of sounds in music. Here's how the analogy unfolds: > >1. **Hearing and Combining:** The ear hears distinct sounds (letters) that are combined into melodies (letter sequences). The act of combining letters is likened to composing music. > > 1. **Musical Instruments:** The harp and lyre represent the interplay of forces (right hand and left hand) that create harmony, like the back-and-forth letter permutations in the vocalization. > >2. **Path of Joy:** The combination of sounds (letters) moves from the ears to the heart, then to deeper parts of the body like the spleen, stimulating visceral pleasure. > >3. **Renewal of Joy:** The alternation of melodies, like the permutations of letters, generates delight and spiritual renewal, illustrating how the mystical act of _tziruf_ elevates the practitioner to a state of joy and connection. > > This passage emphasizes the interplay of sensory perception, emotional response, and spiritual transformation, showing how the physical act of hearing parallels the mystical process of combining divine letters. > [!example] *Hevruta Study* > This is a difficult text. First work on its simple meaning for awhile. Then ask yourself: What kind of pleasure is he talking about? Have you ever felt it during the vocalization of a divine name or in a different spiritual practice? Finally, if we have time, we will also explore the below text from The Book of Desire: ![[Divine Love and Kisses]] ## 12 The 72 Letter Name ![[The 72 Letter Name of God]]