Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation Paperback – May 1, 1997

This is really good with a lot of interesting information.

The Sefer Yetzirah, or The Book of Creation, was written approximately 3,000 BCE, and was the first Kabbalistic book to be written. It was written prior to Rabbi Shimon's Zohar, or The Book of Splendor. This version of The Sefer Yetzirah contains three versions. They are the short, middle, and long (my words) versions of the Kabbalistic version of the creation story. Aryeh Kaplan is one of those writers whose very name tells you that this is a worthy book and well researched and written. He has written many wonderful books on Kabbalah. You can't go wrong owning this one. It's deeply researched, and is quite lengthy.

I've read that this book, the Sefer Yetzirah could have been written by Abraham himself. It is interesting and spiritual. A interpretation from the original text (probably in Hebrew). The book is mystical. Within the Sefer Yetzirah, even the ritual creation of a Golem is documented. I wonder about the history of this book. Who wrote it and what powers does it have? I recommend reading this book if you are interested in learning about one mystical faucet of Judaism. There are definitely gems to be discovered within this book, such as the prominence of numbers infused with letters. The Sefer Yetzirah gives a slight glimpse into the science of G-d, and his, or her, cosmic beyondness.

I will be perfectly honest with you. You will not understand this unless you have many years of an authentic Orthodox Jewish Torah background. I am a Baalas Teshuva for a few years and have done quite a bit of learning and it is beyond my level of comprehension. Seriously, even if I was Frum From Birth with a Beis Yaakov education I probably wouldn’t understand it. This book is reserved for the Gadol HaDor, Moshiach, and a very small handful of others. You have to be a Torah genius to get it. That being said, go ahead and buy it, because we should keep Jewish books in production. And, what’s one more book on the shelf? You’ve already got several bookcases of them.

Well, this is an enjoyable book. I have not finished it yet.I picked this book for its good reviews, despite its high price for a Kindle book. This time, it was worth it. I also found it highly recommended by Eric Yudelove's book on the Tao and the (Kabbalah) Tree of Life.The interesting thing is that Kaplan has managed to make a readable book out of what is so often obscure. It seems that the author has an affection for the Sefer Yetzirah and seems as if he had fun writing about it.I have learned a lot about the Kabbalah from this book, not my first on the Kabbalah, but the subject seems as deep and only a little less obscure than before.One of my main questions at this point is about the absolutely essential idea that God created the universe and everything in it by sayings and that these sayings were words and the words were made of letters. In today's thought, much less credence seems to be given to the verbal mind, the mind that deals with concepts and words. I was always before believing that the non-verbal mind was greater and vaster than the verbal part. Yet, here is the big guy at the time before time, before space, and before anything using, wait for it, words. Go figure. Must have something to do with being the big guy. Maybe the rules are different at his pay grade?Fascinating.

Rabbi Kaplan has presented some of the best commentary I have seen on this classic work. It is worth reading slowly and thinking carefully about each paragraph. I have both the printed and Kindle versions. I am very disappointed in the number of typos in the Kindle version. I hope Amazon will correct and reissue that version.

Sefer Yetzirah is easier to understand than the hardcore works of Frater Achad but assumes that readers are well versed in the Book of Formations or that the contents will not shock them. I found the book to be written in an easy practical way but the subject matter just boggles the mind, so it's still a heavy read. In short, it's not something you would read relaxing on a beach but is interesting enough to get you through an 18-hour flight. The book may transform you if you have enough basic background on the subject matter. It is the stuff of serious magic and is a valuable resource for those who are interested in deeper states of meditation.__________________________________________________________________________Knowing more about Kabbalah now that when i first wrote the review above, I realize that this book, along with The Bahir is a must-read for people who want to understand the mysteries of Oral Torah. As a Christian, this book has enriched my understanding of the foundations of Christianity and its Gnostic roots. This book is without a doubt the absolute Kabbalah book. And although understanding its value requires you to go through a lot other books, it is sincerely worth the effort. This book changed my life.

I have had this book before and is a must for anyone studying the tree of life