Hekhalot Rabbati

Hekhalot Rabbati

Chapter 1

Rabbi Ishmael said: What are the songs recited by one who seeks to behold the vision of the Chariot, to descend in peace and to ascend in peace?

Greatest of all is this: that he enters, and they bring him into the chambers of the palace of the firmament and stand him before the Throne of Glory. There he knows what is destined to happen in the world: whom they humble and whom they exalt, whom they weaken and whom they strengthen, whom they impoverish and whom they enrich, whom they put to death and whom they make alive, from whom they remove an inheritance and to whom they give an inheritance, to whom they grant Torah and to whom they give wisdom.

Greatest of all is this: he beholds all the deeds of the children of humanity. He recognizes the adulterer, the shedder of blood, the one suspected of hidden wrongdoing, and every kind of sorcery.

Whoever raises his hand against him and strikes him is clothed from heaven with skin-disease and crowned with a bright plague. Whoever speaks evil against him is cast upon boils, wounds, and sores. Whoever lays hold of him, the heavenly court lays hold of that person.

Chapter 2

All creatures are before him as silver before the refiner. He distinguishes what is unclean from what is pure and perceives the condition of every family.

Whoever behaves insolently toward him has the light of his eyes dimmed. Whoever despises him leaves neither root nor branch nor heir. Whoever speaks disgracefully of him brings ruin and confusion upon himself, and no mercy is shown.

Three times every day they sound the trumpet, pronounce exclusion, and repeat the ban against whoever obstructs the upright and humble, the afflicted and discerning, the straight and devout, the chosen, separated, righteous, and blameless who descend and ascend in the Chariot.

Rabbi Ishmael said: One occupied with the Chariot rises only before a king, before the high priest, or before a court that has a patriarch among them. If he rises needlessly, his blood is upon his own head, for he shortens his days.

This is the beginning of praise and song which the ministering princes utter each day before the LORD God of Israel upon the Throne of His Glory: Rejoice, rejoice, dwelling of splendour; shout, shout, wondrous vessel of delight. Make glad the King who rests upon you as a bridegroom rejoices in his chamber.

Chapter 3

The praise and song of every day, the rejoicing and exultation that issue from the mouths of the ministers and from the meditation of the holy ones, become fire and hills of flame. They are gathered and stored as paths before the Throne.

Why are you terrified, faithful servant? Why do you tremble, beloved minister? Hadariel, the LORD God of Israel, says: If I do not tremble, who shall tremble? If I am not terrified, who shall be terrified? Six hours each day I am summoned to might, and a thousand times they draw me upon my conveyances until I reach the Throne of Glory.

King of signs, King of might, King of wonders, King of separation: Your throne flies from the hour when You fixed the peg upon which the woven fabric of the world is suspended. The proud among the proud, crowned and bound, stand beneath it; yet neither they nor the throne set foot upon the floor of the highest heaven, but hover like birds.

Three times each day the Throne of Your Glory prostrates itself before You and says: Sit upon me, glorious King, for Your name is beloved to me and Your burden is not heavy upon me.

Chapter 4

What is the voice of the first palace? A voice of thunder, a voice of tumult, a voice of trembling. What is the voice of the second? A voice like many waters. What is the voice of the third? A voice of flame and storm. What is the voice of the fourth? A voice that breaks mountains and shatters rocks.

The living creatures run and return. The wheels turn beneath them, the cherubim spread their wings, and the seraphim answer one another. The firmament shakes beneath the feet of the King, yet His Throne is established in righteousness.

Whoever is unworthy and lifts his eyes toward the King in His beauty is consumed by the radiance of the attendants. His eyes are darkened, his limbs tremble, and his soul is driven from him by the splendour that surrounds the Throne.

But the worthy one is covered by the wings of the Presence, and a voice says to him: Do not fear. Blessed are you who have entered in peace and shall depart in peace.

Chapter 5

The first voice: whoever hears it at once fasts and falls upon his face. The second voice: whoever attends to it loses the path of ordinary thought. The third voice: whoever receives it is filled with dread. The fourth voice: whoever hears it, his knees loosen and his heart melts.

Rabbi Akiva said: When I came before the Throne of Glory, I learned the songs that the Chariot sings. Each word ascends as a crown, each breath becomes a flame, and each letter stands as a prince before the King.

Rabbi Nehuniah ben Ha-Qanah said: Happy is the person whose heart is pure, whose body is guarded, whose speech is clean, and whose hands are free from violence. Such a one may approach the gate, but not by his own strength; only by the seal and the name shown to him by his master.

Chapter 6

Rabbi Ishmael said: Suriya, Prince of the Presence, said to me: Beloved one, I shall tell you the grief of the King. At the hour when Israel enters the synagogues and houses of study and answers, ‘Amen. May His great name be blessed,’ the Holy One shakes His head and says: Happy is the King whom they praise in His house; what has become of the Father who exiled His children?

When I descended from before Him, I heard a voice speaking in the Aramaic tongue: The holy sanctuary shall become desolation, the temple shall be burned, and the children of the King shall go into captivity.

Yet treasuries of comfort are stored for them, chambers of salvation and vessels of consolation. If Israel turns in repentance and gives its heart to Torah and prayer, decrees are torn up and affliction is restrained.

The heavenly attendants weep when Israel weeps, and the tears of the righteous are gathered in a vessel before the Throne.

Chapter 7

What did they do to that wicked emperor? They disgraced him and made him vile through his dead, for they lay before him, and whenever he stretched out his hand to take one of them and lay him upon his bed, terror seized him.

The holy living creatures roar against wicked Rome. The wheels answer them, the cherubim beat their wings, and the ministers say: How long shall arrogance stand? How long shall blood be poured out in the streets?

Hadariel, the LORD God of Israel, is destined to perform vengeance, signs, and wonders against wicked Rome. Her palaces shall become dens, her theatres shall become ruins, and her pride shall be brought down to dust.

[Meaning uncertain] The names of the princes appointed over her punishment are transmitted in differing forms.

Chapter 8

Rabbi Ishmael said: Sagsagael, Prince of the Presence, said to me: Come and see what is prepared for the nations that oppressed Israel and for the city that exalted itself above the Most High.

A river of fire goes out from beneath the Throne and divides into many streams. One stream is appointed over the arrogant, one over those who shed innocent blood, one over those who profane the Name, and one over those who enslave the children of the covenant.

Hadariel shall reveal His arm and the hosts of heaven shall descend with Him. The stars shall be shaken, the constellations shall be confounded, and the proud kingdoms shall melt like wax before fire.

Chapter 9

Rabbi Ishmael said: Suriya, Prince of the Presence, my friend, said to me: I will tell you the praise of the King and His throne.

Your Throne of Glory is exalted above the upper cherubim. Seven wheels bear it, and creatures of frost and mist, creatures of flame and splendour, are crowned with majesty beneath it. The eyes of the Almighty are lifted upon them, and they draw like deer beneath the plough.

Strength, force, and might are stretched above their heads. They cry one to another: Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.

The throne answers: Blessed is the glory of the LORD from His place.

Chapter 10

Who is like You among the exalted ones, LORD? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?

The ministers stand in ranks of fire. Their crowns blaze, their garments are lightning, and their voices are like the sound of many seas. Yet when Israel says the Sanctification below, they grow silent to hear the voice of flesh and blood.

Then the King rejoices, the Throne trembles with gladness, and the palaces are filled with fragrance.

Chapter 11

At the hour when Israel says, ‘Holy, holy, holy,’ their words ascend as a sweet fragrance before the King. He embraces the likeness of Jacob engraved upon the Throne of Glory and kisses it.

He remembers the covenant of the fathers, the binding of Isaac, and the faithfulness of those who sanctified His name. He says: For their sake I shall have compassion upon their children.

The angels ask: Master of the world, why do You delight in the praise of those below more than in ours? He answers: Because they dwell in a body of dust, among impulse and affliction, yet they choose My name.

Chapter 12

The Chariot sings before Him with thousands of voices. The living creatures sing with mouths of flame; the wheels sing with the turning of their rims; the cherubim sing with the beating of their wings; the seraphim sing with burning lips.

The firmament itself answers, and the pillars of heaven resound. Every palace is filled with voices, yet no voice confuses another.

Blessed is the King who is clothed in majesty, wrapped in light, crowned with holiness, and seated upon a throne of righteousness.

Chapter 13

The Holy One opens His heart at the hour of His children’s prayer. He is sought and found by them, near to all who call upon Him in truth.

When the poor cry, their voice passes through the gates without an angel hindering it. When the oppressed groan, the foundations of the Throne are stirred.

The ministers say: Blessed is the Judge who loves righteousness, who hears the whisper of the afflicted and stores every tear.

Chapter 14

These are among the names uttered before the Throne: Totrusiyyai, Adiriron, Tsurtaq, Zavudiel, Totraviel, Hadariel. [Some names uncertain.]

Each name is a crown, each crown is a seal, each seal is a gate, and each gate is guarded by princes of fire.

One who pronounces them must do so in purity, fear, humility, and exactness. Whoever alters a letter through arrogance places himself in danger.

Chapter 15

Rabbi Ishmael said: Suriya, Prince of the Presence, said to me: None may descend to the Chariot unless he is clean from idolatry, sexual wrongdoing, bloodshed, profanation of the Name, brazenness, and baseless hatred, and unless he guards the commandments.

Eight defiling qualities are hateful before Totarkhiel, the LORD God of Israel, and before Suriya His servant: pride, deceit, anger, cruelty, slander, shamelessness, greed, and hatred without cause.

Let the seeker examine himself before he seeks the palaces. Better that he remain below in humility than ascend in impurity and be destroyed.

Chapter 16

Rabbi Nehuniah ben Ha-Qanah said: These are the measures of the descent and the number of the adjurations. Do not add and do not subtract.

The names are pronounced in their order and the seals shown at their gates. The first seal is shown to the guardians of the first palace, the second to the guardians of the second, and so onward.

One must repeat the adjuration according to the received number. [The manuscripts differ in several counts.]

Rabbi Ishmael said: I wrote the words exactly as Sagsagael, Prince of the Presence, gave them to me.

Chapter 17

At the gate of the first palace stand eight guardians, four on the right and four on the left. Their bows are drawn, their swords sharpened, and sparks go out from their eyes.

At the second palace stand guardians more terrible than the first. At the third, their breath is burning wind. At the fourth, torches of coals are in their hands. At the fifth, their voices shake the firmament. At the sixth, they test every seal. At the seventh, terror and splendour surround Anafiel the prince.

The seeker must not answer before he is questioned, must not advance before he is summoned, and must not look to the right or left except as instructed.

[Several guardian names are uncertain in the surviving manuscripts.]

Chapter 18

The King is called by names of glory that no mouth can fully utter and no ear can contain. The ministers veil their faces when the names pass among them.

When the great name is spoken, the heavens bow, the earth trembles, the seas flee, and the mountains smoke.

Yet He bends down to hear the prayer of the lowly and receives the repentance of the brokenhearted.

Chapter 19

These are the seals by which one passes the gates. Show the seal of Totrusiyyai to the guardians of the first palace. Show the seal of Adiriron to those of the second. Show the seal of Tsurtaq to those of the third. [Names and order vary.]

At each gate the prince examines the seal and compares the name written upon it with the name upon the crown of his head.

The guardians of the sixth palace destroy those who descend without permission. Their test is severe, and many who knew the earlier gates failed there.

Suriya said: Do not trust memory alone. Receive the seals from a master and preserve them with fear.

Chapter 20

Rabbi Ishmael said: When I reached the gate of the sixth palace, the guardians rushed upon me. Dumiel the prince came out and asked: By whose permission have you come?

I showed him the seal and spoke the name. He examined me, then his countenance became gentle, and he said: Enter, beloved of the King, but guard your eyes and your tongue.

Behind him were thousands of ministers carrying shields of fire and spears of lightning. They surrounded me until I reached the inner gate.

Chapter 21

Zohariel and Pa'ali-Pa'ali: show these two seals to Qatsfiel, and show Beronyah to Dumiel the prince, a righteous and humble prince.

Qatsfiel bends his bow, sneezes, and brings a storm-wind; then he seats the worthy one in a chariot of splendour. Eight thousand myriads of horns, three thousand myriads of shofars, and four thousand myriads of trumpets sound before him.

Dumiel takes a gift and goes before him with a pleasant face.

But the seeker must be one who labours in Torah. Wisdom without Torah is empty, and names without righteousness become accusation.

Chapter 22

Rabbi Akiva said: When the seals were shown in their order, the princes embraced me and said: Blessed are you, son of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who have entered by permission.

They placed upon me a garment of light and a crown upon my head, not that I should rule, but that I should endure the splendour of the passage.

Dumiel said: Remember those below. Do not make the ascent a cause for pride, for many fell because they loved honour more than knowledge.

Chapter 23

At the gate of the seventh palace stands Anafiel the prince, whose crown is a crown of crowns. Its splendour fills the whole palace and its light reaches the gates below.

Around him stand princes whose names are like flames. They do not sleep, they do not grow weary, and they do not turn from the service appointed to them.

Anafiel examines the seal of the seventh palace. When it is true, he opens the gate; when it is false, the fire of the gate consumes the deceiver.

Chapter 24

Anafiel said to me: Do not fear, son of the beloved seed. Enter and behold the King in His beauty; you shall not be destroyed and you shall not be burned.

I saw the holy living creatures, and their eyes were like rays running to the ends of the world. Their wings covered the firmament and their feet stood within fire.

The splendour of the King was hidden by veils of light, yet the whole palace shone from the radiance beyond them.

I fell upon my face. A hand strengthened me and a voice said: Stand, son of man, and hear.

Chapter 25

Then the ministers began the Sanctification. One called to another and said: Holy in the highest heaven, holy upon the Throne of Glory, holy in the palaces, holy among Israel below.

The sound became fire, and the fire became crowns. The crowns were placed upon the head of the King, and the King gave crowns of mercy to His people.

Blessed is His glorious kingdom forever and ever.

Chapter 26

‘I saw something like amber’—this is the test by which they determine whether one is worthy to descend to the Chariot.

If he is told, ‘Enter,’ but is unworthy and nevertheless enters, thousands of iron cleavers strike him. They say: Fool, perhaps you are from the seed of those who kissed the calf, for you are not worthy to behold the King and His Throne of Glory.

If he is worthy, they first refuse him in order to test his humility. He remains silent and waits. Then they call him again and receive him in peace.

Thus the heart is weighed before the seal is accepted.

Chapter 27

The four holy living creatures bear the Chariot: the face of a human, the face of a lion, the face of an ox, and the face of an eagle.

The human face speaks understanding; the lion face proclaims might; the ox face bears the yoke of service; the eagle face rises swiftly to do the King’s will.

Their wings are joined one to another. Beneath them are wheels full of eyes, and within the wheels is burning fire.

When they move, the heavens move; when they stand, the firmament grows still; when they bless, all the worlds answer.

Chapter 28

Rabbi Ishmael said: I asked concerning the measure of the palaces and the distances between their gates.

The prince answered: No earthly measure contains them. A journey of five hundred years is as a handbreadth there, and a handbreadth there is as a journey without end below.

Do not imagine that the palaces are places like earthly halls. They are degrees of holiness, chambers of fire, and boundaries appointed by the King.

Chapter 29

The Holy One says: Who will bring Me the words of Torah from the mouth of My children? Who will cause Me to hear the voice of study in the night?

When Israel neglects Torah, accusation increases and the nations gain power. When they labour in it, the ministers of destruction are restrained.

One hour of sincere study by the afflicted is more precious before the Throne than many songs uttered without understanding.

Therefore let the seeker of the Chariot first deepen himself in Torah, Mishnah, purity, and mercy.

Chapter 30

This is the teaching of the Prince of Torah. Sit in solitude, turn your heart away from vanity, wash your garments, and set your mouth apart from falsehood.

Invoke the appointed princes, not to compel heaven through pride, but to ask that the gates of understanding be opened.

The Torah is compared to water, fire, wine, milk, honey, and oil. It gives life to the humble and burns the arrogant.

[A sequence of angelic names follows; several forms are uncertain.]

Chapter 31

Rabbi Ishmael said: Rabbi Akiva told me concerning Metatron, Prince of the Presence.

He is Enoch son of Jared, whom the Holy One took from among those who walked upon earth. He gave him wisdom and understanding beyond the angels and appointed him over the treasuries of heaven.

A throne was made for him corresponding to the Throne, and he was clothed in splendour and crowned with a crown upon which letters of fire were engraved.

He is called the Lesser Lord, not because there is another God, but because the Name of his Master is upon him and he serves before Him. [Wording varies among witnesses.]

Chapter 32

Metatron said: The Holy One revealed to me the generations, their leaders, their sages, their judges, their oppressors, and their deliverers.

He showed me the Messiah who is called Menahem son of Amiel, born from the house of David and hidden until the appointed time.

The hosts asked: When shall he be revealed? The King answered: When the measure of oppression is complete and the cry of My children reaches My Throne.

Treasuries of wind, fire, hail, healing, and consolation are prepared for the day of redemption.

Chapter 33

Because of the arrogance of his generation, the Messiah is confined for eight years. He bears affliction and says: How long shall the children remain among the nations?

The fathers of the world come to comfort him, but he refuses comfort until mercy is decreed for Israel.

Then a voice goes out: The time of your release has arrived. Rise, shake off the dust, put on strength, and reveal the salvation stored from the beginning.

Chapter 34

In the last years, kingdoms shall provoke one another, famine shall spread, and truth shall be lacking. The face of the generation shall be shameless and the faithful shall be few.

Yet those who hold fast to mercy, Torah, and the sanctification of the Name shall be guarded beneath the wings of the Presence.

The signs are not given so that people may calculate the end in pride, but so that the afflicted may not lose hope.

Chapter 35

A voice shall be heard from the wilderness, and another from the sea. The mountains shall answer and the graves of the righteous shall be stirred.

The nations shall say: Who is this people that rises after being trampled? Israel shall answer: The LORD is our King; He has remembered His covenant.

The princes of the nations shall be brought before the heavenly court, and each shall give account for the blood entrusted to his dominion.

Chapter 36

In the last year there shall be severe sufferings, many decrees, heavy servitude, and widespread sickness. The world shall change; provisions shall be costly; and there shall be no peace for the one who goes out or comes in. People of faith shall be gathered away, and immediately the Messiah shall be revealed.

When the Messiah rises from the house of confinement, the nations contend with him and say: Why do you seek to uproot seventy nations for the sake of one nation? Every evil found among us is also found among your people.

He answers: You were appointed to rule with justice, but you multiplied cruelty and shed blood without measure. The Judge of all has weighed the deeds of every nation.

Then the Holy One reveals the hidden righteousness of Israel and judges each person according to truth.

Chapter 37

Many from the nations shall join themselves to Israel, seeking the covenant and the knowledge of the One.

After this Gog and Magog shall come with a great host. They shall surround the land and say: We shall erase the name of Israel.

The Holy One shall rebuke them. Fire, storm, confusion, and plague shall enter their camp, and each shall raise his sword against his companion.

The remnant of the nations shall know that the kingdom belongs to the LORD.

Chapter 38

The exiles shall be gathered from the four winds. The blind shall be led by a way they did not know, and the weak shall be carried upon shoulders.

Jerusalem shall be rebuilt in compassion. Her gates shall be praise and her walls salvation.

The righteous of the generations shall rise to greet the redeemed, and the earth shall return what was entrusted to it.

[The sequence of events differs among the manuscripts.]

Chapter 39

Forty years before the Messiah son of David, Nehemiah son of Hushiel, a man of Ephraim, shall appear. He shall gather Israel, restore sacrifice, and wage war, but Shiduy king of Persia shall kill him.

Then Armilus shall arise, the son of Belial and of a stone image, the head of all idolatry. He shall deceive many with signs and exalt himself against heaven.

Menahem son of Amiel shall confront him. The breath of the Holy One shall destroy falsehood, and Armilus shall fall with those who trusted in him.

Afterward the kingdom shall be restored to the One whose kingdom is everlasting.

Chapter 40

Rabbi Ishmael said: Whoever seeks to make use of this mystery shall purify himself for twelve days. He shall wash his garments, immerse according to the received ordinance, remain apart from impurity, fast as he is able, eat only simple food, and guard his mouth from idle speech.

He shall pray at dawn and evening, study Torah by day and night, and reconcile with anyone he has wronged. No anger, deceit, or hatred shall remain in his heart.

Then he shall speak the adjuration and names in their order. [Several names and counts are uncertain.] He shall not use them for gain, vengeance, or pride.

When the sign is granted, he shall fall upon his face and bless the King of Glory, saying: Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory. Blessed is the glory of the LORD from His place.

Rabbi Ishmael said: These are the chapters of the Greater Palaces, which I received from Rabbi Nehuniah ben Ha-Qanah and from the princes of the Presence. Blessed is the wise person who hears and humbles himself, and blessed is the One who gives wisdom to those who fear Him.