Heikhalot Rabbati
Heikhalot Rabbati | Complete English translation of Heikhalot Rabbati, a core text of Jewish mysticism describing the ascent through the seven heavenly palaces and the vision of the Divine Chariot.
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Heikalot Rabbati | Complete Reading in English
Heikalot Rabbati | Complete Reading in English
Heikhalot Rabbati – The Great Palaces (in English) is a fundamental work of Jewish mystical literature, specifically Kabbalah, composed between approximately 100 BCE and 900 CE. It primarily describes the mystic's ascent through seven celestial palaces (Heikhalot) to witness the Divine Chariot (Merkavah) and the Throne of Glory (Kisseh ha-Kavod). Narrated by Rabbi Ishmael, who transmits the teachings of other masters such as Rabbi Neḥunya ben Ha-Qanah and Rabbi Akiva, the text outlines the perilous methods and prerequisites for this mystical journey, emphasizing moral purity, asceticism, and the guidance of sages. Beyond celestial visions, the text also interweaves eschatological themes, detailing the final redemption of Israel, the fall of wicked Rome, and the role of the Messiah, often personified as Metatron, an exalted angelic figure. The text repeatedly emphasizes the centrality of Israel and the Torah in the divine plan, illustrating this through the image of Jacob's face engraved on the Throne of Glory and the power of Israel's prayers.
Source : Original text in Hebrew ( sefaria.org )
→ Translation: Semantics, with high philological rigor, by Elizeu AS .
Heikalot Rabbati
Heikalot Rabbati
Kabbalah
Chapter 1 → Rabbi Ishmael's Protocol for Contemplating the Merkavah
Chapter 1 → Rabbi Ishmael's Protocol for Contemplating the Merkavah
Chapter 1 of Heikhalot Rabbati presents Rabbi Ishmael's teachings on the necessary chants for those seeking to contemplate the Merkavah (Chariot) and ascend and descend in peace. The text describes the revelations before the Throne of Glory, the discernment of human actions, and the celestial judgments upon those who oppose the mystical, establishing the sanctity and danger of visionary ascension.
1 → Rabbi Ishmael said: What is the difference between the songs that one who seeks to contemplate the Tzippiyat ha-Merkavah (Vision of the Chariot) should recite to descend in peace and to ascend in peace?
2 → Most importantly, enter, lead him, and take him to the chambers of the Heikhal (Palace) of the Raqia (Firmament), present him before the Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory), and learn all that is destined to exist in the world: whom they humiliate and whom they exalt, whom they weaken and whom they strengthen, whom they impoverish and whom they enrich, whom they kill and whom they give life to, from whom they take inheritance and to whom they give inheritance, to whom they grant the Torah and to whom they give wisdom.
3 → Most importantly, it observes all the acts of the children of men, knowing and recognizing who commits adultery, knowing and recognizing who murders a soul, knowing and recognizing who is suspected of what, knowing and recognizing all kinds of witchcraft.
4 → Worst of all, whoever raises a hand against him and strikes him will be covered in leprosy and adorned with a bright spot. Worst of all, whoever utters malicious words against him will be afflicted with boils, sores, and ulcers from which a serious abscess will flow.
5 → The most serious thing of all is that whoever raises a hand against him is separated from all the children of men and is feared among all peoples in all his attributes, although he is honored among the Elyonim (Superior Beings) and among the Tachtonim (Inferior Beings). And whoever stumbles against him, great and terrible stumbling blocks will overtake him from heaven. And whoever stretches out his hand against him, the Beit Din shel Ma'alah (Court of Heaven) stretches out its hand against him.
Chapter 2 → Rabbi Ishmael and the Merkavah Songs: Judgment, Prohibition, and Praise before the Throne
Chapter 2 → Rabbi Ishmael and the Merkavah Songs: Judgment, Prohibition, and Praise before the Throne
In chapter 2 of Heikhalot Rabbati, Rabbi Ishmael reveals the mysteries of the Merkavah: the divine judgment of families and converts, the excommunication announced with shofar blasts, and the sublime chants of the ministering angels before the Kisseh ha-Kavod. This passage reveals the reverence of standing before the Chariot and the sacred power of chanting in the celestial ascension.
1 → Most importantly, all creatures before Him are like silver before a refiner: impure silver and pure silver. And so too He regards the family: how many gerim (converts) there are, how many petzu'ei dakka (crushed testicles) there are, how many kerutei shofkha (separated from seed) there are, how many benei nidda (children of menstrual impurity), how many avadim (slaves), how many arelim (uncircumcised).
2 → The most serious thing of all is that whoever dares to confront Him dims the brightness of the wheel of their eyes. The most serious thing of all is that whoever despises Him leaves neither root nor branch, nor even an heir. The most serious thing of all is that whoever utters slander against Him brings destruction and turmoil upon themselves, and no one shows mercy.
3 → Most importantly, they sound the shofar and raise the teru'ah (sound), and then pronounce the niddui (excommunication) and repeat the niddui and declare the cherem (banishment) three times a day, every day, from the day that authority was given to the kesharim (worthy), the anavim (humble), the aluvim (afflicted), the nevonim (discerning), the yesharim (righteous), the chasidim (pious), the bechurim (chosen), the perushim (ascetics), the tzaddikim (righteous), and the temimim (blameless) to descend and ascend in the Merkavah (Chariot), to say: “May he be in niddui, D'Ta'atzash, YHVH Elohei Yisrael, for Him and for His Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of the Lord).” Glory), for the crown of His head, for the Beit Din (Court) of the High, for the Beit Din of the Lower, and for all the Tzava Marom (Army of the Heights) and for all His meshartim (servants). Whoever stands before Him and is anxious in the Merkavah and abandons them.
4 → Rabbi Yishmael said: Thus they taught concerning the contemplation of the Merkavah: He who shows himself anxious before the Merkavah is not permitted to remain standing, except in three situations: before a king, before a Kohen Gadol (High Priest), and before the Sanhedrin when there is a Nasi (Prince) among them. But if there is no Nasi among them, he does not remain standing even before the Sanhedrin. And if he remains standing, the guilt will be his, for he will shorten his days and diminish his years.
5 → Rabbi Yishmael said: What is the difference between the shirot (songs) that a person sings and descends to the Merkavah? It begins with the beginning of praise and the beginning of song, the beginning of exultation and the beginning of joy. The sharim (ministering angels) who daily serve YHVH Elohei Yisrael in His Kisseh ha-Kavod sing: They are exalted, the galgal of Kisseh ha-Kavod, ronen ronen (resounding, resounding), musav (seat), hari'u hari'u (raise the touch, raise the touch), pele keli chemda (wonderful vessel of desire), pele u-fele (wonder and marvel), tashmiach tashmiach (bring joy, bring joy), Melekh (King) who is above you, with the joy of a bridegroom in the house of his chuppa (bridal canopy). All the descendants of Jacob will rejoice and exult. And when I came to take refuge under His wings with a joyful heart, rejoicing in You and in Your communion with the communion of Your creatures and with Your Melekh, as it is written: (Isaiah 6:3) Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh, YHVH Tzevaot, the whole earth is full of His Kavod (Glory).
Chapter 3 → Daily Chants of the Merkavah: Hadariel and the Prostration of the Throne
Chapter 3 → Daily Chants of the Merkavah: Hadariel and the Prostration of the Throne
In chapter 3 of Heikhalot Rabbati, angels and holy beings offer daily fire chants before the Kisseh ha-Kavod, while Hadariel proclaims reverence and trembling in the celestial ascension. The passage reveals the prostration of the Throne three times a day, the Kedushah resounding in the Heikhal of Silence, and the brilliance of the Sar ha-Panim above the Keruvim, Ofanim, and Ḥayyot.
1 → The praise and song of each day, the scroll and the exultation of praise, of the word (higyion) that comes out of the mouth of the attendants (mesharatim) and of the word that is strengthened from the mouth of the saints (kedoshim), are fire (esh) and mountains of flames, gathered and stored, paths in each day, as it is written: (Isaiah 6:3) Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh, YHVH Tzevaot, the whole earth is full of His glory (kavod).
2 → What does it matter to you, faithful servant, that you are afraid? What does it matter to you, beloved servant, that you tremble? Hadariel YHVH Elohei Yisrael says before You: If I do not tremble, who will tremble? If I am not alarmed, who will be alarmed? For I am the one who is called by force (gevurah) for six hours each day, and a thousand times they drag me on my mountains until I reach the Throne of Glory (Kisseh ha-Kavod). And behold, the voice answers and says: (Ezekiel 1:25) And there was a voice above the firmament (rakia) that was over their heads. Those who perform these things for you, there is no shame in their words, nor contradiction in their speech. The attendants of His splendor (meshartei hadaro) see the face of Him who dwells (yoshev) in the chambers of the Palace of Silence (Heikhal Demamah). He comes and says to Kedushah, pure, as it is written: (Isaiah 6:3) Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh, YHVH, etc.
3 → King of miracles, King of power (gevurah), King of wonders, King of separation, Your Throne (Kisseh) flies from the hour when You fixed the stake of the fabric that perfected the world and its adornments, remaining upon it. There, the multitude of attributes (middot) extends without end, and Eden did not let its feet rest upon the ground of Aravot (Heavens), but like a bird flies and remains below it. Proud of the proud, crowned, and all the angels, heads of the attributes that You created, remain under the Throne of Glory (Kisseh ha-Kavod). And they are charged with strength, power, and majesty (gevurah), and they also do not let their feet rest upon the ground of Aravot, but like a bird fly and remain below it.
4 → And three times a day, Your Throne of Glory (Kisseh ha-Kavod) prostrates itself before You, Hadariel YHVH Elohei Yisrael. And the King, majestic, returns, for Your Name is dear to me and does not weigh me down, as it is written: (Isaiah 6:3) Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh, YHVH Tzevaot, etc.
5 → Wonderful pride and extraordinary mastery, pride of silence (demamah) and mastery of brilliance (zoharah), for the Angel of the Presence (Sar ha-Panim) conducts himself in it three times a day in the Celestial Court (Beit Din shel Ma'alah), when he goes to and fro over the Heaven of Aravot (Rakia Aravot), which is above the Keruvim (Cherubim), and above the heads of the Ofanim (Wheels), and above the heads of the Ḥayyot (Living Beings).
Chapter 4 → The Terror of the Heights: Vehadriel and the Fire of the Throne
Chapter 4 → The Terror of the Heights: Vehadriel and the Fire of the Throne
In Heikhalot Rabbati, chapter 4, the vision ascends above the Keruvim, Ofanim, and Ḥayyot ha-Kodesh, where all creatures tremble before Vehadriel YHVH Elohei Yisrael no Kisseh ha-Kavod. Flames emanate from the mouths of angels as they proclaim “Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh,” and the splendor of the Throne dazzles all eyes, uniting crowns and resounding in six voices before the King of Glory.
1 → And when all those in the heights see Him ascending and descending in the firmament, above the heads of the Cherubim, above the heads of the Ophanim, and above the heads of the Holy Living Beings, they tremble, they are terrified, they faint, and they fall face down and backward in one hundred and eighty-five thousand myriads of parasangs. No creature can approach that place because of the creeping flames of Esh (fire) that stir and come out of the mouths of the Ophanim, the mouths of the Holy Living Beings, and the mouths of the Cherubim, who open their mouths to say: “Holy, Holy, Holy,” when Israel says: “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God” (Isaiah 6:3).
2 → A measure of Gevurah (power), a measure of Retet (tremor), a measure of Zi'a (shaking), a measure of Kol (sound), a measure of Ḥalḥalah (fear), a measure of Ḥaluk (division) of Vehadriel YHVH Elohei Yisrael, who is adorned and comes upon the Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory).
3 → And it is engraved and filled entirely, inside and out, YHVH, YHVH, and the eyes of any creature cannot behold it, neither the eyes of flesh and blood, nor the eyes of His servants. And whoever beholds it, or observes it, or sees it, visions seize the sockets of his eyes, and the sockets of his eyes emit and send forth sparks of Esh (fire), and they burn and consume him. The Esh (fire) that comes out of the mouth of a man who beholds it, burns and consumes him. Why? Because of the likeness of the eyes of Vehadriel YHVH Elohei Yisrael, who is adorned and comes upon the Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory).
4 → And pleasing and sweet is His beauty in the appearance of the splendor of the brightness of the glory of the eyes of the Ḥayyot, as it is written: “Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh YHVH Tseva'ot” (Isaiah 6:3).
5 → Who is like our Melekh (King) in all his exaltation, who conquers? Who is like our Yotser (Creator)? Who is like our Melekh? Who is like our Elohim? And who is like Him in crowning? Who with six voices sings before Him—His servants and the instruments that carry the Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory), the Keruvim, the Ofanim, and the Ḥayyot ha-Kodesh, in each Kol (sound) that stands out, the first before Him?
Chapter 5 → The Five Voices and the Decree of Rome: Rabbi Ishmael on the Ten Martyrs
Chapter 5 → The Five Voices and the Decree of Rome: Rabbi Ishmael on the Ten Martyrs
Chapter 5 of Heikhalot Rabbati describes the five terrifying voices of the Merkavah that destroy body and soul, the celestial chants understood by Rabbi Akiva before the Throne of Glory, and the divine decree that delivered ten sages of Israel into the hands of Rome. This mystical vision connects the sale of Joseph to the martyrdom of the Ten, revealing the unfolding of divine justice in heaven and on earth.
1 → The first voice (qol) – all who hear it immediately suffer torment and prostrate themselves. The second voice (qol) – all who hear it immediately turn away and never return. The third voice (qol) – all who hear it immediately have their skulls broken and their ribs pierced. The fifth voice (qol) – all who hear it immediately pour out like a pitcher, and the foundation of their strength breaks within them, becoming like water, as it is written: (Isaiah 6:3) Qadosh, Qadosh, Qadosh, YHVH Tseva'ot, etc.
2 → Who is like our Elohim? Who is like our Melekh (King)? Who is like our Yotser (Creator)? The ḥamah (fury) manifests and brings to light the keter (crown) of its head (note: sod Kimah [secret of Kimah]). Kimah, Kesil, and Kokhav Nogah (the star Venus) unite and depart from their dispute, the mazalot (constellations) and kokhavim (stars) that stir and appear before the Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory). A great light emanates from His eyes, for He is Melekh of gevurot (mighty deeds), Melekh of nifla'ot (wonders), and Melekh of perishut (separation), as it is written: (Isaiah 6:3) Qadosh, Qadosh, Qadosh, YHVH Tseva'ot, etc.
3 → Rabbi Yishmael said: All these shirot (songs) were heard by Rabbi Akiva when he descended into the Merkavah (Chariot), and he understood and learned them before the Kisseh ha-Kavod, which His meshartim (servants) were singing before Him.
4 → Rabbi Yishmael said: On that day, the fifth day of Shabbat, a stern report arrived from Rome, saying that four powerful men of Israel had been arrested: Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel, Rabbi Yishmael ben Elisha, Rabbi Eleazar, and Rabbi Yehudah ben Baba, along with eighty thousand talmidim (disciples) from Jerusalem for their pidyon (redemption).
5 → And when Rabbi Neḥunya ben HaKanah saw this decree, he arose and had them brought down to the Merkavah. Sar ha-Panim (Prince of the Presence) said to me: Ten were given to Samael, the wicked one, sar (prince) of Romi, so that he might tell you and destroy from Israel every good part, thigh and shoulder, to fulfill: “And he who steals a man and sells him, etc.” (Exodus 21:16). For the Middat ha-Din (Attribute of Justice) appeared before Ha-Kadosh Barukh Hu (the Holy One, Blessed be He) and said before Him: Master of the Universe, You wrote in Your Torah: “And he who steals a man and sells him, etc.” And the children of Israel who stole their brother Joseph and sold him—what happened to them? Immediately, permission was given to Samael to destroy ten gibborim (mighty ones) in his place to fulfill the Gezera, and this was preserved so that he might take revenge when the time came for YHVH to visit the army of heaven on high, and then the kings of the earth on earth (Isaiah 24:21), for he is slain and cast down, he and all the sarei malkhut (princes of the kingdom) on high, like goats and lambs of Yom ha-Kippurim (Day of Atonement).
Chapter 6 → Treasures of Sorrow and Consolation: Rabbi Yishmael's Vision of Israel and King David
Chapter 6 → Treasures of Sorrow and Consolation: Rabbi Yishmael's Vision of Israel and King David
Chapter 6 of Heikhalot Rabbati reveals Rabbi Yishmael's vision of the decrees written against Samael, the plagues destined for wicked Rome, and the hidden chambers of suffering prepared for Israel. However, within the heavenly treasures, he contemplates garments of salvation, crowns of life, and the glory reserved for David, Melekh Yisrael, while ministering angels weave comfort and redemption for the righteous.
1 → Rabbi Yishmael said: All these warnings and all these conditions were imposed and stipulated upon Samael, and he said: "I accept them," and those ten powerful ones disappeared.
2 → Rabbi Yishmael said: What did Hadariel, Ha Elohei Yisrael (the God of Israel), do? He did not cease to command the scribe to write decrees and great afflictions that were fulfilled upon Samael ha-rasha (the wicked one), who accepted all these conditions upon himself. But he himself took a scroll and wrote on it for the day of vengeance that is to come, preserved for Romi ha-resha'ah (the wicked Roma): A single cloud will rise and remain over Romi, and will bring with it sh'chin lach (weeping sores) upon men and animals, upon silver and gold, and upon all metal utensils for three months. And then another cloud will rise and see its companion and remain in its place for six months, and will bring upon Rome nega tzara'at (a plague of leprosy), sapachat (scaly affliction), and baheret (shiny spots) until a man says: “Woe to you, Rome, and to all that is in it, because of a perutah (small coin),” and he will say: “It is not sought.”
3 → Rabbi Yishmael said: Shagasgael, Sar ha-Panim (Prince of the Presence), my beloved, said to me: “Sit on my lap, and I will tell you what will happen to Yisrael (Israel).” I sat on his lap, and he looked at me and wept, and his tears fell from his eyes and onto my face. I said to him: “Hadar ziv marom (Splendor of the Height), why do you weep?” He said to me: “My beloved, come, and I will lead you and show you what is hidden for Yisrael, the holy nation.” He led me to chadrei chadarim (chambers within chambers), to ganzai genazim (hidden treasures), and to otzarot shel ha-pinakasim (treasures of the tablets). He opened them and showed me many sorrows, written and bound, each one different from the other. I said to him, “These are for whom?” He said to me, “For Israel.” I asked him, “And can they endure this?” He said to me, “Come tomorrow, and I will show you different kinds of suffering.” The next day he took me to the holy places and showed me different kinds of suffering than the first ones, which were the sword, famine, and captivity. I said to him, “My God, has Israel sinned alone?” He said to me, “Every day many other kinds of suffering are renewed upon them, besides these, and when they enter the synagogues and answer, ‘Amen, blessed be Your great Name,’ we do not allow them to depart from the holy places.”
4 → At the time I descended from before him, I heard a voice speaking in the Aramaic language, and it said: “Makdasha tzadiyota (the righteous sanctuary), betulan (maidens) and olamin (worlds) for misfortune, and bnei malka (sons of the king) for slaughter, and dirutei d'malka (dwellings of the king) to be guarded by armalta (widows), and madb'cha (the altar) to be profaned, and patura d'matk'nan (the prepared table) to be plundered by balei d'baba (masters of the gate), and Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) to be banished, and ar'a d'Yisrael (the land of Israel) to tremble.”
5 → When I heard the powerful voice, I was terrified, paralyzed, and fell backward until Hadarniel, the Sar (Prince), came and gave me strength and ruach (spirit/breath) and set me on my feet. I said, “Hadar ziv marom, is there no remedy for Israel?” He said to me, “My beloved, come, and I will take you to ganzai nechamot (treasures of consolation) and ganzai yeshu'ot (treasures of salvation).” He led me to ganzai yeshu'ot, ganzai nechamot, and I saw groups of mal'achei ha-sharet (ministering angels) sitting, weaving garments of yeshu'ah (salvation), making k'tarim chayyim (crowns of life) and setting precious stones and margaliyot (pearls) into them, mixing all kinds of besamim (spices) and sweetening wines for the tzaddikim (righteous). And I saw a single crown, with the sun, the moon, and twelve constellations fixed upon it. I asked him, "For whom are these crowns?" He answered, "For David, the King of Israel." I said to him, "Show me the glory of David." He said, "Wait, my beloved, a few hours until David, the King of Israel, arrives here, and you will see his greatness."
Chapter 7 → David Enthroned in Heaven: Songs, Crowns, and the Fall of Rome
Chapter 7 → David Enthroned in Heaven: Songs, Crowns, and the Fall of Rome
Chapter 7 of Heikhalot Rabbati describes Rabbi Yishmael's vision of David ascending to a fiery throne in the heavenly Temple, crowned above all the kings of Israel. While the Ophanim, Seraphim, and Hayyot tremble, David leads celestial songs of praise before the Throne of Glory, as the heavenly court decrees vengeance upon Rome. The vision reveals crowns of splendor, divine kingship, and the downfall of Lupinus Caesar.
1 → He grabbed me and sat me on his lap. He said to me, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see seven lightning bolts running as one.” He said to me, “My son, hold your eyes so that they are not frightened, for they have gone out to meet David.” Immediately, all the Ofanim (Wheels), Seraphim (Seraphim), Ḥayyot ha-Qodesh (Holy Living Beings), treasures of snow, clouds of kavod (glory), constellations, stars, malakhei ha-sharet (ministering angels), and flaming zebul (heavenly dwelling) trembled and said, “To the master of ceremonies, a psalm of David: The heavens declare…” (Psalm 19:1). And I heard a voice of tumult coming from Eden, saying, “The LORD will reign forever” (Psalm 146:10). And David, king of Israel, at the head, and all the kings of the house of David after him, each with his crown on his head, and the crown of David is distinct and superior to all crowns, and its brilliance extends from one end of the world to the other.
2 → As soon as David went up to the Beit ha-Miqdash (Temple) in the raqia (firmament), a kisseh (throne) of esh (fire) was prepared for him, forty parsa'ot high, twice as long and twice as wide. When David arrived and sat on the kisseh prepared for him, in front of the Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory) of his Creator, all the kings of the house of David sat before him, and all the kings of Israel sat behind him. Immediately, David stood up and uttered shirot (songs) and tishbaḥot (praises) such as no human ear had ever heard. And when David opened it and said, “The LORD will reign forever” (Psalm 146:10), Metatron and all his entourage began: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts,” and the Ḥayyot praised, saying, “Blessed be the glory of the LORD from his place” (Ezekiel 3:12). The firmaments said, “The LORD will reign forever” (Psalm 146:10), and the earth said, “The LORD reigns, the LORD reigned, and all the kings of the house of David, and the LORD will be King over all the earth” (Zechariah 14:9).
3 → Rabbi Ishmael said: When I arrived and reported this before the Kisseh ha-Kavod, all the companions rejoiced and made it a day of feasting and jubilation. And not only that, but the princes, in their joy, said: “Bring us various kinds of zemer (songs) and let us drink with them, for Hadriel YHVH, God of Israel, is destined to perform vengeance, prodigies, and wonders against Rome, the wicked one, and we will rejoice with the music of the kinnor (lyre) and the ugav (flute).”
4 → Rabbi Ishmael said: What did the heavenly Beit Din (Court) do at that time? They commanded the malakhei ḥabbalah (angels of destruction), and they descended and acted against Lupin Caesar, and so it was decreed, and no survivor remained. And Rephah, his wife of youth, and all his mothers and concubines were mutilated and thrown before him, all his children and his family and all the delights of his eyes.
5 → What did they do to that wicked man? They defiled him and his dead, casting them before him. And whenever he stretched out his hand, any creature that tried to take one of Lupin Caesar's dead to place it in his coffin for burial, the abyss swallowed it, for he withdrew his hand and the abyss spat it back out, and the bodies were cast before him. And not only that, but they rotted and gave off a foul odor throughout his royal palace, and he was shamed before the princes of the kingdoms who gathered there.
Chapter 8 → Rabbi Hanina ben Teradyon and the Judgment of Rome
Chapter 8 → Rabbi Hanina ben Teradyon and the Judgment of Rome
Chapter 8 of Heikhalot Rabbati narrates the celestial drama in which Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon assumes the place of Lupinus Caesar, ruling Rome for six months before its tragic end. Through the vision of Rabbi Yishmael and the words of Suryya, Sar ha-Panim, the chapter reveals how the decrees of the Ten Martyrs unfold, Rome's mockery of the Throne of Glory, and the proclamation from heaven that even Rome's thoughts against Israel are as if already fulfilled.
1 → Rabbi Yishmael said: Suriyah, Sar ha-Panim (Prince of the Presence), my beloved, spoke to me, saying: “Why does all shame and all disgrace fall upon that wicked man because of Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon, whose day of execution has arrived?” He said to him: “My lord, Caesar, turn away from this sage so that he may not be killed.” He replied: “Let him die, he and all his family, and let Rome perish with him, and in this matter, I will not yield.”
2 → Rabbi Yishmael said: Suriyah, Sar ha-Panim (Prince of the Presence), my beloved, spoke to me, saying: “Do not grieve over this measure by which you departed to your eternal dwelling, for Hadaryal, YHVH Elohei Yisrael (God of Israel), has already mocked that wicked one and said: 'The splendor of pride in which I dwell, and the Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory) that adorned it, from the time it was created and forever, I will make it taste of Or (light) and coals of Esh (fire) — Keruvim (Cherubim), Ofanim (Wheels), Ḥayyot ha-Kodesh (Holy Living Beings) and Seraphim (Seraphim) — against that wicked one in Gehinnom (Hell), through Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon."
3 → Suryya, Sar ha-Panim (Prince of the Presence), my beloved, spoke to me, saying: “What did Hadar Tahor Ziv Hadar Uriyya, YHVH Elohei Yisrael (God of Israel) — and some say Ohiyya, YHVH Elohei Yisrael — do at that time? He commanded me, and I went down and pushed Lupinus Caesar from his Heikhal (Palace) where he slept at night, and took him to a place with a pack of pigs and dogs. Then I brought Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon and placed him in Lupinus Caesar's Heikhal. The next day, the executors who had received orders concerning Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon came, saying: 'He sits and performs wonders in the Beit ha-Midrash (House of Study), and he sits and teaches Torah to the powerful of Israel.'" They cut off his head, and it seemed to them that Lupinus Caesar was Rabbi Hanina ben Teradyon, and they cut off his head.”
4 → Rabbi Hanina ben Teradyon crowned his reign and ruled over Rome in the guise of Lupin Caesar for six months. He killed six thousand governors, a thousand per month. Then, they placed Lupin Caesar in the form of Rabbi Hanina ben Teradyon before Rome, seized him, and threw him into the Esh (fire) and killed him. Afterward, the Ḥayyot (Living Beings) from the heights seized him and threw him into the Esh (fire). And so it was done with all ten sages of Israel.
5 → For a herald comes forth from Aravot Raqia (the Heaven of Heavens), proclaiming and saying in the Beit Din (Court) of the heights: “The plan that wicked Rome conceived against the mighty of Israel to destroy them, Hadaryal, YHVH Elohei Yisrael (God of Israel), consented to. However, even after the deliberation that wicked Rome conceived, behold, it is as if they had done it.”
Chapter 9 → The Praise of the Throne: Rabbi Yishmael's Vision of the Merkavah
Chapter 9 → The Praise of the Throne: Rabbi Yishmael's Vision of the Merkavah
Chapter 9 of Heikhalot Rabbati reveals Rabbi Yishmael's vision of Kisseh ha-Kavod exalted above the Keruvim, carried by the Ofanim and surrounded by flaming beings of splendor. The passage describes the trembling of the heavens, the chanting of the ministering angels, and the brilliance of the Shekhinah as they proclaim “Qadosh, Qadosh, Qadosh YHVH Tzevaot,” revealing the majesty and terror of the Merkavah.
1 → Rabbi Yishmael said: Surya, Sar ha-Panim (Prince of the Presence), my friend, spoke to me, saying: To you I recount the praise of Melekh (King) and His Kisseh (Throne). Thus it is said: Your Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory) is above the Keruvim (Cherubim) of the heights, exalted, and the Ofanim (Wheels) of the seven sustain it. Creatures of kipur (frost) and qitor (vapor), and creatures of deliqa (conflagration), adorned with ge'ah (pride) and zihiyon (splendor), and the eyes of Shaddai (Almighty) are turned towards them. They are drawn under Him like ayalot (deer) under the plowshare, and He is stretched out over their heads with oz (strength), toqef (power), and gevurah (force), as it is said: Qadosh, Qadosh, Qadosh (Holy, Holy, Holy) is YHVH Tzevaot (Lord of Hosts), etc. (Isaiah 6:3).
2 → Be adorned, be exalted, be lifted up, O Melekh Mefo'ar (Glorious King), above the Kisseh Ram ve-Nissa (High and Exalted Throne), fearsome and trembling. You dwell in the chambers of the Heikhal Ge'ah (Palace of Pride), trembling and sweating. The Aravot (Heavens) are the footstool of Your feet with the sound of rinah (joyful song), ra'ash (tumult), and zimrah (melody). The multitude proclaims shirah (song), as it is written: Qadosh, Qadosh, Qadosh is YHVH Tzevaot, etc. (Isaiah 6:3).
3 → Watchers of gevurah (power) and steps of Shekhinah (Divine Presence), blows of yosher (justice), voices of migdalei shirah (song towers) and ge'arah (rebuke) at the voice of meshartim (ministering angels), at the voice of abirim (mighty ones), at the voice of meshorrerim (singers). Your strength is pleasant and sweet, Qadosh (Holy One), who dwells in hagion (meditation). They, with flames, raise the galgalei Kisseh ha-Kavod (wheels of the Throne of Glory), rinah renan (joyful resounding song), the seat of the exalted Moshav Elyon (Supreme Throne). Proclaim, awaken the re'ayonot (thoughts), Yafeh Be-Ma'amar Ha (Beautiful in the Divine Word).
4 → Adorned with crowns of splendor and diadems of crowns, exulting in the Most High, in songs of jubilation, exalt Him, for in the Shekhinah (Divine Presence), in the Shekhinah (Presence), chamber within chambers of chambers, you encamp. He made His name marvelous, from the name of His servants. He distinguished you from the princes of the Chariot. Whoever mentions a single name among you will be surrounded by a blazing flame, with glowing coals scattered about, as it is written: Qadosh, Qadosh, Qadosh is YHVH Tzevaot, etc. (Isaiah 6:3).
5 → Annulers of decrees and awakeners of oaths, removers of terror, restorers of zeal, proclaimers of love, organizers of knowledge before the splendor of the Heikhal Ga'on (Palace of Majesty). Why do you sing, and sometimes are you fearful, and sometimes tremble? They said: When the wheels of the chariot resound and stop in panic, and when the brightness of the chariot is full of judgment, we rejoice with great joy, as it is written: Qadosh, Qadosh, Qadosh is YHVH Tzevaot, etc. (Isaiah 6:3).
Chapter 10 → The Faces of Glory: Songs of the Throne and the Vision of the Merkavah
Chapter 10 → The Faces of Glory: Songs of the Throne and the Vision of the Merkavah
Chapter 10 of Heikhalot Rabbati reveals the radiant and flaming faces of YHVH above the Kisseh ha-Kavod, before which the servants tremble and rivers of joy and love gush forth. The vision reveals the rotation of the Merkavah, the voices of the Cherubim, Ophanim, and Ḥayyot resounding like mighty waters, and the mystery of Israel's prayers—when they proclaim “Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh,” the heavens and the earth unite in song before the Throne of Glory.
1 → Beautiful faces, majestic faces, faces of beauty, faces of flame, the faces of YHVH, Elohei Yisrael (God of Israel), when He sits on the Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory), and His splendor is adorned in the seat of majestic beauty. And then, from the beauty of the power of splendor, which surpasses the splendor of brides and grooms in their bridal chambers, he who beholds Him is immediately shattered, he who gazes upon His beauty is poured out like a jar. Those who serve Him today will not serve Him tomorrow, and those who serve Him tomorrow will not serve Him today, for their strength fails, their faces grow dark, their whiteness fades, and their eyes grow dim before the majestic beauty of the splendor of their King, as it is written: Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh, YHVH Tsevaot (Holy, holy, holy, YHVH of Hosts), and so on (Isaiah 6:3).
2 → O beloved and righteous servants, swift and purifying servants, who are upon the stone of the Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory) and positioned upon the Galgal ha-Merkavah (Chariot Wheel) — when the stone of the Kisseh ha-Kavod surrounds you, the Kisseh Galgal ha-Merkavah (Chariot Wheel) forms your separation. Those on the right turn back and stand on the left; those in front turn back and stand behind; those behind turn back and stand in front. Whoever sees this one says, “This is He,” and whoever sees that one says, “This is He.” The face of this one is like that one. Blessed be the King whose servants are these! Blessed be His servants whose King is this one! Blessed is the eye that is nourished and beholds this marvelous Light (Or), a marvelous and exceedingly strange vision, as it is written: Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh, YHVH Tsevaot (Holy, holy, holy, YHVH of Hosts), and so forth (Isaiah 6:3).
3 → Rivers of joy, rivers of jubilation, rivers of exultation, rivers of love, rivers of knowledge, rivers of desire gush forth and flow before Him, from before the Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory), and become powerful and proceed through the gate of the paths of Aravot (the seventh heaven). From the sound of the melodies of the Kinorot (harps) of His Ḥayyot (Living Beings), from the sound of the joy of the mouths of His Ofanim (Wheels), from the sound of the songs, from the sound of His Keruvim (Cherubim), a powerful sound bursts forth with tumult when Israel says before Him: Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh (Holy, holy, holy), and so forth (Isaiah 6:3).
4 → Like the sound of Mayim Rabbim (many waters), like the tumult of rivers, the feet of Tarshish (beryl), stirred by the Ruach (wind/spirit) from the south, like the sound of the song of the Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory) that recalls and praises the majestic King, a great and powerful tumult, and the voices in the Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory) do not cease to aid and strengthen Him when He is sung and praised to the Mighty One of Jacob, as it is written: Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh, YHVH Tsevaot (Holy, holy, holy, YHVH of Hosts), and so forth (Isaiah 6:3).
5 → To Me belong the heavens, the earth, and the descendants of the Chariot. If you, Cherubim, declare this, say to the ashamed: I act in the Shaḥarit prayer (morning prayer) and in the Minḥah prayer (evening prayer) every day, at every hour when Israel says: Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh, YHVH (Holy, holy, holy, YHVH). And teach them and say to them: Lift up your eyes to the firmament in front of your house of prayer, at the hour when you say: Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh, YHVH Tsevaot (Holy, holy, holy, YHVH of Hosts), and so on (Isaiah 6:3).
Chapter 11 → Jacob's Face on the Throne: Sanctification and the Glory of the Divine Name
Chapter 11 → Jacob's Face on the Throne: Sanctification and the Glory of the Divine Name
Chapter 11 of Heikhalot Rabbati reveals the mystery of Jacob's likeness engraved on the Throne of Glory, kissed and embraced by YHWH when Israel proclaims “Qadosh, Qadosh, Qadosh”. This vision exalts the sanctification of the King, the brilliance of precious stones awakened by the Divine Name, and the majesty of His servants who bear exaltation, power, pride, and splendor before the eternal Kingship.
1 → I have no delight in the house of My world that I created, except at the time when your eyes rise to My eyes and My eyes rise to your eyes, at the time when you say before Me: “Qadosh, Qadosh, Qadosh (Holy, Holy, Holy)”, for that voice that comes from your mouths before Me is like a pleasing aroma (re'ach nicho'ach).
2 → And they bore witness to it. What testimony do you see? What am I doing with the image (qelaster) of the face of Jacob, your father, which is engraved on My Throne of Glory? For at the moment when you say before Me: “Qadosh, Qadosh, Qadosh”, I will bow down over it, kiss it, embrace it and enfold it, and My hands will be upon My arms at the moment when you say before Me: “Qadosh, Qadosh, Qadosh, YHVH Tseva'ot (Lord of Hosts)”, etc. (Isaiah 6:3).
3 → Who would not adorn the Melekh (King) who is adorned? Who would not praise the Melekh who is praised? Who would not sanctify the Melekh who is sanctified? For every day, wonders and mighty deeds come and are awakened before Him, each one different from the other, for He receives the eyelids of His creatures that sing and come forth from their mouths with that Shem (Name), the Shem that enters through the ears and exits through the mouth and is forgotten by the heart, for it is not proper to Him, as it is said: “Qadosh, Qadosh, Qadosh, YHVH Tseva'ot”, etc. (Isaiah 6:3).
4 → In the place where they are mentioned, He illuminates and radiates, He shines and gleams, He stirs topaz (pitdah) and diamond (yahalom), sapphire (sapir), emerald (nofekh), beryl (bareqet) and pure marble (shayish tahor), for great is the Shem, who is wonderful and unique, by whom Shamayim (Heavens) and Aretz (Earth) were created, and all the orders of Bereshit (Creation) were sealed and suspended in Him, as it is said: “Qadosh, Qadosh, Qadosh, YHVH”, etc. (Isaiah 6:3). Exalt yourselves, bearers of Romemah (Exaltation)! Be strong, bearers of Gevurah (Power)! Be proud, be proud, bearers of Ga'awah (Pride)! Be exalted, be exalted, bearers of Zehi'on (Splendor)! For only to Malkhut (Kingdom) of the world and to all His servants belong Romemah, Gevurah, Ga'awah, and Zehi'on, for it is fitting for the servants of His majesty to be proud, and for those who frequent His Kisseh (Throne) it is appropriate to be strong.
Chapter 12 → The Throne of Glory and the Faces of Splendor
Chapter 12 → The Throne of Glory and the Faces of Splendor
Chapter 12 of Heikhalot Rabbati describes the immeasurable height and breadth of Kisseh ha-Kavod, carried by mighty men in trembling and reverence, its arms and palms shrouded in mystery. Rabbi Yishmael hears from Metatron the exaltation of the Beloved, while the hidden faces of exaltation, power, pride, and splendor rise three times a day, proclaiming “Qadosh, Qadosh, Qadosh YHVH Tzevaot” in the heights of heaven.
1 → The Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory) ascends, its height one hundred and eighty thousand two hundred thousand ribbot (myriads) of parsaot, from the right arm to the left seventy-seven ribbot parsaot, and its arms are folded over its shoulders. The right arm, its name is Qanissiqiyyah, and the left, its name is Matqahi'assiyyah. The palms of its hands, each with four thousand ribbot parsaot. The right palm, its name is Horaziyyah, and the left, its name is Ḥashashiyyah. Why is His name called El ha-Gadol ha-Gibbor ve-ha-Nora (Great, Mighty, and Awesome God)? Metatron said: Thus far I have seen the exaltation of Yedidiyyah, Master of the World, Shalom. “What is your beloved more than another beloved?” (Shir ha-Shirim 5:9). “My beloved is radiant,” and so on, throughout the passage up to “daughters of Jerusalem.”
2 → For how many mighty men carry the Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory) of the Mighty King, carrying it and standing day and night, evening, morning and midday, in great trembling, in reverence, in shaking, in sweat and in fear?
3 → And how much strength is in you, servants of our Elohim, that you may proclaim His remembrance in the heights of the world, without measure and without number, with voice, with the power of the decree of heaven upon you, yordei Merkavah (descendants of the Chariot)? And if you do not declare and say what you have heard and do not bear witness to what you have seen concerning the Panim (Faces):
4 → Panim (Faces) of exaltation, Panim of power, Panim of pride, Panim of splendor, which are raised, lifted high, agitated and magnified, the Panim shining and growing powerful three times each day in height, and no human being knows or recognizes them, as it is said: “Qadosh, Qadosh, Qadosh (Holy, Holy, Holy) is YHVH Tzevaot” (Isaiah 6:3).
Chapter 13 → Crowns of the Chariot: The Living Beings Before the Throne of Glory
Chapter 13 → Crowns of the Chariot: The Living Beings Before the Throne of Glory
Chapter 13 of Heikhalot Rabbati describes Sar ha-Panim adorning the Ofanim, Keruvim, and Ḥayyot with crowns before the Kisseh ha-Kavod, bowing in endless prostrations. At each dawn, the King of Generations blesses the Living Beings who uphold His Throne, and at the Minḥah the Ḥayyot emerge with wings of joy and mouths of song, encircling the Melekh ha-Kavod in a radiant embrace while the heavens resound with “Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh YHVH Tzevaot”.
1 → When Sar ha-Panim (Prince of the Presence) enters to organize and order the Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory) and prepare the seat for Avir Yaakov (Mighty One of Jacob), he binds a thousand crowns to the Ofanim (Wheels) of Hod (Splendor), and for each one, a thousand times he bows down, falls, and prostrates himself before each one. He binds two thousand crowns to the Keruvim (Cherubim) of Kavod (Glory), and for each one, two thousand times he bows down, falls, and prostrates himself before each one. He binds three thousand crowns to the Ḥayyot ha-Kodesh (Holy Living Beings), and for each one, three thousand times he bows down, falls, and prostrates himself before each one. He offers six thousand crowns to Nogah Or (Radiance of Light) for this, and for eight thousand thousands of thousands and a multitude of myriads of myriads of crowns, six thousand times he bows, falls, and prostrates himself before each one of them. He offers twelve thousand crowns to Bazak (Lightning) for this, and for sixteen thousand thousands of thousands of thousands, a multitude of multitudes of myriads of myriads of myriads of crowns, twelve thousand times he bows, falls, and prostrates himself before each one of them.
2 → Please, O bearers of the Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory), with all your heart and soul willing, magnify the joy and exultation, the song and the melody, before the Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory) of Totrosia”y Nevo”v Martatse”n—though some say Nadi”v Matratse”n—H' Elohei Yisrael (God of Israel), who opens His heart at the hour of prayer of His children and is sought and found by them, by the Yordei Merkavah (Descendants of the Chariot), at the hour when they present themselves before His Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory).
3 → Every day, at dawn, Melekh ha-Dor (King of Generation) sits and blesses the Ḥayyot (Living Beings): “To you, Ḥayyot, I say, to you, creatures, I proclaim: Ḥayyot, Ḥayyot, bearers of My Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory), with all my heart and soul willing, may the hour in which I formed you be blessed, and may the constellation in which I formed you be exalted. May the light of that day in which you arose in the thought of My heart shine, for you are vessels of delight that I established and perfected. For My creatures whom I created have fallen silent, and I hear and heed the prayer of My children.”
4 → Every day, at the time of Minḥah (Evening Prayer), Melekh ha-Dor (King of the Generation) sits and exalts the Ḥayyot. Before His words are finished, the Ḥayyot ha-Kodesh (Holy Living Beings) emerge from beneath the Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory), with their mouths full of exultation, their wings full of joy, their hands playing music and their feet dancing, encircling and surrounding their King — one to His right, one to His left, one in front of Him and one behind Him — embracing and kissing Him, their faces disheveled, and the Melekh ha-Kavod (King of Glory) covers His face. The Aravot (Seventh Heaven) opens before the Melekh ha-Dor (King of the Generation), the splendor, the brilliance, the beauty, the form, the desire, the compassion, and the longing for the crown's radiance, in which the appearance of their faces is, as it is said: “Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH Tsevaot” (Holy, Holy, Holy, YHVH of Hosts) (Isaiah 6:3).
Chapter 14 → The Intercessors of Israel: Love, Crowns, and the Names of Totrusiyyai
Chapter 14 → The Intercessors of Israel: Love, Crowns, and the Names of Totrusiyyai
Chapter 14 of Heikhalot Rabbati reveals the angelic intercessors who annul decrees, break oaths, and plead for the love of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob before the Throne of Glory. Striking their crowns and prostrating themselves with their faces to the ground, they implore mercy for Israel while the heavenly hosts proclaim divine praises. The text reveals the majestic names of Totrusiyyai, HaShem Elokei Yisrael, exalting the eternal King sanctified in splendor and awe.
1 → Those who annul decrees, those who break oaths, those who avoid anger, those who ward off jealousy, those who invoke love, the love of Avraham Avinu (Abraham, our Father) before their King—when they see Him angry with His children, what do they do? They strike their crowns, loosen their loins, strike their heads, and prostrate themselves with their faces to the ground, saying: “Forgive, forgive, Yotzer Bereshit (Creator of the Beginning), selah, selah, Avir Yaakov (Mighty One of Jacob), forgive, forgive, Kadosh Yisrael (Holy One of Israel), for You are mighty among kings.
2 → Fearsome King, majestic King, precious and honored King, why would you be envious of the descendants of Abraham? Why would you be jealous of the descendants of Isaac? Why would you quarrel with the descendants of Jacob? For you called them the possession of heaven and earth, and horns come out from under the Throne of Glory, armies upon armies, and they resound, proclaim, and bless:
3 → Blessed are you who invoke the merit of children, praised be you who exalt parents, and all the host of the heights, honor and greatness that are granted to them. ADRU, AT”H, SA”N, OD”I, PATZ”T, HaShem Elokei Yisrael (The Lord, God of Israel), these are Your names, as it is written (1 Chronicles 29:11): 'To You, HaShem, belongs greatness and power', and it is written (Psalm 104:24): 'How numerous are Your works, HaShem!', and so on. Therefore, it is written: Be glorified, be exalted, be lifted up, majestic King, be blessed and sanctified, Totrusiyyai HaShem Elokei Yisrael (Totrusiyyai, the Lord, God of Israel).
4 → For He is called Totrusiyyai, Totrusiyah, Tutruthiyah, Tutrusiyah, Totrusiyal, Totrusiyg, Totrusiykh, Totrusiyf, Totrusiyts, Totrusiyash, Totrusiyab, Totrusiyan, Totrusiyas, Totrusiya, Totrusiyk, Tutrust, Tsurtag, Hadriyal, Ashruyliyyai. (And the sign of this teaching for study: the tree of blessing from Totrusiyyai to Tutrust, this tradition is complete: Yah, Achal, Gakh, Fatz, Shevnas, Akat.)
Chapter 15 → Rabbi Neḥuniah's vision of the ladder and the glory of Ṭoṭarkhiyal YHWH
Chapter 15 → Rabbi Neḥuniah's vision of the ladder and the glory of Ṭoṭarkhiyal YHWH
Chapter 15 of Heikhalot Rabbati narrates how Rabbi Neḥuniah ben HaQanah revealed the secret of the world when Rome conspired against the powerful of Israel. He describes the Throne of Glory surrounded by Ḥayyot, Keruvim, and Ofanim shining like ḥashmal, and a ladder reserved for those pure from idolatry, immorality, bloodshed, and profanation. Twice a day, majesty and splendor stir before the Throne to exalt Ṭoṭarkhiyal YHWH on high.
1 → Rabbi Ishmael said: When Rabbi Neḥuniah ben HaQanah saw that Romei ha-Resha'ah (wicked Rome) was plotting against the mighty of Israel to destroy them, he arose and revealed the secret of the world, a measure comparable to that of one worthy to behold the Melekh (King) and His Kisseh (Throne) in their splendor and beauty, and the Ḥayyot ha-Qodesh (Holy Living Beings), with Keruvim (Cherubim) of power and Ofanim (Wheels) of the Shekhinah (Divine Presence), like lightning flashing in awe-inspiring Ḥashmal (Electrum), in Regiyon surrounded by the Kisseh (Throne) with bridges and flames that strengthen and ascend between bridges, and with the dust of the smoke and its fragrance, which lifts all the dust from its embers that was covering and covering all the chambers of the Heikhal. (Palace) of Aravot Raqia' (Firmament of the Heavens) with the mists of its embers. And Suriya, Sar ha-Panim (Prince of the Presence), servant of Ṭoṭarkhiyal YHWH, exalted:
2 → What does this resemble? A man who has a ladder (sullam) inside his house for all those who are pure (naqi) and free (manu'ar) from idolatry (avodah zarah), sexual immorality (gilui arayot), bloodshed (shefikhut damim), profanation of the Name (ḥilul ha-Shem), shamelessness (azut panim) and baseless hatred (eivat ḥinam), and all the positive (asseh) and negative (lo ta'asseh) commandments that he keeps.
3 → Rabbi Ishmael said: Rabbi Neḥuniah ben HaQanah said to me: Son of the proud, happy is he and happy is his nefesh (soul), for all those who are naqi (pure) and manu'ar (liberated) from the eight middot (attributes) of defilement, Ṭoṭarkhiyal YHWH and Suriya, His servant, despise them.
4 → He descends and contemplates in wondrous ga'avah (majesty) and extraordinary sherarah (authority), a ga'avah of exaltation and a sherarah of splendor, which stir before the Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory) twice a day in the heights, from the day the world was created until now, to praise Ṭoṭarkhiyal YHWH, who thus conducts himself in the heights.
Chapter 16 → The Assembly of the Elders and the Descent into the Merkavah
Chapter 16 → The Assembly of the Elders and the Descent into the Merkavah
Chapter 16 of Heikhalot Rabbati narrates how Rabbi Neḥuniah ben HaQanah revealed the mysteries of the Merkavah before the Great and Small Sanhedrin, in the presence of Rabbi Akiva, Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel, and other sages, amidst visions of fire and light. The chapter describes the sacred invocation of Suriya, Sar ha-Panim, through one hundred and twelve invocations of divine names, by which the mystic descends and assumes dominion over the Chariot.
1 → Rabbi Yishmael said: When my ears heard this warning, my strength wavered. I said to him, “Rabbi, if this is so, there is no end to the matter, for there is no person with a soul who is pure and free from these eight characteristics.” He said to me, “Son of the proud, so be it, arise and bring before me all the mighty ones of the brotherhood and all the exalted ones of the assembly, and I will reveal to them the hidden mysteries, the concealed wonders, and the framework of the treaty upon which the perfection of the world and its refinement are sustained, and the axis of heaven and earth, where all the wings of the earth and the world, and the wings of the firmaments of the heights, are united, stitched, connected, suspended, and established. And the path of the ladder of the heights, whose head is on the earth and whose other head is above the right leg of the Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory).”
2 → Rabbi Yishmael said: I immediately arose and gathered the entire Great Sanhedrin and the Small Sanhedrin in the third great alley within the House of YHVH. And I sat on a pure marble bench that Elisha, my father, gave me from among my mother's possessions, which she brought him as her dowry.
3 → And Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel arrived, and Rabbi Eliezer the Great, and Rabbi Elazar ben Dama, and Rabbi Eliezer ben Shammua, and Rabbi Yochanan ben Dahavai, and Chananiah ben Chakhinai, and Yonatan ben Uzziel, and Rabbi Akiva, and Rabbi Yehudah ben Baba. We arrived and sat before him, and the whole multitude of companions stood, for they saw orbs of fire (Esh) and torches of light (Or) separating them from us. And Rabbi Nechunia ben HaKanah sat down and explained to them all the matters of the Merkavah (Chariot), its descent and ascent: how one descends descends, and how one ascends ascends.
4 → And when a person sought to descend to Merkavah, he called Suriya, Sar ha-Panim (Prince of the Presence), and conjured him one hundred and twelve times by Tutrusiyya”y YHVH, who is called Tutrusiyya”y Tsurtak Tutrakhiyya”l Tufgar Ashruyliyya”y Zevudiyya”l Zeharrariyya”l Tanda”l Shukad Huzyya” D'hiburin Adirirun YHVH, Elohei Yisrael (God of Israel).
5 → He must not add or subtract anything up to one hundred and twelve times. If he adds or subtracts, his blood will fall on his own head. Instead, his mouth will pronounce the names, and the fingers of his hands will count one hundred and twelve. Immediately, he descends and dominates over the Merkavah.
Chapter 17 → The Guardians of the Seven Palaces and the Power of the Seventh Heikhal
Chapter 17 → The Guardians of the Seven Palaces and the Power of the Seventh Heikhal
Chapter 17 of Heikhalot Rabbati reveals the seven celestial palaces where Ṭoṭrusiyyay YHVH, the God of Israel, dwells chamber within chamber. At each gate are angelic guardians—Dahaviyya'el, Qashariyya'el, Tagriyya'el, Shavuriyya'el, Paḥadiyya'el, Romiyya'el, and others—while at the entrance to the seventh Heikhal, fierce and fearsome warriors, armed with bows, swords, and lightning bolts, guard the Throne of Glory with terror and splendor.
1 → Thus said Rabbi Yishmael: Thus said Rabbi Neḥuniah ben HaQanah: In the seven Heikhalot (Palaces) sits Ṭoṭrusiyyay YHVH, Elohei Yisrael (God of Israel), chamber within chamber, and at the entrance of each Heikhal and Heikhal are Shomrei HaSippim (Guardians of the Threshold), eight in all, four to the right of the lintel and four to the left of the lintel.
2 → These are the names of the Shomrei Petaḥ (Guardians of the Entrance) of the first Heikhal: Dahaviyya'el, Qashariyya'el, Gahuriyya'el, Biztiyya'el, Ṭofhiyya'el, Dahariyya'el, Matqiyya'el and Shaviyya'el. And some say Shiviyya'el.
3 → These are the names of the Shomrei Petaḥ of the second Heikhal: Ṭagriyya'el, Matfiyya'el, Sarahiyya'el, 'Arfiyya'el, Shaharariyya'el, Satriyya'el, Rag'iyya'el and Sahiviyya'el.
4 → These are the names of the Shomrei Petaḥ of the third Heikhal: Shavuriyya'el, Ratzoṣiyya'el, Shalomiyya'el, Savliyya'el, Zehzehiyya'el, Hadariyya'el and Bizriyya'el.
5 → These are the names of the Shomrei Petaḥ of the fourth Heikhal: Paḥadiyya'el, Gevuratiyya'el, Kazuyya'el, Shekhiniyya'el, Shatqiyya'el, 'Araviyya'el, Kafiyya'el and 'Anfiyya'el.
6 → These are the names of the Shomrei Petaḥ of the fifth Heikhal: Taḥiyya'el, 'Uzziyya'el, Gaṭiyya'el, Gaṭahiyya'el, Sa'afriyya'el, Garfiyya'el, Gariyya'el, Dariyya'el and Paltarriyya'el.
7 → These are the names of the Shomrei Petaḥ of the sixth Heikhal: Romiyya'el, Qaṣmiyya'el, Gahgahiyya'el, Arsabarsaviyya'el, 'Agruromiyya'el, Parṣiyya'el, Maḥqiyya'el and Ṭofriyya'el.
8 → And at the entrance of the seventh Heikhal, all the Gibborim (Mighty Ones) stand up, powerful, fierce, fearsome and terrifying, proud, swift and impetuous, with their bows drawn and sharp swords in their hands, lightning flashing from their eyes, sparks of fire from their nostrils and torches of embers from their mouths. They are adorned with helmets and breastplates, and spears and halberds hang from their arms.
Chapter 18 → The Fire Horses of the Seventh Palace and the Awaited Redemption
Chapter 18 → The Fire Horses of the Seventh Palace and the Awaited Redemption
Chapter 18 of Heikhalot Rabbati describes the terrifying horses of darkness, fire, blood, hail, iron, and mist that guard the entrance to the seventh palace. Fueled by juniper embers and rivers of fire, they drink from the Kidron River beneath a cloud that sprinkles blood. Yet, the Yordei Merkavah descend unharmed, witnessing visions of terror, glorifying Totrosiyyah YHVH, God of Israel, who awaits the redemption and salvation reserved for His people since the destruction of the Second Temple.
1 → Their horses are horses of ḥoshekh (darkness), horses of tzalmavet (deadly shadow), horses of afelah (darkness), horses of esh (fire), horses of dam (blood), horses of barad (hail), horses of barzel (iron), horses of arafel (mist). These are horses ridden by those who are in mangers of esh (fire), full of coals of retamim (juniper), and they consume coals from their mangers, in the measure of forty se'ah at a time, according to the measure of the mouth of each horse, three times the measure of the opening of the mangers of Caesarea.
2 → And rivers of fire are beside their mangers, and all their horses drink, up to the measure of the water channel that is in the Kidron River, which carries and sustains all the rainwater of Jerusalem. And there was a cloud over their heads, sprinkling blood on their heads and on their horses. This is the sign and the measure of the gatekeepers of the seventh palace, and the horse of each gate of each palace.
3 → And all the lords of those who descend in the chariot ascend and are not harmed, though they see all this palace and descend in peace. They come, remain, and witness an impressive and terrible sight, which is not found in any palace of kings of flesh and blood. They bless, praise, exalt, glorify, magnify, honor, glorify, and glorify God, the Lord of Israel, who rejoices with those who descend in the chariot. He sits and waits for each one of Israel, when they will descend in marvelous pride and extraordinary authority, in pride of exaltation and authority of splendor, which are awakened before the throne of glory three times a day, on high, from the creation of the world until now, to be praised.
4 → Upright melekh (king), faithful melekh (king), beloved melekh (king), desirable melekh (king), supportive melekh (king), afflicted melekh (king), humble melekh (king), righteous melekh (king), pious melekh (king), holy melekh (king), pure melekh (king), blessed melekh (king), proud proud melekh (king), melekh (king) mighty, melekh (king) gracious, melekh (king) merciful, melekh (king), king of kings.
5 → And Adon (Lord) of the crowns, beloved and awaited, Totrosayy YHVH Elohei Yisrael, insofar as He awaits the ge'ulah (redemption) and the time of yeshu'ah (salvation) reserved for Yisrael after the destruction of the second house, the last. And when will He who descends to the merkavah (chariot) descend? When will He see the ge'ut (pride) of the marom (height)? When will He hear the end of yeshu'ah (salvation)? When will He see what no eye has ever seen? When will He ascend and declare to the descendants of Abraham, His beloved?
Chapter 19 → The Passage Seals and the Guardians of the Six Palaces
Chapter 19 → The Passage Seals and the Guardians of the Six Palaces
Chapter 19 of Heikhalot Rabbati details the mystical seals necessary for entry into each celestial palace. Rabbi Ishmael teaches that each guardian—Bahabiyyal, Topahiyyal, Tagriyyal, Shaburiyyal, Pachdiyyal, Zabudiyyal, and others—must receive the appropriate divine and angelic seals to allow safe passage. Without them, the guardians of the sixth Heikhal strike and burn the intruders, allowing only the true Yordei Merkavah (descendants of the Chariot) to ascend in peace before the Throne of Glory.
1 → Rabbi Ishmael said: When you arrive and position yourselves at the entrance of the first Heikhal (Palace), take two seals in your hands, one of Totrosiyyay YHVH and the other of Suriyya Sar ha-Panim (Prince of the Presence). Show the seal of Totrosiyyay YHVH to those on your right and the seal of Suriyya Sar ha-Panim to those on your left. Immediately, Bahabiyyal Sar (Prince), who is the head of the entrance to the first Heikhal and was appointed to the first Heikhal, and who is to the right of the doorpost, and Topahiyyal Sar, who is to the left of the doorpost with him, will arrest you, complete you, and inform Tagriyyal Sar, who is the head of the entrance to the second Heikhal and is to the right of the doorpost, and Matpiyyal Sar, who is to the left of the doorpost with him, about you.
2 → And show them two seals, one of Adrirahron YHVH and the other of Ohaziyya Sar ha-Panim. Show the seal of Adrirahron YHVH to those on your right and the seal of Ohaziyya Sar ha-Panim to those on your left. Immediately they will seize you, one on your right and the other on your left, until they bring you in, set you free, complete you, and give notice concerning you to Shaburiyyal Sar, who is the chief of the entrance to the third Heikhal and is on the right of the doorpost, and to Ratsutsiyyal Sar, who is on the left of the doorpost with him.
3 → And show them two seals, one of Tsurtak YHVH and the other of Dahabiyuron Sar ha-Panim. Show the seal of Tsurtak YHVH to those on your right and the seal of Dahabiyuron Sar ha-Panim to those on your left. Immediately, they will seize them, one on your right and the other on your left, and lead them ahead of you, two Sarim (Princes) in front of you and two Sarim behind you, and they will complete them until they take them and inform Pachdiyyal Sar, who is the head of the entrance to the fourth Heikhal and is to the right of the doorpost, and Gaburtiyyal Sar, who is to the left of the doorpost with him.
4 → Show them two seals, one of Zabudiyyal YHVH and the other of Margiyoiyyal Sar ha-Panim. Show the seal of Zabudiyyal YHVH to those on your right and the seal of Margiyoiyyal Sar ha-Panim to those on your left. Immediately they will seize you, one on your right and the other on your left, until they bring you in, release you, complete you, and give notice concerning you to Tachiyyal Sar, who is the chief of the entrance to the fifth Heikhal and is to the right of the doorpost, and to Uziyyal Sar, who is to the left of the doorpost with him.
5 → Show them two seals, one of Totrabiyyal YHVH and the other of Zahapniriyyay Sar ha-Panim. Show the seal of Totrabiyyal YHVH to those on your right and the seal of Zahapniriyyay Sar ha-Panim to those on your left. Immediately, three Sarim will seize you in front of you and three Sarim behind you, and so on.
6 → For the guardians of the sixth Heikhal destroyed those who descended into the Merkavah (Chariot) and not those who descended into the Merkavah without permission. They received orders concerning the latter: to strike them, burn them, and put others in their place. And even those who remain in their places, such is their measure: they neither fear nor care to say: “Why are we burned? And what benefit do we have in destroying those who descend into the Merkavah and not those who descend into the Merkavah without permission?” And so continues the measure of the guardians of the entrance to the sixth Heikhal.
Chapter 20 → The Sixth Palace: Rabbi Neḥuniah ben HaQanah, the Seals and the Guardians of the Merkavah
Chapter 20 → The Sixth Palace: Rabbi Neḥuniah ben HaQanah, the Seals and the Guardians of the Merkavah
Chapter 20 of Heikhalot Rabbati narrates Rabbi Ishmael's vision, in which Rabbi Neḥuniah ben HaQanah is restored from before the Throne of Glory to reveal the mystery of the true Yordei Merkavah (descendants of the Chariot). The chapter details the test of worthiness, the seals shown in the sixth Heikhal, and the fearsome guardians Qatspia'el and Dumia'el, who attack intruders but honor those chosen to contemplate the King and His Throne.
1 → Rabbi Yishmael said: The whole community told me: “Son of the proud one, you govern the light of the Torah like Rabbi Neḥunia ben HaQanah. See if you can bring him back so that he can sit among us, for he was contemplating and telling us about those who descend to the Merkavah (Chariot) and those who do not descend to the Merkavah, who are struck by the guardians of the sixth Heikhal (Palace), but are not touched at all by those who descend to the Merkavah. What is the difference between these and those?”
2 → Rabbi Yishmael said: Immediately, I took a fine woolen cloth, perfumed it, and gave it to Rabbi Aqiva. Rabbi Aqiva gave it to our servant, saying to him: “Go and place this cloth with a woman who has undergone immersion, but whose immersion was not effective. If that woman comes and declares her menstrual state before the community, it is known that one forbids and the majority permits. They said to that woman: 'Touch this cloth with the tip of your little finger, but do not press your finger on it, only as one who is seeking advice, rolling their eyes, pushing it away with a gesture.'”
3 → They went and did so, and placed the cloth before Rabbi Yishmael. He inserted into it a branch of myrtle soaked in pure balsam and placed it on the knees of Rabbi Neḥunia ben HaQanah. Immediately, they released him from before the Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory), where he was seated, contemplating with wondrous pride and extraordinary dominion, in the pride of exaltation and the dominion of splendor, which stir three times a day in the Merkavah (Chariot) from the creation of the world until now, for praise.
4 → And we asked him: “Who are those who descend into the Merkavah and those who do not descend into the Merkavah?” He replied: “They are human beings whom those who descend into the Merkavah take and place above themselves, sitting them before them and saying to them: ‘Look and see, hear and write down everything I say and everything we hear before the Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory)’. But these human beings are not worthy of this. Therefore, the guardians of the entrance to the sixth Heikhal strike them down. Be careful when choosing worthy human beings for yourselves, tried and tested companions.”
5 → When you come and stand at the entrance of the sixth Heikhal and show the three seals of the guardians of the entrance of the sixth Heikhal to Qatspia'el, the prince whose sword is drawn in his hand, from which lightning emanates, hovers over anyone who is not worthy to behold the King and His throne—no creature can oppose his hand. His drawn sword cries out, saying: “Destruction and ruin!”, on the right doorpost.
6 → And one belongs to Dumia'el. But is his name Dumia'el? Isn't his name Abir Gahidriha'm? Why is he called Dumia'el? Rabbi Yishmael said: Thus said Rabbi Neḥunia ben HaQanah: “Every day, a Bat Qol (Heavenly Voice) comes forth from Aravot (the highest heaven) and proclaims, saying: 'The heavenly court declares: Te'um, Bar Natsha, Zapukhi, Gashash, Ga'asat, YHVH, God of Israel, has called him Dumia'el, in honor of My name. And what I see, I keep secret: keep silent; so also Dumia'el, with My permission, on the right doorpost.' And he is with Qatspia'el, the prince, and there is no enmity, hatred, jealousy, or rivalry between them, but both are for My glory.”
Chapter 21 → Dumiel, the Prince, the Gift of Entrance, and the Dignity for the Merkavah
Chapter 21 → Dumiel, the Prince, the Gift of Entrance, and the Dignity for the Merkavah
Chapter 21 of Heikhalot Rabbati reveals the role of Qatspiyel and Dumiel, the guardians of the sixth palace, who test and guide those who descend to the Merkavah. Dumiel bestows the mystical Doran, ensuring safe passage through all seven palaces, while teaching that only those who master the Torah, the Prophets, the Writings, the Mishnah, Halacha, and Aggadah—and who fulfill all the statutes given at Sinai—are worthy to behold the Chariot and the Throne of Glory.
1 → Zoharriel and the works of his deeds, these two seals, the one shown to Qatspiyel and Baruniyah, he showed to Dumiyel, the Prince, the righteous and humble prince. Immediately, Qatspiyel, the Prince, steps on his bow and sneezes and brings a tempestuous wind (Ruach Se'arah) and places you in a chariot (Qaron) of splendor (Nogah) and makes sound before you, as a measure, eight thousand myriads of horns (Qarnayim), three thousand myriads of shofars (Shofarot) and four thousand myriads of trumpets (Ḥatsotserot). And Dumiyel, the Prince, takes the gift (Doran) and goes before you.
2 → And what is Doran? Rabbi Yishmael said: Thus said Rabbi Neḥuniya ben HaQanah: This Doran that Dumiyel, the Prince, holds before the chariots (Qorin) of that man who deserves and descends to the Merkavah (Chariot) is not a gift (Doron) of silver or gold, but rather a merit granted to that man, without them asking him any questions, neither in the first Heikhal (Palace), nor in the second Heikhal, nor in the third Heikhal, nor in the fourth Heikhal, nor in the fifth Heikhal, nor in the sixth Heikhal, nor in the seventh Heikhal. Instead, he shows them his seal (Ḥotam), and they leave him, and he enters.
3 → And at the entrance of the sixth Heikhal, Dumiyel, the Prince, guardian of the threshold to the right of the entrance of the sixth Heikhal, sits on a bench (Safsal) of pure brilliance (Yatoq Tahor), in which resides the splendor (Ziv) of the luminaries (Me'orot) of the firmament (Raqia), such as the covenant of the world (Berito shel Olam), Adestan, Airan, Adestar, Kafinu, Shmanush, Akhsenah, HaShem Elohei Yisrael. And Dumiyel, the Prince, receives him with a pleasant countenance (Sevar Panim Yafot) and accommodates him on a bench of pure brilliance (Yatoq Tahor) and sits to his right.
4 → And he said: Two things I testify before you and warn you: No one descends into the Merkavah (Chariot) except one who possesses these two qualities: one who has read and studied the Torah, Nevi'im (Prophets) and Ketuvim (Writings), and one who studies Mishnayot, Halakhot and Aggadot, and the solutions of the laws of the forbidden and the permitted (Asur ve-Heter); and one who fulfills all the Torah and keeps all the warnings (Azharot), all the statutes (Ḥuqqim), the judgments (Mishpatim) and the teachings (Torot) that were spoken to Moses at Sinai.
Chapter 22 → The Seventh Palace: Dumiel, Gabriel, and the Great Seal before the Throne of Glory
Chapter 22 → The Seventh Palace: Dumiel, Gabriel, and the Great Seal before the Throne of Glory
Chapter 22 of Heikhalot Rabbati describes how Dumiel, the Prince, and Gabriel, the Scribe, escort the worthy mystic before the seventh palace, where even the fiercest guardians lay down their weapons. With the great seal and crown of the Divine Name, the initiate is seated among the Cherubim, the Wheels, and the Sacred Living Beings, contemplating mysteries of glory, holiness, and humility. Rabbi Ishmael recounts the hidden secrets entrusted to him by Rabbi Neḥuniah ben HaQanah, centered on the guardians of the seventh palace.
1 → And if he were to say, “These two qualities are in me,” immediately Dumiel the Prince would grant him his request, and Gavriel the Scribe would write for him the document in the siqra (record) of that person’s qaron (chariot), declaring thus: “Such and such is the Torah of so-and-so, and such and such are his deeds,” and he seeks to enter before the Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory).
2 → And when the gatekeeper of the seventh Heikhal (Palace) sees Dumiel, Gavriel, and Qatzfiel coming before the qaron (chariot) of the worthy person and descending into the Merkavah (Chariot), their faces turn pale and they sit down, for they are distressed. They release their bows and put away their sharp swords in their sheaths. Even so, he must show them the great seal and the majestic crown of A'R Sov'R Matzugiy'H and Be'ashpat'Sh, the Lord, God of Israel. And they bring His glory, and bring before Him all kinds of music and songs, and they sing and come before Him until they raise Him up and seat Him beside the Keruvim (Cherubim), beside the Ofanim (Wheels), and beside the Ḥayyot ha-Qodesh (Holy Living Beings). And he sees wonders and power, pride and greatness, holiness and purity, reverence and humility, and righteousness at that hour.
3 → Rabbi Yishmael said: The name of all companions is this quality for a person who has a ladder (sullam) inside his house by which he ascends and descends, and there is no creature that protests against it. Blessed are You, YHVH, God, wise of mysteries and Lord of secrets, Amen, Amen.
4 → Rabbi Yishmael said: Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel became angry with me and said to me: “In a mere instant, like this vine of ours, Patriyai, the Lord, God of Israel, why do you deliberately commit a mistake against us, thinking that after Yonatan ben Uziel, a small man of Israel, what would happen if he were to rise up and come to the entrance of the seventh Heikhal (Palace)?”
5 → Rabbi Yishmael said: Immediately, I went and became angry with Neḥuniah ben HaQanah, saying, “Why should the Prince be angry with me, giving me life?” He said to me, “Son of the proud one, if that is the case, what honor do I have upon you, for having placed in your mouth the Torah, Nevi'im (Prophets) and Ketuvim (Writings), Mishnah and Midrash, Halakhot and Aggadot, and Halakhot rulings concerning what is forbidden and permitted? If I had not hidden the secrets of the Torah from you, would you have come and appeared before Him? I know why you came. You came only in relation to the guardians of the seventh Heikhal (Palace).”
Chapter 23 → Anafiel and the Guardians of the Seventh Palace
Chapter 23 → Anafiel and the Guardians of the Seventh Palace
Chapter 23 of Heikhalot Rabbati reveals the fearsome guardians of the seventh palace, whose names carry the sanctity of the King of the Universe. Rabbi Neḥuniah ben HaQanah unveils the mysteries of their names: Ḥurfaniel, Abirzahiel, Kebaphael, Aṭargiel, Sastitiel, and especially Anafiel, in charge of the seal of heaven and earth. Unlike all the others, even the hosts of the heights bow before Anafiel, whose crown covers the celestial chambers, making him the most beloved of the guardians.
1 → Go and tell the prince, all the guardians of the six entrances to the Palaces (Heikhalot): "It is permitted to mention their names and touch them. But the guardians of the entrance to the seventh Palace (Heikhal), just hearing their voices terrifies one—where could one touch them? For each of them is called by the name of the King of the Universe, and I have not yet explained them. Now that you tell me: 'Explain,' come and stand up, each of you. When his name comes out of my mouth, prostrate yourselves and fall face down on the ground immediately." Then all the powerful of the brotherhood and all the exalted of the assembly stood before Rabbi Neḥunia ben ha-Qanah, and the scribes wrote as they fell.
2 → These are the names of the guardians of the entrance to the seventh Heikhal (Palace): The division of ascension: Ḥurfaniel, Zehapṭeriai, YHVH, Elohei Yisrael, a prince, honored, beloved, fearsome, powerful; Abirzahiai, Kebaphael, YHVH, a prince, beloved, honored, fearsome; Aṭargiel, YHVH; Ḥaṭrugiel; Bangael, YHVH; Ha-Shem, a prince, honored, beloved, fearsome, terrible, precious, glorified, powerful and strong; Sastitiel, YHVH, a prince, honored, beloved, fearsome, terrible, precious, glorified, powerful and strong; Anafiel, YHVH, a prince, beloved, fearsome, terrifying, precious, glorified, powerful, majestic, and strong, whose name is mentioned before the Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory) three times each day in the heights, from the day the world was created until now, for praise, because the seal of the stamp of heaven and the stamp of the earth were entrusted to his hand.
3 → And so all those in the heights see him, they bow down, fall with their faces to the ground and prostrate themselves before him, which does not happen in the heights. And if you say, “They bow down before Sar ha-Panim (Prince of the Presence),” no, except for those who are before Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory), who do not bow down before Sar ha-Panim (Prince of the Presence), they bow down freely and willingly and with permission to Anafiel, the prince, Aṭraṭas, the great Rabbi, Apimiel, Shemah, Beraṣa, YHVH, Elohei Yisrael.
4 → These are the names of the entrance to the seventh Heikhal (Palace) of the lineage, those whose division are the names of Ṭufiel and Labiel: for the ascension, Ṭarfiel, YHVH, a prince, honored, beloved, fearsome, who was called Abirzahai, YHVH; Dalquqiel, YHVH, a prince, honored, beloved, fearsome, who was called Lebaphael, YHVH; Yeqariel, YHVH, a prince, honored, beloved, fearsome, who was called Aṭarigiel, YHVH; Yeshishiel, YHVH, a prince, honored, beloved, fearsome, who was called Benana, YHVH; Ṭarfiel, YHVH, a prince, honored, beloved, fearsome, who was called Zohaliel, YHVH; Anafiel, Anafiel, YHVH, a prince, honored, beloved, fearsome, who was called Shufsiel, YHVH, strong, righteous, and powerful.
5 → And why is his name Anafiel? Because of the branch of crowns placed on his head, a canopy that covers all the chambers of the Palace of Aravot (Heavens) Raqia (Firmament), like the Creator in the beginning. What is written about the Creator in the beginning? “His majesty covers the heavens” (Habakkuk 3:3). So also Anafiel, the prince, the servant who is called by the name of his Master. And why is he more beloved than all the guardians of the six entrances of the Palaces? Because he opens the entrance to the seventh Palace, and two hundred and ninety-six faces are in all the Sacred Living Beings in front of the entrance to the seventh Palace.
Chapter 24 → The Five Hundred and Twelve Eyes of Living Beings before the Seventh Palace
Chapter 24 → The Five Hundred and Twelve Eyes of Living Beings before the Seventh Palace
Chapter 24 of Heikhalot Rabbati reveals the reverential awe of the seventh palace, where the Ḥayyot ha-Qodesh fix five hundred and twelve flaming eyes upon the mystic. Supported by Anafiel and sixty-three guardians, the descender is informed: “Fear not, son of the beloved seed, behold the King in His beauty.” Before the Kisseh ha-Kavod, he contemplates the radiant splendor of Melekh, praised with a litany of titles that exalt His holiness, majesty, and eternity.
1 → Greater than all others, five hundred and twelve eyes are on the four Ḥayyot (Living Beings) in front of the entrance to the seventh Heikhal (Palace). The faces with human form, sixteen faces for each Ḥayah (Living Being), are in front of the entrance to the seventh Heikhal (Palace).
2 → And when that man tried to descend into the Merkavah (Chariot), Anafiael, the Sar (Prince), opened the gates of the seventh Heikhal (Palace), and that man entered and stood on the threshold of the entrance to the seventh Heikhal (Palace). And the Ḥayyot ha-Kodesh (Holy Living Beings) fixed upon him five hundred and twelve eyes, and each eye of the eyes of the Ḥayyot ha-Kodesh (Holy Living Beings) opened like a large weaver's sieve, and the appearance of their eyes was like rays shining, except for the eyes of the Keruvim (Cherubim) of Gevurah (Power) and the Ofanim (Wheels) of the Shekhinah (Divine Presence), which are like torches of Or (light) and flames of embers of Retamim (juniper).
3 → And that man trembled, shook, recoiled, was terrified, alarmed, fainted, and fell backward. And Anafiael, the Sar (Prince), supported him, along with sixty-three guardians of the seven entrances of the Heikhalot (Palaces). And they all helped him and said: “Fear not, son of the beloved seed, enter and see Melekh (King) in His beauty, and you will not be destroyed, nor will you be burned.”
4 → Melekh (King) mighty, Melekh (King) majestic, Melekh (King) master, Melekh (King) blessed, Melekh (King) young, Melekh (King) radiant, Melekh (King) great, Melekh (King) valiant, Melekh (King) proud, Melekh (King) knowledgeable, Melekh (King) exalted, Melekh (King) seeker, Melekh (King) generation, Melekh (King) splendor, Melekh (King) wealth, Melekh (King) eternal, Melekh (King) ancient, Melekh (King) witness, Melekh (King) righteous, Melekh (King) radiant, Melekh (King) living, Melekh (King) gracious, Melekh (King) pious, Melekh (King) good, Melekh (King) pure, Melekh (King) upright, Melekh (King) precious, Melekh (King) salvation, Melekh (King) powerful, Melekh (King) crown, Melekh (King) glory, Melekh (King) heart, Melekh (King) taker, Melekh (King) resplendent, Melekh (King) understanding, Melekh (King) legacy, Melekh (King) enriching, Melekh (King) beautiful, Melekh (King) faithful, Melekh (King) eternal, Melekh (King) secret, Melekh (King) intellect, Melekh (King) afflicted, Melekh (King) helper, Melekh (King) humble, Melekh (King) splendor, Melekh (King) liberator, Melekh (King) redeemer, Melekh (King) righteous, Exultation Melekh (King), Melekh (King) pure, Melekh (King) holy, Melekh (King) close, Melekh (King) praised, Melekh (King) song, Melekh (King) merciful, Melekh (King) gentle, Melekh (King) listener, Melekh (King) tranquil, Melekh (King) serene, Melekh (King) adorned, Melekh (King) perfect, Melekh (King) sustainer, blessed be He.
5 → And they would give him strength. Immediately, they would sound a trumpet from on high, toward the Rakia (Firmament) that is above their heads, and so on (Ezekiel 1:25). And the Ḥayyot ha-Kodesh (Holy Living Beings) would cover their faces, and the Keruvim (Cherubim) and Ofanim (Wheels) would turn their faces, and he would rise, turn, and rise before the Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory).
Chapter 25 → The Daily Song from the Throne of Glory
Chapter 25 → The Daily Song from the Throne of Glory
Chapter 25 of Heikhalot Rabbati reveals the sublime hymn sung daily by the Throne of Glory: a litany of praises, blessings, melodies, and exaltations that crown the King of Kings, Totrusiya YHVH Elohei Yisrael. Described as radiant, merciful, powerful, and holy, the Melekh is adorned with crowns of awe and surrounded by clouds of brilliance, His glory filling the sky and the earth. This cosmic song proclaims His majesty, His truth, and His eternal reign.
1 → When he stands before the Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory), he opens and recites a shirah (song) that the Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory) sings every day: tehillah (praise), shirah (song), zimrah (melody), berakhah (blessing), shevach (praise), hallel (praise), qelos (praise), todah (thanksgiving), hodiyyot (expressions of gratitude), netzoach (eternity), naggon (harmony), hegayon (meditation), gillah (joy), tzehalah (exultation), simchah (happiness), sasson (rejoicing), rannot (songs of joy), noam (pleasantness), anavah (humility), ge'avah (pride), naveh (dwelling), emet (truth), tzedek (justice), yosher (righteousness), segullah (treasure), pe'ar (splendor), oz (strength), alutz (exultation), aloz (joy), aliyyah (ascension), nachat (rest), menuḥah (repose), nechamah (consolation), shalvah (tranquility), hasheqet (quietude), shalom (peace), sha'anan (serenity), betach (security), tovah (kindness), chibbah (affection), chemlah (compassion), chen (grace), chesed (loving-kindness), yofi (beauty), to'ar (appearance), chemdah (desire), hadar (majesty), chamlat (mercy), ziv (radiance), zohar (splendor), zekhut (mercy), zorach (brightness), hofa'ah (appearance), ittur (adornment), nogah (brightness), or (light), anaf (branch), segoof (exalted), pela'ot (wonders), yeshua (salvation), roqeach (perfumer), memullach (refined), me'or (luminary), adirut (majesty), azirut (power), aritzut (strength), koach (strength), govah (height), yeqar (honor), chazaq (strong), memshalah (dominion), amtiz (powerful), ratzuy (acceptable), romemah (exalted), zehiyon (splendor), azuz (power), gevurah (strength), chug (circle), qedushah (holiness), taharah (purity), naqi'on (cleanliness), ge'avah gedolah (great pride), malkhut (royalty), hod (splendor), kavod (glory), tiferet (beauty), for Laharariya”l YHVH Elohei Yisrael, Melekh mefo'ar (King adorned) and me'uttar (crowned) with riqmei shir (embroidered songs), me'uttar (adorned) with tiferet (beauty), mehuddar (glorious) in hod (splendor), kavod (glory) and hadar (majesty), ateret ge'avah (crown of pride), keter nora'ot (crown of awe), whose shemo (name) is pleasing to Him, and His zekhro (remembrance) is sweet, and keter hadar (crown of majesty) is His, His hodo (splendor) is beautiful, and His heikhalo (palace) is glorious to Him, and His meshartav (servants) make Him pleasing, and His yesharim (righteous ones) His azuzo (power) and His nifla'ot (wonders), Melekh Malkhei ha-Melakhim (King of Kings of Kings), and Elohei ha-Elohim (God of Gods), and Adonei ha-Adonim (Lord of Lords), the nishgav (exalted) in qishrei malkhut (bonds of royalty), the muqaf (surrounded) by ananei nogah (clouds of brightness), gidd (tendon) in anaf (branch), kisseh (throne) covering shamayim (heavens) with His hodo (splendor) (Habakkuk 3:3), and His kavodo (glory) appeared from marom (on high), from His piv (mouth) the tehomot (depths) were kindled,From His appearance the heavens were scattered, and all the trees rejoiced at His word, and the herbs sang with joy.
2 → In them, Melekh (King) ahuv (beloved) and nechmad (desired) and naqeh (pure) and ga'ah (exalted) and mitga'eh (exalting oneself) above gaim (proud) and mitgabber (prevailing) above all yetzurim (creatures), pe'ar (splendor) for melakhim (kings) and tehillah (praise) for bachurim (young people), anavah (humility) for aluvim (humble), arav (pleasant) in the pi (mouth) of all qorav (those who call upon Him), matok (sweet) for those who yichalu (hope) in His shemo (name), tov (good) in all derakhav (His ways), yashar (righteous) in all ma'asav (His deeds), zakh (pure) in etzah (counsel) and da'at (knowledge), barur (clear) in binah (understanding) and alilah (action), dayyan (judge) in each neshamah (soul) and ed (witness) in each davar (matter) and shofet (judge) in each davar (matter), avir (powerful) in chokhmah (wisdom) and in each raz (secret), adir (majestic) in qedushah (holiness) and taharah (purity):
3 → Melekh emet (King of truth) and yachid (one), Melekh zakh (Pure King) in His ma'asav (deeds) and mekhalkel (sustainer) of His yetzurim (creatures), Melekh chai ve-qayam (Living and enduring King), Melekh memit u-mechayyeh (King who causes death and gives life), Melekh yotzer kol berakhah (Creator of all blessings) and makhin kol tovah (Preparator of all goodness), Melekh barukh (Blessed King), Melekh yachid (One King) and nikbad (honorable) and adir (majestic) and yashish (venerable), ozer (helper) and anav (humble), qadosh (holy) and tahor (pure), tzaddiq (righteous), emet (true), yashar (upright), ne'eman (faithful), chazaq (strong), Melekh movhaq (distinguished King) who is chillul (profanation) over all the qishrei ge'avah (bonds of pride) and metukkan (established) in ammudei pe'ar (pillars of splendor) in chadrei heikhal (palace chambers), tzofeh (watching) in mistarim (hidden things) and ro'eh (seeing) in ma'amaqim (depths) and mabbit (looking) in machashakhim (darkness) and in every maqom (place) where He is sham (there), and no one can hashiv (answer) His davar (word), and His chefetz (desire) cannot be hasir (removed), and there is no maqom (place) to nus (flee) from Him, nor to sater (hide) and lachaba (hide) His presence:
4 → Timlokh le-olamim (You will reign forever), Melekh rachum (Merciful King) and chanun (gracious), solechan (forgiving) and machlan (indulgent), megalgel (who removes) and ma'avir (who wards off), tithaddar (You will be adorned) in every shir (song), titromam (You will be exalted) in Your Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory), titiqqar (You will be honored) above all Your chemdah (desire), titqalles (You will be praised) in all rannot (songs of joy), tishtabbach (You will be praised) in all teshbuchot (praises), tithallal (You will be praised) in all tehillot (praises), titgaddal le-olamim (You will be magnified for always), titqaddash le-olmei ad (You will be sanctified forever and ever), Totrusiya”y YHVH Elohei Yisrael, Mi khemokha (Who is like You), Totrusiya”y YHVH Elohei Yisrael, ba'al gevurot (Master of mighty deeds) to You, Totrusiya”y YHVH Elohei Yisrael, yehalel (they will praise) Your Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory) to You, yitnu (they will give) ge'ut (pride) and rabbot oz (abundant strength) and tiferet (beauty) to You, yachazqu (they will strengthen) to You, ya'amtzu (they will establish) to You, yechaddshu (they will renew) to You, yerannenu (they will sing) to You, yesichu (they They will speak to You, they will bless You, they will praise You, they will exalt You, adorn You, lift You up, magnify You, honor You, praise You, exalt You, sanctify You, Totrusiya”y YHVH Elohei Yisrael, Your servants will crown You with crowns, and sing to You a new song, and will make You reign forever and ever, and You will be called One forever and ever, for You are YHVH Elohei Yisrael, mighty in strength and abundant in salvation), El chakham (wise God) for his memshalah (dominion), chakham (wise) for his malkhut (kingdom), Barukh Atah YHVH (Blessed are You, YHVH), Chakham ha-Razim (Wise One of Secrets) and Adon ha-Satarim (Lord of Hidden Things), Amen and Amen.
Chapter 26 → The Judgment of Dignity: The Fiery Hashmal and the Descent into the Merkavah
Chapter 26 → The Judgment of Dignity: The Fiery Hashmal and the Descent into the Merkavah
Chapter 26 of Heikhalot Rabbati describes the inspiring ordeal of one who seeks to descend into the Merkavah (Chariot). The fiery Ḥashmal tests his worthiness, while the guardians of the sixth Heikhal confront intruders with waves of illusory waters and iron blades. Amidst chants of Cherubim, Seraphim, and armies of fire, the majesty of Totrusiya YHVH Elohei Yisrael is exalted as Lord of lords, Mighty, Holy, and Faithful, renewing creation each day.
1 → And I saw something like Ḥashmal (Fire-Electricity; Ezekiel 1:27), which examines and discerns whether someone is worthy to descend into the Merkavah (Chariot) or not. If he is worthy to descend into the Merkavah, as soon as they say to him, “Enter,” and he does not enter, they repeat and say to him, “Enter,” and immediately he enters. They praise him, certainly saying, “This is one of those who descend into the Merkavah.” But if he is not worthy to descend into the Merkavah, as soon as they say to him, “Enter,” and he enters, they will immediately throw thousands of iron knives upon him.
2 → Because the guards at the entrance to the sixth Palace act as if they were hurling a thousand and a thousand waves of Mayim (waters) upon him, even though there is not a single drop there. If he asks, “What is the nature of these Mayim?”, they immediately stone him and say, “Fool! Perhaps you are a descendant of those who kissed the calf, for you are not worthy to behold the King and His Throne of Glory.” He does not move from there until they hurl a thousand and a thousand iron axes upon him.
3 → You perform mighty deeds, renewing new creations, Your creatures renewed each day. Your ministers, of Esh (fire), are swift and radiant amidst myriads, driving away hatred, jealousy, enmity, and strife, removing anger, dissipating fury and discord. All that is living and good, the Cherubim of Your Glory, Esh, and exalted above the Cherubim of Esh, above the Seraphim, Serafi Lehav (Seraphim of fire) who surround Your Throne, stand before one another, proclaiming: “Make way for the Rider in Heaven (Psalm 68:5),” with abundant blessing, praise, acclamation, songs, thanksgiving, and glorification, splendor in whispered humility and benevolent love for the Mighty, the Strong, the Exalted, the Pure, the Chosen, the Tried, the Valiant, the Proud, the Noble. In their mouths are songs and melodies, on their tongues, joy. There is no drowsiness in them, neither night nor day, but like the light of splendor, melody, and praise.
4 → You are the Adon (Lord), the Great, the Mighty, and the Awesome, the Blessed, the Valiant, the Preeminent, the Splendid, the Eternal, the Just, the Firm, the Pure, the Upright, the Powerful, the Beloved, the Revitalizing, the Pleasant, the Merciful, the Humble, the Redeemer, the Radiant, the Holy, the Merciful, the Guardian, the Sustainer, Slow to Anger and Abundant in Ḥesed and Emet (truth). You are the Adon, Elohei ha-Elohim (God of gods) and Adonei ha-Adonim (Lord of lords). You are Great; all who possess greatness magnify You. You are Mighty; all who possess strength give strength to You. You are Awesome; all who possess fear revere You. You are just; to You all who possess justice attribute justice. You are merciful; in You all who possess piety place their hope. You are holy; in You all who possess holiness sanctify. You are faithful; in You all who have faith believe.
Chapter 27 → The Four Faces of the Throne: Human, Ox, Lion, and Eagle in the Vision of Glory
Chapter 27 → The Four Faces of the Throne: Human, Ox, Lion, and Eagle in the Vision of Glory
Chapter 27 of Heikhalot Rabbati reveals the sublime vision of the Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory), where the figures of the man, the ox, the lion, and the eagle proclaim the threefold kedushah before YHVH Tzevaot. Terrifying flames of fire surround the throne, while the Holy One examines hearts, humbles the proud, and exalts the humble. Each creature—human, animal, lion, and eagle—manifests divine power and awe, joining in the eternal cry: “Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, Adonai Tzevaot, the whole earth is full of Your glory.”
1 → You are the One who revealed Your secret to Moses and did not conceal all Your power from him. When the word comes out of Your mouth, the exalted tremble and are terrified, and all are consumed by the flames of the fire. You are the One who examines the kidneys and hearts and chooses the faithful. You dwell in the flame of form, in the flames of the consuming fire, like a flame of fire. You are He, gibbor (mighty), ga'ah (exalted) above all the ge'im (exalted), and mitga'eh (exalting You) above all, mashpil ge'im (humbling the proud) and magbiah shefalim (raising the humble). Barukh Hu (Blessed be He).
2 → Ga'ah (exalted) in beriyot adam (creatures of man): demut adam (likeness of man) upon Your kisseh (throne) which You have established, penei adam (faces of man) for them, and yad adam (hand of man) under their kanafayim (wings) (Ezekiel 10:8). They run ke-adam (like man) and work ke-adam (like man), they kneel and bow down in shirah (song), and Your eimah (terror) reigns as Melekh (King) over them.
3 → Ga'ah (exalted) in behamot shor (ox-like beasts): demut shor (ox-likeness) upon Your kisseh (throne) which You have established, penei shor (ox-faces) for them. They run ke-shor (like an ox), they work ke-shor (like an ox), they remain in their amad (position) ke-shor (like an ox), and Your eimah (terror) is kadosh (holy) upon them.
4 → Ga'ah (exalted) in chayyot ari (living lion-like beings): demut ari (likeness of a lion) upon Your kisseh (throne) which You have established, penei ari (lion faces) for them. Their she'agatam (roar) ke-ari (like a lion), their eimatam (terror) ke-ari (like a lion), the zeroa uzzam (strength of their arm) ke-ari (like a lion), and Your eimah (terror) is nora (fearsome) upon them.
5 → Ga'ah (exalted) in ofot nesher (eagle-like birds): demut nesher (eagle-likeness) upon Your kisseh (throne) which You have established, penei nesher (eagle faces) for them. They are swift ke-nesher (like eagles) and soar ke-nesher (like eagles), they fly ke-nesher (like eagles), and Your eimah (terror) is tahor (pure) upon them. And all of them meshaleshin (proclaim threefold) Your kedushah (holiness) with a kedushah meshuleshet (threefold holiness), as it is said: Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh Adonai Tzevaot, melo khol ha-aretz kevodo (Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory) (Isaiah 6:3).
Chapter 28 → The Splendor of the Living One: The Many Names of Metatron and the Glory of the Torah
Chapter 28 → The Splendor of the Living One: The Many Names of Metatron and the Glory of the Torah
Chapter 28 of Heikhalot Rabbati exalts the Living One of the Worlds with pairs of attributes—splendor and faith, greatness and power, purity and goodness, crown and honor—proclaiming His eternal majesty. The Ḥayyot tremble like beings of fire before the Kisseh ha-Kavod, while Metatron, called by many names, is revealed as a servant of YHVH, slow to anger and great in ḥesed. Rabbi Aqiva teaches in the name of Rabbi Eliezer that the full splendor and divine glory of the Torah were not granted until the construction of the final Temple, when the Shekhinah would dwell among Israel.
1 → Splendor (Ha-Adarot) and faith (Ha-Emunah) for the Living One of the Worlds, understanding (Ha-Binah) and blessing (Ha-Berakhah) for the Living One of the Worlds, greatness (Ha-Gedulah) and power (Ha-Gevurah) for the Living One of the Worlds, knowledge (Ha-Da'at) and the word (Ha-Dibbur) for the Living One of the Worlds, glory (Ha-Hod) and majesty (Ha-Hadar) for the Living One of the Worlds, counsel (Ha-Va'ad) and antiquity (Ha-Vatiqot) for the Living One of the Worlds, merit (Ha-Zekhut) and remembrance (Ha-Zikkaron) for the Living One of the Worlds, grace (Ha-Ḥen) and goodness (Ha-Ḥesed) for the Living One of the Worlds, purity (Ha-Toharah) and goodness (Ha-Tov) to the Living One of the Worlds, the preciousness (Ha-Yeqar) and salvation (Ha-Yeshu'ah) to the Living One of the Worlds, the crown (Ha-Keter) and honor (Ha-Kavod) to the Living One of the Worlds, the teaching (Ha-Leqaḥ) and the heart (Ha-Levav) to the Living One of the Worlds, the kingship (Ha-Malkhut) and dominion (Ha-Memshalah) for the Living of the Worlds, beauty (Ha-No'i) and eternity (Ha-Netzaḥ) for the Living of the Worlds, secret (Ha-Sod) and intellect (Ha-Sekhel) for the Living of the Worlds, strength (Ha-'Oz) and humility (Ha-'Anavah) for the Living of the Worlds, splendor (Ha-Pa'ar) and wonder (Ha-Pele) for the Living From the Worlds, joy (Ha-Tzoholah) and justice (Ha-Tzedeqah) to the Living One of the Worlds, praise (Ha-Qallos) and holiness (Ha-Qedushah) to the Living One of the Worlds, exultation (Ha-Renanot) and mercy (Ha-Raḥamim) to the Living One of the Worlds, tranquility (Ha-Sheqet) and peace (Ha-Sha'anan) to the Living One of the Worlds, praise (Ha-Tehillah) and glory (Ha-Tiferet) to the Living One of the Worlds.
2 → Who can recount even one among thousands or tens of thousands of His mighty deeds, O King of kings of kings, blessed be He? For the Living Beings stand firm before You; a faint silence (Demamah Daqqah), they are fire, walking fire, pure fire, and they tremble, fire of fire, so that they are not consumed by the flames of fire. You have surrounded them, You have encircled them; beside them are the hidden ones (Tzefunim) in Your midst, meditating on the secret (Sod) and the intellect (Sekhel), helpers of strength (Ozeri 'Oz), clothed in glory (Hod). No eye can see where Your spear is, for You are King and Holy, able to know Your deeds and fathom Your mighty acts. How many cannot see—Aleph, Bet, Gimel, and so all of them—Metatron, whose name is called by eight names: Margiwa'el is his name, Giyotziya'el is his name, Ziyotziya'el is his name, Aḥiyay'el is his name, Kiywa'el is his name, Yahway'el is his name, Ozhayyah is his name, Ozhyaha'el is his name, Segansaga'el is his name, Segadiya'el is his name, Segansiyariyah is his name, Segansaga'el is his name, and for love, Segansoyla, for they loved them in the heights, they called them in the camps of the saints (Qedoshim), Metatron, servant of YHVH, slow to anger and abounding in kindness (Ḥesed). Blessed be the Knower of Secrets (Ḥakham Ha-Razim), the Lord of Lords (Adon Ha-Adonim) and the Hidden Ones (Ha-Seterim). Amen, Amen, Selah, Selah.
3 → Rabbi Yishmael said: Thus says Rabbi Aqiva in the name of Rabbi Eliezer the Great: From the day the Torah was given until the construction of the last House (Beit), the Torah was given—its splendor (Hadar), its preciousness (Yeqar), its greatness (Gedulah), its honor (Kavod) and its glory (Tiferet), its fear (Eimah), its dread (Paḥad) and its terror (Yir'ah), its pride (Ge'ut), its majesty (Ga'on), its strength ('Oz), its power ('Azuzah) and its honor (Kavod) were not given until the last House was built, for the Shekhinah (Divine Presence) did not dwell in it.
Chapter 29 → Israel's Complaint and God's Response: Torah, the Chosen House, and the Desire of Souls
Chapter 29 → Israel's Complaint and God's Response: Torah, the Chosen House, and the Desire of Souls
Chapter 29 of Heikhalot Rabbati presents Israel's lament before their Heavenly Father for suffering and exile, and God's response of love and acceptance. He commands them to dedicate themselves to the Torah and His chosen house, declaring Himself the Master of Wonders, Great Deeds, and Miracles. God opens His treasures and invites Israel to declare its desires: Torah in abundance, Halakha multiplied like dust, and wisdom scattered like the sand of the sea. This chapter reveals the intimate dialogue between Israel's longing and the Divine heart.
1 → Israel arose to present its complaint to its Heavenly Father, saying: "You have imposed many problems upon us, great work and a heavy burden. You told us: 'Build me a house (bayit),' but while you build, dedicate yourselves to the study of Torah (Torah)." This was the response of His servants:
2 → For you had a long period of rest after the exile, and I longed to hear the words of the Torah from your mouths. For you did not act rightly in taking My glory (kavod), and I became angry with you, and I rose up and brought destruction upon My city, upon My house (bayit), and upon My children, an annihilation. And I did not act rightly when I set myself against you and sealed a decree (gezer din) against you, certainly one that would remain forever and for all eternities (olam va-ed). And it would have been for Me a contention, an endless measure, whether it were of one, two, ten, or thirty men, even if in power it reached a hundred, and it would continue. But you rebuked Me and acted rightly; I accepted your rebuke.
3 → For the sighs of Israel are sweet to Me, and they quench this longing. Their words have pleaded with My ears, and the words of their mouths are received. Occupy My chosen house (bayit bechirati), and let the Torah not depart from your lips. I am the Lord of Wonders (ba'al niflaot), I am the Lord of Separations (ba'al perishut), I am the Lord of Feats and Miracles (ba'al pele ve-nissim), I am called the Lord of Great Deeds (ba'al gevurot) before Me. Miracles (nissim) and wonders (tomehin) tremble before My Throne (kisseh ha-kavod). Who preceded Me without Me rewarding him? Who calls upon Me without Me answering him? Declare before Me My desires (mish'alotai).
4 → My treasure chambers (bati genzai) and My storehouses (bati otzarotai), and in them nothing is lacking. Declare your desires (mish'aloteichem) and the longings of your souls (ta'avot nafsheichem), and they will be fulfilled immediately. For there is no moment like this, when My soul (nafshi) has longed until I saw them, and there is no time like this, when your love has clung to My heart.
5 → I know what you seek, and My heart has recognized what you desire. You seek an abundant Torah (Torah merubah), a multitude of teachings (hamon limudim), and a wealth of traditions (rov shemu'ot). You yearn to inquire about Halacha, you yearn to draw near, to increase the Torah (Torah), to wonderfully multiply understanding (tushiyah), mountains upon mountains (giva'ot giva'ot), to make the Talmud wonderful in the streets and incisive discourse (pilpul) in the squares, to multiply the Torah like the sand of the sea (chol ha-yam) and the Halacha like the dust of the earth (afrot tevel).
Chapter 30 → The Seal of Authority of the Torah and the Crown of Royalty in Heikhalot
Chapter 30 → The Seal of Authority of the Torah and the Crown of Royalty in Heikhalot
Chapter 30 of Heikhalot Rabbati reveals the secret of the Seal and the Sovereign Crown, by which Israel establishes assemblies, expounds the Torah, and places crowns of royalty upon their heads. Through this mystery, kings and princes bow before them, the Torah shines like the Star of Venus, and decrees are issued to the nations. The chapter portrays Israel as "those who justify many," from whom new ordinances and wisdom flow, while warning that if this secret is revealed, the small will be like the great and the fool like the wise.
1 → To establish assemblies at the gates, to declare what is forbidden and what is permitted, to make impure with them and purify with them the pure, to validate with them the valid and disqualify with them the disqualified, to recognize by them the living, to instruct the excommunicated about what they should do, to bind bonds on their heads and crowns of royalty, to compel kings to bow down before you and refine princes to prostrate themselves before you, to raise your name in all the firmament and your fame in the cities of the sea, to make your faces shine like the dawn and the space between your eyes like Kokhav ha-Nogah (the Star of Venus). And if you merit this Ḥotam (Seal) to wield the Keter (Crown) among the peoples of the earth, there will be no fool or simpleton among you, nor will an ignorant person be found among you.
2 → You rejoice, while the servants of idols tremble. This Raz (Secret) is one of the secrets that emanate from the treasure of the voice of your assembly, like the calves of the Merkavah (Chariot), not with effort, not with work, but through the Name of this Ḥotam (Seal) and the remembrance of the Keter Nora (Awesome Crown). Desire is desired for you, and longing yearns for you. Many have died with your sighs, and their souls departed at the sound of your voice.
3 → Riches and possessions increase upon you; the great of the world cling to you. The family from which you take a wife is protected on all sides. He who is blessed by you is blessed; he who is praised by you is praised. You are called “the one who justifies many” and “the one who purifies creatures.” New ordinances emanate from you, and the passage of years is ordered by the strategy of your wisdom.
4 → By your hands, princes are heard; by your word, the heads of the courts stand firm. You appoint the leaders of the exiles; the judges of the cities act by your authority. Decrees for the world emanate from you, and no one contests them. A great war was waged by the nations, the servants of the great accuser, the Malakhei ha-Shareit (Angels of Service). This is their answer:
5 → This Raz (Secret) will not depart from your treasury, nor the hidden strategy from your storehouses. O El (God), who guards them, O Pari El (Fruitful God), may there be no deception among the children of men because of our words, of our generations in the Torah, with a measure that does not require effort. But, from future generations, they will establish it with labor and great affliction. This is your honor and this is your splendor, when they praise you and present themselves before you, reciting with all their heart, supplicating you with a willing soul. May what we recite remain in our hands and may what we study be sustained in our hands. May all that our ears hear be consolidated and may the paths of the Talmud (Study) heard from the mouth of the master strengthen our hearts. But if this Raz (Secret) is revealed before you, the small will be like the great and the fool like the wise. This is the response from His servants.
Chapter 31 → Metatron Enthroned: The Secret of the Seventh Palace and the Voice of Israel
Chapter 31 → Metatron Enthroned: The Secret of the Seventh Palace and the Voice of Israel
Chapter 31 of Heikhalot Rabbati reveals the mystery hidden since eternity, exalting Hanokh as Metatron, enthroned beside the Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory) as the “Lesser Lord.” Rabbi Akiva narrates the celestial liturgy where the Hayyah called “Israel” proclaims the Shema, waving the Ofanim and Cherubim, while the divine decree retains the Shekhinah of the Holy of Holies. This chapter reveals cosmic authority, the mysteries of the Torah, and Metatron's role in leading the celestial hosts.
1 → El, servants of El, workers of El, do not trouble Me with this matter. A secret (raz) emanates from the house of My treasures, and a mystery (seter) of cunning from My storehouses, I reveal them to a beloved people. Hidden from the days of eternity and from the days of Bereshit (Beginning), they are prepared for them, and it did not occur to My heart to deliver them to all these generations from the days of eternity until now. For this generation, it was reserved to be preserved until the end of all generations, for they turned from evil to evil, and did not know Me (Jeremiah 9:2). The exiles escaped from their hearts, and the words of the Torah were hard to them like copper and iron. It is appropriate to use it to bring the Torah like water (mayim) among you and like oil (shemen) in your bones. This is what happened to Israel: My anger burned against them, and I struck them down; the mountains trembled, and their corpses were like refuse in the streets of the land (Isaiah 5:25).
2 → In what shall we rejoice? In what shall we be comforted? Or what good measure is there in the house of My treasures that we may be comforted? For I looked and saw silver and gold with My people, silver and gold in the world, precious stones and pearls with My people, precious stones and pearls in the world. But what does the world lack? This secret and this mystery that does not exist in the world—a measure of pride for the children to be proud of.
3 → Rabbi Akiva said: I heard a qol (voice) coming from beneath the Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory), saying: And what did it say? “I took him, I conquered him, I appointed him—this is Hanokh, son of Yared, whose name is Metatron.” And I took him from among humanity and made for him a kisseh (throne) corresponding to My kisseh (throne). And what is the measure of this kisseh (throne)? Thousands of myriads of parsangs of esh (fire). And I delivered seventy mal'akhim (angels) corresponding to the seventy nations, and I appointed in his hand all the pamalya (retinue) above and all the pamalya (retinue) below. And I provided for him all the ordinances of Bereshit (Beginning), and I established his name as Adonai ha-Qatan (the Lesser Lord), whose name in gematria is seventy-one. And I gave him wisdom and understanding greater than all the angels, and I made his greatness greater than that of all the ministering angels.
4 → Rabbi Akiva said: Every day, a single mal'akh (angel) stands in the middle of the raqia (firmament) and opens it, saying: “YHVH is King,” and the entire host of marom (the heights) responds after him until it reaches “Blessed be He.” When it reaches “Blessed be He,” there is a single ḥayah (living being) whose name is Yisrael, and engraved on his forehead is “My people are Mine.” He stands in the middle of the raqia (firmament) and says: “Blessed be YHVH, the Blessed.” And all the sarei ma'alah (princes of the heights) respond after her: “Blessed be YHVH, the Blessed, forever and ever.” Before she finishes speaking, the Ofanim (Wheels) tremble and shudder, shaking the whole world, and they say: “Blessed be the Kavod (Glory) of YHVH in His place.” And that ḥayah (living being) remains in the midst of the raqia (firmament) until all the sarei ma'alah (princes of the heights), and tafsarim (officers), and battalions, and all the camps tremble, and each one in his place says to the ḥayah (living being): “Shema Yisrael, YHVH Eloheinu, YHVH Eḥad” (Hear, O Israel, YHVH our Elohim, YHVH is One) (Deuteronomy 6:4).
5 → Rabbi Yishmael said: Thus said Rabbi Akiva in the name of Rabbi Eliezer the Great: Our ancestors refused to place stone upon stone in the Heikhal (Palace) until they compelled the King of the Universe and all His servants, and they heeded them and revealed to them the sod (secret) of the Torah—how they should make it and how they should use it. Immediately, the Ruaḥ ha-Qodesh (Holy Spirit) appeared from the great entrance that is in the House of YHVH, for the Shekhinah (Divine Presence) did not descend nor dwell in the House of the Holy of Holies because of the decree. And when they saw the Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory) erected and standing between the Ulam (Portico) and the Mizbeaḥ (Altar), even though the gate was built.
Chapter 32 → Metatron, Zorobavel, and the Hidden Messiah: Vision of the Second Temple
Chapter 32 → Metatron, Zorobavel, and the Hidden Messiah: Vision of the Second Temple
Chapter 32 of Heikhalot Rabbati narrates the vision of Zerubbabel ben Shealtiel at the Foundation Stone of the Second Temple. Standing between the Ulam and the Mizbeaḥ, the Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory) is revealed, and Metatron, Sar Tzeva YHVH, reveals the hidden Messiah—Menachem ben Amiel, of the house of David, hidden in Rome until the time of the End. This mystical chapter intertwines the glory of the Temple, the Torah, and eschatological hope.
1 → It was not built, but rather molded from the base of the Shetiyyah stone (Foundation Stone), forms that rose up to perfect upon it the Ulam (Portico), the Mizbeach (Altar), and the entire Bayit (House). And when our fathers saw the Kisseh ha-Kavod (Throne of Glory), which revolved from within it and rose between the Ulam, the Mizbeach, and the Malkhut (Kingdom) of the world, they immediately prostrated themselves with their faces to the ground. And at that time it was said (Haggai 2:9): Great shall be the glory of this Bayit (House), this latter, greater than the former.
2 → For the first Temple did not demand anything of Me, nor of My children, nor of all My servants, nor of My Throne. And behold, My children, why do you prostrate yourselves? Arise and return before My Throne, in the same measure that you sit in the Yeshiva (Aula), and grasp the Crown, and receive the Seal, and learn the Seal, and learn this Book of the Torah, how you will inquire into it and how you will serve it, for it elevates the paths of your hearts.
3 → They were contemplating the Torah with their hearts; immediately Zorubbavel ben Shealtiel responded on the fourth day of the seventh month, the month of the Festivals (Chagim), and he stood up as a Turgeman (Interpreter) and was expounding the Shemot (Names) as a Turgeman.
4 → And Zerubbabel said, “Hasten to me, where is the Rock of Eternity?” And He answered me from the gates of Heaven and said to me, “You are Zerubbabel.” And I said, and He answered and spoke to me as a man speaks to his friend, and addressed me with many righteous words.
5 → And I said to Him, “Who are You, Adonai?” And He said to me, “I am Metatron, Sar Tzeva YHVH (Prince of the Army of YHVH),” and He has placed my name as His name. And He showed me a man like a young man, handsome and adorned, and said to me, “Metatron, this is Mashiach YHVH (Messiah of YHVH), and this one was born in the house of David, and YHVH hid him to be a Nagid (Leader) over Israel. And this is Menachem ben Amiel, and this one was born in the house of Nebuchadnezzar, and a Ruach (Spirit/Wind) carried him and placed him in Nineveh, the city of blood, which is Romi (Rome), until the time of Ketza (End).”
Chapter 33 → The Imprisoned Messiah: Menahem ben Amiel and the Trials Before Redemption
Chapter 33 → The Imprisoned Messiah: Menahem ben Amiel and the Trials Before Redemption
Chapter 33 of Heikhalot Rabbati reveals the hidden sufferings of Menaḥem ben Amiel, the Messiah, imprisoned for eight years, despised by Israel and disfigured, as foretold in Isaiah 52:14. Guarded by Metatron and Michael, his judgment purifies a generation of unfaithful leaders until those who sleep in the dust rise up in his defense, fulfilling Daniel 12:2 and announcing the final redemption.
1 → And I asked, “What are the signs that Menaḥem ben Amiel will perform?” And he said to me, “Meṭaṭron and Mikhael, one year before the week, the Qadosh Barukh Hu (Holy One, Blessed be He) sends a messenger to Israel in confidence, in peace, in joy, in exultation, and in jubilation. But that generation is poor, without any merit, and yet they rise up and act arrogantly against them, despising them in the marketplaces and in the streets, calling them thieves and apostates, and speaking about them words that the ears cannot bear to hear.
2 → At that time, the Qadosh Barukh Hu (Holy One, Blessed be He) said: “They have not yet fulfilled their servitude, and already they desire more.” The Qadosh Barukh Hu (Holy One, Blessed be He) became angry and imprisoned the Mashiḥ (Messiah) for exactly eight years, corresponding to the eight days of the milah (circumcision). Just as an eight-day-old child who has not been circumcised is not worthy to enter the congregation, so too during the years that the Mashiḥ (Messiah) was imprisoned, the Qadosh Barukh Hu (Holy One, Blessed be He) hid His face from him.
3 → Then the Holy One, Blessed be He, grants Israel greater freedom of speech against him, and they say to one another: “Know that this man has gone astray and led Israel astray. Did Pharaoh imprison Moses so that this messenger might also be imprisoned?”
4 → In the first year of his imprisonment, they proclaimed against him in all the cities of Israel, and the mighty of the Torah and the mighty of sustenance gathered against him, conspiring in a qanuntia (conspiracy) and disfiguring his appearance, as it is written: “So disfigured was his appearance, unlike that of a man” (Isaiah 52:14). And no one defended him, except those who sleep in the dust, as it is written: “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake” (Daniel 12:2). And the dead of the world said to one another: “Perhaps we were wrong in our supposition, and it has been annulled.” A Bat Qol (Heavenly Voice) came forth and said: “Fear not, for in your merit you stand firm.”
5 → And in those years when he is imprisoned, the powerful Torah scholars in the city gather, and the men of faith cease, and wisdom disappears from the cities, and an empty generation remains, without leaders of yeshivas to defend him, nor faithful or pious friends to annul the decree. The heavens are closed, and the gates of sustenance are locked—all this for seven years. But in the final year, when the Mashiḥ (Messiah) emerges from the house of the prisoners, that generation goes and falls into the grave alive because of the decrees that were imposed upon them, and many die before their time in servitude.
Chapter 34 → The Decrees of Edom and Gog and Magog: Israel's Trials and the Ascension of the Messiah
Chapter 34 → The Decrees of Edom and Gog and Magog: Israel's Trials and the Ascension of the Messiah
Chapter 34 of Heikhalot Rabbati reveals the terrible decrees that precede redemption: the nine-month dominion of Edom, the seven-eyed mortal beings, and the dominion of Gog and Magog. Amidst persecution, Torah denial, and despair, the Messiah emerges from prison, despised by Israel but welcomed by the Holy One, Blessed be He, fulfilling the psalms of salvation and ruin of the nations.
1 → This first decree (gezerah) is the uprooting of the mountains: whoever has a son, the son denies the father; whoever has a field, denies it. This first decree (gezerah) is Edom ha-Resha'ah (Edom the Wicked), who is destined to rule over Israel for nine months, as it is written (Shemuel Alef 3:4): “I swore to the house of Eli,” teaching that the Holy One, blessed be He (ha-Qadosh Barukh Hu), swore that Edom ha-Resha'ah will rule at the end of times (qetz ha-acharon) from summit to summit. And you must teach what their decree (gezerah) is: they double it. If it is about the mighty ones of the Torah (gibborei Torah), for every eleven, whoever gives ten dinars of silver, they will demand from him ten dinars of gold. And whoever has none, they will cut ten dinars of flesh from his flesh. And they decree that they shall not circumcise their children, nor observe the laws of niddah (ritual impurity). And whoever mentions the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He (ha-Qadosh Barukh Hu), shall have his head cut off.
2 → The third decree (gezerah) is from the Aysfod: they do not need to wage war, but just by looking, everyone dies. They have seven eyes: two like all humans have, one on the head, one on the top of the head, one between the shoulders, one in the heart, and one in the navel, as it is written (Zechariah 3:9): “For behold, the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone are seven eyes.” At that time, Israel cries out and says in one voice: “Blessed is the one who was not created; blessed are the generations past that did not see such things.” And why all this? Because of the powerful of the Torah (gibborei Torah) who did not believe in the beginning and did not remember the Name (ha-Shem).
3 → The first decree (gezerah) of all decrees is the kingdom of Gog u-Magog, which seeks neither the Torah nor the commandments (mitzvot), but only that hour when each of Israel will be subjugated to him for five hundred and eighteen thousand years, as it is written (Psalm 2:2): “The kings of the earth arise,” which in gematria is equivalent to this.
4 → And even the Holy One, blessed be He (ha-Qadosh Barukh Hu), does not move from His place at that hour. They surround the world in all four directions (arba ruchotav), and each one of Israel has nowhere to flee, as it is said (Psalm 139:8): “Where can I go from Your Spirit (Ruach)?” Thus they said: Woe to the generation in which the Messiah (Mashiach) is revealed.
5 → And the Holy One, blessed be He (ha-Qadosh Barukh Hu), rises to bring the Messiah (Mashiach) in person from the house of prisoners, as it is said (Chavaqquq 3:13): “You went forth for the salvation of your people,” and it is written (Qohelet 4:14): “From the house of prisoners he went forth to reign.” But when he comes out of the house of prisoners and sees all the armies gathered against him, he trembles and says: “Who can withstand all these armies?” At that time, he brings armies of Israel, and goes to Babylon and begs for mercy. But all Israel despises him, and his companions turn away from him, saying: “Woe to him who has been imprisoned for eight years in the house of prisoners!” He says: “I am a messenger,” and now, when they take him out of the house of prisoners, he rises and begs for mercy. In the face of their contempt, the Holy One, blessed be He (ha-Qadosh Barukh Hu), responds to them, as it is written (Psalm 20:7): “I know that YHWH has saved His Messiah (Mashiach).” And all fall before Him, as it is written (Psalm 9): “They stumbled and fell.”
Chapter 35 → Ephraim, the Righteous Messiah: Consolation, Rejection, and Final Redemption
Chapter 35 → Ephraim, the Righteous Messiah: Consolation, Rejection, and Final Redemption
Chapter 35 of Heikhalot Rabbati depicts the Messiah's embrace by the Holy One, Blessed be He, the repentance of Israel and the shame of the nations, and the paradox of Ephraim, the Righteous Messiah—comforted, burdened with iron shackles, rejected as a “fool,” but revealed in radiant glory, fulfilling Isaiah, Micah, Psalms, and Daniel in the drama of final redemption.
1 → And after that, the Qadosh Barukh Hu (Holy One, Blessed be He) places him in His bosom, embraces him, kisses him, and enhances His splendor from canopy to canopy, and the mighty ones of the Torah, all Israel, say to one another: “How we erred, bearing our iniquities!”, and we did not know, as it is written (Isaiah 53:6): “We all, like sheep, have gone astray.” And after that, He comforts him and his mourners, as it is written (Isaiah 57:18): “I have seen his ways, and I will heal him,” and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and through Zechariah it is written (Zechariah 14:1): “Behold, the day of the Lord is coming.”
2 → Another interpretation: “Behold, a day is coming” – against whom was this said? It was said only against that week in which the Mashiah (Messiah) will come, for He is hidden and will come through all these generations, and a deep sleep will fall upon them, and the Mashiah will be hidden from them. And when the Qadosh Barukh Hu (Holy One, Blessed be He) so desires, He will shake the four corners of the world and come and assure Israel, saying to them: “Redemption has come,” and men, women, and children will gather and seek great mercies, as it is written (Isaiah 54:7): “For a brief moment I forsook you.”
3 → And they return in teshuvah (repentance) at that time, six hundred thousand of Israel, and all the nations of the world gather and seek to return in teshuvah when they see Israel going to the synagogues and houses of study and imploring mercy in a loud voice. And they see as those who do not see and do not hear, the nations will see and be ashamed (Micah 7:16).
4 → They sit, lament, and say, “Surely there is redemption for Israel, and we mock them,” as it is written (Micah 7:17): “They will lick the dust like a serpent.” It is fitting that the verse says, “They came out of her”; what does it teach by saying “from her”? They are terrified by the voice of the Mashiah (Messiah) at that moment when they hear his voice while he is in the galgal (wheel) of the Merkavah (Chariot) of Qadosh Barukh Hu (Holy, Blessed be He). The world says, “God forbid that this one, born of woman, should not falter at his voice.”
5 → And the nations of the world immediately return in teshuvah (repentance). The sar (prince) of the Messiah rises and is praised before the Qadosh Barukh Hu (Holy One, Blessed be He) and says before Him: “Master of the Universe, if you have greater afflictions than these, afflict me, but let none of the nations of the world see or delight in the good reserved for Israel.” The Qadosh Barukh Hu (Holy One, Blessed be He) says to him: “Ephraim, Messiah Tzidki (Ephraim, My Righteous Messiah), I too would wish to do so, but I spared your honor.” Immediately, the Qadosh Barukh Hu (Holy One, Blessed be He) takes two iron collars and places them on the shoulders of the Messiah and says to him: “One for the iniquity of your generation, and the other so that the nations of the world may not prevail.” At that time, Israel returns to a new understanding and despises the Messiah, saying, “Woe to us, who follow this madman!” The Holy One, Blessed be He, says to them, “You call him a madman? Now you will see his light surrounding him,” as it is written in Psalm 50:3: “And around him is a great storm.” And all who believed in him are not blotted out of the Book of Life, as it is written in Daniel 12:1: “And at that time your people will escape.”
Chapter 36 → The Last Year of Affliction and the Sudden Revelation of the Messiah
Chapter 36 → The Last Year of Affliction and the Sudden Revelation of the Messiah
Chapter 36 of Heikhalot Rabbati describes the final year before redemption: severe afflictions, heavy decrees, and a transformed world. When the Messiah rises from prison, the nations challenge Him, but the Holy One, Blessed be He, defends His people through the merit of the Torah and the Shema. Suddenly, as foretold, the Redeemer arrives at His Palace, fulfilling the mystery of the unexpected redemption.
1 → In the last year, afflictions are severe and numerous and heavy servitude and many diseases are decreed, and the world is transformed, and the taste of everything is given, and there is scarcity, and for those who go out and come in, there is no shalom (peace) (Zechariah 8:10). And those who possess emunah (faith) are gathered, and immediately the Mashiach (Messiah) is revealed.
2 → And when the Messiah ascends from Beit ha-Asurin (the house of prisoners), he will meet with the nations of the world, and each nation will say to him: Why do you seek to uproot seventy nations because of one? All the evils that are in our people are in your people: thieves are among us, thieves are among you; bloodthirsty people are among us, bloodthirsty people are among you; libertines are among us, libertines are among you.
3 → At that hour, he is silent, and the Messiah does not answer, and even Michael, sar ha-gadol (the great prince), is silent and does not answer, as it is written (Job 32:17): “I waited, for they did not speak.” Immediately, the mercies of Ha-Kadosh Barukh Hu (the Holy One, Blessed be He) are manifested in favor of the Messiah, and He answers him on Yom Tsarah (Day of Anguish), saying to them: “You fools of the world, how do you reason as My children do? Is there among you anyone who recites the Shema in the morning as My children do?” At that hour, it is written (Isaiah 57:12): “I will declare your righteousness” (tzedakah), do not read “your works,” but “these your works.”
4 → Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen such a thing? In the beginning, the intention of Ha-Kadosh Barukh Hu was to divert Israel to the desert for six months, from Nisan to Tishrei. But when He contemplated the suffering of the Messiah during all those years, immediately, suddenly, He will come to His Palace (Malachi 3:1).
5 → Another interpretation: Because Israel says that in that generation, perhaps the world will follow its normal course, and there will be redemption this year, but they do not know that He will come suddenly.
Chapter 37 → Gog and Magog, the betrayal of the nations and the final liberation of Israel.
Chapter 37 → Gog and Magog, the betrayal of the nations and the final liberation of Israel.
Chapter 37 of Heikhalot Rabbati foresees the conversion of the nations and their union with Israel in the commandments, only to be betrayed when Gog and Magog rise up against Jerusalem. The Holy One, blessed be He, wages war with seven shepherds and eight princes, while angels question His solitary battle. Finally, Gog and Magog fall, and Israel dwells in safety under the Redeemer's eternal covenant.
1 → Another matter: Behold, the day of the Messiah is coming, when the nations of the world will convert and come with Israel, establishing the commandments of Sukkah (Tabernacle), Milah (Circumcision), Tefillin (Phylacteries), and Tzitzit (Fringes). They will go in and out with Israel for forty years, as it is written: “And your circumciser, the nations of the world” (uncertain source). After forty years, Gog and Magog will come upon Israel, he and all the kings of the east and west, and the province of Gomer and all its flanks, as it is written: “Gomer and all its flanks, etc.” (Ezekiel 38:6). When the converts see Gog and Magog and all their troops who have come with them, they ask: “Where are you going?” They are told: “Against the Lord and against his Messiah!” (Psalm 2:2). Immediately, they tear off their fringes, tear down their tents, take up their mezuzot, and set out against Israel, as it is written: “Let us break their chains!” (Psalm 2:3). At that hour, the Holy One, blessed be He, sits and laughs, and every man of Israel surrounds Him with nine thousand five hundred swords, as it is written: “The nations raged” (Psalm 46:7), which in gematria is equivalent to this.
2 → Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, the day when Gog and Magog will come upon Israel, causing an earthquake in the heavens and in the earth, and a great commotion in the land of Israel. They will go up to conquer Jerusalem, as it is written: “And I will gather all nations to Jerusalem” (Zechariah 14:2). At that time, He wages war against Gog and Magog, and seven shepherds and eight princes go out with Him: David in the center, Adam, Seth, Enosh, and Methuselah on his right, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and Aaron on his left; the eight princes are Saul, Samuel, Amos, Zephaniah, Elijah, Malchi-Zedek, Isaac, and Khaziah. At that hour, the minds of the Malakhei ha-Sharet (Angels of Service) are calmed before the Holy One, blessed be He, for when the Holy One, blessed be He, treads upon Romi (Rome), He does so alone, as it is written: “I alone have trodden the winepress” (Isaiah 63:3). The Malakhei ha-Sharet (Angels of Service) say before the Holy One, blessed be He: “Master of the Universe, from where do you come?” He answers them: “From Marom (the Heights).” They ask Him: “Why are your garments red?” (Isaiah 63:2). He says before Himself: “Master of the Universe, is there any king who goes to war without horsemen? Why did you not call us to go with you?” He answers them: “It was a small winepress, and I did not need you.” Even so, their minds are not calmed. He tells them, “Wait a little while; I have another large winepress, and you are needed by me,” as it is written: “And you will flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains will come to you…” (Zechariah 14:5).
3 → When Gog and Magog attack Israel, the Holy One, blessed be He, will go forth with all sorts of punishments to fight against them, and the Malakhei ha-Sharet (Angels of Service) will go forth, as it is written: “And I will enter into judgment against him with pestilence and with blood” (Ezekiel 38:22). The Holy One, blessed be He, will strike them with a great blow, and all will fall before Him, as it is written: “And this shall be the plague…” (Zechariah 14:12). Israel will no longer need to cut wood, except for its provisions and utensils. After Gog and Magog, Israel will dwell in safety, as it is written: “And they shall dwell therein, and there shall be no more curse” (Zechariah 14:11), and it is written: “The Redeemer of Israel, His Holy One” (Isaiah 49:7).
Chapter 38 → The Revelation of the Messiah, the Shame of the Nations, and the Judgment of Gehenna
Chapter 38 → The Revelation of the Messiah, the Shame of the Nations, and the Judgment of Gehenna
Chapter 38 of Heikhalot Rabbati describes the revelation of the Messiah—clothed in light, accompanied by Chayot, Seraphim, and Cherubim—before whom the nations prostrate themselves in disgrace. They turn to idols, the sun and the moon, only to see their light extinguished. The rejected gifts lead to the final decree: the Messiah casts the nations into Gehenna, fulfilling Isaiah, Psalms, Daniel, and Deuteronomy in the drama of the final judgment.
1 → Another point: Thus says YHWH (the Lord), the Redeemer of Israel, His Holy One. Against whom did Yeshayahu (Isaiah) utter this verse? It was uttered only concerning Israel, whom Ha-Kadosh Barukh Hu (the Holy One, Blessed be He) distinguished from the seventy nations, as it is written: “Kadosh Yisrael la-YHWH (Holy is Israel to the Lord), the firstfruits of His harvest” (Jeremiah 2:3). But, because of our many iniquities, they have fallen into the depths of the earth; “Nafalah (she has fallen) and will not rise again, Betulat Yisrael (the virgin of Israel)” (Amos 5:2). And who is destined to raise her up? The Mashiah (Messiah), who will cover all His enemies with shame and disgrace. And when the nations of the world see him, they will kneel and prostrate themselves before him, as it is written: “Kings will see him and rise up” (Isaiah 49:7).
2 → And you must teach: When the Messiah is revealed, will he appear as flesh and blood or as an angel? This has already been clarified in Daniel: “And behold, with the clouds of heaven came one like the Son of Man” (Daniel 7:13). This teaches that five hundred thousand galgalei (wheels of light) are given to him, along with the Holy Living Beings, Seraphim and Cherubim. And when the nations of the world see him, at that moment they will say to one another: “Could this be the one they call Messiah?” And he says to them: “I am the Messiah,” and they all fall under the soles of his feet, as it is written: “I will crush his adversaries before him and strike down those who hate him” (Psalm 89:24). “I will crush his adversaries before him” refers to the parasim (Persians), who oppress the ruach (spirit) of Israel like basar (flesh) in a kederah (cauldron). “U-mesan'aiv agof (and those who hate him I will strike down)” refers to the kings of Edom ha-resha'ah (wicked Edom), for Ha-Kadosh Barukh Hu is destined to repay their deeds upon their heads, as it is said: “Ashiv nakam le-tzaraiv u-le-mesan'ai ashalem (I will repay vengeance to My adversaries and I will repay those who hate Me)” (Deuteronomy 32:41).
3 → “Yoshev ba-shamayim yisḥak (He who sits in the heavens laughs)” (Psalm 2:4). What does the Messiah do with the deceptions he is destined to carry out against the nations of the world? When they see him, they are ashamed and say, “What shall we do?” And he says to them, “Whom are you afraid of? Turn to your foreign worship, and it will save you.” Immediately, each one goes to his object of fear, but falls. They say to one another, “In vain have we labored all these years.” They return and come to the Messiah and say, “Your gods have no substance.” He says to them, “Do not be afraid; you have no deities more difficult than these, which are the sun and the moon.” Immediately, they go to the altar and to the altar, and see its light extinguished, as it is written: “Ve-ḥafrah ha-levanah u-voshah ha-ḥamah (the moon will be confused, and the sun ashamed)” (Isaiah 24:23). They return to the Messiah and say to him: “The altar and to the altar—its light has been extinguished,” as it is written: “Hamu goyim, mattu mamlakhot (the nations raged, the kingdoms tottered)” (Psalm 46:6).
4 → Immediately they said to one another, “What remedy do we have now? Come, let us offer a doron (gift) to the Messiah; perhaps he will accept us.” Immediately they brought a doron and went to him, as it is written: “Sheva u-Seva ashkar yakrivu (Sheba and Seva will offer tribute)” (Psalm 72:10). He said to them, “Who am I, and what is my malkhut (kingdom)? Go and present it to Ha-Kadosh Barukh Hu.” They said to him, “Ha-Kadosh Barukh Hu accepts shoḥad (bribes)? Does he not reward those who accept shoḥad? Why have you transgressed his commandment and accepted shoḥad?”
5 → They ask him, “What remedy do we have?” He replies, “There is a remedy, and its name is Gehinnam (Hell).” They ask, “What is it and what does it resemble?” He replies, “There are good gifts in it: esh (fire) and gofrit (sulfur), ḥoshekh (darkness) and afelah (dark clouds).” They say to him, “There is no mercy in your judgment! Are the hands of Ha-Kadosh Barukh Hu so limited?” He replies, “I also judge you according to His mission. In the measure that you treated My children, so I will treat you.” At that moment, he calls the Sar shel Gehinnam (Prince of Hell) and says to him, “Ephraim Mashiah Tzidki (Ephraim, My Righteous Messiah), enough of speaking to them!” Immediately, the Messiah seizes the four kanfot ha-aretz (corners of the earth) and shakes them into Gehinnam, as a man shakes his kesut (garment) of dust, as it is said: “Le-eḥoz be-kanfot ha-aretz (to seize the corners of the earth)” (Job 38:13).
Chapter 39 → Nehemiah ben Hushiel, Armilus, and the Revelation of Menaquim ben Amiel
Chapter 39 → Nehemiah ben Hushiel, Armilus, and the Revelation of Menaquim ben Amiel
Chapter 39 of Heikhalot Rabbati predicts the ascension and martyrdom of Nehemiah ben Hushiel in Jerusalem, the mourning of Israel, and the emergence of Armilus, son of Belial and of the stone. The prophecy culminates with the revelation of Menachem ben Amiel, the Messiah of YHWH, destined to appear before Israel on the fourteenth day of Nisan and proclaim redemption.
1 → Forty years before the coming of the Messiah, son of David, whose name is Menakim, son of Ammiel, Necamiah, son of Cusiel, a man from Ephraim, son of Joseph, will come. He will present himself in Jerusalem, and all Israel will gather around him. He will gather every man and his family, and the children of Israel will offer a sacrifice (korban), which will be pleasing to the Lord. And the children of Israel will be numbered according to their families. Forty years after the coming of Necamiah, son of Cusiel, Shidui, king of Persia, will rise up and slay Necamiah, son of Cusiel, in Jerusalem. And all Israel will mourn for him with great grief and weeping. And after this, Shepzibah, the wife of Nathan, son of David, the prophet, will come. And these signs will come in the month of Av, on the sixth day of the month, when Siddui, king of Parah, will slay Nacamiah, son of Cusiel, in Jerusalem. And the news will reach Israel with mourning, and it will greatly afflict them, and they will scatter in the wilderness of Jerusalem to observe the mourning for Nacamiah for forty-one days. His body will be thrown at the gates of Jerusalem, and neither man nor beast, nor wild animal, nor bird may touch it. And after forty days, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will bury him in the tombs of the House of Judah.
2 → And I, Zerubbabel, continued to inquire of Metatron and Michael, Sar Tzva YHVH (Prince of the Army of YHVH), concerning the covenant with the saints. And he said to me: This heifer lies there, and all her branches are consumed (Isaiah 27:10). And this city was Nineveh, the city of blood; it was Romi Rabbati (Great Rome). And I said to him: My lord, how long will these wonders end? (Daniel 12:6). And he seized me, took me by the hand, and led me to the House of Reprobation, and there he showed me a marble stone with a face like that of a beautiful woman who had never known a man. And he said to Zerubbabel: What do you see? And I said to him: I see a marble image, and the likeness of its face is like that of a beautiful woman. And he answered and said to me: The man who spoke to me said: This woman was the wife of Beliyal (Unworthiness). And at the time when Beliyal knew the woman, she conceived and gave birth to this Armilus. And he will be the head of all idolatry. And he will be entirely carved on one side, for half of him is of stone, and half of him is of Beliyal, and the other half of him, also of stone, will be sealed with the appearance of stone.
3 → And this matter was in the prophecy of YHWH to Zerubbabel, and my soul was deeply distressed. Then I arose and went to the spring of the waters and made a prayer (moed) there with YHWH, the God of Israel, who is the God of all flesh. And He sent His messenger, and my prayer (tefilá) was still in my mouth, and I did not cease. And I saw that he was speaking to me all the previous words, and I bowed down and prostrated myself before YHWH. And He answered me and said: Ask before I depart from you. And I continued to ask Him about the Messiah YHWH. And I said to Him: When will He come to Israel? And He answered and said to me: As the life of YHVH who sent me, who appointed me over Israel, now I will tell you the deed of YHVH, for El ha-Kadosh (Holy God) said to me: Go and inform Zerubbabel, my servant, about what he asks.
4 → And he said: Come near to me, and I will speak to you the word of Elohim. Know that Menachem ben Amiel will come on the fourteenth day of Nisan and stand in my valley. And Menachem ben Amiel will answer and say to the elders: I am the Messiah YHVH, whom He has sent to bring you good news.
Chapter 40 → The Resurrection of Nehemiah ben Husiel, the Seal of the Torah, and the Mysteries of the Crown
Chapter 40 → The Resurrection of Nehemiah ben Husiel, the Seal of the Torah, and the Mysteries of the Crown
Chapter 40 of Heikhalot Rabbati reveals the rebirth of Nehemiah ben Ḥushiel by Menahem ben Amiel and Eliyahu ha-Navi, uniting Israel in redemption. It also preserves the transmission of esoteric practices from Rabbi Yishmael: the invocation of angelic princes, the Great Seal (Ḥotam), and the Dark Crown (Keter Nora), through which the sages accessed the Torah, purity, and the vision of the Merkavah.
1 → And the elders looked, for he was despised and clothed in rags; they despised him as they had despised the elders, for he was despised, and his anger burned within him; and he took off his clothes and put on garments of vengeance. And Elijah the Prophet came with him, and they went to Jerusalem, and he resurrected Nehemiah the son of Husiel, who had been buried at the gates of Jerusalem. And they went to the congregation of Israel, and the children of Israel saw that Nehemiah was with him, and they believed Menahem the son of Ammiel, the word of Metatron and of Mikhail Sar Tzeva, the Prince of the Army of YHVH, in truth. “Ephraim will not envy Judah” (Isaiah 11:13), and “there will be a council of peace between them” (Zechariah 6:13). And on the twenty-seventh day of the first month, upon the ruins of Jerusalem, eight hundred and ninety years, salvation will come to her.
2 → And Menahem ben Amiel went out, in gematria Armilus, and he and Nehemiah ben Hushiel and Eliyahu ha-Navi ben Elazar ben Aharon ha-Kohen (Elijah the Prophet, son of Elazar, son of Aaron the Priest) went, and stood together by the great sea. And they acted and raised the corpses that had fallen by the hands of their enemies, and the waves of the sea rose up and cast them into the river Ha-Soter, for there shall be judgment for the wicked and joy for the righteous. And in the second month mentioned, the congregation of Korah, which the earth opened and swallowed, shall ascend. And concerning this matter, it was answered, and it was as the key of the names, as an interpreter, each in its name: the name of Keter (Crown), the name of Ḥotam (Seal).
3 → Rabbi Yishmael said: Thus says Rabbi Akiva in the name of Rabbi Eliezer ha-Gadol (the Great): He who purifies himself in the mystery of the Torah (Teaching) will wash his garments and his robes and ascend through a rigorous immersion to dispel any doubt of impurity or nocturnal emission. And he will remain seated for twelve days in a room or upper room, neither going out nor coming in, neither eating nor drinking, except from one night to the next, when he will eat his bread, pure bread, and drink water, and will not taste any kind of vegetable.
4 → And he shall establish this Sar Torah (Prince of the Torah) in prayer three times a day, and after the prayer, he shall recite it from beginning to end. And then he shall sit and study it for three days of his fast, from morning to night, and shall not be silent. And each time he completes it, he shall rise and invoke the angels and their king, and call each Sar (Prince) twelve times. And then he shall invoke them with the Ḥotam (Seal) of each one. And these are their names: Shakdahoziai YHVH ha-Sar, Nahabardiwal YHVH ha-Sar, Abirgahoridiai YHVH ha-Sar; Some say Gahodidiyah YHVH ha-Sar, Palitriyah YHVH ha-Sar, Harmon we-Hobdiah YHVH ha-Sar, Azbohadaiai YHVH ha-Sar, Totrosiai YHVH ha-Sar, Asherwiliai YHVH ha-Sar, Zabodiyal YHVH ha-Sar, Margaziyal YHVH ha-Sar, Rahadbiokhon YHVH ha-Sar, Adiriron YHVH ha-Sar. And he will conjure them twelve times in the name of Yofial, who dwells on high in his kingdom, and in the name of Sarbial, who is among the ministers of the Merkavah (Chariot), and in the name of Shahadrial, who is called by power, six hours a day, for he is a beloved Sar, and in the name of Ḥasdial, a beloved Sar. And he will return and invoke those last four princes with the great Ḥotam and the fearsome Keter in the name of Azbogah, who is the great Ḥotam, and in the name of Tzurtak, who is the fearsome Keter. And the holy name will manifest itself for every measure of the Torah that he seeks, for Mikra (Scripture), for Mishnah, or for the vision of the Merkavah, from which emanates purity, affliction, and great asceticism. For the Talmud (Teaching) is in our hands, and the tradition of the ancients, who transmitted it and left it for generations to use, the humble and the worthy are served by it. Rabbi Yishmael said: This matter was performed by Rabbi Eliezer, and he was served, but they did not believe. And it was performed by Rabbi Akiva, and they did not believe. And it was performed by me, and I did not believe until I brought a silver coin and was equaled to myself. And Rabbi Akiva brought it out of the land by authority of the court, and it was delayed until it was carried out by many who neither read nor studied, and these were equaled after them and became disciples of the sages through this, to establish their testimony and the court of the Nasi (Prince) said: Even this matter, Rabbi Eliezer and the sages—so that the generations of the land of Israel may not interrupt it for our sake. And they did not believe until Rabbi Akiva brought it to Babylon.
5 → Rabbi Yishmael said: A question I asked Rabbi Neḥuniah ben ha-Kanah about the Ḥotam. Thus I learned in the name of Rabbi Neḥuniah ben ha-Kanah: Rabbi Tzurtak Dakh'a Ginat Arakh Nazir Shortin—this is the great Ḥotam by which heaven and earth were sealed. Azbogah, Abgadahav, Zahuziha, Zohaliha—this is the fearsome Keter by which they invoke all the princes of wisdom. And when he completes the twelve days, he will depart for all the measures of Torah that he seeks, be it for Mikra, for Mishnah, or for the vision of Merkavah, for with the measure of purity he departs, and free from affliction and great asceticism. For the Talmud is in our hands, and the ordinance of the first and the tradition of the ancients, who wrote it and left it for future generations, are answered by them, both the humble and the worthy. Rabbi Yishmael said: What should a man open before praying to this Torah? When he is standing, he will say: Be exalted, be lifted up, be magnified, etc., as it is written in the first chapter. And he will conjure and say: Who will not exalt you, fearsome and majestic King, above all your servants? In trembling and reverence, your servants serve you with haste and fear, trembling in decree. With one voice, they proclaim your majestic name in fear and reverence, remaining before you, neither early nor late. And whoever delays the wise in your name, even by a hair's breadth, will be pushed and inflamed, as it is written: “Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh YHVH Tzevaot” (Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts) (Isaiah 6:3). And this is the tradition: He will conjure the last princes—Yofial, Sarkial, Shahadrial, Ḥasdial—with the great Ḥotam and the fearsome Keter. But he will not pronounce it with his mouth, only write it in the language of an oath. And this is the Ḥotam: Tzurtak Dar'a Ginat Arakh Nazir Shortin Yadodiyah. And this is the fearsome Keter: Azbogah, Abzadahav, Zohav, Ziyah, Zohav, Tziyah. And before writing the great Ḥotam, he must offer his prayer to the truth: Be sanctified forever, you who created with wisdom, you who established the earth.
Glossary of Key Terms
Glossary of Key Terms
Abirei Yisrael: The mighty ones or leaders of Israel.
Adir: Majestic, powerful.
Adirirun: One of the divine names used in oaths.
Adonai ha-Qatan: The Lesser Lord, a title for Metatron.
Adonim: Gentlemen.
Aravot: The seventh and highest of the heavens, the dwelling place of God.
Arehim: Uncircumcised.
Armilus: A malevolent figure, the Messiah of the Gentiles, enemy of the Jewish Messiah.
Avadim: Slaves.
Avodah Zarah: Idolatry.
Baheret: Bright spot, symptom of leprosy.
Bat Qol: Celestial Voice.
Beit Din shel Ma'alah: The Heavenly Court.
Beit ha-Miqdash: Temple.
Beit ha-Midrash: House of Study.
Beliyal: Uselessness, wickedness, a demonic figure.
Benei Nidda: Children of menstrual impurity, born of forbidden union.
Berachah: Blessing.
Bereshit: Genesis, Creation.
Chagim: Festivals.
Chai ve-Qayam: Living and enduring (referring to God).
Chala'im: Diseases.
Chanun: Gracious, merciful.
Charevv: Sword.
Chassidim: Pious, devout.
Chashmal: Electrum, or a mystical glow, associated with the vision of the Merkavah.
Cherem: Banishment, total excommunication.
Chibbah: Affection.
Chilul ha-Shem: Profanation of the Divine Name.
Chuppah: Wedding canopy.
Dibbur: Speak, word.
Din: Judgment, justice.
Doran: Present.
Dumiel: A prince who is the guardian of Heikhalot.
Eden: Paradise.
Edom ha-Resha'ah: Edom, the wicked; often a reference to Rome.
Eimah: Terror, dread.
Elokei: God (possessive form, for example, "my God").
Elohim: God.
Elyonim: Those who are above, celestial beings.
Emunah: Faith.
Esh: Fire.
Galgal: Wheel, orb, or firmament.
Galgal ha-Merkavah: The Chariot Wheel.
Galgalat: Skull.
Ganzai Genazim: Hidden treasures, most intimate chambers.
Ganzai Yeshu'ot: Treasures of Salvation.
Ga'avah: Pride, majesty.
Gaon: Your Majesty.
Gat: Wine press.
Gedulah: Greatness.
Gehennom: Hell.
Gerim: Converted.
Gevurah: Power, strength, bravery, severity.
Gezera: Decree, sentence.
Gezera Din: Judgment sentence.
Gilui Arayot: Sexual immorality.
Halalah: Fear.
Halakha: Jewish law.
Ḥamah: Fury, heat, sun.
Hasidim: The pious ones.
Ḥatsotserot: Trumpets.
Heikhal: Palace, one of the seven celestial palaces.
Heikhal Demamah: Palace of Silence.
Heikhal Ga'on: Palace of His Majesty.
Heikhalot: Plural of Heikhal.
Ḥesed: Kindness, mercy.
Ḥotam: Seal.
Ḥuqqim: Statutes.
Ḥurfaniyel: Guardian prince.
Ḥayyot (ha-Qodesh): Living (Sacred) Beings, the creatures that carry the Merkavah.
Kadosh: Holy.
Kabbalah: Jewish mystical tradition.
Kanafayim: Wings.
Kanfot ha-Aretz: Songs of the Earth.
Karkayim: Entrails.
Kavod: Glory, honor.
Kedushah: Holiness, a prayer of sanctification.
Keruvim: Cherubim, a class of angels.
Kesharim: Worthy, fit.
Kesseh (Kisseh): Throne.
Kesseh ha-Kavod: Throne of Glory.
Keter: Crown.
Keter Nora: Incredible crown.
Kinnor: Harp.
Kol: Voice, sound.
Kohen Gadol: High Priest.
Kokhav ha-Nogah: Venus (the Morning Star).
Kokhavim: Stars.
Korban: Sacrifice.
Koreh: Cars (plural in the text: Corin).
K'riat Shema: Recitation of the Shema, a central Jewish prayer.
Laharariya'l: Angelic name.
Lashon Hara: Evil speech, slander.
Lehavat Esh: Flame of fire.
Levanah: Moon.
Mashiach: Messiah.
Mashiach ben David: Messiah, son of David.
Mashiach ben Yosef: Messiah, son of Joseph.
Matqahi'assiyyah: One of the names of one of the arms of the throne.
Mayim Rabbim: Many waters.
Mazalot: Constellations, destiny.
Melech: King.
Melekh Mefo'ar: Glorious King.
Menachem ben Amiel: One of the names of the Messiah.
Merkavah: Divine Chariot, mystical vision.
Meshartei Hadaro: Servants of His glory.
Meshartim: Ministers, angelic servants.
Metatron: Angel of high rank, identified with Enoch.
Mezuzot: Scrolls containing biblical passages affixed to doorposts.
Mikhael: Archangel Michael.
Mincha: Afternoon prayer.
Mishnah: Compilation of the Oral Law.
Mishpatim: Judgments, laws.
Mizbeaḥ: Altar.
Moed: Scheduled time, festival.
Moshe: Moses.
Nasi: Prince, leader.
Nehamiah ben Hushiel: One of the names of the Messiah.
Nefesh: Soul.
Nevi'im: Prophets (part of the Hebrew Bible).
Nidda: Ritual impurity of a woman.
Niddui: Minor excommunication.
Nifla'ot: Wonders.
Nogah: Radiance, splendor.
Ofanim: Rodas, a class of angels in the Merkavah.
Or: Light.
Otzarot shel ha-Pinakasim: Treasures of the Tablets.
Paḥad: Fear.
Pamalya: Celestial entourage.
Parasaot: Persian mile, unit of distance.
Perishut: Separation, asceticism.
Petzu'ei Dakka: Crushed testicles, eunuchs.
Pilpul: Intense Talmudic debate.
Qadosh Barukh Hu: The Holy One, Blessed be He.
Qanissiqiyyah: One of the names of one of the arms of the throne.
Qanunṭia: Conspiracy.
Qarnayim: Horns.
Qatzfiel: Guardian Prince.
Qayton: Pitcher, jug.
Qelaster: Similarity, image.
Qelos: Praise.
Qetz ha-Acharon: The ultimate end.
Rabbi: Rabbi.
Rachamim: Mercy.
Ra'av: Famine.
Raqia: Firmament, sky.
Raqia Aravot: Firmament of Aravot (the seventh heaven).
Ra'ash: Tumult, earthquake.
Region: Region.
Retet: Tremor, tremor.
Rinah: Song of joy.
Riqmei Shir: Embroidered Songs.
Romi (ha-Resha'ah): Roma (the wicked).
Ronen: Resonance.
Ruach: Spirit, wind.
Ruach ha-Qodesh: Holy Spirit.
Ruach Se'arah: Stormy wind.
Sanhedrin: The great Jewish court.
Sapachat: A scaly condition, a type of leprosy.
Sar: Prince, chief.
Sar ha-Panim: Prince of the Presence, a high-ranking angel.
Sar ha-Torah: Prince of the Torah.
Sar Tzeva YHVH: Prince of the Lord's Army.
Sare Ma'alah: Heavenly Princes.
Sare Malkhut: Princes of the kingdom.
Sasael: Guardian Prince.
Sassagael: Prince of the Presence.
Selah: A liturgical term meaning pause or forever.
Sefer ha-Ḥayyim: Book of Life.
Sefer Torah: Torah Scroll.
Segansaga'el: One of Metatron's names.
Shefakhot Damim: Bloodshed.
Shekhinah: Divine Presence.
Shekhel: Intellect.
Shemen: Oil.
Shemot: Names.
Shevi: Captivity.
Shfarot: Shofars, ram's horns.
Sh'chin Lach: Moist boils.
Shiduy: King of Persia (mentioned in a messianic context).
Shir Chadash: New Song.
Shirot: Songs.
Shofar: Ram's horn, used as a call or alarm signal.
Shomrei ha-Sippim: Guardians of the Threshold.
Shomrei Petaḥ: Guardians of the Entrance.
Shohad: Bribery.
Siqra: Registration.
Grass: Secret.
Sod Kimah: The secret of the Kimah constellation (Pleiades).
Sulam: Ladder.
Suriya: Prince of Presence.
Tachtonim: Those below, the earthly beings.
Talmidim: Disciples.
Talmud: Compilation of oral law and rabbinic discussions.
Ta'avot Nafsheichem: Desires of your souls.
Targetman: Interpreter.
Tarsis: Chrysolite, gem.
Tehom: Abyss.
Tehillah: Praise.
Tefillin: Phylacteries.
Temimim: Innocent, upright.
Teruah: Trumpet blast.
Teshuvah: Repentance, return.
Tiferet: Beauty, splendor.
Tisbahot: Praises.
Tobah: Kindness.
Torah: Law, divine teaching.
Torot: Teachings.
Totrarkhiyal: Angelic name.
Totrusiyya”y YHVH: One of the main divine names in the text.
Tzaddikim: Righteous ones.
Tza'ar: Suffering.
Tzava Marom: Host of Heaven.
Tzedakah: Justice, charity.
Tzelem: Image.
Tzitzit: Ritual fringes.
Tzippiyat ha-Merkavah: Vision of the Chariot.
Tzur Olamim: Rock of Eternity (God).
Tsurtak: One of the divine names used in oaths and as Keter Nora.
Tzafririah: Guardian Prince.
Tzara'at: Leprosy.
Ugav: Flute, organ.
Ulam: Temple portico.
Ummot ha-Olam: Nations of the world.
Vehadriel: Divine or angelic name associated with glory.
Yaakov: Jacob.
Yatoq Tahor: Pure radiance.
Yequma: Throne.
Yesharim: Upright, just.
Yeshua: Salvation.
YHWH: The Tetragrammaton, the ineffable Name of God.
Yir'ah: Fear, reverence.
Yordei Merkavah: Descendants of the Chariot, initiates.
Yoshev: The one who dwells.
Yotser: Creator.
Yotser Bereshit: Creator of the Beginning.
Zabudiyal: One of the divine names used in oaths.
Zehapniriyyay: Prince of the Presence.
Zehiyon: Splendor.
Zekhar: Memorial.
Zekhut: Merit.
Zemer: Song.
Ziv: Radiance, brightness.
Zi'a: Tremendous.
Zimrah: Melody.
Zoharah: Splendor.
Zoharriel: Guardian Prince.
Zerubbavel ben Shealtiel: Messianic figure, builder of the Second Temple.
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