It’s a question that’s captivated mystics and scholars for centuries.
One of the most intriguing explorations of these mysteries can be found in the Sefer HaBahir (ספר הבהיר), "The Book of Brightness," a foundational text of Kabbalah. It’s a collection of ancient mystical teachings, filled with allegories and secrets about the nature of God and the universe. And right from the start, it tackles the creation story head-on.
Now, you might have heard different accounts of how the cosmos came to be. Some traditions say that angels like Michael and Gabriel played a role – Michael stretching out the heavens in the south, Gabriel in the north, with God orchestrating everything in the middle. But the Bahir challenges that idea.
It argues that nothing was created on the first day, so there was no assistance. The Bahir quotes the prophet Isaiah (44:24): "I am God, I make all, I stretch out the heavens alone, the earth is spread out before Me (ק: מֵאִתִּי) "Who was with Me?" (כ: מִי אִתִּי)." The Hebrew here is really important. It emphasizes God's absolute solitude in creation. Me'itti – "from Me" – and Mi itti – "Who was with Me?" – powerfully convey the idea of a singular act of divine will.
The text continues with a beautiful metaphor: God planting a tree. "I am the One who planted this tree in order that all the world should delight in it." This isn't just any tree. "In it, I spread All. I called it All because all depend upon it, all emanate from it, and all need it. To it they look, for it they wait, and from it, souls fly in joy."
This "tree" is a symbol of the Sefirot (סְפִירוֹת), the ten emanations of God's divine energy that shape the universe. It's the blueprint, the very structure upon which everything is built. The Bahir emphasizes that God was completely alone in creating this foundational structure.
"Alone was I when I made it. Let no angel rise above it and say, 'I was before you.'" This is a powerful statement, asserting God's unique and primary role. No being, no angel, can claim to have been involved in this initial act of creation. God was also alone when spreading out the earth, where the tree was planted and rooted. God rejoiced in bringing the heavens and the earth together. "Who was with Me?" the text repeats, driving home the point. "To whom have I revealed this mystery?"
It's a rhetorical question, of course. But it also invites us, the readers, to contemplate the immensity of creation and the profound mystery of God's solitude. It encourages us to recognize the sheer, unadulterated divine power that brought everything into being.
The Bahir isn't just giving us a history lesson. It's inviting us into a deeper understanding of our relationship with the Divine. It's reminding us that at the heart of everything is a single, unified source. And perhaps, in understanding that, we can begin to glimpse the profound joy and mystery of existence itself.