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| “If
in their writing they are just the vehicle wouldn’t that
mean that they are not the creators of the art they produce?” I
regret asking this question. I was enjoying the non-confrontational
nature of our meeting. I am afraid I have just destroyed it. I hear Herman exhale in a half giggle. “Don’t be a wise ass. When I say that a writer’s mind becomes a vehicle, this is not necessarily a vehicle to someone else’s message. When one writes, with lucidity, an inner voice is revealed. The writer becomes a vehicle to a message from deep within himself. You must never discredit writing in this manner. Sefer Yetsira tells us how God created the world with twenty two Hebrew letters and the ten numbers of the decimal system.” I decide to resume my role as an obedient and curious student “What is Sefer Yetsira?” I ask. Herman adopts a pedagogical tone in his speech, “Sefer Yetsira, or in English The Book of Formation, discusses the secrets of creation. It was intended as an explanation of the Book of Genesis. Sefer Yetsira teaches that numbers and letters have a central importance in the creation of the world.” “How does this Kabbalist book relate to our discussion of writing?” I ask. “Patience, my dear, I am getting to that right now. You see, as I started saying before, Sefer Yetsira explains that God created the world with the twenty two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. This implies that the actual matter of the universe was first molded in words. “Wait a minute,” I interrupt, “That means that every literate person can create a whole world just like God?” “Not exactly, you need to know what combinations of letters to use. Sefer Yetsira calls such combinations gates. These are the gates to creative activity. But you were partially right. One of the most controversial conclusions of this book is that if a writer can combine the letters properly, he can reenact the creative process used by God in the creation of the world.” |
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