Sefer Yetzirah and Creatio Ex Nihilo

[volgadon]

One of the earliest works of ancient Judaism treating the process of creation is the Sefer Yetzirah, or book of creation.

Ronit Meroz has proposed a new theory about the sefirot belimah by which the world is created. The term belimah originates in Job 26;7. "He stretcheth out the north over the empty space (tohu), and hangeth the earth over beli-mah." Belimah is usually understod as being "nothing", yet the author of the SY understood belimah as a positive entity. Job 26:7 was paired with Psalms 104:5. "Who didst establish the earth upon its foundations, that it should not be moved for ever and ever." According to this pairing (Ps. 104 was long a favourite in speculations over creation) the earth stands on something. This something, these foundations, is termed belimah.

According to Meroz, "It would therefore appear that the idiom which appears in Sefer Yezirah, sefirot belimah, is to be seen as a clarifying parallel; the sefirot are themselves the belimah. Or, to formulate matters differently, belimah, as the real foundation and ground of the world, is referred to by Sefer Yezirah by the title sefirot."

It would appear that we have one less source speaking of creatio ex nihilo.

The rest of Meroz's fascinating essay exploring the connection between the enigmatic SY and wisdom literature is available as a pdf here. http://www.jsri.ro/new/?download=18_JSRI_Meroz_Ronit.pdf