Editing Bahir

{{Short description|Early work of Jewish Kabbalah}}
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{{Eras of the Halakha}}
'''''Bahir''''' or '''''Sefer HaBahir''''' ({{langx|he|סֵפֶר הַבָּהִיר}}, {{IPA|he|ˈsefeʁ ˌ(h)abaˈ(h)iʁ}}; "Book of Clarity" or "Book of Illumination") is an anonymous mystical work, attributed to a 1st-century [[Rabbi|rabbinic sage]] [[Nehunya ben HaKanah]] (a contemporary of [[Yochanan ben Zakai]]) because it begins with the words, "R. Nehunya ben HaKanah said".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.servantsofthelight.org/QBL/Books/Bahir_1.html |title=Sefer Ha-Bahir - the Book of Illumination |access-date=2009-12-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150309081936/http://www.servantsofthelight.org/QBL/Books/Bahir_1.html |archive-date=2015-03-09 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It is also known as ''Midrash of Rabbi Nehunya ben HaKanah'' {{Script/Hebrew|מִדְרָשׁ רַבִּי נְחוּנְיָא בֶּן הַקָּנָה}}.

First mentioned in late 12th century [[Occitan literature|Provencal works]],<ref>{{cite book |last1=Matt |first1=Daniel C. |title=The Zohar, Pritzker Edition, Vol. 1 |date=2004 |publisher=Stanford University Press |location=Stanford |isbn=978-0-8047-4747-9 |edition=Pritzker|quote=This slim volume is known as Sefer ha-Bahir, awkwardly renderable as The Book of Clarity. We first find reference to it in Provençal works of the latter twelfth century, and from that time forward it has a continuous history as a major shaper of Jewish mystical ideas.}}</ref> the ''Bahir'' is an early work of the esoteric [[Jewish mysticism|Jewish mystical]] tradition that eventually became known as [[Kabbalah]]. The work is considered by scholars to be pseudepigraphical, composed in Provence in the late 12th century.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chazan |first=Robert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EPxsDwAAQBAJ |title=The Cambridge History of Judaism: Volume 6, The Middle Ages: The Christian World |date=2018-10-11 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-108-34019-9 |pages=475, 476, 769 |language=en |quote=The first major mystical book in Christendom was Sefer ha-Bahir [The Book of Brightness], which was either produced or edited in Provence in the late twelfth or early thirteenth century, based on earlier sources and attributed to the Tanna R. Nehunya ben Haqanah. (...) It is noteworthy that the first phase of intense kabbalistic activity is bounded by two compositions considered by academic scholars to be pseudepigraphic, Sefer Bahir on one end of the spectrum and Sefer ha-Zohar on the other end.}}</ref>

{{Kabbalah}}

== Title ==
[[Nahmanides]], in his commentary on the [[Torah]], (Genesis 1) is one of the first to quote the work under the title '''''Midrash R. Nehunya ben HaKanah.''''' ("R. Nehunya ben HaKanah said," the opening sentence)

Among medieval Kabbalists it became known as '''''Sefer HaBahir''''', taken from its opening comment, "One verse says: 'And now men see not the light which is bright (''bahir'') in the skies'" ([[Book of Job|Job]] 37:21).

== Authorship ==
Kabbalists ascribed authorship of the ''Bahir'' to R. Nehunya, a rabbi of the Mishnaic era, who lived around 100 CE. Medieval Kabbalists write that the ''Bahir'' did not come down to them as a unified book, but rather in pieces found in scattered scrolls and booklets. The scattered and fragmentary nature of the ''Bahir''{{'}}s text, which sometimes ends discussion in mid-sentence, and which often jumps randomly from topic to topic, supports this claim.

The historical critical study of this book points to a later date of composition. For some time scholars believed that it was written in the 13th century by [[Isaac the Blind]], or by those in his school. The first sentence, "And now men see not the light which is bright in the skies" (Job 37:21), being isolated, and having no connection with what follows, was taken to be an allusion to the blindness of its author.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Scholem |first=Gershom |title=Das Buch Bahir |publisher=W. Drugulin |year=1923 |location=Leipzig |pages=1–2}}</ref> However, modern scholars of Kabbalah now hold that at least part of the ''Bahir'' was an adaptation of an older work, the ''Sefer Raza Rabba''. This older book is mentioned in some of the works of the [[Geonim]]; however no complete copies of Sefer ''Raza Rabba'' are still in existence. However, quotes from this book can still be found in some older works. Scholar Ronit Meroz argues that elements in the ''Bahir'' date back to 10th century Babylonia, as witnessed by the acceptance of the Babylonian system of [[niqqud|vowel points]], which later fell into disuse, while other elements were written in 12th century Provence.<ref name=meroz07>{{Citation
 |last=Meroz 
 |first=Ronit 
 |title=The Middle Eastern origins of kabbalah 
 |journal=The Journal for the Study of Sephardic and Mizrahi Jewry 
 |pages=39–56 
 |year=2007 
 |url=http://sephardic.fiu.edu/journal/RonitMeroz.pdf 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100629163808/http://sephardic.fiu.edu/journal/RonitMeroz.pdf 
 |archive-date=2010-06-29 
}}</ref>

Many scholars of Kabbalah hold that the ''Bahir'' adds [[gnostic]] elements to the older work. The question of how much gnosticism has influenced Kabbalah is one of the major themes of modern-day research on Kabbalah; see the works of [[Gershom Scholem]] and [[Moshe Idel]] for more information.
:There is a striking affinity between the symbolism of ''Sefer HaBahir'', on the one hand, and the speculations of the Gnostics, and the theory of the "aeons," on the other. The fundamental problem in the study of the book is: is this affinity based on an as yet unknown historical link between the gnosticism of the mishnaic and talmudic era and the sources from which the material in ''Sefer HaBahir'' is derived? Or should it possibly be seen as a purely psychological phenomenon, i.e., as a spontaneous upsurge from the depths of the soul's imagination, without any historical continuity?
:''Bahir'', ''Encyclopedia Judaica'', Keter Publishing

== History ==
[[File:Bahir.png|thumb|Title page of ''Bahir'', 1651 edition]]
* [[Kabbalist]]s believe that oral tradition of the ''Bahir'' goes back to the 1st century CE. It is possible that some secret manuscripts existed before publication in the 12th century.
* c. 1174 - The ''Bahir'' was published by the [[Provence]] school of [[Kabbalist]]s and was circulated to a limited audience in manuscript form.
*1298 - The earliest extant manuscript dates from the end of the 13th century.<ref>[https://web.nli.org.il/sites/NLI/Hebrew/digitallibrary/pages/viewer.aspx?&presentorid=MANUSCRIPTS&docid=PNX_MANUSCRIPTS990000656190205171-1 The Bahir Book, Munich Manuscript, 13th Century, Ktiv - National Library-Israel]</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=D. Abrams, The Book Bahir: An Edition Based on the Earliest Manuscripts (with intro. by M. Idel (Heb., 1994)}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/sefer-ha-bahir|title=Encyclopedia Judaica: Sefer Ha-Bahir|quote=The earliest dated manuscript from 1298 formed the basis for Scholem's annotated German translation which comprised his doctoral dissertation in 1923.}}</ref>
* 1331 - Earliest commentary on the ''Bahir'' is written by [[Rabbi Meir ben Shalom Abi-Sahula]], a disciple of [[Shlomo ben Aderet]] (Rashba), and it is published anonymously under the title Or HaGanuz.
* End of 15th century - The ''Bahir'' is translated into [[Latin]] by [[Flavius Mithridates]] but this translation is wordy and not useful.
* 1651 - The ''Bahir'' is published in [[Amsterdam]] together with ''[[Mayan HaChakhmah]]'' in printed form.
* 1706 - The ''Bahir'' is published in [[Berlin]] together with ''Mayan HaChakhmah''.
* 1784 - The ''Bahir'' is published in [[Sklav]] and [[Koretz]].
* 1800 - The ''Bahir'' is published in [[Lvov]].
* 1830 - The ''Bahir'' is published in Lvov.
* 1849 - The ''Bahir'' is published in unknown place as part of [[Chamishah Chumshey Kabbalah]].
* 1865 - The ''Bahir'' is published in Lvov.
* 1883 - The ''Bahir'' is published in [[Vilna]].
* 1913 - The ''Bahir'' is published in Vilna.
* 1923 - German translation is published by [[Gershom Scholem]].
* 1951 - The ''Bahir'' is published in [[Jerusalem]].
* 1979 - English translation by Rabbi [[Aryeh Kaplan]] is published.
* 1980 - Latin Translation (Guillaume Postel's) is published by [[François Secret]].
* 1994 - Hebrew Text is published from the manuscripts by Daniel Abrams.
* 2005 - Latin Translation (Flavius Mithridates') is published, together with a critical edition of the Hebrew text, by [[Saverio Campanini]].

The 13th-century kabbalist, Rabbi Isaac HaKohen, reports that the ''Sefer HaBahir'' "came from the Land of Israel to the early pietists, the sages of Ashkenaz, the kabbalists of Germany and from there to the early wise men in Provence who chase after all sorts of written (records of) wisdom, those who know the divine, supernal knowledge. But they saw only part of the book and not all of it because they did not see it in its entirety, in its complete form."

Several distinct literary layers can be distinguished in ''Bahir'' – some written in the East at the end of the 9th century or in the early 10th century, and some in 12th century Provence. The Book Bahir's use of the [[Babylonian vocalization|Babylonian grammar and vocalization system]] (which also reflects a different pronunciation and was widely utilized throughout the East) decisively proves the existence of an Oriental layer. The Babylonian vocalization, as opposed to the [[Tiberian vocalization|Tiberian]] one used in Hebrew to this day, is mainly upper (that is, marked above the letters) and is characterized, among other properties, by the ''[[segol]]'' being pronounced like a ''[[Patach|patah]]''. Only if ''Bahir'' was written in a region in which the Babylonian system was in use can the claim "the Lord placed a ''patah'' above (a letter) and a ''segol'' beneath" be meaningful. The ''patah'' is upper according to the Babylonian vocalization system, whereas the ''segol'' is lower according to the Tiberian system. Only according to the Babylonian system is it possible to pronounce this combination of vowels at the same time, as they both have the same pronunciation (the short u).

The use of the Babylonian vocalization system to symbolize the Holy is evidence of the passage's date of composition: At the beginning of the 10th century, a debate arose between Jewish communities over which grammatical system most faithfully represented the Torah; in other words, how was it pronounced when it was given to Moses on Mount Sinai? This debate ended with the victory of the Tiberian system and with the understanding that the Babylonian system reflected a foreign influence on the Hebrew language. Thereafter, one could no longer employ it as a proper symbolic instrument for the Holy. Hence, the Babylonian layer must have been written before this debate was concluded.<ref>Ronit Meroz, The Middle Eastern Origins of Kabbalah, ''The Journal for the Study of Sephardic & Mizrahi Jewry'' February 2007, p. 50</ref>

== Contents ==
The ''Bahir'' assumes the form of an exegetic [[midrash]] on the first chapters of [[Book of Genesis|Genesis]]. It is divided into sixty short paragraphs or a hundred and forty passages,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0003_0_01879.html|title = Sefer Ha-Bahir}}</ref> and is in the form of a dialogue between master and disciples.

The main characters are "R. Amora" (or "Amorai"), and "R. Rahamai" (or "Rehumai"). Some statements in the book are attributed to R. Berechiah, R. Johanan, R. Bun, rabbis mentioned in the later midrashic literature.

The ''Bahir'' contains commentaries explaining the mystical significance of Biblical verses; the mystical significance of the shapes of the Hebrew letters; the mystical significance of the [[Hebrew cantillation|cantillation]] signs and vowel points on the letters; the mystical significance of statements in the ''[[Sefer Yetzirah]]'' ("Book of Creation"); and the use of sacred names in magic.

There are two hundred aphorism-like paragraphs.  Each paragraph uses references from the Torah to expand upon its presentation.  As with all Kabbalistic texts the meanings are highly symbolic and subject to numerous opportunities for interpretation.  A common analogy is used throughout.  A king, his servants, his daughter and his gardens are all used to explain a meaning, first of Torah and then in general, of the main topic of the text.  The paragraphs refer to each other in segments and are broken into five sections in the [[Aryeh Kaplan]] translation. These sections are loosely grouped together but they do more or less stay within the underlying themes given by their title.

=== Sections ===
Section 1 (v. 1-16) consists of commentary on the first verses of Genesis or of the Creation Story.

Section 2 (v. 17–44) talks about the Aleph-Beth or the Hebrew alphabet and gets its inspiration from the [[Sefer Yetzirah]], which links these letters of creation to the overall mysticism presented in the [[Torah]].

Section 3 (v. 45-122) concerns the Seven Voices and the [[Sefirot]].

Section 4 (v. 124–193) is grouped under the section title of Ten Sefirot.

Section 5 (v. 193–200) completes the discourse and is called Mysteries of the Soul.

=== Sefirot ===
The Hebrew word "[[sefirot]]" was first described in Sefer Yezirah as corresponding to the ten basic numbers, and did not possess the meaning that later Kabbalists gave to it. It is in the Bahir that we find the first discussion of the Kabbalistic concept of Sefirot as divine attributes and powers emanating from God.

“Why are they called סְפִירוֹת (''sefirot'')? Because it is written, ''The heavens'' מְסַפְּרִים (''mesaprim'')'', tell, God’s glory'' (Psalms 19:2)” (''Bahir'' §125 [Scholem]).

=== Creation of the universe ===
The world, according to the ''Bahir,'' is not the product of an act of creation. Like [[God]], this book existed from all eternity, not only in potentiality, but in actuality; and the Creation consisted merely in the appearance of that which was latent in the first "Sefirah," "Or HaGanuz," or, as it is called, "Keter 'Elyon", which emanated from God.

This Sefirah gave birth to "Hokmah" (Wisdom), from which emanated "Binah" (Intelligence). From these three, which are the superior "Sefirot", and from the primary principles of the universe, emanated, one after another, the seven inferior Sefirot from which all material beings are formed. All the ten Sefirot are linked one to the other, and every one of them has an active and a passive quality—emanating and receiving. The efflux of one Sefirah from another is symbolized in the form of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Thus the gimel (ג), shaped like a tube open at each end, represents a Sefirah, which receives strength at one end and discharges it at the other. The ten Sefirot are the energy of God, the forms in which His being manifests itself.

=== Reincarnation ===
The ''Bahir'' adopts the concept of [[reincarnation]] to solve the question of why the just may suffer in this world, while the wicked may be prosperous: "The just may have been wicked in their former lives, and the wicked righteous."

== Editions and commentaries ==
One of the most accurate manuscripts of the final form of ''Sefer Bahir'' was written in 1331 by [[Meir ben Solomon Abi-Sahula]]; his commentary on the ''Bahir'' was anonymously published as ''Or HaGanuz'', "The Hidden Light".

It has been translated into German by Gershom Scholem (1923) and into English by Aryeh Kaplan.

Recently it has been critically edited by Saverio Campanini. See ''The Book of Bahir. Flavius Mithridates' Latin Translation, the Hebrew Text, and an English Version'', edited by Saverio Campanini with a Foreword by Giulio Busi, Torino, Nino Aragno Editore 2005.

== See also ==
* [[Kabbalah]]
* [[Kabbalah: Primary texts]]
* [[Sefer HaRazim]]
* [[Semiphoras and Schemhamphorash]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*[https://www.sefaria.org/Sefer_HaBahir The Hebrew text of Sefer HaBahir] (at [https://www.sefaria.org sefaria.org])
*[https://he.wikisource.org/wiki/%D7%A1%D7%A4%D7%A8_%D7%94%D7%91%D7%94%D7%99%D7%A8 The (original Hebrew) text of ''Bahir''] (at [[Wikisource]])
* [http://www.pico-kabbalah.eu/ The Kabbalistic Library of Giovanni Pico della Mirandola] (an academic project publishing critical editions of the Sefer HaBahir and similar texts)
*[[iarchive:JudaismSeferHaBahirBahirEnglishTranslationPdfKabbalahTorahIsrael|Sepher Ha-Bahir]] in an English translation by [[Aryeh Kaplan]] (at [[Internet Archive|archive.org]])

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[[Category:10th-century documents]]
[[Category:12th-century documents]]
[[Category:Hebrew-language religious books]]
[[Category:Jewish mystical texts]]
[[Category:Kabbalah texts]]
[[Category:Pseudepigraphy]]