Moses Hayyim Luzzatto,’Adir ba-Marom, p. 215

The secret of worship (‘avodah) is to rectify Malkhut, to bring [her] close to the king, and the secret of the matter is “a king is enslaved to the land” (Eccles. 5-8), and this is the secret of “And the Lord God fashioned the rib that He had taken [from the man into a woman]” (Gen. 2-22). Understand this matter well for this is in truth the entire secret of worship. The Nuqba’ must be constructed from ’Abba’ and ’Imma so that she would be worthy to come to Ze‘eir ’Anpin, to unite with him. Her unification with him is the secret of unity (sod ha-yihud), for then the four letters of the Tetragrammaton are bound together in one unit… and this is the secret of the providence and the governance of all the worlds.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in “Tiqqun ha-Shekhinah- Redemption and the Overcoming of Gender Dimorphism in the Messianic Kabbalah of Moses Hayyim Luzzatto,” History of Religions 36 (1997) 289-332.

Isaac the Blind, Cited by Ezra ben Solomon of Gerona in his Commentary on Canticles, in Kitve Ramban, 2- 522

The Pious one, our teacher, blessed be his memory said- The essence of the worship of the enlightened (maskilim) and those who meditate on His name (hoshve shemo) is “and cleave to Him” (Deut. 13-5). This is a cardinal principal in the Torah with respect to prayer and blessings, that one must harmonize one’s thought and one’s faith as if it cleaved above, to unify the name in its letters and to comprise within it the ten emanations (sefirot) like a flame bound to the coal. With his mouth he mentions it according to is appellation [Adonai], but in his heart he unites it in accordance with its structure and how it is written [YHWH].

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in Through a Speculum that Shines- Vision and Imagination in Medieval Jewish Mysticism, Princeton- Princeton University Press, 1994.

Anonymous text that reflects as well the Provençal-Geronese tradition, 13th century. MS Berlin Or. Qu. 833, fol. 98a, cited in Scholem, “The Concept of Kavvanah,” p. 178, n. 38

The righteous, pious, and men of action [mentally] concentrate (mitboded) and unify the great name, blessed be He [YHWH], and stir the fire on the pyre of the hearth chamber in their hearts. Then from the pure thought all the sefirot are unified and bound one to the other, until they are drawn up to the fount of the flame whose sublimity has no end.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in Through a Speculum that Shines- Vision and Imagination in Medieval Jewish Mysticism, Princeton- Princeton University Press, 1994.

Ezra ben Solomon of Gerona, 13th century, Kitve Ramban 2-521

“I the Lord am your God,” for knowledge is the foundation and root of everything. Concerning this the rabbis, blessed be their memory, said, “Whoever has knowledge it is as if the Temple were built in his life.” The meaning of this is that such a person knows how to unify the Unique Name [shem ha-meyuhad, the Tetragrammaton] and it is as if he builds the palace above and below… If there is no knowledge no worship is possible, whether the worship of sacrifices or that of prayer… The Pious one [i.e., R. Isaac the Blind] said to his disciples, when you pray know before whom you stand, thus it says, “Know the God of your father, and serve Him” (1 Chron. 28-9), after the knowledge the labor of service should be in his bosom. “Who brought you out of the land of Egypt,” there is an allusion here to the fact that every person is obligated to unify His name, for that redemption was not by means of an intermediary, an angel or a seraph, but rather the Holy One, blessed be He, in His essence and glory went forth. Therefore a person must know how to unify the name, He is one and not two… and he must unify Him in the ten sefirot in the Infinite.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in Through a Speculum that Shines- Vision and Imagination in Medieval Jewish Mysticism, Princeton- Princeton University Press, 1994.

Azriel of Gerona, cited from Scholem, “The Concept of Kavvanah,” pp. 172-173, with some slight modifications.

Whoever fixes a thing in his mind with complete firmness, that thing becomes for him the principal thing. Thus, when you pray and recite benedictions, or (otherwise) wish to direct the intention to something in a true manner, then imagine (dimmah) that you are light and all about you is light, from every direction and every side, and in midst of the light a stream of light, and upon it a brilliant light, and opposite it a throne and upon it a good light… Turn to the right and you will find pure light, to the left and you will find an aura which is the radiant light, between them and above the light of glory, and around it the light of life. Above it is the crown of light that crowns the objects of thoughts, illumines the paths of ideas, and brightens the splendor of visions. This illumination is inexhaustible and unending, and out of its perfect glory come grace and blessing, peace and life for those who keep the path of its unity.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in Through a Speculum that Shines- Vision and Imagination in Medieval Jewish Mysticism, Princeton- Princeton University Press, 1994.

Eleazar of Worms , Sha‘ar ha-Sod, p. 155

In the place that He makes His glory appear there He desires the intention of the one who prays; thus one must set a fixed place for one’s prayers. When a person worships in the place where His glory is, and the Creator is in His glory and governs it according to His will to inform the prophet of the will of the Creator, and he worships it, he believes in the Creator… Within the image (dimyon) is the Creator who governs it. “They saw the God of Israel” (Exod. 24-10) and worshipped Him, the Creator within the image, “and through the prophets I was imaged” (Hosea 12-11).

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in Through a Speculum that Shines- Vision and Imagination in Medieval Jewish Mysticism, Princeton- Princeton University Press, 1994.

Eleazar of Worms, Hilkhot ha-Kavod, MS Oxford-Bodleian 2575, fol. 3a

Since it is written ‘For I fill both heaven and earth’ (Jer. 23-24), why does one need to pray in a Synagogue or in the Temple? Yet, there is a place in which the Holy One, blessed be He, shows the created glory to the prophet according to the need of the hour. One might ask- how can one bow down to something created? And consider these verses- It is written, ‘For I granted many visions, and through the prophets was imaged’ (Hosea 12-11). How could it be said, ‘Yet my own eyes have beheld the King Lord of Hosts’ (Isa. 6-5) when it is written ‘no man shall see Me and live’ (Exod. 33-20)? Rather the [vision] is nothing but a wonderful image (dimyon) and it appears as if he actually saw but it is nothing but a strong image. It is written, ‘upon this semblance of a throne there was the semblance of a human form’ (Ezek. 1-26); so too here [in the case of Isaiah] it is only an image.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in Through a Speculum that Shines- Vision and Imagination in Medieval Jewish Mysticism, Princeton- Princeton University Press, 1994.

Eleazar of Worms, Sefer Razi’el (Amsterdam, 1701), 8d

When a person prays he should direct his heart [with proper intention] as it says ‘I have placed the Lord before me always’ (Ps. 16-8). Therefore they established [in the formulation of blessings] ‘Blessed are You, Lord,’ like a person speaking to his friend.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in Through a Speculum that Shines- Vision and Imagination in Medieval Jewish Mysticism, Princeton- Princeton University Press, 1994.

Anonymous text from the German Pietists, MS JTSA Mic. 1878, fol. 108b

The essence of intention is in the first three blessings [of the eighteen benedictions] for they are the praise of the Creator, blessed be He. When a person says, “Blessed are You, Lord,” he should not think about the glory seen by the prophets as it appears on the throne, but rather about the Lord who is God in the heavens above, without limit, whose place is hidden and concealed. For with respect to the visible glory (ha-kavod ha-nir’eh) the throne of glory is created to indicate to the prophets that there is a God. But with respect to Him there is no sitting and no image at all. It seems to me that one should also not pray to the hiding-place of his glory (hevyon ‘oz), but rather to the great light (ha-’or ha-gadol), concerning which it is written, “for no man shall see Me and live” (Exod. 33-20), and within it are comprised the glory and strength, “God is the Lord,” blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom forever.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in Through a Speculum that Shines- Vision and Imagination in Medieval Jewish Mysticism, Princeton- Princeton University Press, 1994.

Eleazar of Worms, Sode Razayya, p. 37

The Creator is actually close to you, i.e., He fills everything and nothing is hidden from Him. It is written, “for God is in heaven” (Eccles. 5-1), for the essence of His glory is seen above… Thus the sages said in Yevamot, “the one who prays should cast his eyes downward and his heart upward.” The Creator is next to him, but His glory is above, alongside the high and exalted throne.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in Through a Speculum that Shines- Vision and Imagination in Medieval Jewish Mysticism, Princeton- Princeton University Press, 1994.

Sefer Hasidim, § 1585, p. 387

When a person prays the Shekhinah is facing him, as it says, “I constantly place the Lord before me” (Ps. 16-8). Even though it says “the Lord before me,” he should only cast his intention above to the heavens. Since he does not know where the Temple is he should think in his heart during his prayer as if the glory were facing him within four cubits, and its height is above heavenward… Similarly, the one who reads the Torah on the seventh, second or fifth day, when he reaches a name [of God], if he can have the intention he should [cast his] intention toward Him. The one who sits in the east should consider in his heart as if the Shekhinah were facing west and his face is opposite him… The one who passes before the Ark (ha-‘over lifne ha-teivah, i.e., the one who leads the public prayers)… should intend in his heart as if the Shekhinah in heaven corresponds to the Ark… When [the cantor] says [the qaddish] yitgaddal [we-yitqaddash shemeih rabba’, “magnified and sanctified be His great name”], they should turn toward the Torah scroll, and if he is worthy, he should take hold of the Torah, and the people should intend their heart toward the Torah. Therefore, [the congregation should] say, “Exalt [the Lord our God] and bow down to His footstool” (Ps. 99-5), for the Torah is His footstool. [The expression] hadom raglav [His footstool] is written five times in Scripture corresponding to the Torah scroll which comprises the Pentateuch, and the two staves in the Torah scroll correspond to “His legs are like marble pillars” (Cant. 5-15).

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in Through a Speculum that Shines- Vision and Imagination in Medieval Jewish Mysticism, Princeton- Princeton University Press, 1994.

Eleazar of Worms, Sefer ha-Roqeah, p. 208.

When the Torah scroll is returned to its place [in the Ark], and when one bows down to it, the verse “Exalt the Lord our God [and bow down to His footstool]” (Ps. 99-5) is said. In the blessings of the Torah as well we bow down to the glory of the Torah. When we return [the Torah] “Let them praise [the name of the Lord, for His name alone is sublime; His splendor covers heaven and earth]” (ibid. 148-13) is said, to indicate that one does not bow down because of the divinity that is in the Torah (’elohut she-ba-torah), but rather he bows down to the Holy One, blessed be He, for His Presence rests upon it [the Torah], and not because it too is a god, for “His name alone is sublime.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in Through a Speculum that Shines- Vision and Imagination in Medieval Jewish Mysticism, Princeton- Princeton University Press, 1994.

Sefer Hasidim § 637

There is no throne without the Torah, and this is [the import of the poem] “At the time before creation He established the Torah and the throne.” Therefore the Torah is read on Sabbath. And there occurs seven times in Scripture [the expression] “enthroned on the cherubim” (yoshev ha-keruvim). Therefore, [on Sabbath] seven [sections in the Torah] are read, and it is as if the Shekhinah were placed on the throne of the cherubim.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in Through a Speculum that Shines- Vision and Imagination in Medieval Jewish Mysticism, Princeton- Princeton University Press, 1994.

Zohar 2-129a

It is necessary to fall on one’s face [during the prayer of supplication]. What is the reason? For at that moment it is the time of sexual union, and every person must be ashamed before his Master and cover his face with great shame, and contain his soul in that union of souls.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in Through a Speculum that Shines- Vision and Imagination in Medieval Jewish Mysticism, Princeton- Princeton University Press, 1994.

Anonymous 13th century kabbalistic text, MS Florence 44.13, fol. 23a

A person closes his eyes and places his hands over them, and appears as someone who has died, i.e., he is like someone without hands, eyes, or feet, and all of his actions are abandoned for the Lord… There is another hidden secret- at the moment one prays [the prayer of the eighteen benedictions] in his worship he intends the true unity, and the action that a person does below causes an act above, resulting in the copulation and union above. A person must hide out of shame for his Master and close his eyes in order not to look at the moment of copulation. Even though it is impossible to see above, “for no man shall see Me and live” (Exod. 33-20), nevertheless the knowledge of the sages constitutes their vision. On account of this they said that it is forbidden to look at the fingers of the priests when they spread out their hands, for the Presence rests on their hands at that moment, and it is forbidden to look at the Presence. Even though it is impossible to see, as we said, he must hide eyes.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in Through a Speculum that Shines- Vision and Imagination in Medieval Jewish Mysticism, Princeton- Princeton University Press, 1994.

Zohar 1-65a

The mystery of the sacrificial offering, when it ascends, [is that] all [the sefirot] are bound together and illuminate one another. Then they all subsist in ascension, and thought is crowned in ein sof.

Translated by Hartley Lachter

Zohar 3-11b

These ten names by which the Holy One, blessed be He, is called are connected this in that in a complete unity. And they are holy crowns of the King by which He is known, and they are His name, and He is they. And when they are all connected as one on the scent of the incense, then the incense (ketoret) is called the bond (kishura) that binds as one. Meritorious is the lot of the righteous who know the paths of the Torah and know how to declare the Glory of their Master. Of them it is written, “and they shall come and see my glory” (Isaiah 66-18).

Translated by Hartley Lachter

Joseph Gikatilla, Sha’arei Orah, Vol. 1, p. 167

Consider and know how deep the power of prayer is, and from which place it begins and to which it emanates forth as a chain. By means of prayer, properly performed, all of the sefirot are united, and the overflow pours forth from above to below, and the upper and lower entities are blessed by he who prays.

Translated by Hartley Lachter

Moses de Leon, The Book of the Pomegranate, p. 111

When a man endeavors below to arrange his worship and perform the commandments, [he] sustains the worlds and stands them in their order.

Translated by Hartley Lachter

Zohar 2-201a

The prayer of man is a labor of the spirit, and it subsists in the supernal mysteries, and people do not know that the prayer of man punctures auras, punctures firmaments, opens gates and ascends above.

Translated by Hartley Lachter

Zohar 1-15a

Concealed with all concealment of the secret of ein sof, His light broke and did not break through its aura. It was not known at all until, from within the force of its bursting through, there shone forth a single concealed supernal point.