93,
For interest, I attach the following passage from the Zohar, which is AFAIK the only passage to treat of AHIH in connection with one of the IH/IHV/IHVH/IHVI family. Thankfully, Thelema hasn't got to this level of absurd complexity just yet!
Yitro 33 wrote: › We read of two pearls, a supernal pearl - Binah - and a lower pearl - Malchut - which are separated by a curtain that is made of the 22 letters that comprise the whole Torah. There is a long description of the engravings and movement and meaning of all the letters in the Names of God, and of the twelve tribes, the seventy branches and the ten sayings. The lower pearl is illuminated by and joins to the supernal pearl, and both of them become one.
533. There are two pearls and there is a curtain between them. The supernal pearl is hidden and has no visible color.
534. When the supernal pearl is about to be revealed, seven shining engraved letters come out, piercing through palaces, and illuminate each one of them. These seven letters are the two names which are engraved upon the pearl. On the Shabbat day they sparkle and shine, and they come out through doorways and rule. These are Aleph-Hei-Yud-Hei and Yud-Hei-Vav. The letters glitter, and by their glitter they intermingle and shine, the one within the other.
535. When these letters are combined, they illuminate from within each other by two colors: white, WHICH IS RIGHT, and red, WHICH IS LEFT - MEANING THAT THEY DO NOT REALLY BECOME ONE GRADE, BUT THE ALEPH-HEI-YUD-HEI TURNS TO BE THE RIGHT SIDE, AND YUD-HEI-VAV TURNS TO BE THE LEFT ONE, AND THEY ARE BOTH UNITED. Of these two colors, two other names are formed, until the letters produce seven names, FOR EACH ONE OF THE LETTERS OF ALEPH-HEI-YUD-HEI AND YUD-HEI- VAV BECOMES ONE NAME.
536. HE EXPLAINS HOW THE SEVEN LETTERS BECOME SEVEN NAMES. HE SAYS THAT the letter Aleph OF THE NAME ALEPH-HEIYUD- HEI comes out shining and enters into the letter Vav OF THE NAME YUD-HEI-VAV. And they illuminate in two colors, WHITE AND RED, AS MENTIONED ABOVE, and become two Names: one Name is called Yud Hei Vav Hei and the other one is called 'Aleph- Lamed' (meaning: El), and both of them shine together. The letter Hei OF THE NAME ALEPH-HEI-YUD-HEI comes out shining and enters and combines with the letter Hei OF THE NAME YUD-HEI-VAV. And they illuminate in two colors, WHITE AND RED, and become two Names. One is called 'Yud Hei Vav Hei', in the secret of THE VOWELING OF Elohim, IN WHICH THE LETTER YUD IS VOWELED WITH A SEMIVOWEL (CHATAF-SEGOL), AND THE HEI WITH THE VOWEL CHOLAM, AND THE VAV WITH CHIRIK. And one is called 'Elohim', and the letters shine together. Yud OF ALEPH-HEI-YUD-HEI enters into the Yud OF YUD-HEI-VAV and they both shine, penetrating each other, imprinted upon and engraved together. And they lift their head, MEANING THAT THEY ATTAIN THE THREE FIRST SFIROT, shining and glittering. And eleven branches shoot forth from each side, THE RIGHT AND THE LEFT, AND TOGETHER THEY ARE TWENTY-TWO BRANCHES, THE SECRET OF THE TWENTYTWO LETTERS.
537. Those two shining letters - THE YUD OF ALEPH-HEI-YUD-HEI AND THE YUD OF YUD-HEI-VAV - embracing each other are Yud Hei Vav Hei, Yud Hei Vav Hei, Mem-Tzadik-Pe-Tzadik, Mem-Tzadik-Pe- Tzadik, in the secret of the thirteen attributes of Mercy. When these two letters interpenetrate, and embrace each other, and lift their heads, ATTAINING THE FIRST THREE SFIROT, they shine and glitter upon all, with eleven branches shooting forth from each side, ELEVEN FROM THE LEFT AND ELEVEN FROM THE RIGHT. AND TOGETHER THEY ARE THE 22 LETTERS OF THE TORAH, AS MENTIONED ABOVE, FOR THE WHOLE TORAH AND WISDOM ARE REVEALED BY THE 22 LETTERS.
538. The remaining Hei OF ALEPH-HEI-YUD-HEI is raised by one Name, Aleph-Dalet-Nun-Yud, to join with them. FROM THEN ON HE EXPLAINS THAT THIS LETTER DESCENDED FROM THERE TO THE LOWER PEARL. And all those raised, shining Names issue and rule on that SHABBAT day. Since they rule, the supernal pearl, THE FIRST THREE SFIROT OF BINAH, comes out, protruding and shining without any color.
539. When THE PEARL comes out, it unites with AND GIVES PLENTY TO those Names, ALEPH-HEI-YUD-HEI, AND YUD-HEI-VAV, WHICH ARE ITS SEVEN LOWER SFIROT. Then, one of the Names, Aleph- Dalet-Nun-Yud, WHICH IS MALCHUT FROM THE CHEST AND BELOW, which is the seventh, is crowned and enters the lower pearl, WHICH IS MALCHUT. Then another Name replaces ALEPH-DALETNUN- YUD. This is Yud-Hei, NAMELY CHOCHMAH AND BINAH. Then the supernal pearl is settled by the name OF YUD-HEI, and it is adorned by the radiation of the light of this Name.
540. After THE SUPERNAL PEARL unites with AND IS BESTOWED WITH PLENTY BY those Names, ALEPH-HEI-YUD-HEI AND YUD-HEIVAV, AS MENTIONED ABOVE, seventy branches shoot forth from all the sides, WHICH ARE ZEIR ANPIN. And all of them join together and become a Chariot and a Throne to the supernal pearl. And the King, WHICH IS CHOCHMAH, is crowned on that day and rules, and all rejoice. Since all rejoice, the King sits on His Throne, which is raised by seventy branches as we have mentioned - FOR THE SEVENTY BRANCHES ARE ZEIR ANPIN, WHOSE CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET AND MALCHUT BECOME ITS FOUR LEGS.
541. Those two letters, NAMELY, THE TWO YUD'S OF THE NAMES ALEPH-HEI-YUD-HEI AND YUD-HEI-VAV, ascend and descend, and illuminate, and adorn the 22 letters, being the whole Torah. They unite with the two first letters OF THE 22 LETTERS, NAMELY THE TAV AND THE SHIN, IN REVERSE ALPHABETICAL ORDER. And they ascend THROUGH THEIR LIGHT, the one to the six tribes, and the other to the other six tribes. These are the twelve tribes of supernal Yisrael, NAMELY, YISRAEL-SABA, THE SECRET OF THE FOUR GRADES - CHESED AND GVURAH, TIFERET AND MALCHUT, EVERY ONE OF WHICH INCLUDES THE THREE COLUMNS, BRINGING TOGETHER THE TWELVE.
542. Those two letters, THE TWO YUD'S IN THE NAMES ALEPH-HEIYUD HEI AND YUD-HEI-VAV, ascend and descend and unite with the two last letters of the 22 letters WHEN ARRANGED IN REVERSE ORDER OF TAV-SHIN-RESH-KOF, NAMELY, BET AND ALEPH. They ascend AND ILLUMINATE five grades each, CORRESPONDING TOGETHER TO TEN SAYINGS. These ten sayings include the 22 letters. The twelve tribes EMERGED BY the two letters TAV AND SHIN, TOGETHER WITH the ten sayings of the last two letters, BET AND ALEPH, which are the whole Torah, NAMELY, ZEIR ANPIN WHICH IS CALLED 'TORAH' AND WHICH IS CREATED FROM THOSE 22 LETTERS. The supernal pearl inherits this secret upon a throne of 72, and the 22 letters shine.
543. When the supernal pearl sits upon the throne of the 72 and the 22 letters illuminate, then the lower pearl, which is in the darkness, observes the illumination OF THE 22 LETTERS through the letters imprinted upon it - which are called Aleph-Dalet-Nun-Yud. Then that light ascends and shines and receives all those 22 supernal letters, and the lower pearl draws them. And then it shines in 72 directions.
544. Since that LOWER pearl shines and derives all those letters from it, the supernal pearl is then attracted to them, and pearl cleaves to pearl. THE LOWER PEARL, WHICH IS MALCHUT, CLINGS TO THE SUPERNAL PEARL, WHICH IS BINAH. AND BOTH OF THEM become one. This is the secret of a certain praise which we already expounded upon, THE SONG OF PRAISE 'EL ADON', WHICH IS SAID ON SHABBAT DAY.
545. The 22 letters which shine on both sides, TO THE RIGHT SIDE AND TO THE LEFT, are the curtain between THE SUPERNAL pearl and THE LOWER pearl. And they become the secret of the Holy Name of Mem-Bet (42) letters, and this is the secret of the Holy Name of Ayin-Bet (72) letters of the supernal Chariot. And both THE NAME OF MEM-BET AND THE NAME OF AYIN-BET are called 'Shabbat', and this is the secret of Shabbat. End of Ra'aya Meheimna We read of the meaning of "remember," that is Zeir Anpin, above which there is no forgetfulness. We are reminded to remember the Sabbath day.
546. "Remember" is the secret of the Male, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, which receives all the limbs, NAMELY, THE WHOLE MOCHIN of the supernal world, NAMELY BINAH. "The (Heb. 'et') Shabbat day" includes Shabbat eve, which is night, NAMELY, MALCHUT WHICH IS CALLED 'NIGHT'. The word "Et" expresses it, FOR MALCHUT IS CALLED "ET." It is necessary "to keep it holy," for it must receive Holiness from the Holy Nation and be crowned by them, as is proper.
547. "Remember" comes from a place wherein there is no forgetfulness, for there is no forgetfulness in the place of the supernal Covenant, WHICH IS YESOD, and all the more so above IN ZEIR ANPIN. Below, IN MALCHUT, there is forgetfulness, for this is the place wherein men should be reminded, as it is written: "May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered" (Tehilim 109:14).
548. There is no forgetfulness before the Holy Throne, that is, she who stands in front of the Holy Throne, NAMELY, BINAH. And who stands before the Throne? "Remember," NAMELY, ZEIR ANPIN, FOR ZEIR ANPIN STANDS BEFORE BINAH AND RECEIVES FROM HER. OF ZEIR ANPIN IT IS SAID: "THERE IS NO FORGETFULNESS BEFORE THE THRONE OF YOUR HONOR." Above ZEIR ANPIN THERE IS NO FORGETFULNESS, for there lies the whole secret of the Male, wherein the secret of the Holy Name, Yud-Hei-Vav, is engraved. Below, NAMELY, IN MALCHUT, men should be sanctified by fulfilling the commandment "remember" (the Shabbat day), WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN from which MALCHUT derives all her blessings and Holiness. Then Shabbat eve, NAMELY, MALCHUT, is crowned, as it should be, by the prayers of the Holy Nation and by joyful preparations.
549. You might say that "remember," NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN, does not need to be sanctified BY YISRAEL, for all THE BLESSINGS AND Holiness in the world come from it. This is not so, for ZEIR ANPIN should be sanctified on the SHABBAT day AND MALCHUT on the SHABBAT night, and only then Yisrael are sanctified by the Holiness of the Holy One, blessed be He.
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