Heichalot
Encyclopedia
Heichalot or "Heikhalot" (The Palaces) refers to a collection of Jewish literature which dates from Talmud
ic times and earlier. Many motifs of later Kabbalah
are based on the Heichalot texts, and the Heichalot literature itself is based upon earlier sources, including traditions about Enoch
.
Some of the Heichalot texts are:
Other similar texts are:
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
ic times and earlier. Many motifs of later Kabbalah
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
are based on the Heichalot texts, and the Heichalot literature itself is based upon earlier sources, including traditions about Enoch
Enoch (ancestor of Noah)
Enoch is a figure in the Generations of Adam. Enoch is described as Adam's greatx4 grandson , the son of Jared, the father of Methuselah, and the great-grandfather of Noah...
.
Some of the Heichalot texts are:
- Hekhalot Zutartey ("The Lesser Palaces"), which details an ascent of Rabbi Akiva;
- Hekhalot Rabbati ("The Greater Palaces"), or Pirkei Hekhalot, which details an ascent of Rabbi Ishmael;
- Ma'aseh Merkabah ("Account of the Chariot"), a collection of hymns recited by the "descenders" and heard during their ascent;
- Merkhavah Rabbat ("The great Chariot"):
- Sepher Hekhalot3 Enoch3 Enoch is an Old Testament Apocryphal book. 3 Enoch purports to have been written in the 2nd century CE, but its origins can only be traced to the 5th century...
("Book of Palaces," also known as 3 Enoch)
Other similar texts are:
- Re'uyyot Yehezqel ("The Visions of Ezekiel")
- Masekhet Hekhalot ("The Tractate of the Palaces")
- Shi'ur QomahShi'ur QomahShi’ur Qomah is a Midrashic text that is part of the Heichalot literature. It purports to record, in anthropomorphic terms, the secret names and precise measurements of God’s corporeal limbs and parts...
("Divine Dimensions") - Sepher Ha-RazimSepher Ha-RazimThe Sepher Ha-Razim is a Kabbalistic text supposedly given to Noah by the angel Raziel, and passed down throughout Biblical history to Solomon, for whom it was a great source of his wisdom, and purported magical powers. Note that this is a different book than the Sefer Raziel HaMalach, which was...
("Book of the Mysteries") - Harba de MosheThe Sword of MosesThe Sword of Moses is the title of a apocryphal Hebrew book of magic edited by Moses Gaster in 1896 from a 13th or 14th century manuscript from his own collection, formerly MS Gaster 78, now London, British Library MS Or. 10678...
("The Sword of Moses") - Alphabet of Akiba ben JosephAlphabet of Akiba ben JosephAlphabet of Akiba ben Joseph, or Otiot de-Rabbi Akiba , is the title of a Midrash on the names of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet...