Schefa valley
The book Schefa Tal (שֶפַע טַל, German: "Abundance of dew drops") is a cabalistic work by the Prague rabbi Shabbethai Sheftel Horowitz , nephew of Isaiah Horovitz .
The book first appeared in Prague in 1612 and was later reissued in Frankfurt am Main in 1719, probably because it was warmly recommended for reading in the will of his cousin Shabbethai Horowitz , son of Isaiah Horovitz and chief rabbi in Frankfurt am Main.
The book consists of two strands of text:
- Schefa (שֶפַע): a commentary on the Kabbalistic work Iggeret ha-Tammim by Aharon Abraham from Karitene , which is surrounded by the comment as a text in square script .
- Tal (טַל) an extensive explanation of certain passages of the Zohar , the Tikkunim and the Sefer Jetzira , as it were as a clavis to these works.
The work is divided into an introduction and eight parts (שער) with their own title ( Mystery of ... ), which in turn are divided into titled chapters (פרק).
- Introduction (הוקדמה בן מאה שנה)
- Part 1, the secret of ten that are one and one that is ten (סוד עשר הוא אחד ואחד הוא עשר), comprises six chapters
- Part 2 Secret of the Two Faces (סוד דו פרצופין), comprises five chapters
- Part 3 Secret of Atzilut, Briya, Yetzirah and Ashiyah (סוד אצילות בריאה יצירה עשיּה), comprises ten chapters
- Part 4 Secret of the soul, the spirit and the breath of the soul (סוד נפש רוח נשמה), comprises seven chapters
- Part 5 (י"ב הוויות מּקור שם בן ד׳ ידוד) comprises four chapters
- Part 6 Secret of Atzilut Haqtzilut in the secret of the Tzimtzum and in the secret of the Mochot (סדר אצילות הקצילות בסוד הצמצום ובסוד המוחות), comprises 16 chapters
- Part 7 Secret of the Exile of the Shekhinah (סוד גלות השכינה), comprises two chapters
- Part 8, Secret of the 50 Gates of the Intellect (סוד ן שערי בינה), comprises six chapters