Hechalot Rabbati
היכלות רבתי
Sefaria Community Translation
https://www.sefaria.org

Hechalot Rabbati



Chapter 1

Said Rabbi Ishmael: What are those songs which he recites who would behold the vision of the Merkaba, who would descend in peace and would ascend in peace?
Greatest of all, it is that have a care for him, to gather him in and bring him unto the chambers of the palace of the seventh heaven, to cause him to stand on the right hand of the throne of the glory of God; for there be times when he standeth over against Tazsh the Lord God of Israel, to see all that which is done before the throne of His glory and to know all that which is destined to come to pass in the world: Who shall be cast down, who exalted; Who shall be weakened, who made strong; Who shall be crushed with poverty, who made rich; Who shall die, who shall live; From whom shall inheritance be taken, To whom shall inheritance be given; Who shall be granted the Law for his portion And who be given Wisdom.
Greatest of all it is that he beholdeth all the works of the children of men, yea even those which they work in their secret chambers, whether these be seemly works or works corrupt: A man stole – he knoweth and recognizeth it; A man committed adultery – he knoweth and recognizeth it; A man committed murder – he knoweth and recognizeth it; A man was suspect to have lain with a woman in her uncleanness – he knoweth and recognizeth it; A man spread slander – he knoweth and recognizeth it. Greatest of all it is that he recognizeth all those who know sorcery.
 Greatest of all it is that any man who lift up his hand against him and smite him is clothed with scalls and covered with leprosy and crowned with a pox. Greatest of all it is that any man who slander him is subject to all manner of injuries: morbid growths and discolourations and wounds which give rise to running ulcers.
Greatest of all it is that he is set apart from all the children of men and is exalted in all his doings and is honored by those above and those below. And if any man find cause of offense in him, upon that man do offenses, great and evil and harsh, fall from heaven. And if any man stretch forth his hand against him in reproach, against that man doth the heavenly court of justice stretch forth its hand to consume him from the world. 


Chapter 2

Greatest of all it is that all men are set before him as silver before the refiner, to know which is alloyed silver, which is pure silver. And, moreover, he beholdeth in families: How many in a family be children of forbidden unions, How many in a family be children of their mother’s impurity, How many in a family be wounded in the stones, How many in a family be cut off of their privy members, How many in a family be children of slaves, How many in a family be children of the uncircumcised, How many in a family be unfit for the priesthood.
Greatest of all it is that any man who harden his face against him to gainsay him is darkened from the light of the balls of his eyes. Greatest of all it is that if any man treat him despitefully he leaves neither root nor branch nor yet inheritor. Greatest of all it is that any man who spread evil report against him is consumed, his judgment is determined and no mercy is had upon him.
Greatest of all it is that in the heavenly court of justice, three times each day three times each day they blow the trumpets thrice and excommunicate with the lesser excommunication and again excommunicate with the greater excommunication, saying: “Let him be excommunicated to Tazsh the Lord God of Israel, to him and to the throne of His glory and to the crown upon His head, to the heavenly court of justice and to the earthly court of justice and to all the host of heaven and to all its servants, he who standeth before one beholding the Merkabha and who abandoneth him.”
Said Rabbi Ishmael: Thus ran the teaching as to the vision of the Merkabha: He who beholdeth the Merkabha hath no right to stand up [out of courtesy to a superior], except before three authorities only: before a king and before a high priest and before a Sanhedrin. And should he stand up he would be guilty of death because he had stood up before it, and he would lessen his days and cut short his years.
Said Rabbi Ishmael: What be the words of the songs which a man doth recite when he descendeth to the Merkabha? Let him begin and recite the principal songs: The beginning of praise and the commencement of song The beginning of jubilation and the commencement of exultation Do the princes sing who serve each day The Lord God of Israel and the throne of His glory; They bear up the wheel of the throne of His glory: ―Sing, sing for joy, supernal dwelling!―Shout, shout for joy, precious vessel! ―Made marvelously and a marvel. ―Surely thou shalt gladden the King who sitteth upon thee, ―as the joy of the bridegroom in his bridechamber. When I came to take refuge under the shadow of Thy wings In the joy of my heart which rejoiced in thee.

Chapter 3

―From the praise and song of each day, ―From the jubilation and exaltation of each hour, ―And from the utterance which preceedeth out of the mouths of the holy ones ―And from the melody which welleth up out of the mouths of the servants ―Mountains of fire and hills of flame ―Are piled up and hidden and poured out each day. 
“Why should’st thou be affrighted, faithful servant? “Why should’st thou be terrified, servitor beloved?” “I say to thy face, Zoharariel, Lord God of Israel, “If I be not affrighted, who is he that shall be affrighted? “If I be not terrified, who is he that shall be terrified? “For I am summoned before the Omnipotent six hours in each day, “And a thousand times I am dragged upon my knees “Until I touch the throne of glory.” And then the voice would answer say: “As for those who practice upon you those practices – “Reproach shall not be cast upon their words, “Nor shall any contradict their discourse, “Nor any contradict their words.” His kingly servants behold the King majestic Enthroned in the chambers of the palace of silence, Dread and fear, holiness and purity.
King of miracles, King of powers, King of wonders, King transcendent. Thy throne doth fly and standeth still. Years very many, generations without end have passed Since thou didst drive the peg for the weaving of the web On which the perfection of the world and the excellence thereof do stand And even yet hath Thy throne not rested its foot upon the firm ground of the seventh heaven, But as a bird doth fly it fly and standeth still.
The loftiest of the lofty, they whose brows be bound with diadems, And all angels, the chief hypostases which Thou hast created, Stand harnessed beneath the throne of glory And do hold it up continually with strength, might and power. And they also have not rested their feet upon the firm ground of the seventh heaven, But as a bird do they fly yet stand still.
And three times in each day Doth the throne of Thy glory prostrate itself before Thee and say to Thee, “Zoharariel, Lord God of Israel, “Pray seat Thyself upon me, O splendid King, “For Thy burden is delightful to me “And weigheth not heavy upon me.”

Chapter 4

Wonderful loftiness and strange lordship Is the loftiness of exultation and the lordship of splendor With which the angel of the presence doth conduct himself Three times each day In the heavenly court of justice As he goeth and cometh upon the seventh heaven Which is upon the heads of the cherubim and upon the heads of the ophanim And upon the heads of the holy beasts. And the cherubim and the ophanim and the holy beasts Are harnessed and stand beneath the throne of glory. And when they behold anyone in the height As he goeth and cometh upon the seventh heaven They are terrified and affrighted and faint and fall backward, For no creature is able to attain unto that place By a distance of one hundred and eighty five thousand myriad parasangs Because of the streaming fires which flow and issue forth From the mouths of the cherubim and from the mouths of the ophanim and from the mouths of the holy beasts Who open their mouths to say “Holy” When Israel saith before Him “Holy”.
A measure of holiness, a measure of dominion, A measure of fearfulness, a measure of consternation, A measure of trembling, a measure of shaking, A measure of terror, a measure of panic Is the measure of the garment of Zoharariel Lord God of Israel Who cometh crowned to the throne of His glory.
And it is every part engraved from within and from without with the words The Lord, The Lord. And the eye of no creature is able to behold it, Not the eyes of flesh and blood, and not the eyes of His servants. And as for him who doth behold it, or glimpseth or seeth it, Hallucinations lay hold upon the balls of his eyes And the balls of his eyes emit and send forth torches of fire And these enkindle him and these burn him. Why? Because of the measure of the garment Of Zoharariel, Lord God of Israel, Who cometh crowned to the throne of His glory. And pleasant and sweet is His beauty As the appearance of the beauty of the glory of the majesty Of the eyes of the likeness of the holy beasts.
Who is like unto our King among all the lofty ones of them who lay hold upon kingship? Who is like out Maker? Who is like unto the Lord our God? Who is like unto Him among those who knot the knots of diadems? For with six voices do the supernal servants, 
The bearers of the throne of His glory, The cherubim and the ophanim and the holy beasts, sing before Him, For each voice is exalted beyond its fellows and differeth form that which was before it.

Chapter 5

The first voice: Everyone who heareth it at once crieth out and prostrateth himself. The second voice: Everyone who hearkeneth unto it at once falleth into confusion and thereafter returneth not. The third voice: Everyone who heareth it at once is seized by convulsions and at once dieth. The fourth voice: Everyone who hearkeneth unto it at once hath the skull of his head and his body broken and most of the ends of his ribs are torn out. The fifth voice: Everyone who heareth it at once poureth himself out as a vessel and is utterly dissolved into blood. The sixth voice: Everyone who hearkeneth unto it at once is seized at heart by a fierce fire, and his heart is tumultuous and overturneth his inmost bowels, and his bile is dissolved within him as to be as water.
Who is like unto our King? Who is like unto our Maker? Who is like unto the Lord our God? The sun and the moon emit and send forth the crown on His head. The Pleiades and Orion and the star of morning, Constellations and stars and planets Flow and issue forth from the garment of Him Who sitteth crowned upon the throne of His glory. And He gave forth a great light from between His eyes. For King of miracles, King of powers, King of wonders, King transcendent is He.
Said Rabbi Ishmael: All these songs did Rabbi Akiva hear when he descended to the Merkabha, and he laid hold upon them and learned them before the throne of God’s glory, for there His servants sang them before God.
Said Rabbi Ishmael: That day was the fifth day of the week when there came abysmal tidings from the great city of Rome saying: “Four men from among the mighty of Israel have been seized – Rabbi Simon ben Gamaliel and Rabbi Ishmael ben Elisha and Rabbi Elazar ben Dama and Rabbi Judah ben Baba; and eight thousand students from Jerusalem shall be their ransom.”
And when Rabbi Nehunya ben Hakkanah saw this decree, he caused me at once to descend to the Merkabha and I questioned Surya the Prince of the Presence. And he said to me: “Ten men did the heavenly court of justice write down, and gave them unto Sammael the wicked, the genius of Rome, saying: ‘Go out and destroy from the mighty of Israel every good member, thigh and shoulder, to fulfill the decree’: “And he that stealeth a man and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.” And the sons of Jacob stole Joseph their brother and sold him, what shall be done concerning them? At once was the authority given to Samael to destroy ten of the mighty in their stead, in order to fulfill the decree. And a vengeance to be avenged upon him is laid up against him until the time shall come when ‘The Lord shall punish the host of the high ones on high,’ for he shall be cut down and cast upon the earth, ne and all the princes of the kingdoms in the height, as the goats and sheep of the day of atonement.”

Chapter 6

Said Rabbi Ishmael: All these warnings and all these conditions were made known to and laid upon Samael the wicked, and he saith, ‘I have taken all upon me provided only that ten of the mighty shall be destroyed, to wit: Rabbi Akiva ben Joseph, and Rabbi Judah ben Baba, and Rabbi Jeshbab the scribe, and Rabbi Hananya ben Teradyon, Rabbi Hozpit the interpreter, Rabbi Elazar ben Shammua, Rabbi Hanina ben Hakinai, Rabbi Ishmael ben Elisha, Rabban Simon ben Gamaliel, Rabbi Eliezer ben Dama.’ 
Said Rabbi Ishmael: What then did Zoharariel the Lord God of Israel? Because of the wrath with which He was filled against Sammael as having taken upon him all those conditions, [His patience] did not then suffice Him that He should say to the scribe: “Write decrees of punishment and great plagues, strong and harsh and fearful and terrible, heavy and disgraceful against the wicked city, Rome.” Nay, but at once He Himself took paper and wrote upon the paper. And thus He wrote against the day of vengeance which is destined and laid up for the wicked city, Rome. “One cloud shall come up and stand above Rome six months and pour down a running sore upon man and upon beast and upon the silver and upon the gold and upon all the fruit and upon all kinds of metals. And thereafter shall another cloud come up and drive away its fellow and stand in its place six months and pour down a scall of leprosy and scab and pox and all manner of scalls whatsoever upon the wicked city Rome, until the time shall come when a man shall say to his fellow, ‘Behold, the wicked city Rome, she and all that which is in her, are thine for one farthing,’ and he shall say to him, ‘I want her not.’”
Said Rabbi Ishmael: Seganzegael, the Prince of the Presence, said to me, “My friend, sit in my bosom and I shall tell thee what is to come upon Israel.” I sat in his bosom and he gazed upon me and did weep, and his tears ran down continually from his eyes and fell upon my face. I said to him, “Why does your Excellency weep?” He said to me, “My friend, come, and I shall take thee in and teach thee what is laid up for Israel, the holy people.” He grasped me by my hand and took me in to the inmost chambers and to the most secret rooms and to the treasuries. He took tablets and opened them and showed me letters written with griefs each different from the other. I said to him, “For whom are these?” He said to me, “For Israel.” I said to him, “And can Israel bear them?” He said to me, “Come tomorrow and I shall teach thee of griefs yet different from these.” On the morrow he took me in to the inmost chambers and showed me griefs more bitter than the first: those by the sword for the sword; those by hunger, for hunger; those who shall be led captive, for captivity. I said to him, “And did then, your Excellency, Israel alone sin?” He said to me, “Griefs more bitter than these are laid on them anew each day. And when, assembling in synagogues and schools, they say, ‘Amen. Let the great name be blessed,’ we do not permit these to go forth from the inmost chambers.”
When I went down from before him I heard a voice speaking in the Aramaic language, and thus it said: “The holy shrine shall be a ruin; and the temple, a fire burning; “And the dwelling of the king, desolation; and she in whom the king rejoiced shall mourn as a widow; “And the virgins and the youths shall be spoiled; and the servants of the king, be killed; “And the pure altar, polluted; and the table which was set before the Lord, taken as spoil by the enemy; “And Jerusalem shall be desolation; and the land of Israel trembling.”

Chapter 7



Chapter 8



Chapter 9



Chapter 10



Chapter 11



Chapter 12



Chapter 13



Chapter 14



Chapter 15



Chapter 16



Chapter 17



Chapter 18



Chapter 19



Chapter 20



Chapter 21



Chapter 22



Chapter 23



Chapter 24



Chapter 25



Chapter 26



Chapter 27



Chapter 28



Chapter 29



Chapter 30



Chapter 31




Rabbi Akiva said: Every day, an angel stands in the middle of the firmament and begins and says, "The Lord is the King," and the whole celestial retinue answers after it; until it reaches, 'Barchu' (the prayer leader's invitation to the congregation to bless God). Once it reaches, "Barchu," there is a <i>chaya</i> (a lofty angel), whose name is Israel - with "My people is Mine" imprinted on its forehead - who stands in the middle of the firmament and and says, "Bless (Barchu) the Lord who is blessed!" And all of the ministers on high answer after it, "Blessed is the Lord who is blessed forever and ever!" Before it finishes its words, the <i>ofanim</i> (another group of angels) shout and shake, and shake up the whole world, saying, "Blessed is the glory of the Lord from His place!" And that <i>chaya</i> stands in the middle of the firmament until all of the ministers on high and the officers; and the divisions and all of the hosts shake. And each one says in its place to the <i>chaya</i>, "Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One" (Deuteronomy 6:4).