Kabbalah-of-the-Golden-Dawn-Pat-Zalewski - D Ank Unlimited

CHAPTER TWO
Letters of the Hebrew Alphabet
The origin of the Hebrew alphabet? should be discussed in some depth at
this point because of its enormous effect on Kabbalistic thinking and
thereby on the Golden Dawn.
From the time of the incorporation of the Kabbalah into the Christ­
Ian magic of the Renaissance. the importance of correctly writing Hebrew
letters. along with the necessity ofproducing perfect diagrams and symbols,
wasgiven major emphasis. The Golden Dawn was equally insistent on rhis
requirement, and for this reason every Neophyte received a lecture on the
Hebrew letters, rheir esoteric significance, and on the correct manner in
which to draw the letters. The Neophyte was exhorted to become proficient
in their execution and, of course, to learn them by heart. The
Hebrew alphabet had seven main points of entry into Jewish lifestyle:
Northwest Semitic Script.
Cursive Script.
Square or Rectangular Script.
7 See The Hel7rew Scripts by S. A. Birnbaum; Semitic Writing from Pictograph to Alphabet by D. R. Dnver;
The Biblein Ancient and Near East; essays in honor of W. F. Albright; A Study of Writing by
W. F. Albright: Facsimiles of manuscripts and inscriptions by C. D. Ginsburg; The Samaritan Pentate",handtheOrigin
of r:h. Samaritan Sectby J. B. Peskham.
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