The Creator and the Creation

(The Crown and Glory of YHVH Elohim)

Primary Content (From 1 Sefer Moses, the Book of Beginnings):

• Chapter 1 – The Creator
• Chapter 2 – The Creation

Additional Reading (Comparison Texts):

• Moses Chapters 1-2 (From LDS Pearl of Great Price)
• – Or – Section 22 (From the RLDS Doctrine and Covenants) 

Objectives:

• Compare and Contrast: The Creator vs. The Creation
• Compare and Contrast: Yachad Yachid Echad vs. Tzadik Yachad
• Intentionally Engage the scriptures in ways that probe for depth of meaning

Kabbalistic Concepts:

• Crown (Keter)

Notes Before Reading:

The chapter names/headings from 1 Sefer Moses on the Plates of Brass are from the plates themselves (they were NOT added by the translator, or an editor).  These two chapters are named “The Creator” and “The Creation.”  These two concepts are a fundamental teaching within Mormon Kabbalah.  There is Creator, there is Creation.  The purpose of this “lesson” is for you to use the text as you seek understanding of these two concepts.  At the most simple level,  Mormon Kabbalah is the exploration of the interplay between Creator and Creation.

While translating the plates of brass, in many cases, David felt inspired to just keep the Hebrew words rather than render them into English because the meaning of the Hebrew words is more than what would be captured in the equivalent English.  Whereas, when Joseph translated the same passages, he rendered the concepts into words that fit his understanding according to his vocabulary.  The wording differences enable us to see how the two translators approached the meaning of the original idea from slightly different perspectives.   It would probably be useful to take the time to make a list of these Hebrew words, and begin creating your own “dictionary” of meaning by using these two texts to extract that meaning.  (It is recommended that you continually build and update your dictionary throughout the course).

Engage:

Engage the Text through Investigation

Take some time to pick apart the text, to do more than just read it.  For instance try one or more of these things to further work your way into these chapters:

• Make a list of names of God, and other hebrew words, as well as what they mean (like your own dictionary)
• Make a list of things these chapters say about the Creator
• Make a list of things these chapters say about the Creation

Engage the Concepts through Comparison

Take some time to find depth in the ideas from these chapters by comparing them to each other. For instance … These chapters introduce the concept of “Yachad” which is a hebrew word meaning “Together” or “Jointly”.  In the context of these chapters (and the plates of brass generally) it is translated as Unity, or Unifier, or United, or Unison.   These chapters use this new word in 3 different ways.   It is introduced in verse 10, as part of the title “Yachad Yachid Echad” which Joseph translated as “Mine Only Begotten Son”.  After that sometimes he is simply referred to as “the Yachad” which Joseph translated as “My Son”.  But it also introduces the idea that Moses is the “Tzadik Yachad” or “righteous uniter”, which Joseph also translated as “my son.”   Consider these two terms, one that is referring to the Messiah, and the other referring to his messenger / prophet.  And that even though it doesn’t mean “son” it is translated as “son” in either case.  Take this idea, and how it is used in the text, and ponder on the meaning of each of the terms and how they are similar, and how they are different.

Another thing you could use to draw meaning from the text by the juxtaposition of differing ideas is the idea of the Glory of the Creator and the distinct lack of glory from the Accuser.   Glory can’t simply mean “impressiveness” because the Accuser puts on quite a show when he gets denied, which I’m sure was “impressive” in its own right.  What meaning or insight can you gain from considering the contrast of these two things? And, what other contrasting ideas do you notice in these chapters that create depth that might otherwise be ignored?

Engage the Spirit through Contemplation

Kabbalah is not to be understood by simply knowing all of the details.  You don’t study your way to understanding. Sure, you need to do some study in order to gather the ideas together, but to reach understanding you must discern them through the Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 2:14).  You must take your thoughts and questions and concept struggles into prayerful pondering and humble receptive yearning.  Our culture has taken away the opportunity for quiet, undistracted, one-on-one conversation with Eternity, and you must reclaim that opportunity, for it is your birthright.  Just like young Joseph, you must reflect on it again and again, and recognize that unless you receive more wisdom than you already have, you will never know.  (see Joseph Smith–History 1:12)

Avoid making the mistake made by Oliver Cowdry when he attempted to translate part of the Book of Mormon.  He learned that it is not sufficient to “take no thought but to ask,” instead, he needed to “study it out in your mind … [and] ask if it be right” (LDS D&C 9:7-8 / RLDS D&C 9:3a-3c)  You must become capable of learning by study and by faith (DoS 53c:55 / LDS D&C 88:118 / RLDS D&C 85:36a). 

For these chapters, I invite you to ponder on the “Crown” of God.  In Chapter 1:6-7, the plates of brass explicitly add in this concept that wasn’t present in Joseph Smith’s Inspired Version of Genesis.  It says that there is a “Crown,” and that it is “All My Glory.”   This new idea of a “crown” is a more tangible image than “glory” was all by itself.  There must be symbolic things that people associate with Crowns, that the Creator wants us to associate with their Glory.

One of the repeated themes of these chapters is Glory.  It is connected with the spirit, and the presence, and the breath of God, and it is part of Moses’s way of discerning.  It is related to the eternal life of mankind. Find within these chapters the places where glory is mentioned.  Pull together a list of how it is used, what it is connected to and how, etc.   And start coming up with questions that you would need to have answered before you could truly feel like you understand what God’s intent for this new symbol is … that of a Crown of All My Glory.  Once you have pulled together your thoughts, and built up some questions you want deeper understanding of, take those questions and thoughts and put away your device, turn off your petty distractions, find a quiet moment and a comfortable place, and explain what you have found and what you wish you understood more clearly, and bring a pen and paper with you, and give YHVH a chance to teach you directly. Heart to heart.  

How long should you ponder?  … good question.  Sometimes a few minutes. Sometimes half an hour.  Sometimes all day, or all week, or a lifetime.  You must ask.  You must seek. You must knock. You must desire to know.  From my own experience I will say that you will get answers more quickly if you can set aside your motives, your worldview, your timeframes, and your other expectations, and allow yourself to be truly open to whatever the Lord sees fit to share.  And it helps if you can create enough silence to make it easier to “listen”.  But, how long?  Until you feel you’ve received the answer to your questions.

Engage the Group through Discussion

When you meet together as a group to discuss the content of these chapters, here are some ideas to help get the discussion going..

• How was your pondering experience?  (Don’t focus on what you learned, that’s for you.  Focus on what others are trying and what worked for them.  Focus on encouraging those who are frustrated.  Focus on helping people recognize their own answers when the answers come in unexpected ways.  Share your successes if you can see they could make a difference for someone who is still struggling.)
• What are your thoughts on the different translations of what is obviously mostly the same source material?
• What are your thoughts on the different audiences of the two translations?  In what ways are the two audiences different or the same that might affect the content that was included or how it was translated?
• What things did you find interesting as you engaged the text, or engaged the ideas, or engaged the spirit?

Keep in mind that we are not here to judge each other’s ideas, or condemn each other’s approach to what the text says or how we should move forward with it.  We don’t need to reach a consensus of agreement on every detail, instead, we need unity of purpose and mutual support and respect as we unpack whatever it is the Lord intended when he revealed this new content.