A parallel between the first verse of the biblical genesis, the poem “The Secret Rose Garden” and the Sephirotic Tree of Kabbalah Cover Image

A parallel between the first verse of the biblical genesis, the poem “The Secret Rose Garden” and the Sephirotic Tree of Kabbalah
A parallel between the first verse of the biblical genesis, the poem “The Secret Rose Garden” and the Sephirotic Tree of Kabbalah

Author(s): Andrei Victor Cojocaru
Subject(s): Comparative Study of Literature, Biblical studies, Philology, Hermeneutics, Theory of Literature, Sociology of Literature
Published by: Editura Universităţii »Alexandru Ioan Cuza« din Iaşi
Keywords: comparative analysis; philology; old literature; biblical text;

Summary/Abstract: This article proposes a study on the border between comparative literature and the hermeneutics of symbols. Although the traditional literature of the Middle East offers many possibilities, the context of the analysis will focus mainly on a parallel between the representation of the Sephirotic Tree of Kabbalah (also called the Tree of Life) and certain verses from the poem “The Secret Rose Garden” written by Mahmūd Shabestarī. At the same time, we will use as a link between the two contexts a symbolic interpretation of the first verse of the biblical genesis. Along with highlighting some of the peculiarities involved in deciphering the Hebrew alphabet, this approach aims at an approach that facilitates the transition from a type of intellectual Kabbalah to a reception related to intuitive Kabbalah. Consequently, the comparative literature appears more as a pretext for contextualizing the method of approach, as well as for presenting illustrative examples.

  • Issue Year: 2022
  • Issue No: 15
  • Page Range: 1-12
  • Page Count: 12
  • Language: English