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Re: the meaning of life

Posted By: Ron Hughes
Date: Sunday, 26 February 2006, at 1:23 p.m.

In Response To: Re: the meaning of life (Ron Hughes)

From; http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/BERESHITH/id/192086

Bere'shith, B'raisheeth (Hebrew) The first two words of the Hebrew Genesis. As Hebrew was originally written from right to left in a series of consonants, without vowels, several renderings may be made of any passage, according to the manner of inserting vowels and of dividing the consonants into words.

Thus the original Hebrew {Hebrew char} (b r ' sh th) may be divided as be-re'shith, as is common in European translations, and rendered "in the beginning" (be in + re'shith beginning from re'sh or ro'sh chief, head, first part, summit); a second translation could be "in the first part." If the meaning "head" be taken, then as head signifies wisdom, the rendering "in wisdom" follows. But this same combination of letters could be rendered "by arrangement" or "by establishment," by dividing it as bare'-shith (from bare' forming + shith establishment, arrangement)

BERESHITH

Bereshith bara elohim et hashamayim et ha-aretz, the first sentence of Genesis in Hebrew. The Theosophists point out that it has two meanings. If the division is made thusly, beresh yithbara, be-resh (i.e., head, wisdom, knowledge, higher part, first in a series) Head or knowledge made Itself (Into) Heaven and Earth (out of previously present material?). That is, "The gods, through wisdom, carved (yithbara) the heaven and the material sphere."

See also: Bereshith, Braisheeth , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

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