The Alphabet of Creation: An Ancient Legend from the Zohar

Plot

The Alphabet of Creation is a legend from the Zohar, the mystic “Book of Splendor,” written in the 13th century, which, claiming a more ancient authorship, imposed itself on later generations with almost Scriptural authority. In the passage of revealed truth from the divine to man, the Zohar ranked second only to Torah and Talmud. The present extract has been freely adapted by Ben Shahn, one of America's outstanding Jewish artists. His slender text and forty drawings recount the rivalry among the letters of the alphabet for the glory of initiating the Creation.