Dana Eichhorst
Anyone familiar with the biblical account of creation is quite likely also familiar with the first sentence of the Torah, which states: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, or in Hebrew: בראשית ברא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ. In a Torah scroll, which according to Jewish tradition is made by the hand of a scribe, one can see small decorations on some letters throughout the whole biblical text. Already in the first line of the Holy Scripture, we find these where they appear as fine strokes rising upward from the letters. In many, though not all, scrolls, the word Elohim (one of God’s names) likewise features such ‘little crowns,’ usually called tagin,[1] in this meaningful line.
One may now wonder as to why in many cases the third letter in God’s name Elohim, namely, the letter he, is adorned here with three such tagin. One possible answer is offered by a passage in a text called Sefer Tagin (also: Sefer Tagi) attributed to Rabbi Eleazar ben Yehuda of Worms (c. 1165-c.1238).
Rabbi Eleazar, one of the sages from the medieval circle of the so-called Haside Ashkenaz, is credited with authoring diverse writings that include biblical exegesis, ethical-moral and speculative-theosophical works. He also authored an extensive commentary on one of the most influential non-biblical writings of the Jewish tradition, the Sefer Yesira (Book of Creation). This commentary contains a ritual instruction that has become famous, describing the artificial creation of a being – a golem – out of water and soil. Decisive elements in the golem’s creation are the Hebrew letters and their proper combination.
Likewise, in the Sefer Tagin attributed to Eleazar, the Hebrew letters play an essential role as elements of divine creation. And the three tagin on the letter he are a reference to this divine work. It is stated three times in the Hebrew Bible that God alone, and none beside Him, is creator of the world. He alone stretches out the heavens (Job 9:8); Stretching out the heavens by Myself, spreading out the earth (Isa 44:24); You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens (Neh 9:6). And three times the Hebrew Bible speaks of God working miracles: To him who alone does great wonders (Psa 136:4); For you are great, and do wondrous things. You are God alone (Psa 86:10); Blessed is the LORD God (…) who alone does wondrous things (Psa 72:18). And why is this said threefold? Because it is written: At the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be established (Deu 19:15).
For three things were created first: the heavens, the earth, and the waters. And God alone created these without help and without anything else – prior to the angels and prior to anything that God will call into existence. For this reason, the exegesis says, there are three tagin on the he in Elohim. Thus, the three little ‘branches’ (sansanim) on the he are a reference both to the heavens, the earth, and the water as well as to the one Most High, His creation, and His miracles.
At this point, the author refers explicitly to sorcery and magic, for it is by these that miracles resembling acts of creation seem to be able to be performed. However, such miracles can neither supersede nor equal the work of God, nor can they measure up to the acts of Moses and Aaron. Moreover, God can, if He so desires, cancel such sorcery and even that of the prophets of other gods[2] since He alone is the creator. From the very beginning, sorcery and incantations belong to the divine plan of creation to let it be known, in turn, that no deeds, not even those that deceive the eyes, are like His. At the same time, sorcery is a part of a divine trial determined by divine law because it says: For your God יהוה is testing you (Deu 13:4). However, for anyone who renders a rightful decision in truth and not in deception, it is as if he were a partner with the Holy One in the act of creation. With this reference to Mekhilta de Rabbi Yishmael (18:13), the author concludes that God made the tagin as well as all of those who acknowledge and appreciate His creation His partners. Against the background of the discourse on imitatio dei, this is reminiscent of bSanh 65b: Rava says: If the righteous wish, they can create a world, as it is stated: ‘But your iniquities have separated…’
With the Torah, God created the world, and the tagin adorn His crown, for it says: His head is finest gold, His locks are curled. And black as a raven (Son 5:11). The numerical value of ‘his locks’ (קווצותיו) corresponds to that of ‘this Torah’ (זו תורה), namely 624. By means of three small strokes, with which the third letter of God’s name Elohim is crowned in the first sentence of the Torah, the author demonstrates that creation is an inimitable divine miracle, one in which the letters and tagin play a special role.
[1] Other terms are also used to refer to the crowns, e.g., ziunin (זיונין) or sansanim (סנסנים).
[2] The author, probably Eleazar, refers here explicitly to the prophets of Baal and to those of Ashera.