[1] The 26 cover cubes correspond with the 6 faces, 12 edges and 8 vertices of the inner cube (6+12+8 = 26).

[2] Over the years, this fear grew and became almost superstitious and many God-fearing Jews (Haredim) substitute the Holy Name with weird and off-putting appellations.

The changing of the Hebrew fonts to the square “Assyrian” script (Ketav Ashuri) has added a visual-geometric meaning to the letters of the Name. The letter Y’od ? is seen as a point, the letter W’aw ? as a line, and the letter H’e ? as surface – or a volume.[1] This geometrical view can serve to contemplate the Name of YHWH as the key for moving in five-dimensional space. But the framework of these short essays is not the place for more explanations of the meditations and contemplations on “The Name of the Lord”. See more in appendix 1-B.

3. ADaM 

This name is not just a personal name of “the Adam”, but also of the couple of the man and his woman. But it is mainly the generic name for all humankind-as-one. It is the masculine form of the feminine name for the living earth – ADaMaH (see below) from which he/they were formed. But it is also related to similarity, or sought similarity, with the supreme God – Adameh le’elyon “I shall resemble the most high” (Isaiah 14:14). This is the duality that characterizes humankind.

Regarding the connection of the nature, and name, of Adam with that of the Lord YHWH    we need to add to the above section also about the four additional names of YHWH  that are derived through the principle of Miluy (“filling”) – writing all the letters of the names of the letters of the Divine Name. There are different ways to spell the names of the letter H’e and W’aw which yield four acknowledged Divine Names whose Gematria values are 72, 63, 52 and 45.

The Gematria value of Adam is 45, which is also the characteristic of Shem haTiqqun (“Name of Rectification”) or Shem Mah, whose essence is the filling of the Name of YHWH  with Aleph (the first letter of the Hebrew Alphabet) – The letter Aleph has to do with training – Iluph – and its form is derived from the pictogram of a harnessed bull – thus meaning the training of man’s animal soul.

4. ADaMaH

These days, the image of the living earth is returning, generally called by the pagan name of “Gaia” of “Gea”. The Book of Genesis uses two terms for the earth: Erez (which is the origin of the English name) and ADaMaH  – the living earth, which is the feminine name that corresponds to the name of ADaM. So the living earth is both mother (the Lord God formed the “Adam of soil from the Adamah” Gen. 2:7) and the potential feminine mate of Adam.

5. HaVaH

The name of Adam’s wife, rendered in English as “Eve” is HaVaH in the Hebrew original. The word has to do (in Modern Hebrew) with Havayah – Experience. Havah-Eve, prefers to live – Hayah – and to directly experience – avoh – by herself.

Also in modern Hebrew, the word Havah means “homestead”. So the betrothal relation of Man and Earth on the macro scale, is applied also to man and woman on individual scale. The development of separate homesteads implies forsaking the free nomadic life of hunter-gatherers who follow the rhythms of the living earth and settling down as serfs of the (divided) Adamah. A few thousands of years ago, some woman discovered the secret of growing corn, and life has never been the same again.

With HaVaH we come to the dramatic story of the Tree of Knowledge. With the clues above, we can reflect that the very names of the protagonists of the drama of the Tree of Knowledge. Whereas Adam tries to gain knowledge by emulating a given model – dimuy (which is what instruction consists of), HaVaH  wants to try everything in a concrete, even sensual, manner.

6. NaHaSh

The Serpent of Eden represents still another manner of gaining knowledge. The Hebrew word Na?ash has to do with guessing/speculation – Ni ush. The Serpent-Na ash develops many theories, and would like to verify them, but is not willing to test by experiencing himself. The Serpent guesses what will happen to the one who would eat from it, but prefers to remain outside the action and not to change or risk himself. He leaves the experience – avayah – to avah-Eve, who prefers to live – ayah – and to experience – avoh – by herself.

The serpent, who does not want to change – is punished by change. He was erect, but was sentenced to go upon its belly. He had preferred to stay in the rarified sphere of lofty speculations of being like God, and was punished to stay close to the earth and eat the lowly soil.

7. QaYiN

With the story of the struggle between Qayin (Cain) and Hevel (Abel) begins the main narrative of the Torah, namely the series of struggles between the brothers.

The name QaYiN was given to the first born human by his mother HaVaH  whose very name implies the division of the living earth and its possession. The name QaYiN  is expressly associated with Qinyan – “Possession/ownership”.

The name Qayin has Gematria value of 160, like tzelem (the divine-human image) and ?? (tree), so it echoes with the initial dramas of the Creation of humans and of the Trees of Knowledge and of Life.

8. HeVeL

The name of the younger brother Hevel-Abel, on the other hand, is used to denote something insubstantial, vanity and out breath – as the opening of the book of Ecclesiastics (1:2) declares: “Havel Havalim… ha’kol Hevel” translated generally as “Vanity of vanities… all is vanity”. Yet the Qabbalah turns this meaning around and Hevel denotes the outbreath (Hevel haPeh), from which the letters of speech are formed, thus causing all that is accomplished by speech – including the acts of Creation through the breath of God. The Gematria value of Hevel is 37, the same as of YeHIDaH  – singularity, the highest level of the soul, and of haKavod the medium in which HaShem – the Lord YHWH – becomes visible.

The next couple of names belong to the third creation story, this time the formation of humans through the productive union of Adam – male and female. This is mainly a couple of lists of offspring – Toladot – of the surviving children of Adam and Eve – Qayin and Shet.

The names of the generations of Qayin and of his brother that replaces him – Shet – are almost parallel:                                                                        Shet

Enosh

Qayin                                                    Qenan

Hanokh (Enoch)                                   Mahalal’el

Irad                                                       Yered

Me?uya’el                                            anokh

Metusha’el                                           Metushelah

Lemekh                                                Lemekh

Yaval, Yuval, Tuval-Qayin and Na’?mah.               Noa

Not much is told of most of these people. Only the two Hanokh (Enoch) and Lemekh

9. HaNOKh

The most interesting figure in this list is the figure of Hanokh (Enoch). The first ?anokh is the son of Qayin, on whose name the first city was called: “And Qayin went out of the presence of the Lord, and dwelled in the land of Nod (namely wandering), to the east of Eden. And Qayin knew his wife; and she conceived, and bore ?anokh: and he built a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Hanokh”. The name of the son, and therefore also the name of the city, has to do with restoration, education-?inukh, namely, the way by which humankind strives to improve and restore culture from one generation to the next.

It is written about the Second Hanokh, son of Shet: “And Hanokh walked with God after he begot Metushelah three hundred years, and he begot sons and daughters. And all the days of Hanokh were three hundred and sixty five years.[2] And Hanokh walked with God, and he was not, for God took him” (4:22-24)

Since it is not written expressly that Hanokh died, many traditions assumed that he did not die but ascended alive to heaven, as was the case with the prophet Elijah. anokh was thus considered in the apocrypha and in the Dead Sea scrolls and the New Testament, and eventually also in the Qabbalah, as “The Minister of the Face”, the archangel Metatron, the archangel who is in charge of the whole world “whose name is the same as the Name of his Master”. We can see that the Gematria of the name HaNOKh – 84 – can be broken to the Gematria of two Divine Names: 84 = 26 + 58. We have seen the connection of 26 with YHWH. In the next portion – named after No’ah son of LeMeKh –  we shall discuss the Divine Name whose value is 58.

10. LeMeKh

In the list of the offspring of Qayin, LeMeKh appears as boastful, considering himself 11 times more significant than his forefather. But in the list of offspring of Shet (Seth), he appears as concerned with the redemption of the human suffering from the ADaMaH that had been cursed by YHWH because of the premature hasty tasting of the Tree of Knowledge. He named his firstborn No’ah, hoping he will bring NeHaMaH (consolation) from this curse.

The permutation of the letters of the name LeMeKh  gives MeLeKh – namely “King”. MeLeKh is often used in the Qabbalah as acronym for the three levels of “the three kings” that rule the human stature: first Mo’aH (Brain), then LeV (Heart) and last KaVeD (Liver; associated with anger). So in the case of Lemekh there is a different order – that of Heart, Brain and Liver.

For the full treatment of the Portion (Parashah) of Genesis