Page:Jewish Encyclopedia Volume 2.pdf/414

372 Aziel Azriel

THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

m&6aj mmn. by Abraham Gabbai

Marines Hayyot;

Isidro; q^jj r)iy~l

Samuel Yerushalmi;

miD

Dni3N T, by by Samson b.

"im. by David

b.

Solq-

mon Wital; miri "IfD, by M. J. Stern: HDDnn J'JJD, by Noah Hayyim Zebi Berlin -|fen DJHS, by Uri

Phoebus b. Aryeh Lob (BreslauV); mvD, TC. by Jonathan Eybesehutz nco nTE5>, by Moses b. Mordecai Meisels; DWil "iyB>, by Jacob b. Sheshet; Dnnna niVO J'nn, by Moses b. Abraham Mat; furthermore a poem by the younger Gershom Hefez, in which he recited the precepts in Maimonides' enumeration (in the first edition of the D'tiin T). In addition to Azharot which treat of all the precepts, there arose in the Middle Ages a species of Azharot which confined themselves to only one pre;

cept in

or to a chain of precepts referring to one subject. They were intended for recital on the great Sabbath

all its details,

Special

Azharot.

before Passover, or on the Sabbath immediately before one of the other festivals, and on similar occasions. They accordingly devote themselves to the consideration of the regulations for Passover, of the precepts concerning the shofar, the tabernacle, the citron and palm branch, the fringes, the tefillin, and similar matters, as well as the regulations for Hanukkah and Purim. This is not the place to consider the special Azharot they belong to the halakic piyyut (see Piyyut).

Dukes. Zur Kenwtniss, pp. 43 et seq., 140 et M. Sachs, in Rosenberg, Knhez, pp. 92 et acq.; Landshutn, 'Ammude ha-'Ahi>dali, passim'; Zunz, Ritus; idem, Literaturgeselrichtc, passim Jellinek, Kontros Tariag, Vienna, 1878 S.J. Halberstamm, miro mjN, Lyck, 1878 (reprint from Ha-Maggid, of the same year); Mo'ise Bloch, Les 613 Lois, in Rev. Et. Juives, y. 37 et seq.; A. Neubauer, Miscellanea Liturgica, ii., in Jewish Quarterly Review,

Bibliography



seq.;





vi.

698 et seq.

H. B.

a.

AZIEL ("God the Temple;

is

my strength ") A Levite

singer

Asaph, Heman, and Ethan (I Chron. xv. 20). In I Chron. xv. 18 he is The name of the gens Azieli is called "Jaaziel." found in I Chron. xxvi. 23. in

,r.

assistant

to

G. B. L.

jr.

AZILTJT (ni^VN)



Cabalistic term for "

These difficulties are threefold: (1) tion to God. the act of creation involves a change in the unchangeable being of God;

incomprehensible how the absolutely infinite and perfect being could have produced such imperfect and finite beings; (3) a creatio ex nihilo is difficult to imagine. The simile used for the emanation is either the soaked sponge that emits spontaneously the water it has absorbed, or the gushing spring that overflows, or the sunlight that sends forth its rays parts of its own essence everywhere, without losing any portion, however Since it was the lastinfinitesimal, of its being. named simile that chiefly occupied and influenced the cabalistic writers, Azilut must properly be

—

(2) it is

taken to mean " eradiation " (compare Zohar, Exodus Yitro, 8oi). Later on the expression "Azilut" assumed a more specific meaning, influenced no doubt by the little work, " Maseket Azilut. " Herein for the first time (following Isa. xliii. 7: "I have created"; "I have formed"; "I have made"; VJVCS'JJ. VmVV 1T)N"0), Azilah, Beriah, the four worlds are distinguished Yezirah, and Asiyah. But here too they are transferred to the region of spirits and angels: In the Azilah- world the Shekinah alone rules; in the Beriahworldare the throne of God and the souls of the just under the dominion of Akatriel ("Crown of God"); in the Yezirah- world are the "holy creatures"

(hayyot) of Ezekiel's vision, and the ten classes of angels ruled over by Metatron; and in the Asiyah-world are the Ofanim, and the angels that combat evil, governed by Sandalphon. The Zohar apparently did not know of this fourfold world for there Azilut is taken to be simply the direct emanation of God, in contradistinction to the other emanations derived from the Sefirot. Moses Cordovero and Isaac Luria (sixteenth century) were the first to introduce the fourfold world

as an essential principle into cabalistic speculation.

According to

this doctrine the Azilah-world represents the ten Sefirot; the Beriah-world (world of creation) the throne of God, emanating from the light of the Sefirot the Yezirah-world (world of becoming) the ten classes of angels, forming the halls for

the Sefirot and the Asiyah-world (world of making, that is, of form) the different heavens and the material world. In contradistinction to the Azilah-world, which constitutes the domain of the Sefirot, the three other worlds are called by the general name

"Pirud" (TiTBH

Later cabalists explain dVi5»(according to Ex. xxiv. 11, and Isa. xli. 9) as meaning "excellence," so that according to them the Azilah-world would mean the most excellent or highest world. K. P. B. "

Azilut

"

AZMAVETH:

emana-

"eradiation"; but philosophical authors prefer " shefa' " or " bashpa'ah. " The word is derived from "azal " in reference to Num. xi. 17; and in this sense it was taken over into the Cabala from Solomon ibn Gabirol's "Mekor Hayyim" (The Fountain of Life), which was much used by cabalists. The theory of emanation, which is conceived as a free act of the will of God, endeavors to surmount the difficulties that attach to the idea of creation in its relation " or

372

1.

The Barhumite; one

of the

David (II Sam. xxiii. 31; I Chron. xi. His sons joined David at Ziklag (I Chron. xii. 3). 33). 2. A Benjamite; son of Jehoadah (I Chron. viii.

thirty heroes of

36, ix. 42).

Son of Adiel, who had charge of the treasuries King David (I Chron. xxvii. 25). 4. A town in Benjamin, whence some returned from captivity along with Zerubbabel (Ezra ii. 24 Neh. xii. 29). In Neh. vii. 28, which corresponds to Ezra ii. 24, it is called "Beth-azmaveth." 3.

of

J.

jr.

G. B. L.

AZORES:

Group

of islands in the Atlantic ocean, northwest of Africa, belonging to Portugal. It was a place of refuge for the Jews expelled from that country. At present Ponta Delgada, the capital of the island of Silo Miguel, Fayal, Terceira, and other islands have some Jewish inhabitants. These are engaged in exporting goods. They keep the Jewish religious observances, but intermarry with Catholics. Christian women, when marrying Jews, often enter the fold of Judaism. Bibliography Allg. Zeit. des Judt. 1880, p. 439.

g.

M. K.