Teli baolam

70 cm x 100 cm
acrylic paint on wax paper, ink
text: Sefer Yetzirah 6:1,3

The vision of cosmos based on Sefer Yetzirah. Dragon – Teli – is found in the commentary of Rabbi Eleazar of Worms. Teli is one of the most mysterious words in Sefer Yetzirah. Many authorities identify the Teli with “Pole Serpent”, mentioned in Job 26:13 and Isaiah 27:1. The Pole Serpent is often associated with the constellation of Draco. This is not surprising, since Draco is very close to the North Pole. Indeed, around 4500 years ago, Thuban, a star in Draco’s tail, was the pole star.

Other commentaries identify the Teli with the Milky Way. According to them, the Teli would be the axis of the galaxy, rather than that of the celestial sphere. Another important opinion is that of the practical Cabbalists. They write that Teli is actually a place under the firmament of Vilon, and that it is inhabited by humanoid beings, which deport themselves in holiness and purity like angels. The divine mysteries are revealed to those beings, and they have the authority to reveal this things to mortal humans.

(from Aryeh Kaplan’s commentary)