The 231 Gates, The Secrets of Creation 36" LARGE

"Twenty-two Foundation Letters: He placed them in a circle like a wall with 231 Gates. The Circle oscillates back and forth... He permuted them, weighed them, and transformed them, Alef with them all and all of them with Alef, Bet with them all and all of them with Bet. They repeat in a cycle and exist in 231 Gates. It comes out that all that is formed and all that is spoken emanates from one Name..." - Sefer Yetzira
 
Imagine the 22 letters of the Alef Beis (Hebrew Alpha Bet) arrayed in a circle with connecting lines branching out from each letter. These lines connect and unite every individual letter in the array, creating 231 lines, or "Gates".
 
It says in the Sefer Yetzira (One of the first Kabbalistic texts ever written, said to be composed by Avraham Avinu, Abraham our Forefather): 
Engrave them (the letters) as a garden around you, carve them like a wall surrounding you, and deck them like a ceiling above your head. This is a meditation of creation. The 231 gates are the foundation through which this finite world was created.
 
The number 231 refers to the amount of possible 2 letter words written in the hebrew language without repeating a letter, and is the foundation through which the secrets of the universe lie. This world and everything in it is brought into being by the utterances of HaShem (G-d) which in essence is the stringing together of each letter. 
 
The number 231 and the concept of the 231 gates are found in many contexts, hidden in passages and gematriot (numerical values) throughout the Torah and esoteric works. 
231 is 7 times the numerical value of the word “open” (גל):  “Open my eyes, and I will see the wonders of Your Torah”
The name "ישראל" hints to the 231 gates, when we shift its letters: יש (231) רל"א  (There are)
The spelled out version (Milui) for the numerical value of “Mezuzah” is 231
The world was created with 32 paths. This equals the 22 letters, plus the 10 sefirot. The word used for “path” is נתיב. The gematria (numerical value) of this word is 462, which is double 231, symbolizing the going and coming back of each letter
 
These are only a few examples of the depth of this concept and as you can see, this piece is a great conversation starter!!
 
 There are many mysteries hidden within the geometric shape that the 231 gates create. Upon examination, I noticed 7 circles emanating from the center. In this design, I accentuated these circles by creating a 3 dimensional aspect to the piece, utilizing these elements. The number 7 often refers to the 7 (sefirot) divine emotional attributes, I like to think that these circles might be alluding to the sefirot hidden within.