(The Book of the Figure) is one of the most profound and enigmatic works of early Jewish mysticism. Attributed to the school of Rabbi Ishmael or the 13th-century Kabbalist Rabbi Nehunyah ben HaKanah, it introduces the radical concept of Shmitot —the idea that the universe exists in cycles, each governed by a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

: This is the gold standard for reliable, free PDF scans of the original Hebrew editions. It hosts the 1784 Korets edition (the first printed edition) and the 1892 Lemberg edition , which includes additional commentaries. Sefaria Library

(The Book of the Figure) is a foundational yet highly enigmatic 13th or 14th-century kabbalistic text. It is most famous for its profound linguistic theories and its controversial doctrine of Shemitot (Sabbatical cycles), which suggests that the universe undergoes periodic cycles of creation and destruction. Historical Background

Though its authorship is traditionally attributed to the tanna Rabbi Ishmael, most scholars view it as a product of the Byzantine or Spanish Kabbalistic circles. Despite its complexity, it influenced major figures like Nahmanides

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The book posits that time is divided into seven cycles of 7,000 years each, corresponding to the seven lower Sefirot . We are currently believed to be in the cycle of Gevurah (Judgment), which explains the presence of evil and strict law in our world.