Measure of the Divine Body

Blessed art Thou, O Lord, our God, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, the great, mighty and awesome God, the exalted God, the Creator of heaven and earth. You are He Who is the King of the kings of kings, God of gods and Lord of lords. Blessed be Your name, exalted be Your name and appellation forever and ever, for all eternity and for all time. And Your seat is on the Throne of Glory; and [it is] to the Throne of Glory [that] the celestial creatures ascend. You are fire and Your throne is fire and Your celestial creatures and servants are fire. You are fire consuming fire. You are prince over the princes, and your chariot-throne [is] over the ’ofanim. Send me, Tzadadraban, he who is appointed over the servants of God, and he will set Torah in my heart [such that its words] should cry out to me in my throat like a river that flows vigorously. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, Your great, mighty and awesome name is over [other] names. Be exalted in Your strength, O Lord, and we shall sing of Your mighty deeds and let them give thanks to Your great and awesome name; it is holy.

R. Aqiba said: I give testimony based on my testimony that Metatron said to me, [Metatron, who is] the great prince of testimony, our lord and master, who [exalts . . .] and who saves us and redeems us from every evil thing. From the place of the seat of His glory and up [is a distance of] 1,180,000,000 parasangs.¹ From the place of the seat of His glory and down [is a distance of] 1,180,000,000 parasangs. His height is 2,300,000,000 parasangs. From the right arm [across] until the left arm is 770,000,000 parasangs. And from the right eyeball until the left eyeball [is a distance of] 300,000,000 parasangs. The skull of His head is 3,000,003 and a third [parasangs.] The crown on His head is 600,000 [parasangs], corresponding to the 600,000 Israelite minions. Thus is He called the great, mighty and awesome God, Kaliote; Tzaziote; Haqtas, Baavur; Masos. Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom forever. And all who know this secret are certain [to acquire] the world to come. [ . . . ]

R. Ishmael said: I saw the King of the kings of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, as He was sitting on an exalted throne and His soldiers were standing before Him to the right and the left. [Thereupon] spoke to me the angel, the Prince of the Presence, whose name is Metatron, Ruaḥ, Pisqonit, Itmon, Higron, Sigron, Meton, Mitan and Netit [or Vantit] and Netif [or, Vantif]. R. Ishmael says: What is the measure of the body of the Holy One, blessed be He, who lives and exists for all eternity, may His name be blessed, and . . . exalted? The soles of His feet fill the entire universe, as it is stated [in Scripture]: “The heavens are My seat, the earth, My foot-stool” (Isaiah 66:1). The height of His soles is 30,000,000 parasangs; its name is Parmeseh. From His feet until His ankles is 10,000,500 parasangs. The name of His right ankle is Atarqam, and [the name] of His left [ankle] is Ava Tarqam. From His ankles until His knees is 190,000,000 parasangs; Qanangy is its name. The name of His right calf is Qangi; the name of the left [calf] is Mehariah. From His knees until His thighs is 120,000,000 parasangs. The name of His right knee is Stamnegatz and the name of the left [knee] is Pedangas. The name of the right thigh is Vihmai, and the name of the left [thigh] is Partmai. From His thighs until His neck is 240,000,000 parasangs. [ . . . ]

R. Ishmael said: When I said this thing before R. Aqiba, he said to me: Whosoever knows this measurement of his Creator and the glory of the Holy One, blessed be He, is secure in this world and [in] the world to come; he lives long in this world, and he [lives] long and well in the world to come. He does good in this world, and does good in the world to come. R. Ishmael said: I and R. Aqiba are guarantors in this matter, that in this world [he is secure] in a good life, and in the world to come, [he may be secure] in a good name, [but] only if he recites this as a mishnah every day.

Source: MS Oxford 1791, fols. 58a–70b.