Sefer Yetzirah - Manuscripts

Manuscripts

The Sefer Yetzirah exists in multiple versions, including:

1) The Short Version,

2) The Long Version,

3) The Saadia Version, and

4) The Gra Version, among others.

The differences among these versions tend to be minor.

1) and 2). The Short Version comprises about 1300 words while the Long Version about twice that. In the 13th century CE, Abraham Abulafia noted the existence of both of them.

3). In the 10th century, Saadia Gaon wrote his commentary based on a manuscript which was a reorganized copy of the Longer Version, now called the Saadia Version.

4). In the 16th century, the Ari (Isaac Luria) redacted the text (Short Version) to harmonize it with the Zohar, and then in the 18th century, the Gra (Eliyahu the Gaon of Vilna) further redacted this, now called the Gra Version.