The Source

It Happened at the Creation
After Sefer Yetzirah
Aryeh Kaplan, editor

No one really knows how the universe was created.

One idea is that before our world was created there was only G-d.
G-d’s light filled everything.
In order to make room for the Creation G-d had to contract, to pull back, some of the Divine light. That light was stored in containers, in vessels.

Somehow, some way and for some reason, the vessels broke. And with that breaking, the pieces of the vessels and the sparks of Divine light that were stored in them were scattered throughout the Creation.

Since that time people have been living with the sparks of light and the broken vessels, trying to sort them out.

The Jewish people, so this story goes, have a particular job. That job is to gather the sparks of G-d’s light and do the work of tikun olam, repairing the world.

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• Compare the story of Humpty Dumpty with this idea about Creation. How are the two similar?
  
  
• Contrast the role of the Jewish people with that of the King’s men. How do they differ?
  
  
• Based on the story of Creation, describe the relationship of G-d and humanity by listing adjectives that explain it.

According to this idea of Creation,

G-d is:

People are:

The relationship of G-d and humanity is: