Sefer Yetzirah, the Cube of Space, and the Emergence of ... - Maqom

“The sixth precept is to be fruitful and multiply. For he who performs this preceptcauses the stream of existence to be perennially flowing so that its waters neverfail, and the sea is full on every side, and new souls are created and emerge fromthe “tree” (of life) and the celestial hosts are increased in company with thosesouls. This is implied in the words: Let the waters swarm with the movement ofliving souls.” (Zohar I:12b)“On the Sabbath day, when the day is being sanctified, myriads of new soulsemerge from the Tree of Life, and these are breathed into the denizens of earthand enter into them and remain in them during the whole of the Sabbath, and atthe close of the Sabbath all these souls ascend once more to the regions of light,there to crown themselves with holy crowns of supernal brightness and splendor.And as at man's birth the Holy One provides him with a soul, so also does Heprovide him with this “other” soul specially for the Sabbath: at the same time not“diminishing” the.food, raiment, etc., from his week-day soul.’” (Zohar II:98a)“All souls (neshamah) emanate from a high and mighty Tree, from that “Riverwhich goes out of Eden” (Gen. 2:10)” (Zohar II:99b)As Jung would likely say, the tree motif is a fundamental, universal archetype.Consequently, it is important for this motif to eventually be incorporated into anymystical theory of the universe.32