The
following is a chapter from a forthcoming book by Rabbi Aaron Parry
and Dr. Tamar Frankiel.
You
cannot teach a man anything, you can
only help him to find it within himself."
Galileo
Jewish tradition teaches that we were created as sparks of God, "in
the image of God," body and soul. God put his image on earth, in
the form of human beings. One way to identify with the concept of the
"image of God" is through a simple metaphor. Visualize a movie
projector and a screen. When turned on, the light projects brightly
onto the screen. Consider that God is the projector, or the "source"
of the light, the soul is the light illuminating the screen, and the
screen itself is the face of man. Thus we have a glimpse at the way
the a godly soul is bestowed in man. With that soul came a mission.
"Be
creators, like me!" He said. "I'm putting you in charge of
the lower world. Your mission is to help finish the creation and bring
it to perfection."
Note that human beings were supposed to help finish the creation. We
are supposed to be creators, but not by ourselves. God wants us to be
partners with Him in creation. That's why He made sure we would always
have a connection to Him, through the soul.
