Man as a Microcosm: The Connection Between Humans and Creation

The divine desire to make the created resemble the Creator is also expressed in the power of speech to affect reality, for good or bad, to build or destroy, as it is said: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” This power is part of the unique ability given to humans by the Creator, which is the ability to choose between good and evil. This choice allows individuals to select good when faced with challenges and to receive their reward rightfully, rather than through charity, which brings shame as receiving alms does.

Since all of creation is meant to challenge humanity and thus help it rise and achieve its spiritual completeness, for which it was created, all of creation is subject to humanity and humans are given the ability to control it. They can nurture and build it, or they can spoil and destroy it. Among all creatures, there is no other being with such superior abilities.

Since humans are the center and reason for creation, everything found in the larger world is also found in the small world, which is the person. By containing all the components of creation within themselves (as will be explained later), humans can understand the world properly—from within themselves—and deal with the various challenges in the world. Thus, they will always remember that by encompassing the entire world and being the root and center of the universe, their spiritual and physical actions are decisive for creation's fate. This recognition helps them appreciate their true strength and size, leading to an awareness of their greatness and the responsibility upon them.

To elaborate: The larger world is composed of a hard rocky skeleton, covered with earth, where forests grow, some parts are deserts, and others sparsely vegetated.

Similarly, humans are made of a hard bone skeleton, covered with flesh that originates from the earth, with parts growing 'forests' of hair, parts being 'deserts,' and parts being thinly vegetated.

Just as the world’s forests teem with living creatures, human ‘forests’ can also teem with creatures...

About two-thirds of the world is water, and similarly, about two-thirds of the human body is water.

The interior of the Earth is rife with biological activities and various movements, just as the interior of humans is filled with various biological activities and movements.

There are lakes and seas, river flows, and springs of hot and cold water in the world. Some are sweet, and some are salty, some flow gently, while others erupt as geysers. Similarly, humans have reservoirs of different fluids, arteries and vein flows, springs of hot fluids, and springs of cold fluids. Some are sweet, some are salty, some flow gently, and some erupt.

The soil of the world contains iron, calcium, zinc, magnesium, and other various materials, and so does the human body.

The world contains various animals, each with its own distinctive characteristics inscribed within them, unable to change or adopt the character of another. For instance, a rabbit cannot be as bold as a tiger, nor can a snake be as nonchalant as a donkey. However, by nature, humans can include the characteristics of all animals, for better or worse. They can be brave as lions, sly as foxes, cowardly as rabbits, or bold as tigers. If they wish, they can learn and gather all good traits for themselves, using them appropriately to shape their personality and correct their traits by their will.

Most relevant to our discussion is that each animal possesses the ability to enunciate certain letters, understanding which can unveil its unique characteristics. Humanity, however, received the ability to articulate all letters because they incorporate all of creation's components within themselves and their traits.

This leads us to understand the essence of human speech.

Because the universe and all within it were created by divine speech's combination of letters, the crown of creation—humans—created in the image of the Creator, were granted the ability to speak. By learning the secret of the letters used in creation, humanity received the *code* of all creation (!). Since creation's reality depends on these combinations, the human ability to speak with all letters gives them the power to intervene in the universe's code and change it for better or, heaven forbid, for worse.

Thus, the power of human speech is immense, capable of creating or altering reality. Hence, speaking, praying, making blessings, and studying Torah are so powerful. The human mouth is akin to a powerful radiation device; its radiation is invisible yet can impact reality and change it. We are instructed to pray daily and study Torah. In Kabbalah, it is extensively explained how human prayer and Torah study through speech connect them and all of creation with the Creator. We are warned not to misuse our speech, informed that the manifestation of dreams, whether good or bad, depends on the words spoken, and that foul language brings disaster upon a person, among other things.

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From speech, we move on to writing.

In addition to spoken communication, humans received another ability: to express their desires and ideas through writing symbols called letters. Like speech, this amazing and unique ability to write letters forming words imbued with conceptual content is rooted in humanity's supernatural soul. The writing system is as wondrous as the speech system and is unique to humans. As noted in the Mishnah, writing was one of the ten wonders created at the end of creation, on the eve of Shabbat.

In many Kabbalistic sources, it is clarified that this original script used to create the world is the square script called Assyrian script, in which Torah scrolls are currently written. It was only when various languages were created in Babylon, as described in the Torah, that different writing forms arose. As stated in Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer: “Hashem came down, and the seventy angels surrounding His throne [who are assigned to the seventy fundamental nations], confused their language into seventy nations, into seventy tongues, each nation with its specific writing and language.” (The origin of different languages and scripts, according to Judaism and scientific research, is discussed in detail further in chapter A).

Embedded in these original letters, used in the world's creation, are high spiritual illuminations distinct in essence from any form of energy at the highest conceptual levels. Therefore, combining these letters generates a combination of different forces, resulting in a tangible reality, and this is the secret of creation. All other letters created due to the confusion of languages and script are mere signs of writing, devoid of any internal light or power (the secret of the original letters' power is discussed in detail further in chapter B).

Since incredible spiritual illuminations are stored and contained within the letters, the name of each of us expresses, according to the letters composing it, the specific spiritual abundance channels connected to us (further explained in the chapter “The Secret of a Person’s Name”).

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