A preface to Genesis for 21st century Kabbalah lovers

Before there was matter and energy,
before there was space and time,
there was only the one God.
The Infinite One was unlimited.
All was in harmony.
All was perfect in the realm of being.

But there was no growth,
no evolution,
no challenge
and no choice.
Worst of all, there were
no relationships.
The realm of becoming did not yet exist.

The Infinite One decided
to become a creator.
In order to do so the Infinite One-the Ayn Sof
underwent Tsimtsum
self limitation,
contracting into an infinitely small singularity.

Then it was possible to create space/time
and matter/energy.
Then it was possible to create
the laws of nature,
both invariable and variable.
Then it was possible to create
feeling and thinking creatures.
Then it was possible to create
self conscious and religious creatures.

Then God was no longer alone.

But since creation must be finite,
limited by the laws of nature and free will,
creation was flawed.
And filled with fractures, tears and cracks.
Challenge and change meant that harmony
was replaced with competition and conflict.
Free will meant that errors and evils
replaced perfection.
Limits were imposed on knowledge and life.

It would be the duties
of all the creatures in the universe
created in the image of God
to mend the fractures, tears and cracks in the universe
and restore its unity.

In the process both the Divine One,
and the creatures
created in the Divine image,
would grow together.
So that at the end of time
all would be in harmony
as it was before the beginning
and God’s name would be One.

For all individual life forms
shortly before a soul is embodied
it is asked if it wants to be able to attach itself to its children,
to feel the pain of becoming detached from one it loves,
and in general to love and be loved.
If it says yes it is embodied in a mammal.
If it says no it is embodied as a fish or an insect.

Then the soul is asked if it desires to be
independent and responsible only for its own survival
or if it desires to be part of a group or a pack
with a social structure.
If it desires to be only an individual
it is embodied as a solitary hunter.
If it desires to belong to a community
it is embodied as a social insect such as a bee or a termite
if it did not want to love,
or as a social mammal such as a chimpanzee or a dog
if it desired to love and be loved.

Finally, it is asked if it wants to be self-conscious
of its need to struggle with social and moral choices,
its duties and responsibilities to others,
and its spiritual connection to greater realities.
If it says yes it is created as a human being.