Mankind is the Image of God, Not Hashem - The 7 fold structure of the soul and the universe

 Zechariah 12:1

The prophecy of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: Says the Lord, Who stretches out the heavens and founds the earth and forms the spirit of man within him:

I find something profound here in this verse. The hidden 7-7-7 structure of all creation—drawing on the principle of equivalence of form between the macrocosm (the universe), the mesocosm (the earth), and the microcosm (the soul of man). My intuition is that the soul (like the creation) should also have seven levels. My thought here aligns with deep Kabbalistic principles, even though the standard framework teaches five levels:

1. Nefesh (Animal Soul – Life Force)

2. Ruach (Emotional Soul – Spirit)

3. Neshamah (Intellectual Soul – Divine Consciousness)

4. Chayah (Transcendent Awareness – Liveliness)

5. Yechidah (Singular Unity – Oneness with God)

What Are the Missing Two?

The key lies in understanding that the five levels are often described in their most general form, but there is indeed a hidden sevenfold structure. The missing two levels correspond to intermediary stages, which can be derived from classical Kabbalistic sources.

6. Chitzoniyut HaNeshamah (External Neshamah) / Gufaniyah (Embodied Spirit)

• This is the outermost spiritual energy that binds the soul to the physical body.

• It is sometimes included within Nefesh, but in a more refined view, it deserves its own place, as it bridges the purely physical to the more refined aspects of the soul.

• In Sefer HaBahir and Zohar, this is sometimes referred to as the "shadow soul" (Tzelem), as it interacts with physicality more than the other levels.

7. Yechidah Klalit (Universal Yechidah) / Etzem HaNeshamah (Essence of the Soul)

• This is beyond the individual’s personal Yechidah.

• It is the root essence that connects all souls together in Adam HaRishon before the cheit (sin).

• It is sometimes referred to as Keter HaNeshamah—the crown of the soul, or the Makif Elion (supernal surrounding light).

• This is the level that tzaddikim tap into when they experience absolute bitul (self-nullification) before God.

7-Layer Correspondence with Cosmic Structures

Now we see the full picture. The 7 layers I identified in both the celestial spheres and the physical world indeed map to the soul:

Level of Soul	Corresponding Heavenly Luminary	Corresponding Earth Layer
1. Nefesh	Moon (Basic life force, tides, growth)	Earth's Core (Physical Foundation)
2. Ruach	Mercury (Communication, emotions)	Mantle (Flow and movement)
3. Neshamah	Venus (Love, divine intellect)	Crust (Habitable surface)
4. Chayah	Mars (Energy, war, divine vitality)	Troposphere (Breathable air, change)
5. Yechidah	Jupiter (Expansiveness, unity)	Stratosphere (Greater perspective)
6. Chitzoniyut HaNeshamah	Saturn (Boundaries, structure)	Mesosphere (Protective layer)
7. Yechidah Klalit / Etzem HaNeshamah	Sun (Pure Divine Light)	Thermosphere (Cosmic boundary, unity with Above)

Divine Parallel: The 7 Spirits of God

Even God is described as having "7 spirits" in various Midrashic and Zoharic sources, corresponding to the 7 lower Sefirot (Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod, Malchut). Since man is created in tzelem Elokim (the image of God), it would be expected that the soul would mirror this same sevenfold pattern.

The Soul is Truly Sevenfold

My intuition is validated by deep Kabbalistic sources. The classical 5-level model of the soul is an overview, but the deeper 7-level structure aligns perfectly with the divine template seen in the universe, earth, and celestial spheres. The additional two levels—Chitzoniyut HaNeshamah (External Neshamah) and Etzem HaNeshamah (Essence of the Soul)—bridge the gap, completing the pattern.

This sevenfold division also explains why in some Kabbalistic traditions, particularly in Sefer Yetzirah and later Chassidut, the soul is spoken of in a seven-tier system rather than five. This is a powerful realization! Seeing the fractal pattern of creation through the lens of equivalence of form, Tzelem Elokim.

The Sevenfold Structure of Creation

1. The Luminaries of the Heavens (Sefer Yetzirah): The celestial spheres include seven major luminaries—Sun, Moon, Venus, Mercury, Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter.

2. The Layers of the Physical World: Earth is composed of seven primary layers—core, mantle, crust, troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere.

3. The Soul of Man in Kabbalah: Traditionally, Kabbalah teaches that the soul has five levels:

• Nefesh (Animal Soul – Life Force)

• Ruach (Emotional Soul – Spirit)

• Neshamah (Intellectual Soul – Divine Consciousness)

• Chayah (Transcendent Awareness – Liveliness)

• Yechidah (Singular Unity – Oneness with God)

• Chitzoniyut HaNeshamah (External Neshamah) / Gufaniyah (Embodied Spirit)

• Yechidah Klalit (Universal Yechidah) / Etzem HaNeshamah (Essence of the Soul)

  
  
  

Adam as the Image of Elohim, Not Hashem

The Torah states that Adam was created b'Tzelem Elokim (בצלם אלהים), meaning "in the image of Elohim" (Genesis 1:27). The name Elohim numerically equals HaTeva (הטבע), meaning "nature" (both = 86). This suggests that Adam was created in the image of the divine structure of nature, which reflects the sevenfold pattern of creation.

However, Adam was not created in the image of Hashem (YHVH), as Hashem has no image. The Torah explicitly commands against even entertaining the idea of forming an image of Hashem (Deuteronomy 4:15-16).

The 7-7-7 Structure and Adam's Divine Majesty

Adam, as the pinnacle of creation, embodies the 7-7-7 pattern:

1. 7 Heavenly Luminaries: The celestial order influencing the spiritual world.

2. 7 Earthly Layers: The physical manifestation of divine wisdom.

3. 7 Levels of the Soul: The microcosmic reflection of creation itself.

Thus, Adam reflects the divine architecture present in the universe. His soul mirrors the structured harmony of Elohim's natural world but does not and cannot embody Hashem, who is beyond form and comprehension. The 7-7-7 structure permeates creation, demonstrating that Adam was formed in alignment with the divine order of nature (Elohim), but not in the ineffable essence of Hashem. This insight reveals the fractal nature of creation, where all things reflect the divine pattern (Tzelem Elokim) while maintaining Hashem's absolute transcendence and unity.