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IGate I:1–3
בצלם אלקיםIn the Image of Elokim
be-tzelem elokimIn Gamatria ↗
As He masters every power, He made man their master.
The opening reads Genesis's "image of Elokim" as a likeness of function, not of form. Following the Tur, Elokim means "master of all the powers." A builder's house stands after he leaves. God's case is different: He renews every force in every world each moment, and if that flow stopped they would return to nothing. In the same way, man was set over countless powers and worlds, which open and close according to his deeds, speech and thoughts. Good acts build and brighten them ("read not 'your children' but 'your builders'"). Bad acts weaken holiness and strengthen impurity.
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