According to the opening lines
of Sefer Yetzirah (the Book of Creation) which surround
this kabbalistic Tree of Life diagram, God created
the universe with '32 Paths of Mystical Wisdom'. These
are defined as the 10 Numbers (Sefirot) and the 22
Hebrew Letters. The 32 Paths derive from the first
32 verses of Genesis (the Story of Creation) in which
the Name of God (Elohim) is mentioned exactly 32 times.
Elohim, a plural Name of God, is used in the Story
of Creation because Creation is the process whereby
the One manifests the Many - represented by the number
10 - via Ten Divine Utterances, or Ten Sefirot.
See the ten phrases that contain
the Name of God (Elohim) and encircle ten clusters
of dots? The Ten Numbers (Sefirot) are associated
with these phrases:
1 - "IN
THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED..."
(Keter-Crown)
3 - "GOD SAID, let there
be a firmament..."
(Binah-Understanding)
2 - "GOD SAID let there
be light..." (Chokhmah-Wisdom)
6 - "GOD SAID let there
be luminaries in the firmament..."
(Tiferet-Beauty)
7 - "GOD SAID, waters
swarm with life..."
(Netzach-Victory)
10 - "GOD SAID to them
be fruitful and multiply..."
(Malkhut-Kingship)
See the Name of God (Elohim)
in the twenty-two phrases that connect the Sefirot
to each other?
The Twenty-two Hebrew Letters are associated with
these phrases:
In the three Paths that connect
the Ten Sefirot horizontally are three phrases
from Genesis Chapter One: "GOD MADE the firmament...";
"GOD MADE two luminous orbs..."; and "GOD
MADE the beasts of the earth..." - and the Three
Mother Letters: Aleph, Mem and Shin.
In the seven Paths that connect the Ten Sefirot vertically
are seven phrases from Genesis Chapter One that all
say: "GOD SAW that it was good..." - and
the Seven Double Letters: Bet, Gimel, Dalet, Kaf,
Peh, Resh and Tav.
In the twelve Paths that
connect the Ten Sefirot diagonally are the remaining
twelve phrases that contain the Name of God (Elohim)
in Genesis Chapter One - and the Twelve Elemental
Letters: Heh, Vav, Zayin, Chet,
Tet, Yod, Lamed, Nun,
Samach, Ayin, Tzadi and Kuf.