Guf (Hebrew:גּוּף, alsotransliteratedGuph orGup) is a Hebrew word, meaning "body". InJewish mysticism theChamber of Guf, also called theOtzar (הָאוֹצָר, "treasury"), is the Treasury of Souls, located in theSeventh Heaven.
According toJewish mythology, in theGarden of Eden there is aTree of life, or the "Tree of Souls",[1] that blossoms and produces newsouls, which fall into the Guf, the "Treasury of Souls".Gabriel reaches into the treasury and takes out the first soul that comes into his hand. ThenLailah, the Angel of Conception, watches over the embryo until it is born.
According toRabbi Isaac Luria, the trees are resting places for souls;sparrows can see the soul's descent, explaining their joyous chirping. The Tree of Souls produces all the souls that have ever existed, or will ever exist. When the last soul descends, the world will come to an end.[2] According to theTalmud,Yevamot 62a, theMessiah will not come until the Guf is emptied of all its souls. In keeping with other Jewish legends that envision souls as bird-like, the Guf is sometimes described as acolumbarium, orbirdhouse. The mystic significance of the Guf is that each person is important and has a unique role that only they, with their unique soul, can fulfill. Even a newborn baby brings the Messiah closer simply by being born.
The peculiar idiom of describing the treasury of souls as a "body" may be connected to the mythic tradition ofAdam Kadmon, the primordial man. Adam Kadmon, God's "original intention" for humanity, was a supernal being,androgynous and macro-cosmic (co-equal in size with the universe). When this Adam sinned, humanity was demoted to the flesh and blood, bifurcated and mortal creatures we are now. According toKabbalah, every human soul is just a fragment (or fragments) cycling out of the great "world-soul" of Adam Kadmon. Hence, every human soul comes from the guf [of Adam Kadmon].