The Seven Shepherds are not figures or role models, but rather seven facets, or seven fundamental features of our identity.
These Shepherds do not roam the fields; they roam our souls.
They are our spiritual fathers, and we ‘carry’ their genes.
They are the building blocks of our heritage and our spiritual genetic background.”
–Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz
From “The Three Pilgrim Festivals” p. 271-272, in The Seven Lights by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz