Taken from: rabbidavidcooper.com Five Dimensions Of the Soul – God is a Verb
Nefesh – world of action, most connected with our physicality – atomic structure, everything particle of matter has a Nefesh (stays with the body the longest after death) / sometimes called the animal soul (different rabbis describe this differently), foundation of the soul levels, integral with life itself. It has to go through purification after death/deal with purification…
Ruach – The world of Formation, Ruach means wind or spirit – associated with elementary consciousness and information that moves through the senses, in human it is related to speech and emotions, which are constantly moving within the body – Nefesh is associated with body awareness, reach is correlated with emotional awareness. Spirituality is founded upon the reach level of the soul (moved to tears). Love on this level is more real to us – longer lasting – our sense of purpose and meaning in life depends a great deal on if our reach is nourished. Nourishment is the result of how we live our lives – where we spend our time and the raw material we ingest through our senses. Experiences affect the spirit like food – is it agitating, soothing, stimulating, disturbing, calming, strengthening…When the ruach is raised to its highest elevation, we attain a state of awareness that is described as ruach hakodesh – Holy Spirit
Neshama – The World of Creation – same root as breath. This soul level is associated with the higher awareness and angelic realms, it is a defining quality of human consciousness –
Zohar: “The nefesh and the ruach intertwine together, while the neshama resides in a person’s character. This is an abode which cannot be discovered or located. Should a person strive towards purity in life, he or she is aided by a holy neshama. But should the person not strive for righteousness and purity of life, this person is animated only by two grades: nefesh and ruach.”
Whereas we all have the power to develop the neshama aspect of our souls, there is no assurance that we will do so. From a spiritual perspective, our life is fired (potters analogy) by conscious action (fuel) and clean living (oxygen). This gives us access to expanded realms of awareness. Human life is not complete without the neshama. The neshama emanates from an elevated source, while the ruach emanates from a somewhat lower origin. When these two sources unity, they shine with a celestial light and are called “lamp.” The lamp of God is the neshama of humankind.” Neshama is an aspect of soul that is directly connected with the divine source of life, it is via the neshama and the higher levels of soul, that we co-parner with God in the continuous unfolding of creation. The neshama is pure in its essence. It cannot be blemished. When we die, it immediately returns to its source.
Chayah – The World of Emanation – little connection to the body, mostly dwells in other realms, gain awareness of the level when we enter altered states, when we experience “oneness”. This is the Kabbalistic real of “wisdom” and “understanding”
Yehidah (unity) – The world of Will, most connected with the source of awareness. Center point of the soul, disappears into the infinitude of creation, part of the soul that is “hard wired” directly into the essence of the Divine. It is not “with” us be we are never apart fro it. Duality dissolves – far too subtle for human consciousness.. Yehidah – is our ultimate link with God, never be separated from the Divine. When all else fails, the awareness of our yehidah endowment may be sufficient to carry us through.
Endless Light by Rabbi David Aaron
Levels of the soul: page 85
Yichida – universal Soul, yearning to love Hashem
Chaya – collective Soul – sense of self-transcendence
Neshama – Meaningful thought, sense of idea/mission/our unique role in the world
Ruach – Meaningful speech, sense of truth
Nefesh – Meaningful action – sense of good and bad (obey?)
Animalistic soul – life force, consciousness of needs for physical survival
Neshama – we each have a job to o that nobody else should be doing, also yearns for purity – you are who you are suppose to be in this world, awareness that we are entitled to happiness in this world, but it only comes when we are in step with who we are suppose to be.
Nefesh, ruach and neshama are the three levels of the soul known as the inner lights, illuminate our path from within, each to a greater degree (pg 94). Next two are outer levels – Chaya is the collective soul – because of this we have a need to belong, need to love and be loved. Without a sense of belonging, you can’t feel that there is total meaning to your life. Yearning to being a part of a greater community… Why the Torah teaches us to love our neighbors as ourselves…
Yichida – sense of identification with the ultimate, Universal Soul- only get brief insights, sparks of illumination, this aspect of our soul years to love Hashem with all our heart, all our soul, with all our might. The soul yearns to bond with the All of All – BUT the EGO sends out a lot of interference, a lot of static, the ego gives the self a false sense of independence, severed from any greater context. (The big lie that Rabbi Ari explained at Kabbalah and coffee on 2/7/21 – that we are separate and independent, but we need this deception to have free will and find our way back to God).