Tag: Kabbalah

Dimensions/levels of the Soul

Susan TaylorLeave a comment

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).

 

 

 

Ranking Human Pleasures – what is really good, TOV, our mission

Susan TaylorLeave a comment

What is really good – tov? Humans have been gifted with responsibility that other life forms don’t have. We have the ability to elevate ourselves and be custodians to what has been given to us.

Levels – lowest to highest, what is uniquely human ranks higher

  1. If an animal would have the same pleasure it is not lofty, anything instinctive, physical, carnal (food, sex, being petted (haha), etc.). Just because it feels good or makes you “happy”, doesn’t mean it ranks high. Enjoying these types of pleasures are “gross” – “pleasure in physical and corporeal things in general, for these are simply animal pleasures. An animal is attracted to whatever it in­stinctively considers satisfying, and—oblivious of any other form of good but this—is drawn to it.” These types of pleasure become addictive to the smaller self, the animal self. “even indulgence in the per­missible, when he seeks pleasure in enjoyments and luxuries beyond the necessities of living (is not good).” Not being moderate, overindulging 

  2. Sweet voice (music?) delighting in music.    Delighting in man made things? delighting in the arts, beauty, or delighting in creating – in that state of flow,

  3.  Traits from character – doing acts of kindness in order – generic (ranks lower – natural love A lion protects her cubs.) than doing something specific for someone with purpose and intellect involved.  Also lower if this is your natural inclination, versus something you have to work at doing. When man conducts himself with, and derives pleasure from, emotional acts alone without the guid­ance of intellect, then he is similar to an animal. All of man’s emotions and traits must accord with the dictates of intellect.  Abraham’s example: This was his ultimate purpose in generosity. His generos­ity was not instinctive but purposeful, to bring mankind close to G-d by this means.

“Pleasures may be classified from inferior to superior: pleasure in delicious food and similar bodily enjoyments are the lowliest and are animalistic pleasures; delight in music; pleasure ensuing from purposeful intellectually driven emotions, ben­efiting the worthy, and when appropriate, even to the un­ deserving.”

4. Intellectual delights – comprehending a subject under study.

‘This is the finest, the truest, and the most exalted of delights (provided the idea it­ self is good and valid, for if the study is evil per re, then it would be included among those things forbidden to engage in). Man, the select of creation, should find his supreme delight in matters of the spirit, particularly in intellect. His soul ought to delight specifically in this, for this—the intellect that was given him and the “intelligent soul” that he possesses—is his unique quality above all creatures.”

Every creature in this world has a specific mission, which is its purpose. Its fulfillment is realized when it ascends to a state higher than its own.^’ The vegetable becomes assimilated in the animal; the animal becomes one with the human;“ the human is fulfilled when his spirit ascends and becomes one with the spiritual that is above him.

5. Spiritual delights – Studying the word of God – In this manner the soul of man can ascend, through binding and merging itself with the Divine wisdom.

“Supernal chochmah is the most hidden of all. It is unknown, and is not revealed” {Zohar 1:141b). This is the attribute of chochmah as it is with­ in keter, or more precisely in arich anpin, the outer dimension of keter.
The fact that the soul of man is of such sublime root should propel him to interest and occupy himself in mat­ters of the spirit and intellect.”

Nietzsche says blessed is the man who eats the lion, but not the man eaten by the lion…. eaten by our animal drives…

There is another advantage in this knowledge of the Inner Torah, and that is its effect on the person. Although this knowledge is limited to knowledge of His existence,^’ none­ theless, his mind does conceive and attain knowledge ofthe ex­ istence of the spiritual.^^ The spiritual becomes palpable, as it were, within his soul; he becomes bound up with it, attached to it, and as a result he transcends his own physical nature, and attains a state of tefmement and spirituality. This attainment is inward and personal, both within his own self and also ex­ ternally, in reference to all his interests and activities. They all become more refined and spiritual; they are not bound up with the physical at all, and they rise above awareness of self.

This is one of the most important things I have ever read. Bind yourself, it manifests both inwardly and externally – in interests and what we seek to do, how we can bring value to those around us. We must rise above our small selves – constantly examining our actions. Who/what do our words, deeds, actions serve? 

It goes without saying that his piety is not evident to another, and by no means would he consider doing something to im­press anyone.

Man, possessing an intelligent soul and a G-dly soul, must find his pleasure in Torah study; the fulfillment of every be­ ing is its elevation to a higher stage; through study of the Re­vealed Torah man unites with G-d’s wisdom and will; through study of Chasidus he binds himself with their inwardness, and becomes refined in everything.

revealed (outer) aspect and a concealed (inner) one