{"id":20,"date":"2017-07-16T15:29:13","date_gmt":"2017-07-16T15:29:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/nephesh-hachaim\/?p=20"},"modified":"2019-09-02T20:45:03","modified_gmt":"2019-09-02T20:45:03","slug":"11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/nephesh-hachaim\/2017\/07\/16\/11\/","title":{"rendered":"Nephesh Hachaim 1:1"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nephesh<\/em> Hachaim<\/em> Gate 1, Ch. 1<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Amazingly enough, we’re said to have been created “in the image of G-d” (Genesis 1:27, 9:6). But what exactly does that mean? It surely speaks to a core-central part of our being that we’d have to comprehend if we’re ever to understand ourselves. So the greater part of this first Gate goes about explaining it while the idea reiterates through the entire work either overtly or subtly.<\/p>\n

In point of fact, most of the mystical teachings of the Zohar focus on this seemingly other-worldly phenomenon 1<\/sup>. But we won’t be exploring the Zohar\u2019s understanding of that here so much as the more implicit meaning of our having been created in His image as the earlier Literalists understood it 2<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now, the idea of our having been created in G-d\u2019s \u201cimage\u201d certainly isn\u2019t to be taken literally, as G-d hasn’t an “image” per se 3<\/sup>. What it implies is that we have something<\/em> in common with Him 4 <\/sup>— something vitally important as we\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s explain the analogy between our beings and G-d\u2019s image this way. It\u2019s written for example that \u201cI was like a bird of the wilderness; I was like an owl of the wasteland\u201d (Psalms 102:7). That\u2019s certainly not to say that the person who\u2019s speaking here has wings or a beak, or that he\u2019d literally become a bird; but rather, as the Literalists explained it 5<\/sup>, that he\u2019s somewhat bird-like<\/em> in that he might, for example, wander about the desert in solitude the way certain birds do or the like, but nothing more than that 6<\/sup>. So our having been created in G-d\u2019s \u201cimage\u201d implies that we\u2019re somewhat like G-d. We\u2019ll soon see what it means 7<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

Footnotes:<\/p>\n

1\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/sup>See Eitz<\/em> Chaim<\/em> 1:2 for this point.<\/p>\n

The Zohar (Parshat<\/em> Ki<\/em> Taitzai<\/em> 279b, Tikkunei Zohar<\/em> 19, 42a) uses the term Adam<\/em> Kadmon<\/em> (\u201cPrimordial Man\u201d) when discussing this, thus referring to a more abstract notion of humankind. But R\u2019 Chaim\u2019s point is that he\u2019ll be speaking about us <\/em>specifically (though the term Adam<\/em> Kadmon<\/em> will be cited in 3:8).<\/p>\n

Ari refers to Adam<\/em> Kadmon<\/em> very often in Otzrot<\/em> Chaim<\/em>, Sha\u2019ar<\/em> HaIggulim<\/em>, and in Drush<\/em> Adam<\/em> Kadmon<\/em>. He uses the expression Tzelem<\/em> Elokim<\/em> (\u201cThe Image of G-d\u201d) in Otzrot<\/em> Chaim<\/em>, too. R\u2019 Chaim\u2019s son R\u2019 Yitzchak (who wrote the Introduction above) added a lengthy and comprehensive treatment of the idea of Tzelem<\/em> as explained in the Kabbalistic literature here which we won\u2019t be addressing.<\/p>\n

2\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/sup>The so-called \u201cLiteralists\u201d included Rambam (in this instance most especially and specifically, as we\u2019ll see in note 6 below), Chizzkuni<\/em> (Genesis 1:26), Rabbeinu<\/em> Bachai<\/em> (Genesis 1:27) and others. They were termed literalists because they strove to explain what the Torah was actually expressing.<\/p>\n

Now, the themes that R\u2019 Chaim discussed at this point and in the work as a whole were often discussed in the works of the Chassidic Masters who preceded him. We\u2019ll cite some of the more cogent ones and discuss the differences between R\u2019 Chaim\u2019s and their perspectives at points. Suffice it to say that R\u2019 Chaim\u2019s insights are clearly his own, as shown by the originality of his wording and imagery.<\/p>\n

Thus, see Degel<\/em> Machane<\/em> Ephraim<\/em> (Bereishit<\/em>), R\u2019 Shneur Zalman of Liade\u2019s Likkutei<\/em> Torah<\/em> (Ki<\/em> Tavo<\/em>), and Noam<\/em> Elimelech<\/em> (Likkutei<\/em> Shoshanna<\/em>).<\/p>\n

3\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/sup>After all, isn\u2019t it written, \u201cTo whom can you compare G-d, and what likeness can you arrange for Him?\u201d (Isaiah 40:18)?<\/p>\n

4\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/sup>That is, there\u2019s a remote resemblance between G-d and us.<\/p>\n

5\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/sup>See Sha\u2019ar<\/em> HaHakdamot<\/em> 5d for a discussion of the Literalists in this context.<\/p>\n

6\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/sup>This explanation of the extent of the metaphor is derived from the very first chapter of Moreh<\/em> Nevuchim<\/em>. Also see Ramban\u2019s comments to Genesis 1:27.<\/p>\n

7 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/sup>Also see Ruach<\/em> Chaim<\/em> 2:1 and 2:2,5 below for a different discussion of this, as well as Ramchal\u2019s Da\u2019at<\/em> Tevunot<\/em> 80 and Kinat<\/em> Hashem<\/em> Tz\u2019vaot<\/em> 2.<\/p>\n

(c) 2017 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman<\/p>\n

Feel free to contact me at feldman@torah.org<\/a><\/p>\n

———————————————————-<\/p>\n

Rabbi Feldman’s new annotated translation of Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag\u2019s \u201cIntroduction to the Zohar\u201d is available as \u201cThe Kabbalah of Self\u201d on Kindle here<\/a>. His annotated translation of Maimonides’ “Eight Chapters” is available here<\/a> and his annotated translation of Rabbeinu Yonah\u2019s “The Gates of Repentance” is available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He has also translated and commented upon “The Path of the Just” and “The Duties of the Heart” (Jason Aronson Publishers).<\/p>\n

Rabbi Feldman also offers two free e-mail classes torah.org entitled \u201cSpiritual Excellence<\/a>\u201d and \u201cRamchal<\/a>\u201d that can be subscribed to.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nephesh Hachaim Gate 1, Ch. 1 1. Amazingly enough, we’re said to have been created “in the image of G-d” (Genesis 1:27, 9:6). But what exactly does that mean? It surely speaks to a core-central part of our being that … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5,7,2,3,6,1,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hashkapha","category-kabbalah","category-nephesh-hachaim","category-reb-chaim-of-volozhin","category-torah","category-uncategorized","category-volozhin"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s8YhFQ-11","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/nephesh-hachaim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/nephesh-hachaim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/nephesh-hachaim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/nephesh-hachaim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/nephesh-hachaim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/nephesh-hachaim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":181,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/nephesh-hachaim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20\/revisions\/181"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/nephesh-hachaim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/nephesh-hachaim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/nephesh-hachaim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}