Nephesh Hachaim 1:14
1.<\/p>\r\n
And finally, our thoughts also have impact up above, R. Chaim offers here 1. But the point to keep in mind is that each person\u2019s thoughts has a different impact 2 there that\u2019s due either to the quality of\u00ac his mind and the loftiness of his soul, or to the types of thoughts and intentions he\u2019d had while sinning \u00ac 3. <\/p>\r\n
Consider the following: we know by analogy that two people can commit the very same sin and yet be punished differently for it 4. That\u2019s because one of them deserves to be punished more, given that he\u2019s brighter than the other 5, 6, and given that his soul is rooted in a higher source, so his untoward thoughts do more harm than the other\u2019s does 7. <\/p>\r\n
But, why should a brighter person\u2019s unseemly thought be punished more severely? Because a person is punished for a sin according to the harm he does up above when he commits it, so the bright person\u2018s sins brings on more harm than the other person\u2019s simply because he\u2019s brighter and should have known better; and because the degree of harm a person brings up above depends on the quality of his soul, which as we said, is higher in an intelligent person.
2.
And as to the loftiness of a person\u2019s soul affecting his sinning, the fact that the improper thoughts of a brighter and loftier person does more harm than another\u2019s thoughts can be derived from the fact that a person is judged all-in-all according to his soul level 8.<\/p>\r\n
And that\u2019s so, R. Chaim explains through an analogy, because \u201cthere\u2019s no comparison between one who 9 soils the king\u2019s courtyard\u201d, to one who \u201csoils his palace\u201d and all the more so, to one who \u201csoils the king\u2019s throne or his regal clothing — to say nothing of one who soils his crown\u201d 10. <\/p>\r\n
And even though truly exalted worlds couldn\u2019t be blemished or affected all that much by our sins, that brighter person would still-and-all be punished more so for his sins, for \u201canyone appointed to polish the king\u2019s crown\u201d who leaves even a speck of dirt behind is nevertheless punished far more than \u201csomeone who\u2019d only been appointed to clean the king\u2019s courtyard and left it filthy\u201d 10.
All that is so because G-d\u2019s judgments are exceedingly precise when it comes to meting out punishments, which He based on the perpetrator\u2019s soul-root and the world it derived from.
3.
Now, how do the types of thoughts a person had while sinning affect things? We see that from the aforementioned fact that people are punished differently for the very same sin because each had different types of thoughts when he sinned, R. Chaim says here. As the damage done to the upper worlds depends on how much his mind was captivated by the sin. For, someone who was truly captivated by and drawn to a sin deserves a greater punishment 11, since a lot of higher worlds would be damaged by his sin 12.<\/p>\r\n
That\u2019s also why someone who accidentally sinned is punished far less than one who purposely did. That likewise explains why we\u2019re taught that thinking about sins is more serious than actually committing them (Yoma 29) 13.
For G-d takes note of one\u2019s thoughts when he sins and adds them on to the actual sin when He metes out punishment, and judges everyone according to the thought he had when he sinned 14, 15.
4.
It\u2019s also important to know that these three phenomena \u2013 acts, speech and action \u2013 correspond to our Nephesh, Ruach, and Neshama 16. Our actions correspond to the Nephesh 17, which is encased in our blood 18 and it consequently dwells in the liver. And since blood courses throughout the body which is itself the agent of action, the Nephesh is what gives us the wherewithal to perform actions. In fact if the ability to move about was denied any particular body-part it would be \u201cdead\u201d for all intents and purposes.<\/p>\r\n
Speech corresponds to our Ruach 19. After all, can\u2019t we ourselves see the air vapor or \u201cwind\u201d (which translates as ruach) that emit from our mouths when we speak? Speech is mostly centered in our hearts, as are our Ruach, breath and speech.<\/p>\r\n
And finally, thought corresponds to the Neshama which enables us to ponder Torah. Overall it dwells in the brain, the highest faculty of them all 20.
Footnotes:
1 R. Chaim cites Psalms 33:13, which was also cited in 1:12.
2 See R. Chaim\u2019s Derasha and Ramchal\u2019s Da\u2019at Tevunot 125.
3 Cited are Tikkunei Zohar (end of Tikkun 43 and 123a), as well as Ari\u2019s Sha\u2019ar Hayichudim (beginning of Tikkun Avonot), Amos 4:13, and Zohar 1:86b, 236b, 249, 2:80a, 3:50b, 161a, 293a.
4 We\u2019ve taken some liberties in the arrangement of this chapter because of the complexities of its original layout.
5 That\u2019s because (as R. Chaim will indicate below) our ability to think is connected to the highest quality of our soul and is our greatest faculty of all, so we\u2019d expect there to be deeper, more recondite elements involved in the evaluation of thought-based sins. Also see R. Chaim\u2019s Derashot Rosh Hashanna and Ramchal\u2019s Da\u2019at Tevunot 126.
6 So he should have inferred the impact that sins have up above.
7 So he brought more harm than the other because his soul is on a higher level.
8 R. Chaim cites Tikkunei Zohar 81b, 124a, Sha\u2019ar Hayechudim (Tikkun Avonot); and Pri Eitz (Introduction to Sha\u2019ar HaShabbat.
9 Merely.
10 That is, one who soils the king\u2019s courtyard won\u2019t be punished as much as one who soils his palace, his throne or his clothing (which are more personal to the king), to say nothing of one who soils the king\u2019s crown. That\u2019s to say that someone on a high level can soil very, very exalted things when he sins while someone on a lower level wouldn\u2019t do as much harm when he sins.
11 As he would have been, thanks to the high station of his soul,
12 And the punishment due him as a result. See 1:4 above this in light of the depth of thought, and see Moreh Nevuchim 3:8.
13 Than one who isn\u2019t so drawn to it.
14 As his sin would have been defined by greater temptation and eagerness.
15 Given the damage done by untoward thoughts. See Moreh Nevuchim 3:8. Also note below in the \u201cChapters\u201d (6) that our thoughts affect the quality of the good things we do, too.
16 R. Chaim cites Psalms 33:15; Ecclesiastes 2:14; Proverbs 3:19; Psalms 33:19; Proverbs 3:19; Ecclesiastes 1:16, 2:14; and the end of Klai\u2019im.
17 Each of these translates as \u201csoul\u201d and are various, levels of it in ascending order. There are higher levels of the soul as well known as Chaya and Yechida; why aren\u2019t they cited here? But see 2:17 where R. Chaim explicates the great loftiness of these levels, which explains why they aren\u2019t discussed here. Also see Arvei Nachal, Vayeira 9 as well as Derech Hashem 3:1.
18 R. Chaim cites Numbers 5:31 and Leviticus 18:29, but also see Deuteronomy 12:23.
19 R. Chaim cites 2 Samuel 23:2, Isaiah 11:4, and Onkelos\u2019 translation of Genesis 2:7.
20 R. Chaim cites 2 Samuel 23:2, Isaiah 11:4, and Onkelos\u2019 translation of Genesis 2:7.
21 R. Chaim cites Breishit Rabbah 14 as well as the Aruch and Rashi there.
(c) 2022 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman
Feel free to contact me at feldman@torah.org
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Nephesh Hachaim 1:14 1. And finally, our thoughts also have impact up above, R. Chaim offers here 1. But the point to keep in mind is that each person\u2019s thoughts has a different impact 2 there that\u2019s due either to … Continue reading