{"id":64,"date":"2018-01-07T15:25:32","date_gmt":"2018-01-07T15:25:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/nephesh-hachaim\/?p=64"},"modified":"2018-05-01T20:16:50","modified_gmt":"2018-05-01T20:16:50","slug":"nephesh-hachaim-15","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/nephesh-hachaim\/2018\/01\/07\/nephesh-hachaim-15\/","title":{"rendered":"Nephesh Hachaim 1:5"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nephesh<\/em>\u00a0Hachaim<\/em>\u00a0Gate 1, Ch. 5<\/p>\n

1.<\/p>\n

Whatever gives us the ability to do such momentous things, though? At bottom, it comes down to the very high source of our soul, which is the animating spirit behind everything, as we\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n

But to understand that we\u2019d first have to see what drives things in general.<\/p>\n

R\u2019 Chaim begins with a discussion of the heavenly worlds 1<\/sup>. We\u2019re to know that they\u2019re intertwined, that they descend from the uppermost reaches all the way down to the material world 2<\/sup>, that each world is controlled by the one above it much the way that a body is controlled by a soul 3<\/sup>, and that — of course — G-d is the ultimate \u201csoul\u201d and controller of everything 4<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

2.<\/p>\n

Now, there are four heavenly worlds 5<\/sup>. In ascending order they\u2019re the world of the Ophanim<\/em>, of the Chayot<\/em>, of the Throne of Glory, and of Divine Emanation 6<\/sup>. And each one functions as the soul of the one below it.<\/p>\n

As such it\u2019s said that, \u201cWhen the Chayot<\/em> were lifted \u2026, the Ophanim<\/em> were lifted in correspondence to them, for the Ruach <\/em>7<\/sup> of the Chayot<\/em> was in the Ophanim <\/em>as well. And when they (the Chayot<\/em>) would go, they (the Ophanim<\/em>) would go (too), and when they (the Chayot<\/em>) would stand still, they (the Ophanim<\/em>) would stand still\u2026.\u201d (Ezekiel 1:19-21) 8<\/sup>. And we know that the Chayot<\/em> were also controlled by the Throne of Glory above them, since we\u2019re taught that \u201cthe Throne of Glory carried whatever carried it\u201d 9\u00a0 <\/sup>and that \u201cthe Chayot<\/em> carried whatever carried them\u2026 and the Throne carried the Chayot<\/em>\u201d (Zohar<\/em> Chadash<\/em> 66b) 10<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

After portraying the interdependence of the worlds and the fact that the upper ones control the lower ones R\u2019 Chaim then makes his main point, which is that it\u2019s our soul\u2019s high root and stature that sets us apart and enables us to do the world-altering things that we can do. As he puts it, \u201cAnd the Throne\u2019s living 11<\/sup> soul is the root of the soul of the Jewish Nation 12<\/sup>, which is far loftier and higher up even than the Throne of Glory, as it\u2019s the \u2018man\u2019 13<\/sup> atop it\u201d; as it\u2019s written, \u201cOn the likeness of the Throne was a likeness of a \u2018man\u2019\u201d (Ezekiel 1:26) 14<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

3.<\/p>\n

R\u2019 Chaim then adds that we\u2019re ironically the first and last things to have been created 15<\/sup>: first<\/em> in the heavens, given our soul\u2019s stature in the upper realms and given that our souls are rooted in G-d\u2019s own breath which was blown into us 16<\/sup>. And we\u2019re last<\/em> because Adam and Eve were the last beings created on earth 17<\/sup>. Nevertheless, essentially the idea is that we\u2019re most able to animate things because our souls are from the very innermost of worlds 18<\/sup> thus we function as the \u201csoul\u201d to the world\u2019s own \u201cbody\u201d.<\/p>\n

Footnotes:<\/p>\n

1\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/sup>A \u201cworld\u201d as used here isn\u2019t a planet or the like but rather a complex mix of phenomena that are united in a specific way (much the way we\u2019d speak of \u201cthe Torah world\u201d, \u201cthe music world\u201d, \u201cthe business world\u201d, etc.). But the worlds under discussion here are utterly non-material and are directly related to creation and G-d\u2019s interactions with the physical universe.<\/p>\n

And as the Kabbalists teach us, each world is comprised of a number of esoteric non-material components termed Sephirot <\/em>(which are the basic non-material elements of creation and Divine interaction), Partzufim <\/em>(complex mixtures of Sephirot<\/em>), and more.<\/p>\n

2\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/sup>That is, the Divine worlds descended downward in the course of creation \u2013 from G-d\u2019s own Will down to the created world. (Divine beneficence continues to flow down through them.)<\/p>\n

3\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/sup>Of course a soul isn\u2019t above a body so much as within<\/em> it. The point is that superior phenomena (like upper-worlds and souls) control inferior ones (like lower-worlds and bodies). Let this serve as just one example of the need to \u201ctranslate\u201d and explain Kabbalistic ideas.<\/p>\n

4\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/sup>R\u2019 Chaim cites various sources to corroborate these ideas. He offers Zohar 1:19b that speaks of the worlds enclosing<\/em> and encompassing<\/em> each other, which bolsters the idea of their being intertwined.<\/p>\n

Then Idrah<\/em> Zuta<\/em> 291b that speaks of lights (i.e., worlds) enclosing other lights and shining upon them, which also reiterates their interconnectedness and subtly alludes to the idea of one controlling (i.e., shining upon) the other. The Zohar there also indicates that while the \u201crevealed\u201d (i.e., the outermost) light is termed \u201cthe King\u2019s garment\u201d, the \u201cinnermost\u201d light (which drives it) is hidden. And that alludes to G-d\u2019s hidden, soul-like qualities here.<\/p>\n

And he offers The Ari\u2019s Eitz<\/em> Hachaim<\/em> (Sha\u2019ar<\/em> Penimiyut<\/em> v\u2019Chitzoniyut<\/em> 2) and Pri<\/em> Eitz<\/em> Chaim<\/em> (Sha\u2019ar<\/em> HaShabbat<\/em> 7-8, 24) that indicate that the outside of each world over-covers the one under it and becomes its inside (i.e., its controlling force) and soul, which underscores the idea of the more sublime aspects of each world controlling the less sublime ones.<\/p>\n

See 3:10 for more on this as well as the beginning of Ruach<\/em> Chaim<\/em>.<\/p>\n

5\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/sup>There are actually an infinite number of them but they fall into four main categories.<\/p>\n

6\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/sup>Curiously enough, <\/em>R\u2019 Chaim doesn\u2019t use the Kabbalistic terms here for the worlds as we\u2019d expect (though he uses them in his footnote to 1:13). He\u2019s assumedly using the terms cited here from Ezekiel both to underscore the antiquity of the concepts and to make it easier for the reader to follow his points as he reads the verses.<\/p>\n

7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/sup>I.e., Soul.<\/p>\n

8\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/sup>Thus we find that the worlds are indeed intertwined, and that each is animated by the one above it which functions as its soul.<\/p>\n

9\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/sup>That is, the Throne of Glory eventually <\/em>carried or supported from<\/em> up above <\/em>whatever initially <\/em>carried it from below.<\/em><\/p>\n

This doesn\u2019t seem to be a direct quote from the sages as R\u2019 Chaim claims. But see Ricanti to Exodus 32:19 in reference to Sotah<\/em> 35a. (Also see Eitz<\/em> Hachaim<\/em>, Iburim<\/em> Ch. 4 which also cites it as a quote from the sages without attributing a source),<\/p>\n

10\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/sup>This once again indicates that each of the worlds is controlled and animated by the one above it. But where is the highest world, G-d\u2019s Emanation? That will be explained now.<\/p>\n

11\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/sup>I.e., Animating.<\/p>\n

12\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/sup>See Ma\u2019amar<\/em> 15.<\/p>\n

13\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/sup>Sitting\u2026<\/p>\n

14\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/sup>I.e., the \u201cman\u201d sitting atop and controlling the Throne of Glory (as well as the worlds below it) is the source of our soul, which is why we have the abilities to animate and control this world.<\/p>\n

Now, R\u2019 Chaim adds a relatively lengthy and curious footnote here. In short, it says that the soul (which is termed \u201ca literal portion of G-d up above\u201d) passes through millions upon millions of worlds in its course downward to our world. And that only a small part of it occupies our body. (See 1:17 below for more of this.) That\u2019s meant to underscore the unfathomable loftiness of our soul, of course. In fact, later on in his note R\u2019 Chaim cites the Idra<\/em> Rabbah<\/em> (141b) which makes the point that everything depends upon this so very high and exalted soul.<\/p>\n

But R\u2019 Chaim also notes that of course we\u2019re also comprised of a body, and that we\u2019re in fact part \u201csupernal being\u201d and part \u201cmundane being\u201d (citing Breishit<\/em> Rabbah<\/em> 12 and Vayikrah<\/em> Rabbah<\/em> 9). And he indicates that the two are inexorably linked and function as two ends of a rope, so that when one \u201cshakes\u201d the rope by doing something physical down here, he then \u201cshakes\u201d and animates the rope up above. But doesn\u2019t that seem out of place here? See footnote 18 below.<\/p>\n

15\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/sup>He cites Zohar 2:70b here.<\/p>\n

16\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/sup>See Genesis 2:7. This will be discussed in more detail in 1:15 below.<\/p>\n

17\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/sup>He cites Zohar 2:70b here.<\/p>\n

18\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/sup>See R\u2019 Chaim Vital\u2019s Sha\u2019ar<\/em> Hakedusha<\/em> 3:2.<\/p>\n

Now, mentioning our having been created last<\/em> seems to weaken R\u2019 Chaim\u2019s argument that we serve as the soul of all of creation because of our high station. Why then does he cite this? And why does he focus on our physicality in his own note to this chapter (see our footnote 14 above)?<\/p>\n

He apparently means to accentuate the fact that while we\u2019re indeed heavenly in our core, we\u2019re also very earthy. But that — like the heavenly worlds (cited at the beginning of the chapter) — those elements of our being are intertwined. So, while we\u2019ve indeed been granted the ability to affect monumental change in the universe thanks to our soul, we\u2019d still have to \u201cshake\u201d the \u201crope\u201d (see footnote 14) down here through our physical actions to activate the upper worlds (which would then \u201cshake\u201d the \u201crope\u201d up above in order to benefit this lower world, though R\u2019 Chaim doesn\u2019t address this latter point here).<\/p>\n

This also touches on an important theme presented later on in Nephesh<\/em> Hachaim<\/em> to the effect that while much can be done in our hearts and minds (i.e., our \u201csouls\u201d) to draw close to G-d, we\u2019re still and all obliged to do things with our bodies to that end at bottom (see 1:22, \u201cChapters\u201d 4-5, etc.) .<\/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\u00a0Hachaim\u00a0Gate 1, Ch. 5 1. Whatever gives us the ability to do such momentous things, though? At bottom, it comes down to the very high source of our soul, which is the animating spirit behind everything, as we\u2019ll see. But … 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":[5,7,8,2,3,6,1,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-64","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hashkapha","category-kabbalah","category-mussar","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\/p8YhFQ-12","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/nephesh-hachaim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64","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=64"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/nephesh-hachaim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/nephesh-hachaim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64\/revisions\/82"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/nephesh-hachaim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/nephesh-hachaim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/nephesh-hachaim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}