Nefesh, neshama and ruach as words for “soul”

Question

All three words can mean something like "soul", e.g., neshama in גלגול נשמות, and ruach in וַתְּחִי רוּחַ יַעֲקֹב אֲבִיהֶם (Bereshit 45:27). So, what is the difference?

Answer 1

In this Youtube video (5:49 seconds in), Rabbi Chaim Miller explains that:

• Nefesh == Instincts of the Soul

• Ruach == Emotions of the Soul

• Neshamah == Intellect of the Soul

He does not bring his source.

Answer 2

Accoding to the Rambam in "the Guide of the Perplexed", (and WAF above), the meaning of the words in each individual case are to be determined by the context."

Ruach:

• Ruach is a homonym, signifying" air," that is, one of the four elements.

  "And the air of God moved (Gen. i. 2).

• It denotes also," wind." In this sense the word occurs frequently.

  "And the east wind (ruach) brought the locusts" (Exod. x. 13):" west wind" (ruach) (ib. 19).

• Next, it signifies" breath."

  "A breath (ruach) that passeth away, and does not come again" (PS. lxxviii. 39) wherein is the breath (ruach) of life" (Gen. vii. 15).

• It signifies also that which remains of man after his death, and is not subject to destruction.

  "And the spirit (ruach) shall return unto God who gave it" (Eccles. xii. 7).

• The Hebrew ruah when used in reference to God, has generally the fifth signification: sometimes, however, as explained above, the last signification, viz., "will."

Nefesh:

• The Hebrew nefesh (soul) is a homonymous noun, signifying the vitality which is common to all living, sentient beings.

  "wherein there is a living soul" (nefesh) (Gen. i. 30).

• It denotes also blood," as in

  "Thou shalt not eat the blood (nefesh) with the meat" (Deut. xii. 23).

• Another signification of the term is "reason", that is, the distinguishing characteristic of man, as in

  "As the Lord liveth that made us this soul" (Jer. xxxviii. 16).

• It denotes also the part of man that remains after his death (nefesh, soul)

  "But the soul (nefesh) of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life" (I Sam. XXV. 29).

• Lastly, it denotes" will";

  "To bind his princes at his will" (be-nafsho) (PS. CV. 22): "Thou wilt not deliver me unto the will (be-nefesh) of my enemies" (Ps. xli. 3):

  • and according to my opinion, it has this meaning also in the following passages,

    "If it be your will (nafshekem) that I should bury my dead" (Gen. xxiii. 8):" Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my will (nafshi) could not be toward this people" (Jer. xv. 1), that is, I had no pleasure in them, I did not wish to preserve them.

  • When nefesh is used in reference to God, it has the meaning "will," as we have already explained with reference to the passage,

    "That shall do according to that which is in my will (bi-lebabi) and in mine intention (be-nafsht)" (I Sam. ii. 35).

---

According to Jewish Magic and Superstition: A Study in Folk Religion (admittedly, not the best source.)

The Neshama goes up to Hashem (olam ha-ba and techiat hamatim), and both the ruach and nefesh remain on earth. The Ruach stays with the body and never leaves it. The week after death, the nefesh wanters between the deceased's' home and grave, then infrequently comes returns to the grave until it is weaned from the grave by the end of a year.

Answer 3

In Kabbalah or Chasidut Nefesh means a bodily soul, or instinct, or inate. (All created things have nefesh). Ruach is often used in the context of "Ruach Hakodesh", which is a sort of divine inspiration, or an aspect of godliness /correctness of thought (morality is one example of that). Ruach can also be the basic life force of any living thing. Neshama is the higher level soul which is connected directly to Gd, it exists only in humans.

Outside of Kabbalah, Nefesh is the life force of any living being. Ruach is the animator of life, its what allows things to move, and Neshema is the combination of Ruach and Nefesh.

edit: Thank you to menachem for pointing out a minor error.

Answer 4

I've seen it explained as follows (in Wisdom, understanding, and knowledge: basic concepts of hasidic thought):

Nefesh - Every creating thing in the world has a Nefesh, the G-dly force that gives it life. Inanimate objects (such as rocks) have only this. (see here)

Ruach - Every living thing has a Ruach as well, the life-giving force that animates the living thing. (see here)

Neshamah - Referred to in Tanya as "an actual part of G-d". This is only found in the Jew. (see here)

Note: I've linked to the snippets view of google books searches. This is not ideal. If anyone knows of a better online source that says the same thing, please let me know.

Answer 5

Nefesh can mean either "breath" or something like "life force". "Ruach" is usually used to mean "spirit" in the sense of "enthusiasm" or "vigor". Not sure about neshema and how it differs from nefesh.

EDIT: Wikipedia has a concise summary of the kabbalistic usage:

Kabbalah separates the soul into three elements: the nephesh is related to instinct, the ruach is related to morality, and the neshamah is related to intellect and the awareness of God.