Questions tagged [soul]
Questions pertaining to the soul.
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Do you get to keep your old nefesh and ruach when you convert?
According to our tradition, converts acquire a "new soul" in, or upon emergence from, the conversion mikvah. (Not sure of the original source for this--it may be the Zohar--but there are countless ...
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Source for ability to speak before Neshama
I've always understand conventional Jewish belief is that there are different aspects to the soul, and each one provides different abilities. The נפש is common to all living creatures and it is the ...
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Unconsciousness in Jewish Thought
Yes, that pun was intended.
We know that sleep is 1/60 of death, and dreaming is 1/60 of prophecy (Brachos 57b). This is because it's a partial death, in which a piece of the Neshamah leaves the ...
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How can Nefesh mean a dead person?
In Vayikra 21:1 it's stated that one should not defile himself for any (dead) nefesh (person).
How can a word like nefesh which seems to be the force that animated the body and gave it it's life, ...
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At Techiyas Hameisim what will happen to reincarnated souls? [duplicate]
At Techiyas Hameisim what will happen to all the bodies that had souls that came down again as gilgul (that the soul had already been in another body)?
Which body will arise by Techiyas Hameisim if ...
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Does the concept of ibur exist today?
The shaar hagilgulim frequently addresses the concept of iburim, that souls from passed on people may enter new bodies.
For source, see for example shaar hagilgulim 1.8:
"According to this, you can ...
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Is the soul tied and can one break that tie? [closed]
I have heard that the soul is tied to your wife or husband, but if so, can you break off that "soul-tie" ?
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Where in Judaism does it describe the journey of the soul in the afterlife? [duplicate]
Where in Judaism does it describe the journey of the soul in the afterlife? Sources, that I am looking for stem from kabbalah teaching or the zohar. Also,I am searching for primary sources, so if they ...
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Jewish Meditation for Soul Travel? [closed]
I know that there is meditation and practices for a soul to transcend the body. I have found these meditations across many religions, however, I am wondering if Judaism has a specific meditation for ...
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Am I a body with a soul or a soul with a body?
I've always thought that our true essence, who we actually are, our personalities are our souls. To me, bodies are just temporary "homes" for the soul. My body can perish, but my soul will continue ...
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Role of the soul in living things
Are the bodies of living things (bacteria, plant, animals, humans) running like a purely physical machine or are they coupled with some kind of spiritual soul to breathe life into this machine.
Our ...
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Can a soul be destroyed to non-existence?
Can a soul die (make choices that will lead to its being completely destroyed)?
The Zohar 1:131a states that the souls of transgressors will became ashen cinders under the feet of the righteous. From ...
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Where do human souls come from?
In the kabbalah of the Arizal, which world does the g-dly soul inherant in a human come from?
Do they for example come from the world of Atzilut?
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If the sages removed the desire for yetzer hora of avodah zora, what is left in terms of yetzer hara?
During the time of the second Beit HaMikdash, the 120 sages of the Great Assembly were granted the ability to rip out the desire for idolatry (yetzer hora of avodah zora) from the collective soul of ...
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“The feelings reveal the soul.”(Pieseszner Rebbe). Is this idea accepted by contemporary Orthodox thought?
In “Experiencing the Divine: A Practical Jewish Guide,” by Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira
(the Pieseszner Rebbe), translated by Yaacov Dovid Shulman, the Rebbe says, (p 28):
Every feeling that is ...
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Souls (Neshamos) of converts
When I was in Yeshiva many years ago I heard one of the rebbeim (teachers) of the yeshiva speaking to a young man that had converted to Judaism and that was very successful in learning about "his ...
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What does it mean for one's soul to "be like dust to everyone"?
From the end of the Amidah: "To those who curse me, let my soul be silent; and let my soul be like dust to everyone". What does it mean, for one's soul to be like dust? And why is it a good thing?
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What is the chassidic version of ruach?
In my understanding by comparing the Arizal's works to the Tanya, the animal soul = nefesh, the G-dly soul = neshamah. But what about ruach?
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What is the tzror hachaim (bond of life)?
On tombstones one finds the acronym for t'hay nafsho/ah tzrurah b'tzror hachaim (may the soul be bound to the bond of life).
What is this bond of life? Do we have any sources which explain what this ...
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How are angels categorized in Judaism?
Are they Neshamot or are they something else? Because if they are Neshamot they would be like us, so what forms a angel are they like Only Yetzer Hatov so they only have the desire to do God's will?
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Rebbe maamer modifying Tanya on non-Jew's soul root?
I heard from a friend that the Rebbe gave a maamer somewhat modifying the statement in Tanya that all non-Jews' souls are from the klippot. Can anyone provide the exact source for it?
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Are all non-human creations reincarnations?
I have heard from my Rav and during a few derashot of HaRav Eliyahu Mansour that a neshamah previously brought into 'Olam HaZeh in human form, but needing additional tiqqun (i.e. soul correction) and ...
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Inner being: Soul or Spirit?
Bereshit (Genesis) 2:7 reads: 'vayipach beapav nishmat chayim vayehi ha'adam lenefesh chayah'
Is my inner being a 'soul' or a 'spirit', or am I a 'soul' or am I a 'spirit'? Let me make myself clear:
...
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Zohar and Maharal on the soul and face
1) I heard from someone say in the name Zohar haKadosh that the eyes are the "mirror to the soul" - that to those who are able to read such things a person's eyes are very revealing.
Does anyone know ...
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Soul residing in one's mind
I heard from someone that the soul resides in one's mind/ brain.
Does anyone where the source for this can be found?
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Rabbi Avigdor Miller's quote about one's face and soul
Rabbi Avigdor Miller zt"l, says, “Your face is like a screen and your soul like a projector which projects on your face the glory of the human soul, which has in it the greatness of Hashem." (10 steps ...
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What does the Torah say about one's face?
a) What does the Torah say about one's face?
b) What the does one's face represent?
c) Does one's face have a connection to his soul?
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What distinguishes humans from animals?
Both Humans and animals seem to have:
Flesh: (Bereshit 6:13) The ketz (end) of kol basar is come before Me.
Nefesh Chaya: (Bereshit 1:30) wherein is a Nefesh Chaya
Ruach Chayim: (Bereshit 6:17 & ...
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Humans have 613 organs?
Does the human nefesh (nefesh haAdam) have 613 spiritual organs? Tanya CH.4 says that a soul has 613 organs like the "organs of the King". I'm assuming that since man is made in the image of G-d, then ...
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Zohar and Shabbos Yoma D’Nishmasa
The Zohar calls Shabbos Yoma D’Nishmasa, because it is the day of the soul, not the day of the body.
Do anyone know where the source for this zohar is located?
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What are the five levels of Neshama according to the Zohar?
What are the five levels of the neshama for a Jew and the two levels for a non-Jew according to the Zohar? What are their meanings? What are their sources in the Zohar?
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Does eating non-kosher meat incur the punishment of Kareth?
This question is not about standards of kashrut -- which are of course a serious topic -- but rather the question of "grave sins" for which the death penalty is prescribed, or the consequence of "...
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Our bodies aren't here for the long haul?
I seem to have learnt something a long time ago. In basic terms that after the coming of Moshiach and the resurrection of the dead there will be a time where we won't need our bodies and we will live ...
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What is the importance of the human body after death?
On one hand, we are told that the body is a simply container holding our soul. We have to take care of it while alive because we are borrowing it for our time on Earth. It is widely believed that our ...
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Yom Kippur - Soul or Body
The Torah (Vayikra 16:31) says "וְעִנִּיתֶ֖ם אֶת־נַפְשֹֽׁתֵיכֶ֑ם, You shall afflict yourselves." - this is a reference to Yom Kippur. Artscroll translates נַפְשֹֽׁתֵיכֶ֑ם to mean yourselves, but ...
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Kiddush, Learning and Mitzvos for dead/niftar neshamos
I seek an early source that giving Kiddush (so others will make a bracha for the zchus of the neshama) or other such actions that can positively affect the neshamos of those who have departed.
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How does punishment in the World to Come make sense?
If a person is able to make choices in this world, and especially if a person is able to disbelieve that there is a Divine order of any type, how does it make sense for a person's soul to be punished ...
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Do spirits/souls have genders?
Bodies have genders (physical anatomy and genetics) and the brain has a gender (gender identity), but do the spirits/souls or our heavenly bodies have genders as well?
Similar:
Do we retain our ...
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'Removal of the evil inclination is like removal of the soul'
I saw recently (here) in the name of the Chazon Ish that 'removal of the evil inclination removes the soul'. Is there a written source for this (either in the writings of the Chazon Ish or elsewhere)?
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Where does the Zohar hold the nefesh resides?
According to the Tanya, the part of the soul called "nefesh" resides in the heart (specifically in the left side of the heart):
והנה מקום משכן נפש הבהמית שמקליפת נוגה בכל איש ישראל הוא בלב בחלל ...
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What is the timeline of the connection of the soul to the body after death?
Speaking to the Rabbi who runs the chevra kadisha in my neighborhood recently, regarding the pending cremation of the mother of a friend, he mentioned several interesting concepts with respect to the ...
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Would whole brain emulation be compatible with Judaism?
Many people theorize that in principle, the brain could be uploaded to a computer which would then contain the person's consciousness. Would a successful demonstration of this be compatible with ...
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Do Amalekites not have souls?
I remember reading once (in Sender Zeyv's novel Ten Lost), that some Jewish sources say that Amalekites don't have souls. Obviously, this might not be so reliable, coming from a work of fiction, so I'...
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Is there any proof of the existence of the soul?
Judaism asserts that a human being is a composite of a body and a spiritual soul (see Talmud Sanhedrin 91b for example) which lives on after death.
Is there any way to prove the existence of the soul?...
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Soulmate for someone who died unwed
I had a friend who was dating a woman. They were close but not "in love". Anyway, he passed away and she moved on. Well, she met someone new and they are in love.
My question is, what does G-d do ...
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Parable of man visiting diamond-filled island
I've read and heard many times a parable about a poor man who visits an island where the roads are paved with diamonds and/or jewels. Over time, however, he starts amassing what's valuable there - ...
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Do converts represent a "farblondzshet" neshama?
Before our wedding, a mikvah lady learned that my wife was marrying me -- a convert to Judaism. Her response was that I must represent a "farblondzshet neshama" (a confused or a lost Jewish soul). ...
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Is there really a distinct "Jewish soul"?
I have heard many times about Jews having a "special soul" or a "Jewish soul" - a soul which is either lacking and/or fundamentally different than that of non-Jews.
However, the sources which are ...
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What are the implications of karet?
Does karet mean the soul will not ever enter the olam haba? Can teshuvah rectify the transgression which lead to the karet? Can that soul in another re-incarnation rectify the blemish of karet? By "...
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Is the "I" consciousness from the body or from the soul
Where does the sense of "I" (i.e. the sense of self-awareness) originate from? Is it from the physical body (the brain) or is it from the spiritual soul which wears the body (as brought down in ...
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