Questions tagged [soul]
Questions pertaining to the soul.
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Derivation of the number 600,000 in Zohar
I believe that there is a derivation of the 600,000 root souls of the Jewish people in the Zohar. My own Rav couldn't remember where exactly but he believes it is connected to the 6 emotional Sefirot (...
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Does anyone know how to contact Rav J. Glass who has posted a translation of Netivot Shalom online?
His now non-working email address is still visible where he posted his translation. It used to be [email protected]. I would like to find out if he has finished or is still working on finishing his ...
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"It would have been better if they had not been born" - why?
I have seen the phrase "it would have been better if they had not been born" in regards to lots of sins.
Here is a sample.
I notice that this phrase can often be used in isolation, without ...
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What is the Chaya?
The medresh (Bereshit Rabba 14:9 - see full passage, as well as related Midrash Devarim Rabba 2:37; see also Zohar I 206a-207b, for example) records that the soul is composed of 5 levels:
ואהבת את ה' ...
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Do people with special needs have a higher soul?
Is it true that people with special needs have a higher soul according to Kabbalah?
Is this only true for a Jewish soul or can it also be possible for a non-Jew (e.g. pre-convert, Noahide or any non-...
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Are Jewish and non-Jewish souls equal? [closed]
I have two questions. 1. Are Jews and non-Jews born with the same number of souls and are both able to be equal in the eyes of Hashem? 2. Can the non-Jewish soul ever be equal to the soul of a Jew?
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What’s the part of the soul that enjoys existing and is that the part that has to get punished if it sins?
BH
Hi,
I heard that there is a part of the soul of man that enjoys simply existing is this the level of the Nefesh Elokit?
If yes which part is it of the Nefesh Ruach Neshama Chaya Or Yichida of the ...
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Shoresh Neshama
When we say shoresh neshama, is there a different root for each level of the soul (nefesh, ruach, neshama) or only for the level of the neshama?
For exemple, Arizal says that Nadav ben Aharon has only ...
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The physical and spiritual halves of man in the Yerushalmi
In the entry "Soul: Jewish Concept" on Encyclopedia.com it states the following apparently based on the Yerushalmi:
"The close connection between soul and body characteristic of the ...
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Is it true the Ari said that if there is hate of one scholar to another it's because they're from the same shoresh?
Is it true that the Ari said that if there is hate from two talmidei chachamim this is because they're from the same shoresh neshama?
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Nefesh Habahamit/Body of Moshiach
I have a bunch of questions about the Nefesh Habahamit (the earthy "animal" soul) of the Moshiach (Ben David). Note, I don't want to limit this just to Kabbalistic/Lurian sources, so I will ...
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Mikva Erev Shabbat (for men) - looking for a detailed work on this practice
I would like to learn everything there is to learn about the practice of men going to mikva (immersing one's body in a ritual pool) on erev shabbat (Friday afternoon).
I am not looking for a sif katan ...
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Converts born with a Jewish soul (but born to the "wrong" parents), or converts getting a Jewish soul upon conversion?
Converts born with a Jewish soul (but born to the "wrong" parents), or converts getting a Jewish soul upon conversion?
I've heard the idea that if somebody converts to Judaism then it means ...
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Can a person's soul reincarnate into multiple bodies simultaneously?
Is it possible that a soul of some person, say John, reincarnates into multiple bodies but those bodies are all alive in the same period, so they are all alive in the same year, etc. or is this only ...
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Does everyone end up with their 'soulmate'/bashert?
I ask this in all respect because there are people who end up not having a romantic partner or spouse in their life. Yet, there is an assertion that HaShem has designated for each individual a ...
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Do we have physical desires after death?
This is a follow on from this question. I was always under the impression that the Nefesh Behamis is responsible for our physical desires, such as hunger for food. If it is immortal, does that mean ...
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Does the Nefesh Behamis survive death?
Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan writes in his essay Immortality and the Soul that the Neshomo is effectively the data of our "memories, thought patterns and personality traits" and discusses the idea of ...
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Further sources and exploration of the Neshomo as data
Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan writes in his essay Immortality and the Soul that the Neshomo is effectively the data of our "memories, thought patterns and personality traits" and discusses the idea of ...
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The Soul of an Animal
A man has freewill and is judged according to his deeds, his own actions decide his position. This is simple to understand. So here comes my question: "Animals too have souls but their level is ...
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Is the soul eager to enter this world?
Is it brought down anywhere that before birth, the soul yearns to be brought into a physical body, and be in this world, and if yes, how do we reconcile that with what it is taught that the soul is ...
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A set number of souls which can be born
Are there any sources that suggest that there is only a set amount/number of souls which can be born into bodies before the arrival of Moshiach or before Olam Haba?
If yes, can Moshiach even come ...
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The metaphysical essence of the non-jewish person [duplicate]
In the first chapter of the Tanya, the Alter Rebbe says that the Nefesh Behemitof a Jew comes from the Klipat Noga while the Nefesh Behemit of a Non-Jew comes from the unclean Klipot which contain no ...
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Does the soul of a child have relation to the souls of their parents? How does the pre-creation of souls impact the parent-child soul relation?
When parents have a child, is the soul of the child related to the soul of their parents? Some mystical teachings say that a soul is composed of multiple components. From this, I think that it might ...
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Is it possible for a person to become so evil that they lose their soul? Like is it possible for a person to be missing their soul?
Occasionally, you hear people talk about people who commit horribly evil acts. They say things like "they have no soul", or "they're so rotten they literally gave away their soul". ...
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Soul mates, death and remarriage - who will we spend eternity with?
Introduction
In the general concept of kabbalistic soul mates, we marry the other half of our soul (may we all be zoche to find our true zivug and have a bayit ne'eman b'yisrael). Our goal is to ...
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Soul Fruit - what do we know?
Bereshit 2:9:
ויצמח יהוה אלהים מן־האדמה כל־עץ נחמד למראה וטוב למאכל ועץ החיים בתוך
הגן ועץ הדעת טוב ורע
And from the ground Hashem, God, caused to grow every tree that was pleasing
to the sight and ...
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Is the idea of a "philosophical zombie" compatible with Jewish thought?
Background to the question:
The "philosophical zombie" or "p-zombie" is a thought experiment describing a hypothetical being that is in every way identical to a human being, except ...
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Source for God creating the world to test the angels/souls
Is there a jewish source (even remotely) simmilar to the following story:
The angels/souls* in heaven were praising God, saying how awesome and great
God is, but God said to them "you only ...
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Which heart is being referred to in Psalms 51:12?
In Psalms 51:12 it is written:
Fashion a pure heart for me, O God; create in me a steadfast spirit.
Which heart is it refering to? Is it refering to the organ that pumps blood?
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Are Jewish souls eternal? [duplicate]
Rabbi Kaplan in Moreh Ohr 3:4 (p. 43), brings a quotation from the introduction of Shefa Tal:
“The souls of the Jewish nation are a part of God, which is hinted to
in Dev. 32:9 ‘כי חלק ה׳ עמו, For ...
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According to Rambam, where do the souls of the righteous dwell in the period between the death of their bodies and the resurrection?
I am an Italian Noahide.
If I have understood correctly, Rambam affirms that the resurrection of the dead is reserved only for the righteous, who, after being resurrected, will live a long and joyful ...
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According to Tanya, does the animal soul partially abide in the mind?
Tanya Chapter 8 (source) writes that "the abode of the animal soul ... is in the heart, ... the left ventricle". In contrast, "the abode of the divine soul is in the brains ... [and] ...
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What is the difference between Yizkor and Eil Molei prayers?
Of course, they differ in text, but in terms of their meaning, they are exactly the same. In fact, these are stylistically different two versions of the same prayer.
So can Eil Molei replace Yizkor ...
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Chatam Sofer and soulmates
I've been looking for the exact text, or at least a link to the Chatam Sofer bringing down the Ari on the topic of soulmates in Shu”t Chatam Sofer 7:34. I've seen it quoted in several articles, but ...
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Did G-d put Ruach HaKodesh from Moshe to the 70 elders?
Did G-d put Ruach HaKodesh from Moshe to the 70 elders?
Numbers 11:25:
Then, after coming down in a cloud and speaking to him, יהוה drew upon
the spirit that was on him and put it upon the seventy ...
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How do the brain and the Neshama relate to each other?
We all know that every individual contains a "Neshama", or soul. The soul is the embodiment of our being; it is what makes us...us. The brain however, is the center of all our cognitive ...
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Non-Jewish G-dly Souls
Can the contrasting views of non-Jewish soul from Maimonides and from Kabbalah be reconciled?
Maimonides is quite explicit that all human beings have the potential for a G-dly soul, which is manifest ...
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Is it permitted to do past life regression therapy?
Is it allowed according to the halocha to do a hypnotherapy session where past life regression is done?
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Is one permitted to go to a haunted house for entertainment according to halocha [closed]
Is it permitted al pi halacha to visit a haunted house for fun or curiosity. And or is it a sakonas nefoshos.
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Where is the source in the Zohar that the neshomo of a person or righteous person comes down to the guf on the day of the yorzeit
I've heard it quoted, but I don't remember the exact source.
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ועם רוחי גויתי meaning in Adon Olam
What is the correct meaning and translation of the last line of Adon Olam: ועם רוחי גויתי
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Is there anywhere that discusses people and the types of souls they have?
I've heard people identify with the 4 elements, like that person is a more earthly soul or fire or water. But is there any discussion in any seforim anywhere that identifies traits with different ...
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According to the theory of Gilgul Nashamot, are the souls of converts reincarnations of souls that previously inhabited Jewish bodies? [closed]
As an explanation for why some gentiles feel connected to Judaism and therefore decide to convert, I have read that some rabbis see them as Jewish souls. That is to say that their souls in a previous ...
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According to the theory of Gilgul Nashamot, are there new souls?
Within the Jewish schools of thought that affirm the idea of reincarnation (i.e. that a soul can return to Earth in order to correct mistakes),
Are there any new souls on Earth today?
How do we know ...
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Where is evidence to support Jews have a different soul from non-Jews in Torah? [closed]
At what point in the Neshamah: Levels of Soul Consciousness is the separation between Jews and Non-Jews?
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Where does it say that a convert's yetzer hara becomes stronger?
I hear this from many authoritative sources but where is it from Torah she beal peh?
Is it merely because all the mitzvot are now obligatory or are there deeper reasons?
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Are there any references from the schools of Shammai and Hillel that support belief in the soul separating from the body at death?
I found an old question on Mi Yodeya asking for proof of the existence of the soul. Part of the question made this comment:
Judaism asserts that a human being is a composite of a body and a spiritual ...
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How come that the natural state of a newborn kid is non-theistic?
IIRC, when a person is conceived, a soul is brought before God whom it knows or recognizes well, who decides on its traits and puts it into a fetus, which studies the Torah with an angel for a couple ...
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Biblical attribution of intelligence and feelings to the human heart
Traditionally, the human heart was considered the residence of the animated soul and numerous Biblical passages refer to that ancient belief:
"You shall love the LORD your God with all your ...
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What is breathing for, according to sages?
Initially, God breathed a soul into Adam through his nostrils (Gen 2.7). So we definitely know that breathing (נשימה) is linked somehow to the soul (נשמה).
We require breathing to survive and without ...
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