Questions tagged [soul]
Questions pertaining to the soul.
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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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What's "chelek Eloak mimaal"?
I have frequently heard the human (or only the Jewish?) soul referred to as "חלק אלוק ממעל", literally "portion/section/piece/allotment of God (from) above".
What does this mean?
Who's the first to ...
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Could I became a Jew in the next cosmic reborn/reboot?
Hindu people believe that the Cosmos is dying and emerging in a never ending circle.
How is this seen by Jews and could I be born in the new Cosmos instance as a Jew, even if I am not?
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A reference to the soul of a Tzaddik like an eyelash in milk
I know that somewhere in something I have read there is a comment that someone (Yaakov avinu?) was so spiritually pure/holy that his soul did not cling to the earthly shell that was his body but came ...
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Effect of knockout on my soul
I have experienced a knockout two times in the boxing ring during my active fighting career.
At the time I was KO, I was conscious of nothing and then I woke up.
I am interested in knowing what was ...
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How did Chazal know they were right about "who is a Jew"?
My question is predicated on the assumption that Jews were created by God as fundamentally different from non-Jews. (I am referring, for example, to the idea that Jews have a special type of soul. And ...
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What happens to the soul when dozing for a minute or ten?
Tradition tells us the soul leaves the body when sleeping. Is the same true when drowsing in a chair, which is usually not a deep sleep and you are still aware of background noise?
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Why do we need a neshama yesera?
On shabbos we get an additional soul (tannis 27b) - what is the utility of this soul? Is it the same one every week? Why would we need an extra soul?
user2110
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Belief in Yechidah
According to Chabad.org,
Yechidah connotes the essence of the soul--its unity with its source,
the singular essence of G-d. For the essence of the soul of man is
"literally a part of G-d above"...
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What is the original source that a soul is split in half before conception?
Does anyone knew of the original source (from a sefer) for the idea in this quote: "According to Jewish thought, a husband and wife were originally one soul before birth, split into two halves when ...
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Does anyone have a proof text that animals *don't* have spirits?
I've heard it said that animals don't possess a רוח
However, Ecclesiastes 3:21 uses the phrase רוּחַ הַבְּהֵמָה.
Is there any text that indicates that animals don't possess a spirit?
Edit: Upon ...
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How to make amends for my previous mistakes?
According to the Talmud...
"Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. And whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world."
- Mishnah ...
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Can the living negatively affect the dead?
As far as I know, living people can positively affect the dead. This is the reason we say Kaddish and learn Mishnayos for the souls of the deceased. (Feel free to comment with more examples of this.) ...
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Nefesh, neshama and ruach as words for "soul"
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?
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Reincarnation vs. resurrection of the dead
Some Jews believe in reincarnation. They are also supposed to accept the Resurrection of the Dead, where actual bodies are resurrected. In that case, for each soul, which body is resurrected?
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Is the brain the seat of the soul?
There are disturbing ideas in the Feb 21, 2011 Time magazine cover article 2045: The Year Man Becomes Immortal. The article attributes to Raymond Kurzweil the prediction that within the next 25 years ...
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