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Ari Basics 6: Natural Soul
Classical kabbala identifies four levels of the soul -
called Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama and Neshama L'neshama.
Nefesh is the animating principle of the physical body and the senses;
ruach is the force vitalizing the emotions; neshama is the vitality
of intellect; and neshama l'neshama is the essence of life of the human
soul. The Arizal refers to this fourth level of soul as Chaya,
signifying its function as the essence of life. However, all these four aspects
of the soul he regarded as mere extensions of the essence of the soul, which he
called Yechida.
...Between the Creator and the created (i.e., the aspect
of spirituality in general, as opposed to physical creation)
there is an intermediate level, regarding which it states, "You are children of
G-d your Lord...," for our Sages have declared, "the Patriarchs are the merkava
[the Divine Chariot]." The intention here is that a tiny spark of G-dliness,
drawn from the lowest level of the Creator, clothes itself in a single spark of
the created in potentia, which is an extremely ethereal soul. Within this
soul-spark, called Yechida, are the roots of all the other four levels of
spirituality - Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama and Chaya. (Etz
Chaim, shaar 42, chap 1)  | | " The soul is both part of the Creator and at the same time it is created..." | | |
In other words, the soul is both part of the Creator
and at the same time it is created. Its luminous essence is "a tiny spark of G-dliness",
and the sheath in which it is clothed is a created being, albeit a spiritual
being and not physical. As the soul emanates from the Ein Sof eventually
to be clothed in the physical body, the soul descends via the four worlds
mentioned above, leaving a root in each of the worlds
- Chaya in the world of Atzilut, Neshama in the world of Beriya, Ruach
in the world of Yetzira, and Nefesh in the spiritual dimension
of Asiya. (Shaar HaGilgulim, hakdama 1) All of this
is then enclothed within a physical body.
The soul enclothed within the body is a reflection of
the Divine Form, called the " Tzelem", or "Tzelem Elo-him".
This "Tzelem Elo-him" may be described as the human mold of man's
physical form, linking his body and soul. This mold derives from the
configuration of the sefirot, which form the structure of the worlds
through which the soul descends on its journey down into the body.
At the same time that the soul's outer dimension
reflects the configuration of the sefirot, the inner dimension of the
soul reflects the Infinite Light that illuminates the sefirot. This
reflection is called the "Demut Elokim" (literally, the "Image of
G-d"; see R. Chaim Vital's Shaarei Kedusha, part 3, ch. 5, and Likutei
Torah, Shir Hashirim, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi). Thus man includes all
of creation within him, from the loftiest spirituality to the most mundane
physicality. ( Pardes, shaar 4, ch. 10) | " If he purifies himself greatly, he may be able to attain the level of...Yechida,
the G-d-consciousness of the level of Adam Kadmon..." | | |
From the perspective of man's service of G-d, these
levels of soul may be described as five ascending levels of awareness of, and
communion with, G-d. Regarding these levels of soul, Zohar
states that
when a person is born, he is given a Nefesh from the world of Asiya,
the lowest world, representing the greatest concealment of G-d. If, through his
divine service and proper action, he makes himself worthy, he is then given
Ruach on the plane of Yetzira. With greater effort, he can
earn the revelation of Neshama, paralleling the world of Beriya.
If he purifies himself greatly, he may be able to attain the level of Chaya
paralleling Atzilut, and even Yechida, the G-d-consciousness of
the level of Adam Kadmon and beyond. ("Beyond," because the level
of soul called yechida, in essence, transcends all the worlds, since it
is never separated from G-d. It is described as being "truly part of G-d above,"
the "spark of the Creator clothed within a spark of the created" described
earlier. See Job 31:2 and Tanya ch. 2)
This setup puts humankind in a unique position, for
through his spiritual and physical composition (soul and body) he is bound up
with all levels of Creation. His actions and behavior are therefore capable of
affecting all the worlds and all the sefirot. Thus, man is a microcosm of
Creation, and his actions have cosmic significance. (R. Chaim Vital, Shaarei
Kedusha III, 2-3) He is able to affect the balance of the universe, both
spiritual and physical, by his kavanot (mystical intentions) and
yichudim (unifications of the sefirot). The Arizal revealed an
elaborate system of kavanot and yichudim designed to achieve this
very purpose.
This ends our introduction to the basic concepts of Lurianic Kabbala.
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