Mystical Insights into the Relationship

between the Body and the Soul

B
BASED ASED
ON ON
THE THE
WRITINGS WRITINGS
OF OF
" " "
FIFTH
FIFTH
EBBE
EBBE
OF
OF
UBAVITCH
UBAVITCH
Adapted by
Rabbi Yehoishophot Oliver
2
Contents
Preface 2
The souls garments 4
Two types of garments 6
The union of body and soul 7
The higher realms !"d re#eals $imself to us %
The lights and #essels of &t'ilus (2
& di#ine adornment (2
)i*ing the soul (+
)i*ing the di#ine (7
The term ,efirah (-
.eriah The beginning of self/awareness (-
Thought0 speech0 and action 21
.eriah0 2et'irah0 and &siyah 2(
The inaccuracy of the analogy 22
The lesson 26
,ummary table 2%
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The Rebbe Rashab
Body and Soul
3
Pref ace
This essay is largely based on the beginning of the Rebbe
Rashabs Hagahos Ldibbur Hamaschil Posach Eliyahu
5658, pp. 1-11, which is a commentary that the Rebbe Rashab
wrote in the year 5658 (18!-188" #pon the disco#rse entitled
Posach Eliyahu printed in the $lter Rebbes Torah Ohr.
%ee Echad Haya Avraham,
1
the biography of Reb $&rohom
'ari(h, for the story behind the release of this disco#rse.
) wish to than* my father, +irmiyah# ,aspi, %hm#li -ar*el, and
-onica ,aplan for their helpf#l comments and corrections.
+ehoishophot .li&er
1
pp. //-/0.
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4
3here i s t he essence4
1hat is the essence, the &ery core, of the so#l2
$s is typical in ,hassid#s, different so#rces gi&e answers that
appear contradictory, b#t the resol#tion is always simple3 4es
vent zich vu men ret56it depends on ones perspecti&e.
.n a lighter note, a yo#ng +eshi&ah st#dent was once assigned a
test in ,hassid#s. )n answer to e&ery single 7#estion he wrote
4es vent zich vu men ret.5 8is teacher failed him. 8e
approached his teacher and as*ed why he had failed3 had he not
answered e&ery 7#estion correctly2 4Es vent zich vu men
ret95 his teacher replied.
The Tanya
/
defines the ten fac#lties of the so#l, which can
generally be di&ided into intellect and emotions, as the so#ls
essence. :lsewhere,
0
howe&er, it is e;plained that the ten
fac#lties, being limited entities, cannot possibly be at the so#ls
essence, for the principle, 4:&ery essence is #nchanging5
<
r#les
o#t this notion.
To e;plain, intellect and emotions are s#b=ect to change. >or
instance, a child desires petty things beca#se of his immat#re
2
p. 0/.
3
Likkutei Torah, biur to lo sashbis melach, ch. 1.
4
See Maamarei Admur HaEmtzai, Shemos, ?ol. /, p. <!<. Toras
haim, !aera, ?ol. 1, !8b.
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The Rebbe Rashab
Body and Soul
5
mind,
5
whereas a mat#re ad#lt has grown o#t of childish desires.
%imilarly, the Talm#d says that the older Torah scholars grow,
the more settled their minds become.
6
:&en d#ring one day, the
one person can at times ha&e a l#cid mind, and at other times, a
foggy mind.
)n contrast, the so#ls essence ne&er changes, and is not affected
by e&ents that occ#r to the body. The reason that the essence
doesnt change is that it doesnt become &ested in the body.
.nly an emanation from the so#ls essence becomes &ested in
the body, and th#s affected by it. This emanation from the
essence contains the so#ls fac#lties.
Th#s, the reason that the Tanya defines the ten fac#lties as
essential is e&ident from conte;t. That chapter of Tanya
contrasts the ten so#l fac#lties with tho#ght, speech, and action,
which are *nown as the so#ls 4garments.5 ,ompared to the
garments, the fac#lties are considered essential. This concept
will be f#rther e;plained below.
The soul s garment s
!
The garments are the means by which the so#l e;presses itself
toward the world. @#st as the choice and style of ones garments
re&eals the so#ls personality and character to the o#tside world,
5
Tanya ch. .
6
"inim 036.
7
-#ch of the following section is based #pon Se#er HaMaamarim
5658, pp. 6-!A.
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6
so does ones choice of tho#ght, speech, and action re&eal the
so#ls hidden essence, albeit on a m#ch deeper le&el.
8

Relati&e to those three lower fac#lties, which are merely the
e;ternal e;pression of the so#ls essence, the ten fac#lties are
considered the 4essential5 inner so#l as it is #nto itself.
8owe&er, in the absol#te sense, they are not the essence.
To e;plain, relati&e to the garments, intellect and emotions are
considered the essence of the so#l beca#se they can be changed
only with tremendo#s effort.
)n contrast, action, speech, and e&en tho#ght can be easily
changed. .ne can simply re=ect any #nwanted tho#ght that
enters ones mind by foc#sing on tho#ghts of Torah or prayer.

The concept that tho#ght is easily changed is comm#nicated by
it being compared to a garment. Tho#ght is a s#perficial aspect
of the person that can be ass#med and di&ested as one pleases
=#st li*e a physical garment.
$ltho#gh an inappropriate tho#ght can be dispelled in the short-
term, pre&enting s#ch tho#ghts from entering ones mind
altogether is immensely more diffic#lt. The reason for this is
that tho#ghts stem from emotions.
8
%ee Tanya ch. <.
9
%ee ibid. ch. 1/.
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The Rebbe Rashab
Body and Soul
7
To ill#strate3 when one desires a piece of chocolate, he
instincti&ely begins to thin* abo#t it. )f he had not felt an
emotional p#ll toward it, he wo#ld ne&er ha&e tho#ght abo#t it.
1A
Th#s, to change the nat#re of the tho#ghts that enter ones
mind, ones emotions m#st be changed. 8owe&er, this goal can
only tr#ly be attained thro#gh Teshuvah, repentance, from the
depth of ones heart, and thro#gh the ard#o#s tas* of lengthy
meditation in prayer.
11
This demonstrates how diffic#lt it is to
change the so#ls fac#lties.
Two t ypes of garment s
Briefly, there are two types of garments3
,eparate garment3 This is a garment that is separate from the
person, s#ch as reg#lar clothes.
This ma*es it possible to remo&e one garment and wear
another. )t is possible to change clothing only beca#se the
clothing does not #nite at all with the person. .f s#ch
garments it is written, 4Ci*e a garment yo# will change
them, and they will pass away.5
1/
Tho#ght, speech, and
action fall into the category of separate garments, and this
is the reason that they can be so easily changed.
10
,f. ibid. end ch. /A.
11
Se#er HaMaamarim 5658, p. !A.
12
Tehillim 1A/3/!.
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8
1hen a physical garment is torn, the so#l isnt affected at
allD similarly, the so#l is not affected by the persons
tho#ght, speech, and action.
)used garment3 This is a garment that is almost ine;tricably
attached to its wearer.
)t cannot be remo&ed at will, and can be changed only with
tremendo#s diffic#lty. )ntellect and emotions fall into the
category of f#sed garments, and this is the reason that they
are so hard to change.
$nother e;ample of f#sed garments is the relationship of
so#l and body. %ince the so#ls fac#lties f#se with the
bodys limbs, when one of the bodys organs is harmed, the
so#l senses it witho#t delay.
The uni on of body and soul
To e;plain, the body is said to be the garment of the so#l.
10

$ltho#gh at first the so#l e;ists independently from the body,
once it has become &ested in the body, it cannot be remo&ed at
willD it #nites with the body totally, and is inseparable from it in
all cases b#t death.
1<
-oreo&er, the so#l #nites with the body to
13
Rabbi ,haim ?ital, Shaarei "edushah 131.
14
)t sho#ld be noted that the so#l, being spirit#al, and the body, being
physical, sho#ld not be able to #nite. )t is only the transcendent power of
Sovev "ol Almin, EFds encompassing #ndifferentiated light for which
s#ch distinctions dont e;ist, that can enable this #nion. %ee Torah Ohr,
$ereshis <a.
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The Rebbe Rashab
Body and Soul
9
the degree that one cannot differentiate between them and point
o#t, 4This is the body, and this is the so#l.5 >or in e&ery part of
the body, the so#l is fo#nd, and e&ery part of the so#l
15
rests in
the body.
Ci*ewise, we find that the term adam, man, refers specifically
to the combination of so#l and body. Th#s, the body is called
the 4flesh of adam5
16
and the so#l is called the 4so#l of
adam5
1!
6and only when the two are combined is the person
called adam.
This is similar to the &erse, 4-ale and female 8e created them,
and 8e called them G$dam.5
18
.nce they had become a co#ple,
$dam and ,ha&a were called adam. Therefore the so#l, the
gi&er of life, is described as masc#line li*e the male who
pro&ides the seed, while the body, the recipient of life, is
described as feminine li*e the female who recei&es the seed.
1
This #nion between the so#l and body also manifests itself in the
way that body and so#l affect each other3 The so#l controls
bodily mo&ements, b#t is sim#ltaneo#sly affected by physical
15
).e., the lower part of the so#l that enters the body in the first place does
not lea&e it #nless the person dies. The root of the so#l, howe&er, ne&er
enters the body, b#t remains in the higher spirit#al realms.
16
Shemos 0A30/.
17
$ereshis 35.
18
ibid. 53/.
19
Shaar Erkei Ha"inuyim, secs. zochor, nekeiva.
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10
e&ents that occ#r to the body. >or e;ample, when one
accidentally *noc*s his finger, the so#l feels it. ,on&ersely,
when the so#l desires that a limb be mo&ed, e.g., that the foot
wal*, the body obeys immediately, as soon as the person wills it,
witho#t any need for conscio#s tho#ght.
/A
The proof that no
tho#ght occ#rs is that if any tho#ght wo#ld be necessary, there
wo#ld be a delay between the will and the action, and we see
that there is none. The #nderlying reason for this is the bodys
#nity with the so#l, enabling the so#l to instr#ct the body to
beha&e as it wishes, as if it were the body.
The hi gher real ms
!"d re#eal s $i msel f t o us
:&erything in o#r world, and partic#larly in the fac#lties of the
so#l,
/1
stems from the higher spirit#al realms. Therefore,
#nderstanding the dynamics of the so#ls fac#lties enables #s to
#nderstand the lofty realms. )t is thro#gh these realms that EFd
manifests 8imself to man. Th#s, this *nowledge also enables #s
to f#lfil o#r obligation to *now EFd.
//
.f this it is written,
4>rom my flesh ) will see EFd.5
/0
Th#s, the difference between these two types of garments is one
of many analogies from o#r world that ,hassid#s #ses to shed
light on the higher spirit#al realms.
20
Tanya ch. /0.
21
%ee Tanya beg. ch. 0.
22
Mishneh Torah, La%s o# the &oundations o# the Torah, 131.
23
'yov 13/6.
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The Rebbe Rashab
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To preface, altho#gh EFd in 8is :ssence is simple and
indi&isible, 8e chooses to manifest 8imself to #s &ia a comple;
hierarchy of spirit#al le&els. )t is one of the main goals of the
Habbalah and of the ,habad school of ,hassid#s to e;plain this
hierarchy in a logical and thoro#gh manner, enabling those who
del&e into this wisdom to f#lfil the obligation to *now EFd.
Eenerally spea*ing, the first le&el of di&ine manifestation for the
p#rpose of this essay is the Ohr Ein So#, EFds totally infinite,
transcendent light. This le&el is generally identified with the
transcendent Se#irah of "esser.
/<
Below this lie fo#r spirit#al realms that the *abbalists call
worlds. $ltogether, these fo#r realms are *nown as Seder
Hishtalshelus, the orderly chain of the worlds.
)n descending order, the worlds are3 Atzilus, $eriah,
(etzirah, and Asiyah. ($s will be e;plained below, d#e to
their common 7#alities, the latter three are often gro#ped
24
Iow, often this le&el is referred to in hassidus as EFds :ssence ()n
the 8ebrew, 4Atzmus Ohr Ein So#,5 or e&en 4Atzmus.5" this does not
mean to say that it is EFds :ssence in the absol#te sense. Rather, it is only
a light that emerges from EFds &ery :ssence. 1hat this it means that from
the perspecti&e of Atzilus, the Ohr Ein So# is like EFds :ssence, for
EFds light can be di&ided into two aspects3 the essence and the
manifestation. The Ohr Ein So# is the essence of the light, while the
emanation that descends into the lower realms is the manifestation of that
essence. (

Se#er HaMaamarim 56!1, p. 1<5.)
Page | 11
12
together and referred to by their acronym, $yaD and this is the
way they will be referred to in this essay."
:ach of the fo#r worlds contain, amongst other le&els, ten di&ine
emanations termed Se#iros (sing. Se#irah". These are the
di&ine attrib#tes, the way EFd manifests 8imself to lower
le&els.
:ach Se#irah consists of two elements3 a 4light,5 an aspect of
di&ine re&elation, and a 4&essel,5 an aspect of di&ine limitation
and concealment.
/5
The lights and &essels ha&e opposite
characteristics3 the lights are simple and #ndifferentiated, while
the &essels are defined and limited.
The nat#re of the lightJ&essel relationship is that each light
descends and becomes &ested in the &essel that is fitting for it,
and gi&es each &essel the amo#nt and character of light that it is
fit to recei&e. This dynamic is *nown as Ohr Pnimi, an
4internal light.5 This can be compared to the relationship of
teacher and st#dent, where the teacher m#st adapt his wisdom to
the le&el of the st#dent.
8owe&er, there is a f#ndamental difference between the
lightJ&essel relationship of the Se#iros of Atzilus and of $ya.
The l i ght s and #essel s of At zi l us
25
,f. Tanya p. 158.
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The Rebbe Rashab
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The lights of Atzilus #nite with the &essels of Atzilus totally,
in the manner that was termed a 4f#sed garment.5 This intense
#nity can only occ#r beca#se of the intense EFdly light that
shines there. $s the Habbalah p#ts it, 48e, 8is &i&ifying forces,
and 8is ca#sations are one.5
/6
48e5 refers to the Ohr Ein So#,
EFds infinite light, which transcends Atzilus, as e;plained
abo&eD 48is &i&ifying forces5 refers to the lights as they descend
into the &essels of AtzilusD and 48is ca#sations5 refers to the
&essels of Atzilus. The intense re&elation of EFds infinite light
in Atzilus enables the lights and the &essels there to #nite
totally with one another.
The lights and &essels of Atzilus are all#ded to in the statement
of :liyah#, 4+o# (EFd" are the .ne who bro#ght forth ten
tikkunin.5
/!
1hy are the Se#iros of Atzilus called tikkunin2
& di #i ne adornment
.ne e;planation of the term tikkunin is as follows. .n the
&erse, 4$ man shall not wear the garment of a woman,5
/8

.n*elos translates, 4a man shall not adorn himself with the
adornments (tikkunei" of a woman.5 )n $ramaic, the word
tikkun means an adornment. .n*elos interprets this &erse as a
26
Etz hayim <!31/, et al. %ee Tanya, 'ggeres Ha"odesh ch. /A.
27
Posach Eliyahu, )ntrod#ction to Tikkunei *ohar.
28
+evarim //35.
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14
specific prohibition for a man to wear =ewellery or other
ornaments whose p#rpose is not for modesty or to pro&ide
protection from the elements, b#t specifically to e;press
feminine bea#ty.
$ woman who wears earrings, a brooch, a ring, or a nec*lace
relates differently to these ornaments than she does to her
clothes. 1earing these ornaments deeply affects her, and in a
&ery real sense she #nites emotionally with them. They are far
more than garments that merely encompass the personD rather,
they become li*e an e;tension of her body.
/
This is another analogy #sed for the way that the &essels and
lights of Atzilus become 4f#sed garments.5 The &essels and
lights #nite with each other in an internal way, =#st as a person
deeply identifies with the adornments he or she wears.
)i *i ng t he soul
The e;pression tikkunin may also be interpreted as related to
the 8ebrew word tikkun, meaning impro&ing and fi;ing. $n
analogy for this can be deri&ed from the fac#lties of the so#l.
$side from the ten so#l-fac#lties mentioned abo&e, the fac#lties
can also be di&ided into 610, corresponding to the /<8 organs
and the 065 sinews.
0A
:ach fac#lty is a 4light,5 a re&elation of
29
$ltho#gh it was e;plained earlier that all clothes e;press the inner self,
adornments e;press it to a far greater degree than ordinary clothes.
30
Rabbi ,haim ?ital, Shaarei "edushah 131.
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The Rebbe Rashab
Body and Soul
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the so#l, which is &ested in its 4&essel,5 the corresponding organ
or sinew of the body.
>or instance, the fac#lty of sight, which is entirely spirit#al,
e;isted in the higher spirit#al realms, along with the entire so#l.
There it co#ld percei&e s#blime spirit#al realities, b#t had no
grasp of the physical. 8owe&er, once it was lowered down and
&ested in the &essel of the physical eyes, the gross physicality of
the eyes depri&ed the fac#lty of the ability to percei&e the
spirit#alD howe&er, it gained the ability to see the physical.
%imilarly, the fac#lty of intellect is a component of the so#l
which, as mentioned, e;ists independently of the body. Before it
descended into this world, it co#ld grasp s#blime spirit#al
realities, b#t not physical ones. The same goes for all the so#ls
fac#lties.
$ltho#gh the so#ls descent into a body res#lts in a dramatic
loss of spirit#al perception and sensiti&ity, at the same time the
so#l gains, for only when it is &ested in the body can the so#l
f#lfil its entire p#rpose6to e;ert a positi&e impact #pon the
physical world.
01
Th#s, altho#gh the so#l was created separately
from the body, its p#rpose was to become &ested in it. %imilarly,
the bodys entire p#rpose is to ho#se the so#l.
Th#s, in a sense the limbs of the body 4rectify5 the so#l, for the
#nification of body and so#l enables the so#l to connect with,
and th#s e;ert an impact #pon, the o#tside world. 8owe&er, the
31
Se#er HaMaamarim 566, p. /<!.
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16
limbs can only do this beca#se they are 4f#sed garments56they
#nite totally with the fac#lties of the so#l that are &ested in them.
1ere they 4separate garments,5 not #nited with the fac#lties of
the so#l, they co#ld not act as the channel for the so#l to reach
the world. The eye wo#ld not see physical realities, nor wo#ld
the mind grasp concepts in the realm of the physical.
The fac#lties of the so#l in t#rn act as a &essel to the so#ls
essence. >or, as mentioned earlier, these fac#lties are not the
essence of the person. The fac#lties are merely tools that the
person himself6or, p#t differently, the essence of the so#l6
employs in order to infl#ence the world. )t is not the a;e that
chops wood, b#t the woodchopperD howe&er, the person needs
an a;e in order to chop.
%imilarly, beca#se the so#ls essence is #tterly simple and
indi&isible, it cannot affect the world on its ownD th#s, it needs to
#se the fac#lties to e;ert infl#ence. 8owe&er, it is the person
himself who e;erts this infl#ence, not the fac#lties alone.
>or e;ample, a doctor will #se his fac#lty of intellect to heal. .f
co#rse, the fac#lty is not the force that healsD the doctor heals,
and the mind is merely the tool that he #ses in order to affect the
world appropriately. %imilarly, the emotions are &essels that
bring the person himsel# to a feeling. >or e;ample, the person
himself li*es and is attracted to a thing thro#gh the emotion of
lo&e.
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The Rebbe Rashab
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17
Th#s, the fac#lties of the so#l are also called tikkunim, for they
act as &essels to the essence of the so#l, and th#s 4fi;5 it by
enabling it to affect the world, and th#s achie&e its p#rpose.
8ere too, the *ey point is that the so#l is able to act thro#gh the
fac#lties beca#se it #nites with them totally, in a 4f#sed
garment.5
.b&io#sly, the so#ls essence #nites with its fac#lties to a far
greater degree than that to which the fac#lties of the so#l #nite
with the limbs of the body.
8owe&er, the core concept that emerges from these two
analogies is identical3 By #niting with the light, the &essel is able
to act as the medi#m that re&eals the light in the o#tside world.
This concept can also be #nderstood from the opposite
condition. )t is also possible for the wearer to be s#bordinate to
his garment. This is the case when the so#l of a person is, EFd
forbid, reincarnated in an animal. %ince the animals body is not
a &essel for the h#man so#l, the so#l cannot #nite with the body
into which it becomes &ested. Th#s, it can neither infl#ence it
nor affect the o#tside world. )t is trapped and e;iled in the
animal, li*e a person tied in a sac* who cannot mo&e, or a
person in prison whose mo&ements are se&erely restricted.
0/
32
"untres ,maayan p. 6.
Page | 17
18
This is a horrible p#nishment for the so#l, meted o#t, meas#re
for meas#re, to one who s7#andered his di&ine potential by
stooping down to the le&el of his base animalistic #rges.
00
)i *i ng t he di #i ne
%imilarly, the p#rpose of the world of Atzilus is to act as an
intermediary for EFd to create $ya. The Ohr Ein So#, the
infinite di&ine light that transcends Atzilus, is too lofty to create
the limited, self-aware worlds of $ya. %o an emanation of this
infinite light m#st descend and become &ested in the Se#iros of
Atzilus.
These Se#iros are not EFds infinite light itselfD they are merely
&essels. Ie&ertheless, they enable EFds infinite light to descend
and create the worlds of $ya. This is specifically made
possible by the process of EFds infinite light #niting with the
Se#iros in the manner of a 4f#sed garment.5
The &essels of the Se#iros of Atzilus are th#s called tikkunin,
for they #nite totally with EFds infinite light, and this enables
them to 4fi;5 this light, by enabling EFd to re&eal 8imself
according to the manner of each Se#irah, #ntil this light
descends from Atzilus and creates $ya- the lower worlds,
33
Se#er HaMaamarim 566, p. /<!. ,f. Etz haim, Shaar
Ha.ilgulim.
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The Rebbe Rashab
Body and Soul
19
c#lminating in o#r world. -oreo&er, each Se#irah in Atzilus
acts as a so#rce for that parallel Se#irah in each of the worlds of
$ya.
8owe&er, it is not Atzilus that creates $ya, it is EFd, &ia the
intermediary of Atzilus9
The term Sefi rah
%o the Se#iros perform two opposite roles. They re&eal EFds
infinite light, b#t they do so by limiting it.
This is also the reason that for the name Se#iros. The word
Se#irah is etymologically related to the word sa/ir, which
means to shine and ill#minate, for the Se#iros of Atzilus re&eal
EFdliness.
0<
8owe&er, the &ery fact that the light is able to enter into &essels
indicates that it has ass#med a certain limitation. The term
Se#irah is th#s also related to the word mis/ar, n#mber, which
represents limitation.
05
Beri ah The begi nni ng of sel f / awareness
$ltho#gh Atzilus possesses a certain connection with $eriah,
for it acts as an intermediary between EFds infinite light and
34
,f. Ha(om (om, 1A )yar.
35
Etz haim <13<.
Page | 19
20
$ya, at the same time it is far remo&ed from $eriah, for e&en
the &essels of Atzilus consist of p#re, intense EFdliness,
witho#t any sense of independence from EFd.
)n contrast, altho#gh in $ya EFds e;istence is significantly
sensed, its reality is remote, and the &essels of the Se#iros of
$ya feel a certain sense of independent e;istence at the same
time as they s#bmit themsel&es to the EFdliness that they do
sense.
This sense of self in $ya stems from the lesser degree of #nity
between the &essels and lights of $ya, which only #nite with
one another as separate garments. 1e do not say of the &essels
of $ya that 48e, 8is &i&ifying forces (lights", and 8is
ca#sations (&essels" are one.5
06
%ince the lights that enter $ya
are still at a lofty le&el of EFdliness (for in fact they stem from
the &essels of Atzilus" the beginning of the self-awareness of
$eriah is in the &essels of that world.
0!
The 8ebrew meaning of the word $eriah, creation, e;presses
the chasm that lies between $eriah and Atzilus. 4,reation5
implies a new, self-aware entity.
08
Th#s, the term indicates that
this world possesses a certain sense of independent e;istence
36
Etz hayim <!31/, et al. %ee Tanya, 'ggeres Ha"odesh ch. /A.
37
ibid.
38
,f. 0amban Al HaTorah, $ereishis 131.
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The Rebbe Rashab
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from EFd (albeit a &ery s#btle one". )n contrast, Atzilus does
not feel itself to be a new entity, b#t merely a manifestation of
hidden di&ine potential.
This is the deeper meaning of the phrase, 4+o# (EFd" are wise,
b#t not with a *nowable wisdom.5
0
4+o#5 refers to EFds
infinite light, which #nites totally with 4wise,5 which refers to
the le&el of hochmah (literally, 4wisdom5" of Atzilus, the
first of the Se#iros. %ince it #nites with EFds infinite light, it is
4not with a *nowable wisdom56beyond h#man comprehension.
8owe&er, it is still called hochmah beca#se it acts as the
so#rce for the hochmah of the world of $eriah, which is a
4*nowable wisdom.5 The reason it is *nowable is that, as
e;plained, the &essels of $eriah ha&e de&eloped a certain sense
of self-awareness. The same goes for all the Se#iros of Atzilus
&is-K-&is the Se#iros of $ya.
Thought 0 speech0 and act i on
<A
Lnli*e Atzilus, the re&elation of EFdliness in $ya parallels
the powers of tho#ght, speech, and action3 $eriah is the world
of tho#ght, (etzirah is the world of speech, and Asiyah is the
world of action.
39
Posach Eliyahu, )ntrod#ction to Tikkunei *ohar.
40
-#ch of the two following sections is based #pon Se#er
HaMaamarim 5658, p. !1.
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22
$ltho#gh tho#ght, speech, and action were defined earlier as
4separate garments,5 it sho#ld be clarified that they do also
significantly re&eal the so#ls fac#lties to the o#tside world3 .ne
re&eals intellect and emotions to oneself thro#gh tho#ght, to
others thro#gh speech, and one connects them with the physical
world thro#gh action.
8owe&er, these garments are still considered separate, for they
conceal far more than they re&eal. The f#ll comple;ity of
intellect and the raw passion of emotion cannot be f#lly
e;pressed in the so#ls garments. )ntellect and emotions can
only be e;pressed in tho#ght, speech, and action when the
person &astly tones them down. )ndeed, we see that both an
intensely grasped concept and an intensely felt emotion
o&erwhelm the person, and are they then ine;pressible.
Beri ah0 Yet zi rah0 and Asi yah
To briefly e;plain the parallel between $ya and each of the
so#ls garments3
.f $eriah it is written, 4+o# ha&e made garments for them,
from which so#ls iss#e forth to people (i.e., @ews".5
<1
$eriah is
th#s compared to an ordinary garment, which is separate from
the wearer.
-ore specifically, $eriah parallels the garment of tho#ght.
$eriah is th#s called the world of di&ine tho#ght, as mentioned.
41
)ntrod#ction to Tikkunei *ohar.
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)t is therefore called dar*ness, for =#st as tho#ghts are hidden
from others, $eriah is hidden from #s. (etzirah, on the other
hand, corresponds to speech, which is re&ealed to othersD it is
th#s called light. This is the meaning of the &erse, 48e forms
(yotzer, etymologically related to (etzirah" light and creates
(uvorei, etymologically related to $eriah" dar*ness.5
</
Then EFd created the world of Asiyah, which incl#des o#r
physical world. .f this it is written, 4-ay +o# be blessed ... for
all +o#r ... handiwor*.5
<0
This is compared to the fac#lty of
action. )t co#ld be as*ed, doesnt Asiyah also recei&e its
s#bstance from EFds speech, as it is written, 41ith the %ord of
EFd, the hea&ens were made, and with the breath of 8is mouth,
all their hosts5
<<
2 The answer is that when the letters of di&ine
speech descend to create the world of Asiyah, they 4solidify5
and gain a tangibility that is comparable to that of written letters,
and are th#s considered a form of action.
The i naccuracy of t he anal ogy
<5
$ttempting to con&ey the s#btleties of di&ine reality as it does,
no analogy in hassidus can e&er be f#lly precise. 8ere too,
42
(eshaya <!35. ,f. Peri Etz haim, Shaar "erias Shema, ch. 1.
43
%ee the Siddur, blessings on Shema.
44
Tehillim 0036.
45
The following section is based #pon Se#er HaMaamarim 5658, p. !/
and Hagahos Ldibbur Hamaschil Posach Eliyahu 5658, pp. 0A-01.
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24
there is a difference between the analogy and the way it is for
EFd3 $s mentioned, by &esting itself in the body, the so#l is
affected by the body and by e&ents that occ#r to it. EFd,
howe&er, altho#gh 8e &ests 8imself in the &essels, is not
affected by them, for that wo#ld imply a change within 8is
:ssence, and of EFd it is written, 4), EFd, ha&e not changed.5
<6

-oreo&er, if EFds :ssence had changed to any degree, this
wo#ld philosophically stri*e down the core @ewish doctrine that
EFd is totally one, for change necessitates pl#rality. )t deser&es
to be noted that one of the main goals of the school of ,habad
,hassid#s is to e;plain this principle logically.
The terminology that is metaphorically #sed in reference to EFd
also reflects this principle.
There is a difference between the terms she#a, flow, and ohr,
light3
She#a is a term #sed by the @ewish philosophers to denote two
interconnected concepts3
The gi&er is in&ol&ed in the act of gi&ing himself, =#st as in
a flow of water, where the water itself flows down.
%imilarly, the fac#lties themsel&es, and e&en the so#ls &ery
essence, become &ested in the bodys organs.
%ince the gi&er is directly in&ol&ed in gi&ing, he is also
affected by the &ery act of gi&ing, for 4e&ery mo&er is
46
Malachi 036.
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The Rebbe Rashab
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25
mo&ed.5
<!
%imilarly, the so#ls presence in the body ca#ses
it to be affected by worldly e&ents, as disc#ssed abo&e.
$s mentioned, EFd was in no way affected by creating the
world. To e;press this, the *abbalists #sed the analogy of light
to describe 8im, for two interconnected reasons3
The s#n itself does not shine in the world, b#t merely a ray
of it. %imilarly, EFds :ssence does not descend to
AtzilusD only a ray of it descends.
%ince it is only a ray that descends, the s#n is not at all
affected by whether its light shines (in the daytime" or
doesnt shine (in the night-time". %o, too, when the Ohr
Ein So# shines in the ten Se#iros of Atzilus, it manifests
itself li*e a ray of light, not a flow of infl#ence. Th#s, EF
ds :ssence is not affected by 8is light descending into
Atzilus.
&nal ogy from a t ree
<8
$n analogy for the relationship between EFds infinite light and
the lights of Atzilus can be deri&ed from a tree. The trees
branches are inconse7#ential when compared to the tr#n*, =#st
as any emanation is considered as nothing in comparison with its
47
Moreh 1evuchim, ?ol. /, preface .
48
-#ch of the following section is based #pon Se#er HaMaamarim
56!1, pp. 1<5-1<!. %ee also Hemshech !kocho 56/6.
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26
so#rce. Ie&ertheless, the branches draw their s#stenance and
&itality directly from the tr#n*, and share the same s#bstance as
the tr#n*.
The tr#n* of the tree corresponds to EFds infinite light, the
le&el of "esser that transcends Atzilus. The branches
correspond to the lights of Atzilus, which are an emanation
from EFds infinite light, b#t are as nothing compared to that
light, =#st as the branches are as nothing compared to the tr#n*.
8owe&er, =#st as the branches draw their s#stenance directly
from the tree, so does this emanation draw directly from EFds
infinite light. $nd =#st as the branches share the same s#bstance
as the tr#n* of the tree, so do the lights of Atzilus greatly
resemble EFds infinite light itself.
To de&elop this analogy f#rther3 The main p#rpose of a fr#it tree
is to grow fr#it, and therefore the entire tree is named for the
fr#it that it prod#ces6for e;ample, a fr#it tree. The fr#it is
regarded as the main p#rpose of the tree despite it ha&ing a
f#ndamentally different character from the rest of the tree3 The
branches share the same s#bstance as the tr#n*, while the fr#it
ass#mes an entirely different formD also, once f#lly grown, the
fr#it falls from the tree.
8owe&er, altho#gh the tr#n* is considered the main part of the
tree, the fr#it grows primarily on the branches, not on the tr#n*.
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%imilarly, the fr#it corresponds to $ya, which is f#ndamentally
different and from Atzilus in that it regards itself as an
independent entity from EFd, =#st as the fr#it has an inherently
different character than the tree. $ya is also called the world of
separation, =#st as the fr#it becomes separate from the tree.
$ya can only be created &ia the intermediate stage of Atzilus,
not directly from EFds infinite light, =#st as the fr#it grows on
the branches, and not on the tr#n*.
8owe&er, the entire p#rpose of Atzilus is to lead to $ya, =#st
as the main p#rpose of a tree is for its fr#it6to the e;tent that
the tree is named for its fr#it.
The l esson
<
%o far we ha&e spo*en of the so#l in a general sense. 8owe&er,
to be more precise, there are two so#ls3 the di&ine so#l and the
animal so#lD the so#l referred to abo&e is the di&ine so#l.
8owe&er, altho#gh the f#lfilment of the di&ine so#ls p#rpose is
ad&anced by being &ested in the body, it is not yet reali(ed. The
process of entering the body occ#rs at birth, and merely creates
the setting that enables the so#l to f#lfil its p#rpose d#ring the
persons lifetime6namely to refine, ele&ate, and #ltimately
transform three areas3
49
-#ch of the section below is based #pon Tanya ch. 0!.
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28
1. the animal so#l, which is closer to the di&ine so#l inasm#ch
as it also being a spirit#al entityD
/. the body, which is the ne;t step f#rtherD
0. the persons 4portion in the world,5 i.e., e&erything
physical that is part of his life, e.g., his possessions,
li&elihood, place of li&ing, and so on.
:ach of these three 4belong5 to the so#l, in the sense that EFd
assigns each di&ine so#l with the tas* of refining a special
animal so#l, body, and portion in the world.
Cet #s analyse the first step of this process3 that the di&ine so#l
sho#ld infl#ence the animal so#l. There is a 7#ant#m leap
between the two3 the di&ine so#l nat#rally gra&itates towards EF
dliness, while the animal so#l gra&itates towards physicality.
This is the meaning of the &erse 4The spirit of man goes #pward,
and the spirit of the beast goes downward to the earth.5
5A
8ence
on its own, the di&ine so#l has no way of directly infl#encing the
animal so#l, an e;istentially different entity.
8owe&er, when the person accesses the di&ine so#ls fac#lties
by profo#ndly contemplating EFds greatness in a way that it
becomes clearly #nderstood on the intellect#al le&el, and this
inspires him to tangible, re&ealed emotions of lo&e and awe, this
channels the light of the di&ine so#l into the animal so#l and
enables it to relate to and be inspired by EFdliness as well.
50
"oheles 03/1.
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This is the *ey to refining the animal so#l6s#blimating its
initially physical and self-oriented dri&es into a passion for EF
dliness.
This e;citement then inspires one to st#dy Torah and perform
-it(&os passionately. This is the #nity of the lights and the
&essels on a personal le&el, for the physical st#dy of Torah and
performance of -it(&os is the &essel and the inspiration with
which one performs these acts is the light.
This brings all the higher le&els disc#ssed earlier to the fr#ition
of their p#rpose, for the #ltimate p#rpose of the creation of the
entire chain of worlds is that EFdliness sho#ld be drawn down
into this physical world, for 4EFd desired a dwelling place in the
lowly realms Mthis physical worldN.5
51
$nd when the @ew st#dies
Torah and performs the -it(&os, he elicits this di&ine glow into
the world, albeit in a hidden form.
8owe&er, when -oshiach comes, may it happen immediately,
o#r hidden accomplishments thro#gho#t the age of e;ile will
become tangibly &isible, and EFd will th#s ha&e an eternal
dwelling place in o#r world in the most complete, re&ealed
sense.
51
Midrash Tanchuma, 1aso 16. Tanya ch. 06.
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30
,ummary tabl e
Type of
garment
&nalogy in the
person
Parallel in the
higher realms
5ther
analogies
f#sed
garment
#nity of so#ls
essence and
fac#lties
#nity of EFds
:ssence and the
lights of Atzilus
a
d
o
r
n
m
e
n
t
s
s
o
#
l
J
b
o
d
y
#nity of so#ls
fac#lties and
bodys organs
#nity of the lights
and the &essels in the
Se#iros of Atzilus
separate
garment
three so#l
garments
#nity of the lights
and the &essels in the
Se#iros of $ya
reg#lar
garments
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