Aspects Of The Soul

Map of the Inner Life
"The soul fills the body, as God fills the world. The soul bears the body, as God bears the world. The Soul outlasts the body, as God outlasts the world. The soul is one in the body, as God is one in the body, as God is one in the world. The soul sees and is not seen, as God sees and is not seen. The soul is pure in the body, even as God is pure in the world…"

—Rabbi Simeon Ben Pazi


The inner life that we experience, and the roots of thought that reach down into the darkness of the subconscious, are features of the life of the soul.

ASPECTS OF THE SOUL

Neshama

Neshama is the most elevated and purest aspect of soul and it shines at the deepest core of our being. "In my body he has kindled a lamp from his glory," begins a poem by Moses ibn Ezra, referring to the light of the neshama. In the morning prayers it says "God, the soul [neshama] you have given me is pure".

Ruach

The next dimension of the soul that Mussar identifies is called ruach, that aspect of the soul that is the source of animation and vigor - no more, and no less, than the "spirit of life."

Read more here...

Joy of Emuna

As it is read in a letter by one of the brothers of Yeshua Rabbeinu,Yaakov haTzaddik (James the righteous), he says ..."Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish it's work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything".

Various trials are not comfortable and we really wish for smooth sailing day to day. However, as we have just read, James says we are to count it as pure joy!

One of todays contemporary sages, of great respect, R. Shalom Arush writes in his book, The Garden of Emuna, "HaShem doesn't want us to suffer: He wants us to live upright lives and to be happy. Life's difficulties are wake-up calls to initiate soul-searching on two levels, namely, to prod us to seek HaShem and to stimulate tshuva and charracter development. if we were always successful, we would most certainly become smug and arrogant, never seeking HaShem, and never correcting a single character flaw. So, if we had everything, we'd really have nothing".

Here's to having a life of pure joy, L'chaim!

Spiritual Evolution

Stuart Chesner, Ph.D., a well known psycologist had this to share...

Our kids show us

a lot of ugly behavior that they would not display elsewhere...why?
 



1. They do it because they know we are the only people in the world who

accept it and won't throw them out on the street for it!
 

2. They do it because they are unsure if we love them enough and are

testing us.
 

3.They do it in order to show them a piece of ourselves that we would rather

not acknowledge.
 

In any long-term relationship, we see each other without make-up, with bad

breath, in foul moods, with diarrhea etc.. How we cope and love within these

moments is the true mettle of our humanity and our commitment. Any idiot

can love a kid who cleans up his room, gets up on time, brings home 100's on

tests and is always respectful. So what? Loving someone like that doesn't

really teach us anything or help us evolve spiritually. Learning to love,

nurture and cultivate the parts of our children and ourselves that are not

so refined and developed is the real pay dirt...That is where our real

spiritual evolution occurs...

Let's take this to heart, I know I will...

painting by Nancy Wait

What?

What? 

You do speak with people? You should ask them: What? 

WHAT??? 

It is right to put this question to people who don't think about their purpose in life: 

“What?” 

Life is full of needless friction and arguments, distractions, obstacles, complaints, claims and counterclaims... You have many reasons and excuses as to why you are far from God. 

Even so, after all this, at the end of everything – what is going to be with you? What will you do at the very end? 

What will you answer the One Who sent you? 

You surely understand that you are but a stranger on this earth. All the days of the years of our empty vanity are “like a passing shadow and a scattered cloud”. 

All this a man knows very well. If so, what do you think? WHAT??? 

Heed these words carefully and bring them deep inside your heart. Don't throw them behind your back. “Turn them and turn them over and over again” – so that you may gain your soul as your prize. 

Sichot Haran #286

Season of Introspection and Repentance

" Master of all worlds! Not in the merit of our righteousness do we cast our supplications before You, but in the merit of Your abundant mercy. What are we? What is our life? What is our kindness? What is our righteousness? What is our salvation? What is our strength? What is our might? What can we say before You, Lord our God, and the God of our forefathers - are not all the heros like nothing before You, the famous as if they never existed, the wise as if devoid of wisdom and the perceptive as if devoid of intelligence? For most of their deeds are desolate and the days of their lives are empty before You. The preeminence of man over beast is non-existent for all is vain."

These are familiar words to many as we start each day. The point here is, if we are willing to take an honest look inward we will see, we are truly full of vanities!

Once we do see will we be willing to change our minds and consequently, our beliefs, our actions...

An unfortunate reality is, we have been trapped. We have been trapped, here in the West, by our society, by the pure necessity of providing for our families in this present age. There is a way out however, if we are willing to scale down, to live on less, to not chase after the bigger house, the latest model automobile, the latest fashion...These things are nothingness, a distraction from reality. Here is a reality, we have entered this world naked and we will leave it naked.

What will you leave your children? Will you leave them money for a formal education? A formal education is good and could be beneficial, but what about compassion? What about mercy, love, goodness, respect, honesty, meekness, devotion to God? Without these things what will their life truly be like?

" A life fulfilled is a life that seeks The Creator of all things" Let us be willing to look into ourselves and change those things that hinder the journey...

photo Matt
Seattle, WA, United States

Self Control

A wonderful quote found in the book "Positive Parenting, Developing Your Child's Potential" will be provided here. It is from page 62...

"The physical body is selfish, and in pursuit of it's desires may cause a person to act with lust, greed, envy, and hostility. It is these characteristics that comprise a barrier which prevents the unity between man and G-d.

A person must therefore strive to overcome these physical tendencies, to eliminate the barrier that precludes identifying with G-d, and his neshamah will then, by it's very essence, be attracted to it's Divine source. The scriptures state that the human neshamah is like the flame of a candle (Proverbs 20:27), and our ethicists explain this simile to mean that just as we when we hold a candle near a large flame, the flame of the candle is attracted to the greater flame, so is the neshamah attracted to it's Divine source, and seeks to be absorbed within it, something which could be achived if the barrier between it and the source was eliminated".

We can also see this concept being presented by Yeshua ben Yosef, Rabbeinu, in some of the apostolic writings of the first century, prior to the destruction of the second temple. It takes practice and a determined mind to enter this place...

We can enter it it, if we want...

Hitbodedut

Rebbe Nachman teaches that the main "weapon" of Mashiach–and of every Jew - is prayer. Every tefilah (prayer), every bracha (blessing), every whispered thanks, every Psalm and every hitbodedut (private, secluded prayer in one's own words) brings the geulah (Redemption) that much nearer.

The intrinsic power of sincere and heartfelt prayer is beyond our comprehension. One of Rebbe Nachman's greatest legacies to us is his teachings on hitbodedut in addition to formal prayer.

What is hitbodedut? Secluded meditation with G-d. During hitbodedut, we speak to G-d, ask Him for whatever we need, confess our wrong-doings and thank Him for all the good that He has done for us.

When we take time out of our busy lives to be alone with our Creator, to pour out our hearts to Him, to ask Him for guidance and forgiveness and share our troubles with Him, we are binding with the Almighty through bringing Him into our daily lives.

This and more can be found here on BreslovWorld...

I would like to add, this applies to every righteous gentile as well who also has a place in the world to come. As human beings, together, we are on the mind of the Maker of Heaven and Earth...