Tanya In Simple English – Chapter 2

Core Point: Your Second Soul Is Literally G-d

Core Terminology:
“Atzilus,” “Beriah,” “Yetzirah” “Assiyah” – four spiritual worlds, each progressively closer to Divine revelation.

There is also the physical universe – Assiyah (which is a reflection of the spiritual – the spiritual being its blueprint.)

“Nefesh,” “Ruach,” “Neshama” (“Chaya,” “Yechida”) 3 ( 5 ) parts of your soul (“Nefesh” refers to your action ability – “Ruach” speech, and “Neshama” Intelligence. Chaya and Yechida refer to desire and pleasure which are general levels and prime cause (for everything else.
Yechida is also the inner essence of the soul which is unified with G-d.)  

The G-dly Soul

The second soul within the Jew is literally part of G-d.

As the verse writes, “And He Blew Into His Nostrils, The Breath Of Life.”

And as we say in daily Prayers, “You Blew In Me (My Soul.”)

The Zohar explains the terminology “blowing,” that one who blows does so from their essence – meaning their innermost self is blown.

The innermost essential life-force is what we blow when we blow strongly. (This is why “mouth to mouth resuscitation” can actually give life.)

In a similar sense, the origin of the Jewish soul begins in “the thought of G-d!” as the verse states, “My firstborn Israel;”
“You are children to G-d your father.”

The meaning of these verses (and the appellation “children” is) that just as a child derives (by way of the conceptual point of the semen) from the brain of the father – similarly all Jewish souls come from the thought and intellect of G-d.

Now G-d’s intellect (unlike human, which is added to their being/essence – which is why “the older the wiser” for we are adding knowledge daily…) is one with Him! (In other words, we come from G-d’s Mind, Which Is G-d Himself.)

As the Rambam writes, “He is both the knowledge, the knower, and the known.”

Although it is impossible for a human to fully comprehend this type of intelligence etc. as it states, “If you research G-d, will you discover?” And it states, “My thoughts are not your type of thinking.”

Soul Levels

Now though there are actually tens of thousands of different levels of Jewish souls – some higher than others – and infinitely so! – for example, the greatness of the souls of our Forefathers and Moses our Master, of-blessed-memory, relative to the souls of our generation, the generation which is the heel (meaning right before) the coming of the Moshiach, and relatively speaking, we are the level of a heel in comparison to the mind and head (hence we see the vast contrast.))

Soul-Essence

Similarly in every generation, there are the heads of the generation, and their souls are the level of a head and brain relative to the souls of the Jewish public and simple folk. 

And similarly (for there are actually five levels to the soul) the Nefesh compared to the Nefesh (so the Nefesh of the Heads/leaders are much more sublime) – for every soul is comprised of Nefesh, Ruach, and Neshomah – nonetheless the source of every Nefesh, Ruach and Neshoma of each and every Jew, from the highest to the lowest (namely which descends into the body of even a simple and careless person) comes from the “Higher-Brain,” which is the “supernal wisdom (G-d’s mind.”)

An Example

This like an example of a son who comes from his father’s brain – so even his toenails are created from this drop of semen following it residing nine months in the mother’s womb. It descended level after level (from the conceptual part in the mind) to transform and to create (out of its sublime original essence) a toenail. Concomitantly this toenail is still remarkably connected to – and is one with a remarkable unity (oneness) in its original being and existence, which was a drop from mind of the father.  (This is like DNA, so though the original seed’s DNA was like a sublime stem cell, and the toenail’s DNA makes a toenail they are still the very same DNA.)

Furthermore, even as this toenail is on the person (hence simultaneously separate from the father) it receives its life-force from the brain of the child, as it states, in Gemarah (Nidah see there…) “White (of the semen) from where the veins, bones, and nails derive.”

[And as it states in Eitz Chayim, Gateway of Chashmal regarding “the secret of the clothing of Adam in the Garden of Eden,” which were “nails from the hidden mind.”]

Eternal-Connection

Similarly, an exact analogy (of this, is the journey of the soul) the source of every Nefesh, Ruach, and Neshama of every Jew in heaven begins in the (highest level) the wisdom of G-d. As the verse states, “You have made them all with wisdom.” Then it descends level after level, through the chainlike-descent of the four spiritual worlds, from Atzilus to Beriah, to Yetzira, to Asiyah (and then the Physical Asyiah – which mirrors the spiritual – which is the home of the soul in her body on earth.) 

So Chochmah of Atzilus (G-d’s Mind) is the source of the Nefesh, Ruach, Neshomoh of every Jew, even the low souls of the simple folk (and even) pretty low people. No matter their current standing, they are still deeply connected and one – with a remarkable unity (oneness) in their original being and existence with their Source from where they came, which is the life-force (soul, as it comes) from the Supernal Wisdom.

The reason the Nefesh, Ruach and Neshamah are one with G-d even after they descend into the body on earth, is because the life-force of the Nefesh, Ruach, and Neshama of the common folk on earth derive their energy from the Nefesh, Ruach and Neshama of the Tzadikkim and Chachamim / the Heads of the Jewish of people in their generation.

Bond To The Rebbe

Now we will understand what our sages say regarding the verse, “To attach oneself to G-d…”  that whoever attaches oneself to a Torah-Saint, the verse considers it as if he attached to G-d-Himself.

For through attaching oneself to the Holy-Sages, the Nefesh, Ruach, and Neshama of the simple folk are thereby connected to and one with their original source in the Supernal Wisdom, where G-d and His wisdom are one.  As mentioned, “He is the knower, the known, and the knowledge.” (In other words through being attached to the Tzaadik / Rebbe of the generation – as it states “Tzaadik Yesoid Olam – The Tzaddik Is The Foundation Of The Earth” (for all Divine flow to the generation flows through His Holy Soul) one is henceforth attached to G-d, their original source.)

[As for those who violate and rebel against the holy sages, their Nefesh, Ruach and Neshama come from the hind part of the Nefesh, Ruach and Neshama of the holy sages.]

Holy Intimacy

Now although it states in the Zohar, and the Zohar Chodosh that “The main thing (in order to draw down a high soul) is to make oneself holy during marital intimacy  – whereas the children of the simple folk etc.” (who don’t… therefore it effects the level of the soul so seemingly we effect the level of the souls that arrive, but) the reason for this is, that the Nefesh, Ruach, and Neshama receive a garment (mode of expression, such as speech and intellectual capacity…) from the soul of their father and mother, and all the Mitzvos one does, are all done via that garment (such as saying the blessings, studying) etc.

And even all the blessings one receives from heaven, all comes through this garment; So if one acts in a holy manner during intimacy, he will draw a holy garment for the soul of his son. And even if it is a high soul, it still needs the holy behavior of the father (as it needs this garment, for it is its mode of expression.)

But in regards to the soul itself – we find that sometimes a very high soul of infinite greatness is born to be the child of a person who is quite low etc. as the Ari-Zal explains all this in Likuitei Torah, Parshas Vayiera, and in Taamie Hamitzvos, Parshas Breishis.

{In Summary:

A. Your second soul is literally G-d.

B. Even after your soul is born from G-d, and traverses the spiritual realms to become your soul in your body on earth, it remains part of G-d.

C. This is both because of its innate existence which is G-d, as well as its life-force which on earth draws from the Soul of the Rebbe of the generation.

D. As such one needs to attach oneself to the Rebbe of the generation.

E. By being Holy during Marital intimacy we draw down a great garment for the soul (which is necessary; such as its capacity for intelligence and speech.)

F. One can never judge a Jew, as sometimes a very very high soul will come into a difficult circumstance as its light is so great (the kelipos only allow…) it comes into a great challenge (therefore it is our honor, duty, privilege! to try to reach out to all Jews with brotherly love.)}