Dec 10, 20218 min read

The Three Grades of The Soul

Updated: Dec 10, 2021

In this week’s Parsha (Vayigash) commentary from The Zohar, we learn about the three grades of the soul; Nefesh ( נפש ), Ruach ( רוח ) and Neshama ( נשמה‎ ). The Nefesh and Neshama literally translate into English as Soul and the Ruach translates as Spirit.

Every living breathing thing on this earth has a soul. We are all given a soul when we are given life. Our soul essentially mirrors our physical existence in the higher realms, so the more spiritual work that we put in here, the more our spirit ascends thus we become happier and our physical reality changes for the best as the end result. Nothing else has this kind of power. This is not religion, this is reality, this is what we need to apply to our lives and share with the entire world. Through study and prayer, we can obtain the highest level of the soul, the Neshama, and dwell with HaShem, in this world and the next! The Zohar tells us that “every action in this physical dimension has a corresponding influence in the Upper Worlds.”

I figure it would be best for me to share this entire section from The Zohar, as there is no way that I can attempt to explain it any better.

Nefesh, Ruach, and Neshamah

Rabbi Yitzchak and Rabbi Yehuda explore the idea that all details in the lower world have a counterpart in the Upper World, and that the creation of Adam is the culmination the entire process of creation. The rabbis then discuss the nature of the emanations known as the Sfirot of The Creator, which gives rise to an extraordinary description of the qualities of the human soul. The three grades of the soul--Ruach, Nefesh, and Neshamah--are discussed and eventually agreed upon. The Relevance of this Passage Every action in this physical dimension has a corresponding influence in the Upper Worlds. In truth, both worlds are actually one reality; they are like reflections in a mirror.

10. Rabbi Yitzchak and Rabbi Yehuda were studying the Torah one night. Rabbi Yitzchak said: We have learned that when the Holy One, blessed be He, created the universe, He made the lower world after the pattern of the Supernal World, and MADE the one correspond to the other. EVERY DETAIL IN THE LOWER WORLD HAS A COUNTERPART IN THE UPPER WORLD. And He is its Glory, both above and below.

11. Rabbi Yehuda said: Assuredly it is so, and He created Adam above all, WHO INCLUDES AND COMPLETES ALL THE PARTS OF CREATION. This is the meaning of, "I have made the earth, and created man upon it" (Yeshayah 45:12). Surely HE DOES NOT NEED TO REMIND US that He made the earth--so why is it written,"I have made the earth?" Because I "created man upon it," who exists to complete its unification into one wholeness. THIS IS THE PURPOSE OF THE UNIVERSE, AND ITS PERFECTION IS MAN.

12. He opened the discussion with the verse: "Thus says El, Hashem, He that created the heavens, and stretched them out; He that spread forth the earth, and that which comes out of it; He that gives breath (also: 'soul') to the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein" (Yeshayah 42:5): This verse has already been explained. Nevertheless, "Thus says El, Hashem, He that created the heavens," refers to the Holy One, blessed be He, high above-- NAMELY, BINAH--who "created the heavens," (ZEIR ANPIN), FOR BINAH continuously improves ZEIR ANPIN BY EMANATING AND GIVING HIM MOCHIN. "He that spread forth the earth, and that which comes out of it" -- namely, the Holy Land, the Bundle of Life, THE NUKVA --"gives a soul to the people upon it," is the land, THE NUKVA, that confers souls.

13. Rabbi Yitzchak said: It is all above IN BINAH. HE DISAGREES WITH RABBI YEHUDA, WHO SAID THAT THE PHRASE, "GIVES A SOUL TO THE PEOPLE UPON IT," ALLUDES TO THE NUKVA. For from there, BINAH, the soul of life comes out into the land, THE NUKVA. The land receives the soul and issues it to all, as the river that flows (ZEIR ANPIN) RECEIVES FROM BINAH, holds all the souls and issues them to everyone in the land, THE NUKVA. She receives and distributes them to all MEN WHO ARE WORTHY OF HER.

14. Come and behold: when the Holy One, blessed be He, created Adam, he gathered his dust from the four directions of the world. He created him on the site of the Lower Temple, THE SECRET OF THE NUKVA, and then drew upon him the soul of life from the Upper Temple--THE SECRET OF BINAH.

15. The soul consists of three grades and therefore has three names, just like the Supernal Secret, Nefesh, Ruach, and Neshamah. The Nefesh, as has been explained, is the lowest of them all AND COMES FROM THE NUKVA, THE LOWEST OF THE TEN SFIROT. The Ruach is its sustenance. It rules over the Nefesh, being of a higher grade, AND IS DRAWN FROM ZEIR ANPIN to sustain it well in everything-- BOTH IN CHOCHMAH AND CHASSADIM. The Neshamah is the supreme existence--NAMELY, THE LIGHT OF BINAH, WHICH IS HIGHER THAN THE LIGHT OF ZEIR ANPIN AND THE LIGHT OF THE NUKVA, THE RUACH, AND THE NEFESH. It reigns over all, being a holy grade superior to all--TO RUACH AND NEFESH.

16. The three grades, NEFESH, RUACH, AND NESHAMAH, are included within men, who attain them by serving their Master. Thus first, man has a Nefesh with which to be corrected. But when he is intent on purification through this grade, man is corrected and crowned with a Ruach, the holy grade that dwells on the Nefesh, with which the deserving man is adorned.

17. Once he is elevated by Nefesh and Ruach and attains correction through proper service to his Master, Neshamah, a supernal, holy grade that reigns over everything, dwells on him so that he may be adorned by the highest holy grade and be perfect in everything, on all sides, and thereby merit the world to come. He is then beloved of the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written: "That I may cause those who love me to inherit substance" (Mishlei 8:21). "...those who love me" refers to those in whom the holy souls abides.

18. Rabbi Yehuda asked: If this is true, why is it written, "all in whose nostrils was the breath (Lit. 'the Neshamanh') of life..." (Beresheet 7:22)? IF THOSE WHO ATTAIN NESHAMAH ARE THE LOVERS OF THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, WHY DID THEY DIE DURING THE FLOOD? He replied: Surely THEY LOVED THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE. From all those in whom there was a holy Neshamah, none-- such as Chanoch or Yered, or the other righteous Ones--remained to protect the earth so it would not be destroyed in their merit. This is the meaning of, "all in whose nostrils was the breath (lit. 'Neshamah') of life, of all that was on the dry land, died"--they all had already died and departed from the world, and no one remained then to protect the world.

19. Come and behold: There are grades upon grades, Nefesh, Ruach, and Neshamah, grade above grade; first Nefesh, being the lowest grade, as we said, then Ruach, which dwells on Nefesh and is above it. Neshamah is the highest grade, as has already been explained.

20. Nefesh is David's Nefesh, THE NUKVA, which receives the Nefesh from the river that flows (NAMELY, FROM ZEIR ANPIN). Ruach stands over the on Nefesh, which cannot exist without the Ruach, which dwells between fire and water, NAMELY, TIFERET, THE CENTRAL COLUMN BETWEEN GVURAH, CALLED 'FIRE', AND CHESED, CALLED 'WATER'. From here Nefesh is nourished.

21. Ruach depends for its existence on yet a higher grade called 'Neshamah', which is the origin of both Ruach and Nefesh, NAMELY, THE LIGHT OF BINAH, FROM WHICH ORIGINATES THE LIGHT OF ZEIR ANPIN CALLED 'RUACH', AND THE LIGHT OF THE NUKVA CALLED 'NEFESH'. The Ruach is nourished from them. When Ruach travels, Nefesh also travels, and all is one. They approach each other, Nefesh to Ruach and Ruach to Neshamah, and are all one.

22. Come and behold: "...came near to him" refers to the one world approaching the other world, THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE LOWER WORLD, THE NUKVA, THE ASPECT OF NEFESH CALLED 'YEHUDA', TOWARD THE UPPER WORLD, YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN, THE ASPECT OF RUACH CALLED 'YOSEF', so that all becomes one. Because both Yehuda and Yosef were kings, they approached each other and joined together.

If any of that technical Zohar terminology was too confusing for you, here are the two verses that you need to understand:

My take on all of this is the realization that when we begin to seek a closer relationship with G*d, he rewards with a Ruach (or Spirit), which is essentially a building block that enables us to obtain our Neshama; which is the highest level of existence. We are all blessed with a Nefesh at birth, just like anything else that lives, and is what the Ruach sits on top of, which becomes the necessary foundation for the Neshama. This is how we earn HaShem’s presence in this physical reality and also how we earn our own presence in his reality in the world to come.

This all brings to mind an extremely powerful message given to us by our LORD and Savior Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) that I was reading just last night in The Gospel of Matthew:

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” - Matthew 7:24-27

All of this is dependent on us, we have to have faith and make the conscious decision to put that faith above all else. This world is filled with distractions and we cannot let the distractions of this world, neither good or bad, stand between us and our goal to become One with HaShem.

Study, Pray and Follow His Commandments.

His commandments are not some restrictive ancient punishment, they are the highest blessing that we could ever begin to imagine. When we follow his commandments, we are purifying our nature in order to attempt to parallel his own perfect nature. Only then can we earn his divine presence with us on earth.

This is how we earn our Neshamah and our Mansion in His Glorious Kingdom!