Souls

B”H

The ZOHAR (Book of Splendor), Parashat Mishpatim, teaches some very deep insights into the secrets of the human souls. In particular, about the Jewish soul. Kabbalah and Chassidut teach that a Jew has a very different soul from a Gentile soul, the task of the Jew is different from those ones of the other nations. The Jewish soul contains a G – dly spark and only a Jewish soul is able to do Tikunim (rectifications) in this world (see the Ramchal in “Adir ba’Marom). Example: When a Gentile keeps Shabbat (a Gentile is forbidden to keep all Shabbat laws) or eats kosher food, he doesn’t cause anything whereas a Jew causes a rectification in this world.

Quote from the ZOHAR:

It is a great humiliation for the holy soul to enter into a “stranger” namely into a convert to Judaism, for then she has to fly from Paradise into a habitation built from an uncircumcised and unclean source.

The ZOHAR here talks about a reincarnated soul into the body of a convert. Kabbalah teaches that those Jewish souls are being reincarnated who missed reaching their goal in this world. Thus, they have to come back in order to reach it.

At a different place, the ZOHAR teaches that the souls are kept in in the upper spiritual worlds before entering a human body. G – d alone decides who is getting which soul and when the soul finally enters the body, it is upset because it wanted to stay with G – d in the upper worlds and not coming down to earth and entering a strange body whose owner is doing all kinds of strange things. The main goal of the soul is returning to G – d into the upper worlds but its worldly owner may damage it with his negative actions.

The ZOHAR continues:

When the souls which converts have obtained from Paradise pass away from this world, to where do they return ? According to the traditional law, he who first seizes the possessions of a convert at the time of the latter’s death becomes their rightful owner. In the same way, all holy supernatural souls which G – d has appointed for those that are below go out at certain times and seasons from their bodily owners and ascend to their first home in order to enjoy the delights of Paradise. There they encounter the souls of the converts, and whichever of them seizes on one claims it as its own. Each soul then clothes herself with that convert soul which she has claimed, and stands thus in Paradise, for there the souls must be all clothed.