In his wonderful book, Ahavat Kedumim (A Commentary on The Lost Princess), Rav Ofer Erez emphasizes the importance of listening to the voice of the neshamah, the level of soul that is purest and most in touch with God.
To briefly digress, he also discusses other parts of the soul, such as the nefesh and the ruach.
Nefesh
The nefesh is the source of all cravings and desires -- taavos.
It's split into two parts:
Ruach
The ruach lies between the neshamah and the nefesh. It's all about feelings and emotions. Sometimes these are spiritually elevated feelings and sometimes these are lowly petty emotions.
To briefly digress, he also discusses other parts of the soul, such as the nefesh and the ruach.
Nefesh
The nefesh is the source of all cravings and desires -- taavos.
It's split into two parts:
- The animal soul (nefesh habeheima), which craves eating, drinking, material gain, and illicit relationships
- The Godly soul (nefesh haElokit), which craves the truly good things, like closeness with Hashem, Torah study, and self-improvement
Ruach
The ruach lies between the neshamah and the nefesh. It's all about feelings and emotions. Sometimes these are spiritually elevated feelings and sometimes these are lowly petty emotions.
Despite the immense pull of the ruach and nefesh, it's vitally important to listen to the quiet, thin voice of the neshamah.
Doing so gives us good ruach and elevates the nefesh habeheima to the nefesh haElokit.
So what are the basic principles for discerning the voice of the neshamah?
Doing so gives us good ruach and elevates the nefesh habeheima to the nefesh haElokit.
So what are the basic principles for discerning the voice of the neshamah?
Discerning the Voice of the Neshamah
If the advice, thought, or idea you receive does the following:
...then it's come from a good place, a place of holiness.
However, if the advice, thought, or idea you receive SOUNDS good, yet does the following:
...then it's a sign that this originates from a klippah (a negative spiritual shell which hides or entraps positive spirituality), which has come to distance you from Hashem via all sorts of chachamot, all sorts rationalizations.
- Fills you with joy
- Brings you closer to Hashem
...then it's come from a good place, a place of holiness.
However, if the advice, thought, or idea you receive SOUNDS good, yet does the following:
- Fills you with dread or sadness or depression
- Ultimately causes you to grow distant from God
- Ultimately causes you do refrain from doing good
...then it's a sign that this originates from a klippah (a negative spiritual shell which hides or entraps positive spirituality), which has come to distance you from Hashem via all sorts of chachamot, all sorts rationalizations.
Good or Bad? Feeling & Being
We see from the above the combination of both feeling good AND being good are important.
For example, you may fill up with joy when you receive an entire chocolate cheesecake for yourself, or when you commit an act of revenge, or when you snipe at someone, or when you write a particularly scathing letter to the editor...but do you feel closer to God with these acts?
Likely not. (Unless your god is something else, chas v'shalom).
By the way, it's normal to feel more than one feeling. For example, you might be excited to carry out a good deed, but you might feel anxious too. It depends.
Conversely, you might learn of the importance of a particular mitzvah or custom, but the thought of doing it fills you with dread and heaviness -- or panic and anxiety. You start to feel resentful of the obligations God "yokes" on you.
Also, perhaps you start off well, but then the new direction leads you into doing things that aren't good and leave you feeling far from Hashem (if you think about Hashem at all in such a situation). For example, maybe you start feeling harsh, superior, controlling, enraged, useless, or violent. Or you start cheating, lying, or spending too much time with the opposite gender when you aren't married to him/her, and so forth.
(God forbid.)
It's not that you shouldn't ever push yourself, but maybe you're more excited about hosting hippies for Shabbat than you are about cooking a meal for a woman after birth? Or maybe it's the other way around -- you love cooking for the sick and their families, but hosting people stresses you out and while preparing for guests, you find yourself yelling at your family and hating yourself?
Maybe Hashem wants you to do something else.
Yes, it can be difficult to figure things out when other voices are so strong. There are lots of good ideas. But are they right for YOU?
Again, looking over some of the last few posts:
Was Sara Imeinu supposed to be a Rivka Imeinu?
Was Rivka Imeinu supposed to be a Sara Imeinu?
Was Chana supposed to be Devorah Haneviah or vice versa?
No, no, and no.
They all did good things, very powerfully and resoundingly good things.
But they didn't do the same things.
So to sum up:
The klippah's voice:
The neshamah's voice:
What is the thin, quiet voice of your neshamah saying to you?
For example, you may fill up with joy when you receive an entire chocolate cheesecake for yourself, or when you commit an act of revenge, or when you snipe at someone, or when you write a particularly scathing letter to the editor...but do you feel closer to God with these acts?
Likely not. (Unless your god is something else, chas v'shalom).
By the way, it's normal to feel more than one feeling. For example, you might be excited to carry out a good deed, but you might feel anxious too. It depends.
Conversely, you might learn of the importance of a particular mitzvah or custom, but the thought of doing it fills you with dread and heaviness -- or panic and anxiety. You start to feel resentful of the obligations God "yokes" on you.
Also, perhaps you start off well, but then the new direction leads you into doing things that aren't good and leave you feeling far from Hashem (if you think about Hashem at all in such a situation). For example, maybe you start feeling harsh, superior, controlling, enraged, useless, or violent. Or you start cheating, lying, or spending too much time with the opposite gender when you aren't married to him/her, and so forth.
(God forbid.)
It's not that you shouldn't ever push yourself, but maybe you're more excited about hosting hippies for Shabbat than you are about cooking a meal for a woman after birth? Or maybe it's the other way around -- you love cooking for the sick and their families, but hosting people stresses you out and while preparing for guests, you find yourself yelling at your family and hating yourself?
Maybe Hashem wants you to do something else.
Yes, it can be difficult to figure things out when other voices are so strong. There are lots of good ideas. But are they right for YOU?
Again, looking over some of the last few posts:
Was Sara Imeinu supposed to be a Rivka Imeinu?
Was Rivka Imeinu supposed to be a Sara Imeinu?
Was Chana supposed to be Devorah Haneviah or vice versa?
No, no, and no.
They all did good things, very powerfully and resoundingly good things.
But they didn't do the same things.
So to sum up:
The klippah's voice:
- Fills you with dread or sadness
- Ultimately causes you to grow distant from God
- Ultimately causes you do refrain from doing good
The neshamah's voice:
- Fills you with joy
- Brings you closer to Hashem
What is the thin, quiet voice of your neshamah saying to you?
Posts mentioned within:
Rav Ofer Erez in English
Why a Leah Imeinu Can't (and Shouldn't) be a Sara Imeinu
The Overlooked Prophetess: Chana
Tanach: The Garden of Role Models
Rav Ofer Erez in English
Why a Leah Imeinu Can't (and Shouldn't) be a Sara Imeinu
The Overlooked Prophetess: Chana
Tanach: The Garden of Role Models
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