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Observe that when the Holy One, blessed be He, created Adam, He gathered his earthly matter from the four corners of the world and fashioned him therefrom on the site of the Temple here below and drew to him a soul of life out of the Temple on high. [1]
Now the soul is a compound of three grades, and hence it has three names, to wit, nefesh (vital principle), ruah (spirit), and neshamah (soul proper). Nefesh is the lowest of the three, ruah is a grade higher, whilst neshamah is the highest of all and dominates the others. [2]
These three grades are harmoniously combined in those men who have the good fortune to render service to their Master. For at first man possesses nefesh, which is a holy preparative for a higher stage. After he has achieved purity in the grade of nefesh he becomes fit to be crowned by the holy grade that rests upon it, namely ruah.
When he has thus attained to the indwelling of nefesh and ruah, and qualified himself for the worship of his Master in the requisite manner, the neshamah, the holy superior grade that dominates all the others, takes up its abode with him and crowns him, so that he becomes complete and perfected on all sides; he becomes worthy of the world to come and is beloved of the Holy One, blessed be He; of him Scripture says: "To cause my beloved ones to inherit substance" (Prov. VIII, 21), the "beloved ones" being those who have attained to the holy neshamah.' ... [3]
... Observe that nefesh, ruah, and neshamah are an ascending series of grades. The lowest of them, nefesh, has its source in the perennial celestial stream, but it cannot exist permanently save with the help of ruah, which abides between fire and water. Ruah, in its turn, is sustained by neshamah, that higher grade above it, which is thus the source of both nefesh and ruah. When ruah receives its sustenance from neshamah, then nefesh receives it in turn through ruah, so that the three form a unity.' [4]
[Soncino Zohar, v2, pp 280-281, Vayigash, 205b-206a.]
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My comments...
[1] The physical form of Adam is constructed from "earthly matter" that is gathered from "the four corners of the world". In terms of the Tree of Life diagram this refers to the gathering together (into one conformation) of the twelve Simple letter pathways that are attached to the four 'directional' (or "corner") sefirot: Hesed, Geburah, Netzah, and Hod. These twelve pathways are then bound together in the sefirah Malkut forming thereby the 'body' of Adam.
The sefirah Malkut is "the site of the Temple here below" referred to in the Zohar extract.
A "soul of life" is given to Adam by the Holy One. It is drawn from "the Temple on high" which is a reference to the sefirah Binah.
According to (my understanding of) the Zohar, 'souls' are given to us by Binah as we enter into each incarnation upon the Earth.
[2] On the Middle Pillar of the Tree of Life we have Malkut (at the very bottom) representing the physical body. Then above Malkut is Yesod basically representing the Nephesh (or 'vital principle'). Then above Yesod is Tifaret symbolising the Ruach (or 'spirit'). Then above Tifaret is the sefirah Da'at representing the Neshamah (or 'soul proper'). This later is closely bound to the sefirah Binah (i.e. the Source of all souls).
[3] The Zohar delineates three basic spiritual conditions for Adam...
1. Nephesh. Involves the growth and development of the human personality as it learns to master the physical conditions in which it finds itself.
2. Ruach. Involves some detachment of the mind (Hod) and desire body (Netzah) from the realm of matter, and the development of 'soul-consciousness'.
3. Neshamah. The sefirah Da'at 'crowns' the lower grades and provides the Zaddik with the means whereby he (or she) is able to perform the "worship of his Master in the requisite manner". The sefirah Da'at gives the Zaddik access to the higher divine sefirot wherefrom he receives the 'blessings' he must then re-distribute to the inhabitants of Earth. The sefirah Da'at makes the Zaddik "complete and perfected on all sides" meaning that he has brought Malkut into harmony with Binah via the perfecting of his own consciousness. This is achieved by building a bridge between Malkut and Binah--one that is constructed of the twelve Simple letter archetypes from Malkut through the consciousness of the Zaddik to Binah.
The "substance" that is inherited (from the Holy One) by the Zaddik is YSh (Yesh, yud-shin), where 'yud' signifies the sefirah Hockmah, and 'shin' symbolises the sefirah Binah.
[4] The Nephesh is impermanent (by itself) because it is formed of the matter of the lower 'physical' planes. The Ruach is associated with the Air element which exists between Fire and Water.
Blessings,
Patrick.
Moon-Libra [2/1]
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Patrick Mulcahy
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