Nefesh, Ruach, Neshamah

284. The soul of man is called by three names, which are Nefesh, Ruach, and Neshamah. They are all combined with each other, and their strength is found in three places. The Nefesh is present in the grave until the body decays into dust, and so it rolls around in this world to be among the living and to be acquainted with their pain. At a time of need, it pleads for Mercy for them.

285. The Ruach is the one that enters the terrestrial Garden of Eden and is shaped there in the form of the body from this world, in a garment that it dons there. It experiences these pleasures and delights that are in the brilliance of the Garden of Eden. And it ascends above, TO THE UPPER GARDEN OF EDEN, on the Shabbat and beginning of new months and Festivals, and it delights there and returns to its place. Therefore, it is written, "And the spirit (Heb. ruach) returns to the Elohim who gave it" (Kohelet 12:7). It shall surely return, MEANING during these times that we have mentioned.

286. Neshamah ascends immediately to its place, to that place from where it emerged, NAMELY TO MALCHUT, FROM WHICH THE NESHAMAH IS BORN. It is for it that the candle illuminates, WHICH IS MALCHUT, to illuminate above. BECAUSE THE SOULS OF THE RIGHTEOUS ASCEND BY MAYIN NUKVIN (FEMALE WATERS) TO ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT, THEY BECOME PAIRED THROUGH THEM. This one never descends below. In this is included whoever is included, NAMELY MALCHUT, from all the sides from above and below, BECAUSE MALCHUT COMPRISES THE SOULS OF THE RIGHTEOUS. Until THE NESHAMAH ascends to and becomes attached to the Throne, WHICH IS THE WORLD OF BRIYAH, the Ruach is not crowned in the terrestrial Garden of Eden and the Nefesh does not settle in its place. As soon as THE NESHAMAH ascends, they all can rest, FOR THEY ARRIVE AT THEIR PLACE.

287. And MERCY is needed for the inhabitants of the world. When they are in sorrow and they go TO PRAY at the cemetery, this Nefesh awakens. It goes and floats and awakens Ruach, and that Ruach awakens toward the Patriarchs, ascends and awakens the Neshamah. Then the Holy One, blessed be He, has Mercy on the world as we have already established. Even though they have explained the subject of the Neshamah in other ways, MEANING THAT NEFESH IS IN ASIYAH, RUACH IN YETZIRAH, AND NESHAMAH IN BRIYAH, they all amount to this format. This is the clarification of the matter, and it is all one.

288. When the Neshamah is detained from ascending to its place, the Ruach goes and stands by the entrance of the LOWER Garden of Eden, but they do not open the entrance for it. It goes and drifts and no one pays attention. The Nefesh goes through the world and sees the body becoming wormy and judged in the grave, NAMELY THE THRASHING IN THE GRAVE, and it mourns for it as we have established, as it is written, "Only when his flesh is on him does he feel pain, and while his soul (Heb. nefesh) is within him does he mourn" (Iyov 14:22). Everyone is punished until the Neshamah is bound in its place above. Then they all become bound in their place.

289. All these three are one bond, similar to above in the secret of Nefesh, Ruach, and Neshamah, WHICH ARE MALCHUT, ZEIR ANPIN, AND BINAH OF ATZILUT, for they are all one and one bond. The Nefesh, WHICH IS MALCHUT, has no independent light, which is why it participates in the secret of one body, WHICH IS THE THREE WORLDS (BRIYAH, YETZIRAH AND ASIYAH) THAT MALCHUT DONS, AS A SOUL DOES A BODY, to delight and nourish it in all its needs. About this, it is written, "And gives food to her household, and a portion to her maidens" (Mishlei 31:15). "Her household" refers to the body which She nourishes, and "her maidens" are the limbs of that body, NAMELY THE SFIROT OF BRIYAH, YETZIRAH AND ASIYAH.

290. Ruach is the one who rides on the Nefesh and dominates it, and illuminates it with all that it needs, NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN. The Nefesh is the throne for this Ruach. It is Neshamah who takes out this Ruach, gives it power, dominates it and illuminates it with that light of life, NAMELY BINAH. That Ruach depends upon this Neshamah and shines from it with the light that it illuminates upon it. That Nefesh is dependent upon this Ruach. It shines from it and is nourished by it. And they are all one bond.

291. That supernal Neshamah, NAMELY BINAH, ascends into the flow from the most ancient of all and the most concealed, and it is filled WITH LIGHT from it because it does not stop ILLUMINATING. AND AS LONG AS THE NESHAMAH DOES NOT RETURN TO ITS PLACE, this Ruach does not enter the Garden of Eden which is the Nefesh, NAMELY MALCHUT. The Ruach dwells only in the Garden of Eden, BECAUSE ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT UNITE THE ONE WITH THE OTHER, and the Neshamah is above. Also, the Nefesh, WHICH IS MALCHUT, is not settled in its place in the body below, WHICH IS BRIYAH, YETZIRAH AND ASIYAH, AS LONG AS THE NESHAMAH DOES NOT RETURN TO ITS PLACE ABOVE.

292. In the same way, it is all explained in man BELOW. Even though THE NEFESH, RUACH, AND NESHAMAH THAT ARE IN MAN are all one bond, the Neshamah ascends above with the flow from the pit, NAMELY YESOD OF MALCHUT. The Ruach enters the Lower Garden of Eden similar to above, AS ZEIR ANPIN ENTERS THE GARDEN OF EDEN OF ATZILUT, WHICH IS MALCHUT. The Nefesh settles in the grave. And if you ask, in relation to the Nefesh above, WHICH IS MALCHUT, WILL YOU ALSO SAY that it settles in the body in the grave? Where then is the grave ABOVE? HE ANSWERS, But rather in that strong Klipah, BECAUSE PERTAINING TO MALCHUT, IT IS SAID, "HER FEET GO DOWN TO DEATH" (MISHLEI 5:5), FOR SHE BECOMES ATTIRED AT HER END IN THE STRONG KLIPAH, WHICH IS THE ASPECT OF DEATH AND GRAVE. Therefore, the lower Nefesh is similar to this below, and they all resemble one another. Therefore, THE NESHAMAH is divided into three levels, NAMELY NEFESH, RUACH, AND NESHAMAH. They are one bond and one secret.

293. As long as the bones are STILL in the grave, BEFORE THEY HAVE DECAYED, that Nefesh is present there. And here is the secret for those who know the true way, for those who fear sin. At the time that the Neshamah is adorned above in the Holy Crown, WHICH IS MALCHUT, the Ruach is standing in the supernal Light during Shabbat, the first day of the month and Festivals. When the Ruach descends from the supernal Light to dwell in the Garden of Eden and illuminates and sparkles, the Nefesh stands in the grave and is attired in the form that the body had originally. All the bones take that form and praise and acknowledge the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written, "All my bones shall say, 'Hashem, who is like You'" (Tehilim 35:10). It does not write 'say,' but rather "shall say" MEANING IN THE GRAVE.

294. If permission would be given to the eye to see, it could see the like of forms on the graves that acknowledge and praise the Holy One, blessed be He, on the eve of the commencement of the Shabbat and the night of the first day of the month and Festivals. But the foolishness of man prevents them FROM SEEING. They do not know and do not pay attention to what is existent in this world. They do not bother to observe the honor of the supernal King in this world, and most certainly to observe the honor of that SUPERNAL World, and upon what it is based, and how the things are explained.

295. During the day of Rosh Hashanah, when the world is being judged and the Throne of Judgment stands by the supernal King to judge the world, every single Nefesh hovers and beseeches Mercy for the living PEOPLE. During the night of the end of the Day of Judgment, they go and hover to hear and know the verdict that was decided for the world. Sometimes they notify the living in a vision, as it is written, "In a dream, in a night vision when a deep sleep falls upon men... then He opens the ears of man, and with discipline seals their instruction" (Iyov 33:15-16). What is "with discipline?" This is the Nefesh who stands and establishes things for people so that they should accept discipline, MEANING THAT IT NOTIFIES THEM OF THEIR VERDICT IN A VISION AT NIGHT AND THEN THEY REPENT.

296. During the last night of the Festival, the sentences emerge from the house of the King, and that shadow is removed from the people who are to be removed from this world. THEN that Nefesh that we mentioned goes and floats ABOVE. An appointed angel, who supervises the secret of the engraving on the seal in clear writing, MEANING OVER THE WRITING IN THE AFOREMENTIONED VERDICTS, whose name is Yedomiam, authorizes the writing of the engraved light and, within supernal Visions, descends during that night. Many thousands upon thousands and ten thousands upon ten thousands go with him. They take that shadow from each one WHO WAS SENTENCED TO DEATH, and bring it up above.

297. The Nefesh that we mentioned goes and floats and sees that shadow, AND KNOWS WHO IS GOING TO DIE, and returns to Her place at the grave. It proclaims to the other dead, So-and-so is coming to us, so-and-so is coming to us. If he is righteous and good, they all rejoice and if not they all say, Woe. When they elevate that shadow, they elevate it to the faithful servant whose name is Metatron, who takes that shadow near him and elevates it to its place, as it is written, "As a servant earnestly desires the shadow" (Iyov 7:2). Certainly, he earnestly desires the shadow.

298. From that moment and further, the place for that Neshamah of the men is prepared, MEANING IN YESOD OF MALCHUT OF ATZILUT, as is a place for Ruach in the LOWER Garden of Eden and a place for Nefesh to rest and enjoy during the time that it floats and goes. For there is a Nefesh that has no rest, and there is a Nefesh that perishes with the body.

299. The one that has no rest is the one about whom it is written, "And the soul (Heb. Nefesh) of your enemies, them shall he sling out, as out of the hollow of a sling" (I Shmuel 25:29). This is the one that goes and floats and rolls throughout the whole world, and has no rest at all days and nights. This is the hardest punishment of all. The Nefesh that perishes with the body is cut out from a different place, as it is written, "That Nefesh will be cut off from My presence, I am Hashem" (Vayikra 22:3). What is "from My presence?" It means that the Ruach does not dwell upon it and when the Ruach does not dwell upon it, it has no connection at all with that which is above. It does not know at all of these things in that world. And this Nefesh is like an animal.

300. A Nefesh that has rest meets this appointed Angel Yedomiam and his officers when it goes and floats. They take and elevate it to all the entrances of the Garden of Eden, show it the honor of the righteous and the honor of its Ruach, and it cleaves unto THE RUACH in rest within that garment OF THAT RUACH. Then it knows about the things of the UPPER World.

301. When that Ruach ascends to be attired with the supernal Neshamah above, the Nefesh joins that Ruach and illuminates from it, like the moon when it illuminates from the sun. And the Ruach is connected with that Neshamah. That Neshamah becomes bound into the end of thought, MEANING THE END OF ATZILUT THAT IS CALLED IN ITS ENTIRETY 'THOUGHT,' MEANING CHOCHMAH, BECAUSE IN GENERAL, THE FOUR WORLDS, ATZILUT, BRIYAH, YETZIRAH AND ASIYAH, ARE CHOCHMAH, BINAH, TIFERET, AND MALCHUT, which is the secret of the Nefesh of above, NAMELY MALCHUT OF ATZILUT THAT IS CALLED 'NEFESH.'

302. That Nefesh, NAMELY MALCHUT OF ATZILUT, is connected with the supernal Ruach, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, and that Ruach is connected with the supernal Neshamah, WHICH IS BINAH. That Neshamah is connected with the endless (Heb. Ein Sof), MEANING THAT IT BECOMES BOUND WITH ARICH ANPIN, AS MENTIONED, AND ARICH ANPIN WITH THE ENDLESS. Then there is rest for all, and everything is connected above and below all in one secret and in the same manner.

303. Then there is repose for the Nefesh below. About this, it is written, "And may the soul (Nefesh) of my master be bound in the bond of life with (Heb. et) Hashem your Elohim" (I Shmuel 25:29), MEANING THAT THEY ARE BOUND AND ATTACHED in one way and by one secret with 'Et,' WHICH IS MALCHUT OF ATZILUT. FOR THE NEFESH IS CONNECTED WITH THE RUACH IN THE LOWER GARDEN OF EDEN; AND THE RUACH WITH NESHAMAH WHICH IS IN MALCHUT OF ATZILUT, the ones corresponding to the others, AS NEFESH, RUACH AND NESHAMAH OF A MAN ARE SIMILAR TO NEFESH, RUACH, AND NESHAMAH OF ATZILUT AS MENTIONED.

304. When the moon descends, WHICH IS MALCHUT, which is the secret of the supernal Nefesh OF ATZILUT, it illuminates on all sides. It illuminates all the Chariots and camps OF ANGELS IN BRIYAH, YETZIRAH AND ASIYAH, and makes them into one whole body that illuminates with the light of the supernal brilliance. Here also, the Lower Nefesh OF MAN descends and illuminates in all directions from the brilliance of the Neshamah, and from the Shine of Ruach, and descends and illuminates all the Chariots and camps, which are the limbs and bones OF THE MAN'S BODY. And it makes them into a whole body that illuminates in its own light.

305. This is what is meant by, "And satisfy your soul (Nefesh) in drought" (Yeshayah 58:11), actually your Nefesh. Afterwards, "and make strong your bones" for the Nefesh illuminates the bones and makes of them a whole body that illuminates with the light. It arises, acknowledges and praises the Holy One, blessed be He, as we learned, and it is written, "All my bones shall say, 'Hashem, who is like You'" (Tehilim 35:10) and this is the rest for the Nefesh from all sides.

306. Happy are the righteous who fear their Master in this world, to merit three rests, WHICH ARE NEFESH, RUACH, AND NESHAMAH, in the World to Come. Rabbi Shimon came and blessed Rabbi Aba. Rabbi Shimon said, Happy are you, my children, and happy am I, that my eyes saw this, that many supernal places are prepared for us, and illuminate for us for the World to Come.