-1

What are the five levels of the neshama for a Jew and the two levels for a non-Jew according to the Zohar? What are their meanings? What are their sources in the Zohar?

Kazi bácsi
  • 7,609
  • 4
  • 23
  • 51
far22
  • 1,550
  • 1
  • 8
  • 19
  • 3
    How do you know that the Zohar says this at all? – Yishai Dec 30 '14 at 17:02
  • I've heard it a lot. I think it is obvious from my question but I can add it if you want. – far22 Dec 30 '14 at 17:04
  • Actually, I think that this is a (very common) misquote. The Zohanr (Lech Lecha 96, 99) says that there are three levels to the soul, and the Midrash Rabba (Beriashis 14:11) writes that the soul has five names. I think that later thinkers (Rama Mi'Fano in Olam Kattan Alef, the Shelah in several places, the Ramchal 3:1:1, and after them many more) have combined those ideas to understand that the soul has five parts/levels/facets – הנער הזה Dec 30 '14 at 17:15
  • http://www.daat.ac.il/encyclopedia/value.asp?id1=3624 –  Dec 30 '14 at 17:23
  • If you're looking for a nice discussion/explanation, I'd suggest checking out R. Shimshon Dovid Pinkus' explanation of the five levels in the published collection of lectures on the Siddur, Nefesh Shimshon – הנער הזה Dec 30 '14 at 18:04
  • @Matt see the brackets in my answer, perhaps I made a bad assumption and you want to edit it? – andrewmh20 Dec 30 '14 at 19:04
  • @andrewmh20 it's not a bad assumption as I think it's also made by many great thinkers, I just think that it doesn't fully answer the question until you either say where it is in the Zohar or reject the premise (say that it isn't in the Zohar explicitly). – הנער הזה Dec 30 '14 at 19:31
  • https://chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/message/45601255#45601255 – רבות מחשבות Jul 12 '18 at 04:14

2 Answers2

1

The five levels of the neshama quoted above would seem to transalate to the Transactional Analysis constructs of

Nephesh - Child Ruach - Parent Neshama - Adult Chaya - The cathexis Yechidah - The ego itself

Both for Jews and non-Jews.

pcoz
  • 2,020
  • 8
  • 12
0

The Tanya quotes "zohar 1, 206a" as saying that the 5 levels of the Jewish soul are "nefesh, ruach, neshama, chaya, yechida". [technically the zohar is only referenced as a source for the first 3 levels, but the other 2 are enumerated in a Footnote elsewhere in the tanya and I assume they can be found In the same place in the zohar].

Furthermore, a non Jewish soul consists of only the animal soul (which Jews have as well, in addition to the above soul which can be at one of the above 5 levels).

andrewmh20
  • 2,462
  • 2
  • 15
  • 31