The Main Difference between a Beastly Soul and a Godly Soul

Article No. 17, 1988

It is written in The Zohar (Tazria, Item 1): “Rabbi Elazar started, ‘On my bed night after night I sought Him whom my soul loves.’ He asks, ‘He says, ‘On my bed.’ It should have said, ‘In my bed.’ However, the assembly of Israel spoke before the Creator and asked Him about the exile, since she is seated among the rest of the nations with her children and lies in the dust. And because she is lying in another land, an impure one, she said, ‘On my bed I ask, for I am lying in exile,’ and exile is called ‘nights.’ Hence, ‘I sought him whom my soul loves,’ to deliver me from it.’”

We should understand why he says that “On my bed at night” refers to the exile. Exile can be understood in three ways: 1) She is “seated among the rest of the nations with her children.” This is plural form, “among the nations.” 2) She “lies in the dust.” 3) “Because she is lying in another land, an impure one,” which is singular form.

Also, we should understand what is “the assembly of Israel with her children” in the work, and that they lie in exile and she is lying in the dust, in the work.

It is known that the assembly of Israel is called Malchut, who is the root of all the souls, for Malchut contains within her all the souls. Generally, we learn that all the corrections in the world are named after Malchut because Malchut is the general Kli [vessel] that receives all the lights imparted upon all the worlds.

Baal HaSulam said a rule that we must know: 1) In general, all the lights that exist in the worlds are regarded as the light of Ein Sof. 2) The general receiver that we discern in the worlds and in the Sefirot is Malchut. 3) All the multiplicities are only from the perspective of the receivers. 4) Each and every discernment we make is to the extent that Malchut is impressed by the lights she receives.

That is, according to the power of the Masach [screen] that Malchut raises Ohr Hozer [Reflected Light], she feels the light bestowed upon her. Since there are many discernments in the Masachim [plural of Masach], as we learned, there are also many discernments in the light.

To understand the need for a Masach and Ohr Hozer, which causes many discernments, we must remember what is said in The Study of the Ten Sefirot, Part 1, where he says that we begin to speak of the connection between the Creator and the creatures, and that connection is called “His desire to do good to His creations.” For this reason, He created existence from absence, and this “existence” is called “will to receive for oneself.” This is something new, which did not exist before that desire was created. Hence, this desire, called Malchut, received that light as one discernment, without distinguishing degrees, since the Creator, who created the will to receive delight and pleasure, was precisely a desire to receive to the extent that the Creator wants to give.

For this reason, it is written in the beginning of the book Tree of Life, that prior to the Tzimtzum [restriction], the upper light had filled the whole of reality, and there was no beginning or end, until after Malchut of Ein Sof received the light. And since the power of the upper one, which is the desire to bestow, is included in the light, once Malchut received the light, she wanted equivalence of form, like the light she had received. For this reason, she restricted herself from receiving in order to receive and will not receive any more abundance than the extent to which she can aim to bestow.

Since we attribute this Kli to the receiver, and it is against the nature of Malchut, who was created with a will to receive, and now she needs to do something against her nature, making such a Kli does not happen at once. That is, Malchut cannot receive all the light she had prior to the Tzimtzum and take it in order to bestow.

This is why we discern many discernments in Malchut, which is the general vessel of reception, to the extent of the ability of the Masachim that she is able to do. That is, from the perspective of the Creator, His intention was to bestow endlessly, meaning according to the measure of the will to receive. But from the perspective of the lower one, which wants to receive only in order to bestow, we get all the multiplicities called “corrections of Malchut.”

Generally, we speak of Malchut de Atzilut, who was the only one to beget the souls. Through the cascading of the worlds, Malchut de Atzilut emerged, and the souls she begot correct her. That is, the souls that come from her, each one corrects at the root of his soul in Malchut, to be a corrected part in the will to receive in her in order to bestow. And to that extent, Malchut bestows upon the lower ones.

That is, to the extent of equivalence of form that the lower one causes above in Malchut, to that extent it is bestowed upon the lower one, who caused the correction in her, so she can receive from her upper one because there is already equivalence of form between the receiver and the Giver. This is called “the unification of the Creator and His Shechina [Divinity].” That is, unification is called “equivalence of form.” When the receiver is corrected with the aim to bestow, this aim makes the receiver be regarded as giver because everything follows the intention.

As said above, the purpose of creation is to do good to His creations, meaning for the souls to receive delight and pleasure. For this reason, since equivalence of form mandates that there will be work in the lower ones, to obtain that intention to bestow, and since the creatures were created with the nature to work in order to receive, which is against the Kedusha [holiness/sanctity] because all the light of pleasure that comes from the Creator is because He desires to bestow and the lower one who receives it is the opposite of this, hence, the question is, From where will the creatures take life, so they can exist, before the creatures obtain the vessels of bestowal so they will have equivalence of form, since any life and pleasure come from the Creator, and disparity of form separates them from the Creator? Thus, who would give them vitality and pleasure, since without this it is impossible to exist because of the law of the purpose, which is “to do good,” and if the creatures have no delight and pleasure, they cannot exist in the world.

Rather, the Kedusha sustains the Klipot [shells/peels] so they will not be cancelled. For this reason, even before a person is rewarded with vessels of bestowal, in order to be able to receive the light of Kedusha, he is nourished by the Klipot, from what the Kedusha sustains Klipot with, so they will not be cancelled. This is as it is written in the “Introduction to The Book of Zohar” (Items 10-11): “In order to mend that separation, which lies on the Kli of the souls, He created all the worlds and separated them into two systems, as in the verse: ‘God has made them one opposite the other.’ These are the four worlds ABYA of Kedusha, and opposite them the four worlds ABYA of Tuma’a [impurity]. He imprinted the desire to bestow in the system of ABYA of Kedusha, removed the will to receive for themselves from them, and placed it in the system of the worlds ABYA of Tuma’a. Because of this, they have become separated from the Creator and from all the worlds of Kedusha. The worlds cascaded onto the reality of this corporeal world where there is a body and a soul and a time of corruption and a time of correction. For the body, which is the will to receive for oneself, extends from its root in the thought of creation, through the system of the worlds of Tuma’a.”

Accordingly, we see that the Klipot are necessary to us since the Guf [body] extends from them and receives vitality from them. Only afterward, by the power of Torah and Mitzvot [commandments/good deeds], when he engages in order to bestow contentment upon his Maker, he (the body) begins to purify the will to receive for himself imprinted in it, and gradually inverts it into working in order to bestow. By this, it extends a soul of Kedusha from its root in the thought of creation, and it passes through the system of the worlds of Kedusha and dresses in the body, as it is written there (in Item 11).

For this reason, the Kedusha must give vitality to the Klipa [shell/peel] so they can exist. It is as it is written in the book Tree of Life (Panim Masbirot, Branch 39): “It is necessary to have some tiny sparks of Kedusha—which are the 11 marks of the incense—within those Klipot [shells/peels].” This is the meaning of what is written, that nothing can exist without sparks of Kedusha.

For this reason, we discern two souls in man: 1) a beastly soul, 2) a soul of Kedusha.

The beastly soul is that which sustains the body and maintains its existence, since it is impossible to live without pleasure. Pleasure is light that comes from above, and “there is no light without a Kli.” For this reason, the pleasure must dress within some Kli, and it cannot be said that a person wants pleasure without any clothing, but only the pleasure. Rather, there must be (pleasure) clothed in some Kli. Generally, the dresses where the light of pleasure is clothed are called “envy,” “lust,” and “honor.”

By and large, there are three dressings, but in each clothing there are many discernments. For example, in “lust,” we should discern eating, drinking, and so forth. Likewise, there are many discernments in eating, as well as in drinking.

In other words, in each clothing, we feel a different pleasure, which is different in taste. Thus, the taste of eating bread is unlike the taste of eating cake, etc. Although the light of pleasure is one, the dresses in which the light of pleasure clothes make the differences.

All of this is called “the beastly soul.” This means that there is “beast,” and there is “man,” as our sages said, “You are called ‘man,’ and the nations of the world are not called ‘man.’” We should understand that “beast” means that one has no relation to the work of the Creator. For this reason, “the beastly soul,” which sustains the body, has no need for faith in the Creator. Even those who have no faith can receive the light of pleasure that sustains the body, which is called a “beast,” although we should believe that there is nothing that does not extend from the Creator, meaning that the Kedusha sustains the Klipot. Yet, the body being called “a beast” means that it does not feel that the light of pleasure comes from the Creator. We must believe that the Creator did this on purpose—that they would not know that He has given them life—because it is for man’s correction. Otherwise, man would have been regarded as “knowing his Master and aiming to rebel against him.”

Conversely, the “Godly soul” is that to the extent of the faith he has, the Godly soul spreads within him, meaning the feeling that he has a Godly soul that sustains him spreads within him to the extent of the faith that he has. The extent of the faith can be in a person according to the measure of his work in order to bestow, as explained in the Sulam [commentary on The Zohar] (“Introduction of The Book of Zohar”), where he says that a person cannot obtain faith before he has vessels of bestowal.

We should believe, as we see, that the beastly soul that sustains the body, according to the measure of clothing in the dresses, so we feel the flavor, where the beastly soul is clothed in the dresses. Although the beastly soul is one, through the dresses it wears, we see that each clothing yields a different taste. Certainly, we should say that the one who wears, who is clothed in the dresses, changes according to his dresses.

Likewise, we should believe that a Godly soul also clothes in its dresses, called Torah and Mitzvot. Although we say that there are no changes in the light, the dresses engender different flavors, so we cannot feel the taste of light that is dressed in Torah and Mitzvot as similar to one another.

Since a different light is dressed in each Mitzva [commandment/good deed], which is the meaning of the 613 Mitzvot that The Zohar calls “613 deposits,” meaning that in each Mitzva, a different light is deposited, meaning a different flavor, since the changes come due to the dresses.

This is similar to what is written in the Sulam (Mar’ot HaSulam, Part 1), that when we are rewarded with “hearing the voice of His word,” the 613 Mitzvot become Pekudin, from the work Pikadon [deposit], since there are 613 Mitzvot, and in each Mitzva, the light of a unique degree is deposited, corresponding to a specific organ in the 613 organs and tendons of the soul and the body. It follows that by making the Mitzva, he extends to its corresponding organ in his soul and body, the degree of light that pertains to that organ and tendon. This is regarded as the Panim [face/anterior] of the Mitzvot.”

Although the light is one, since there are no changes in the light, but “there is no light without a Kli,” meaning without dresses. It follows that the dresses change the flavors in the light. Many discernments extend from this, both in corporeal pleasures and in spiritual pleasures.

However, we must know that the primary discernments we make in spirituality are the Masachim. To the extent that we can aim to bestow, which in spirituality is judged by the Ohr Hozer [Reflected Light] he has, so he dresses the upper abundance. In the order of our work, it is called “to the extent that a person can aim to bestow,” to that extent the light appears to him.

Now we will return to explaining what we asked about the assembly of Israel lying in the dust. The Zohar calls the exile by the name “nights,” and by the name “seated among the nations,” and by the name, “the other, impure land,” and by the name “dust.” According to the above, the issue of the souls having to correct the Malchut from where they were born, is that since by nature, the Creator created Malchut with a desire and yearning to receive delight and pleasure, since this was the purpose of creation, but because of the correction of creation, in order not to have shame, she should be corrected into working in order to bestow. This correction is for the souls to do.

That is, we learn that “His desire to do good to His creations” refers to the souls, that they will receive delight and pleasure, and all that we learn about the upper worlds is only a preparation where by the restrictions and cleansing and various changes that we learn in the upper worlds are but preparations for the souls to emerge in the way that the Creator wanted them to emerge—ready to receive delight and pleasure. For this reason, when we say that Malchut engendered the souls, it means that the souls should receive the abundance from her under the conditions by which the abundance can stay in their possession, meaning that they will receive in order to bestow. This means that it is as though the souls say to Malchut, “Give us delight and pleasure into our Kelim, which we awaken ourselves, so everything we do will be only in order to bestow.”

Now we can understand that the words “Malchut is in exile with her children” are because this concerns the desire to bestow, which are the Kelim with which we can receive the delight and pleasure and that it will not depart (the abundance). Otherwise, if the will to receive for oneself comes in the middle, the abundance must depart since the Kelim of the desire to bestow are called “man,” as our sages said, “You are called ‘men,’ and the nations of the world are not called ‘men,’” where “man” means bestowing and “beast” means receiving, and “man” means male and “female” means receiving.

It is known that each person in the world is considered a small world in and of itself, as it is written in The Zohar. That is, each person consists of seventy nations, which means that “God has made them one opposite the other.” There are seven qualities of Kedusha, called HGT NHYM, and each consists of ten Sefirot. Hence, the seven qualities of Kedusha are sometimes called “seventy faces.” Opposite them are seventy nations of Tuma’a [impurity], and everything is included within man.

This means that the “man” in him, regarded as “the point in the heart,” is in the dark, under the rule of the seventy nations in him, which enslave the Israel in him so he will not be able to engage in bestowal, which is “man,” but rather the beastly soul governs. It follows that the quality of “Israel” is in exile among “the rest of the nations,” meaning that self-reception, called “the nations of the world,” controls “Israel.”

This is regarded as the Shechina seated among the rest of the nations with her children, as in, “When Israel are in exile, the Shechina is with them.” It follows, that she is in exile with her children. Generally, Malchut is called Shechina, and her children are every quality of Israel within each and every one. “Being in exile” means those who feel that they cannot emerge from the control of the nations of the world. The measure of suffering in the exiled is judged by the measure of wanting to come out from the exile, from the governance of the rest of the nations.

However, sometimes, a person comes to a state, as it is written, “And they mingled with the nations and learned from their actions.” That is, they do not feel any difference between them and the nations. That is, he does not say that he wants to do otherwise except the nations are ruling over him. Rather, he himself wants to behave like all the nations. That person is not in exile. That is, he has no Kelim for exile, since one whose Kelim are in exile means that he wants to work in order to bestow but the body resists him. Then it can be said that the seventy nations in his body control the Israel in him.

At that time he can say that the vessels of bestowal are under the control of the body, and when he cries out to the Creator to deliver him from exile, he knows what he wants with clarity. It is as it is written in The Zohar, that a person should see while he is praying, that he knows how to pray clearly.

We asked, Does the Creator not know what is in man’s heart? So, why does The Zohar say that one must speak to the Creator clearly? The answer is that it must be clear to man what he is asking of the Creator, for the reason that there is no light without a Kli, and therefore no redemption without an exile.

By this we should interpret that exile means the Shechina with the souls are in exile. In order for Malchut to receive delight and pleasure for the souls, they must be in equivalence of form, which is the desire to bestow. Yet, that desire is placed under the rule of the Klipot, called “land of the nations” or “the impure land.” When a person wants to work in order to bestow, he feels a taste of dust in the work of bestowal. Only when he engages in order to receive for himself does he feel the taste of food.

This is similar to how we interpreted the words, “And you will eat dust all the days of your life,” as our sages said, “A serpent, its only food is dust.” We should interpret that as long as one did not correct the sin of the primordial serpent, anything he eats, meaning all the flavors that a person feels in Torah and Mitzvot taste like dust. However, once a person has been rewarded with correcting the sin of self-reception, called “the primordial serpent,” he begins to feel the flavor of Torah and Mitzvot, as it is written, “nicer than gold and sweeter than honey.”

This is the meaning of the words, “The Shechina is lying in the dust.” This means that each one who wants to work in order to bestow, meaning to take upon himself the burden of the kingdom of heaven, feels the taste of dust, due to the sin of the primordial serpent, as Baal HaSulam said about what our sages said, “The serpent came over Eve and cast filth in her.”

He said that the meaning is that the serpent cast in Malchut Zu-Ma [this-what], meaning he blemished the kingdom of heaven. One who wants to take upon himself the kingdom of heaven, the serpent comes and asks that person “this” “what,” meaning “What will you get out of wanting to work for the sake of the kingdom of heaven?” That serpent is the evil inclination. That is, we must believe above reason that through the kingdom of heaven, we will receive the delight and pleasure, which is the purpose of creation, and the only reason we cannot receive this good thing is because of that serpent, called “will to receive for oneself.”

This is the meaning of what is written, that we understand the exile in three ways: 1) She is “seated among the rest of the nations.” He means that the point in the heart of each and every one is sitting in exile among the seventy nations that exists in each of them. 2) She is “lying in the dust,” meaning they feel the taste of dust. 3) Generally, she is “lying in another, impure land,” which is called “the primordial serpent,” where she should have been dressed in a place of desire to bestow, called “the land of Israel.” That is, instead of all his actions being Yashar-El [straight to the Creator], she is in another land, an impure land. Naturally, she cannot bestow upon the creatures the delight and pleasure because of the disparity of form between the creatures and the Creator.

This is the meaning of the words, “On my bed,” which The Zohar interprets as referring to the exile. It refers to those who suffer from the exile and want to escape from the will to receive for themselves, but the nations of the world control them and they cannot emerge from their control. About those she says, “I seek that which my soul loves, to bring me out of it,” meaning that the Creator will give the strength to come out of exile, since there is already an “awakening from below,” called Kli and “desire.” At that time it is possible for the light to spread, where the light of redemption removes the control of the nations of the world.

Now we can understand the difference between a beastly soul and a Godly soul. That is, in truth, both come from the Creator, since there is no life in the world but that which the Creator gives. But the difference is that the Creator gives the beastly soul to man, and a person does not need to know that the sustaining soul comes from the Creator. Instead, he thinks it comes through nature’s messengers. This is considered that “over the nations of the world, He has given governance to ministers.” That is, they do not need to believe that it comes from the Creator. Conversely, He alone governs the people of Israel, meaning that the quality of Israel in man believes that it comes from the Creator, and there is no other force in the world, but rather He alone does and will do all the deeds.