Derech Hashem

Chapter 3 – 05

The neshamah as we explained, needs time to recuperate and grow and become elevated. It needs to recognize its own full potential to shine and connect with Hashem and reach perfection. This is one purpose that the Olam Haneshamos serves. Through becoming stronger and greater, it will be able to fully recognize its purpose upon the advent of techiyas hameisim.

The neshamah even now, even in its reduced state on this world, even being connected to a physical body, is still tremendous and bright. It would naturally elevate man to such a great and elevated level, that we wouldn’t be people anymore – we would be spiritual beings. The only thing that prevents this from happening is Hashem, who decreed that the neshamah should be held back and not allowed to fully affect its host the physical body. It can only affect the guf, exactly as much as Hashem allows it to. Through doing mitzvos and maasim tovim, the neshamah brightens and elevates a man, to the level which Hashem decreed it could. Eventually a person dies, and the neshamah goes on to the world of the neshamos, which we call Gan Eden, to recuperate and await rejoining the rebuilt and rejuvenated guf in the world-to-come by techiyas hameisim.

This is an amazing concept to think about. We have no idea, no inkling of how powerful and great our neshamos are. I was asked by a child this past Shabbos to explain the concept of a gilgul, are our neshamos really ours, or someone else’s – will they go into a different person or not. I’m not sure what exactly the child expected to understand, and I know that I don’t understand. But I explained to him this concept. Our neshamos are much, much, greater than our bodies. The seforim explain that the body is just like a shoe for the neshamah, the majority can’t even be contained by the body. This is what is hinted when Hashem commands Moshe ‘Shal ne’alechah me’al raglechah,’ remove your shoes from your feet, He really meant, shed your physical self and allow your neshamah to dominate. When we get extra neshamah on Shabbos, neshamah yesairah, it just means that a drop more of the neshamah is allowed to enter the body, and look how much that elevates us! We don’t understand what it means this neshamah is in this person or that, but we have to understand that the neshamah is a lot more than we can begin to imagine!

When techiyas hameisim happens and the neshamah rejoins the guf, it will be unfettered and its full power and brightness will illuminate the person. Every person will be immediately transformed and purified and perfected by the power of the neshamah. It will take place in each person according to the level of effort and Avodah he completed in this world. But the level will be far above and beyond anything we can imagine.

This won’t be a slow process, like a child growing up – it will happen immediately. But this won’t be the end. After the initial purification and holiness, then there will be a constant state of growth and improvement for every single person, as they grow closer and closer to Hashem. They will attain level upon level, and this is the true joy and accomplishment in the world-to-come.

This is the end of Chapter Three, and iy”H we will now begin Chapter Four.