Derech Hashem

Chapter 4 – 01

When we examine an individual person, and his combination of ruchniyos and gashmiyos, of guf and neshamah, of spiritual and physical, we see an interesting thing. A person begins life mostly guf, almost completely a physical being. His mind is hardly developed, and certainly doesn’t determine his actions. His guf calls the shots totally for a while. As he grows older, his mind develops and becomes stronger and more complex, each person according to their growth, but his physical self still rules for the most part and sways most of his choices.

But if a person starts to learn wisdom, meaning the Torah, and begins incorporating his learning into action and deeds and character traits, then he can begin to overpower his physical self and he can stop giving free reign to his every desire. He can become a spiritual, thinking person. 

But the fact is, that at its core, we are physical people, and our physical self is inordinately powerful. The guf is dark, unenlightened, of a nature which is very far from Hashem, and very unprepared to connect to holiness. The neshamah itself, although it is pure and elevated from a spiritual world, once it is placed within a guf, it forms an eternal connection with that guf, and it is distanced from its essence, to become an integral part of the human being, who is mostly physical. It can only escape the overwhelming physicality with tremendous effort, enough power to overcome the energy that is natural to the physical self.

Hashem decreed that the connection between neshamah and guf is eternal, even after a person dies, the neshamah is still connected to the guf and will return to it upon techiyas hameisim. Being that they have this relationship, the neshamah is forced to struggle and weaken the power of the physical self, to diminish the darkness of ‘chomer’, and enlighten and elevate the guf. With that, the neshamah can rise and be enlightened by the ‘ohr ha’elyon,’ the sublime light of Hashem, although it started out so dark and imperfect being connected to the guf. 

Not only is the person himself primarily physical, but we live in a very physical world. Everything around us is ultimately a physical and earthly thing, and we are bound to it and by it. We have to eat and drink, we have to work and make money and be involved in all aspects of nature. The neshamah is not only struggling against the guf, it is struggling against everything in the world, and everything that the guf has no choice but to be involved with.

The amazing wisdom of Hashem that is inherent in our creation and the whole world, allows for a paradoxical outcome of this struggle!

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.

Derech Hashem

Chapter 3 – 04

These are the famous words of the Mesilas Yesharim as well, in his introduction:

וכפי השיעור אשר כבש את יצרו ותאוותיו ונתרחק מן המרחיקים אותו מן הטוב ונשתדל לדבק בו כן ישיגהו וישמח בו

According to the amount that he controlled his yetzer and his desires, and distanced himself from the things which distance him from the good (Hashem,) and he tried to connect to what is good, to that measure will he be granted the ultimate good and enjoy it!

Being that Hashem decreed that the physical self and the neshamah need to separate and part ways for a while, so that the guf can be destroyed and eventually rebuilt in the world of techiyas hameisim, there is a time-lapse where the neshamah and guf are separate. During this time each one has their place. The guf’s place is in the earth, so that is can decompose and rebuild, as Hashem decreed, כי עפר אתה ואל עפר תשוב. The neshamah has a place in the ‘olam haneshamos,’ the world of the neshamos, (which we colloquially call Gan Eden,) during which time the neshamah basks in the presence of Hashem and enjoys a ‘me’ein’, a fraction of what it will eventually enjoy after techiyas hameisim in ‘Olam Habah.’ 

Of course, during this time as well, each neshamah enjoys the connection to ‘tov’ and the presence of Hashem according to the level which they prepared themselves on this world. If a person worked to connect to Hashem in this world, in the world of the neshamos as well, they will benefit according to their effort. But the final and true shelaimus, perfection and connection to Hashem, is only achieved in Olam Habah, the world-to-come, after techiyas hamaisim.

The neshamah and eventually the guf, have a great benefit from this time in the ‘olam haneshamos.’ What the Ramchal explains here is fascinating. Gan Eden, which is the place for the neshamos, is like a ‘beit hachlamah,’ for the neshamah, a rehabilitation clinic. He explains as follows. Once Hashem decreed that death is inevitable, and it is impossible for the neshamah to do its part in perfecting the guf, this caused damage to the neshamah itself. There are three aspects to this. One, the neshamah is connected to the guf which is physical and lacking, and far from spirituality – this affects the neshamah negatively. Second, the neshamah is prevented from truly shining and expressing its beauty and kedushah, as long as it is connected to the guf. Although when we do mitzvos and good deeds, this brings more light into our souls and elevates us greatly, nonetheless, the neshamah is still largely held back by the guf from truly expanding and growing with the holiness it possesses. It is repressed and bottled-up, fully inhibited by the limitations of the guf. The guf itself loses because of this, since the true purpose of the neshamah was to purify and perfect the guf, but after the ‘chait’ this isn’t possible without the death process. Third, the neshamah loses out by not being able to perfect the guf, because perfecting something or someone else is the only true shelaimus! 

This is a fascinating application of a known concept. We understand and the Ramchal has explained to us that true ‘good’ and perfection is by giving to others. This concept is being applied to the relationship between the guf and the neshamah – the neshamah reaches its own personal perfection by perfecting the guf! It can’t do that in this world, and therefore it is negatively affected by that. Essentially, the nature of the neshamah is to perfect the guf, and when it is prevented from doing what is intrinsic to its nature, it is affected as well.

Derech Hashem

Chapter 3 – 03

Once Adam Harishon committed the ‘chait’ of the Eitz Hadaas, his intrinsic nature changed. The world was created with imperfections, and Adam Harishon’s job always was to complete the world, and all things were equal so that he could benefit from his own work. But now those imperfections increased considerably, and not only did Adam Harishon become much less perfect, the whole world was affected. The job of perfection both on himself and on the world, became much more difficult. 

Initially, it was much simpler for him to avoid evil and the imperfections in the world, and to connect to what was good, and through that achieve perfection. The reason was because he wasn’t the cause of the imperfection – he hadn’t ruined the world. It was just what Hashem had naturally imbued the world that needed perfection, and it wasn’t difficult. As soon as he would avoid those pitfalls, he would achieve perfection. But now through his own actions he distanced the world from Hashem, created a barrier between the world and Hashem. He fell in his own level greatly. The ‘chisaron’, those imperfections became a part of him. His work was not only harder, it was double. He had to first purify himself, to revert back to the stage he was before the ‘chait’ of the eitz haddas. Only after he had accomplished that could he begin to do the job he was assigned at creation, to choose perfection, ‘tov’ over ‘rah’.

In addition, Hashem decreed, that it is impossible for the body to achieve perfection as it is. Initially, when Adam would achieve his goal, both the physical body and the neshamah would join in total connection to Hashem. Now that isn’t possible anymore, and the physical body must undergo destruction before it can be rebuilt to once again serve Hashem with perfection. That is why Hashem decreed death upon mankind, because that was the only way their bodies could achieve the level of Adam Harishon before his ‘chait.’ The world has to undergo this process as well, like Chazal say, the world will last 6000 years and then a 1000-years of chorbon. The years of destruction are equivalent to the death and decomposition of a person. After this time the man will be rebuilt with techiyas hamaisim, as will the world.

According to this, the true time that we will receive the reward, is in this rebuilt world. Only then can we truly enjoy the connection to Hashem with our purified guf and neshamah together. However, at that point there will be a marked difference between people. Those who put in the effort to perfect themselves in our world, who worked hard on purifying their neshamah, will reap the reward of those efforts. According to the amount they worked, that is the level of purity and perfection their neshamah will have reached, and thereby be able to impact the physical body as well, and bring it to perfection and purity. They both will become precious and great, and be able to connect and enjoy the presence of Hashem in a much larger fashion than others who did not.