Kabbalah Library

349. “My soul yearns for You at night; my spirit within me also seeks You.” “My soul yearns for You.” The Creator gave two good forms in man, to use them in this world. These are Nefesh-Ruach. The soul [Nefesh] is for sustaining the body with commandments that will awaken from it, and the spirit [Ruach] is to awaken in Torah and lead it in this world. If the Nefesh is rewarded with commandments and the Ruach is rewarded with engaging in the Torah, then added greatness descends upon him from above, Neshama-Haya-Yechida, according to his ways.

350. With these two, Nefesh-Ruach, a person walks and uses in this world, for that Nefesh exists in the body only by an awakening of the Ruach that is on it.

351. When a person comes to serve and work his master with these two, Nefesh and Ruach, a holy awakening awakens upon him from above, and is present on the person and surrounds him on all sides. It awakens in him in high Hochma [wisdom] to reward him with being in the king’s hall.

352. That awakening that is on him is from a high place, from Bina, and its name is Neshama. From it, a person is awakened to repent and do good deeds. It is an upper force, the force of repentance, which is Bina, who is called “repentance.” She is the mother of Ruach, who is extended from ZA, and Ruach is her son, since ZA is the son of Bina.

353. The Neshama has a high one who loves her, and whose name is Neshama to Neshama. She is the light of Haya, which is extended from Hochma, and she is called the “father of Ruach,” who is from ZA, since HB are the father and mother of ZA. Fear and love of Torah and commandments, which are drawn from the father and the mother, from the son and daughter, awaken from her to a person. Fear and love are extended from HB, who are called “father and mother.” Torah and commandments are extended from ZA and Malchut, who are called the “father and mother of HB.”

Yod of the name HaVaYaH is Hochma, father. The first Hey, Bina, is mother. Vav, ZA, is the son, the bottom Hey, Malchut, is the daughter, and this is a complete HaVaYaH.

354. It is like having Ruach and Nefesh of the right of the good inclination, and likewise, there are Ruach and Nefesh of the left, of the evil inclination. It is written about it, “See, I have given you this day the life and the good, and death and evil.” “The life and the good” means holiness, and “death and evil” are the left of the evil inclination. This is the meaning of the intimation, “And from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” From the good, eat, and from the bad, do not eat from it.

355. It is written about the first Hey of HaVaYaH, Neshama, mother, and about the bottom Hey of HaVaYaH, Nefesh, daughter, “Women’s wisdom built her home,” since the first Hey is Bina that returned to Hochma, and the bottom Hey is the place of the revelation of that Hochma.

“And folly in her hand will ruin it” is the beastly soul of the evil inclination. With her hand, she will ruin the body of holiness, which the Creator gave him to operate in this world, and He has given him the soul to awaken him to the work of above.

356. When a person sleeps in his bed in this world, his spirit roams and wanders in the world. He wishes to rise up to the firmament each night, but several protecting appointees stand in each firmament.