Linking ישראל עלו במחשבה to the רמב”ם. What the RaMbaM understands about Hashem: that He is one with his wisdom and all of His faculties, allows us to understand how He can know what is happening in a changing world without changing Himself. הוא היודע הוא הידוע והוא המדע עצמה or הוא וחכמתו אחד. This…

The second proof of the נשמה’s lofty origin is from the מאמר חז”ל: ישראל עלו במחשבה. This is a Kabbalistic “Proof” linking Neshamos to Chochma and through Chochma to the very Essence of G-dliness. The use of Kabbalah within Chassidus gives it “form” and a framework for understanding it intellectually.

This class explores the ויפח, the allusion to Hashem creating the נשמה by blowing. The idea is explained in the topic of גבורה; which means two things: 1) It takes גבורה to unify opposites; in this case, a נשמה and a physical body. 2) Only while in the body does the true גבורה of the…

This class explained one idea only: the dichotomy in the words חלק אלוק ממעל ממש. A) חלק אלוק ממעל: there is nothing more lofty and spiritual than a Neshama. B) ממש: There is nothing that can descend as low as a Yiddisher Neshama. The combination of the highest high and the lowest low tells what…

The Neshama is called “the second Soul”. It is a part of G-d above Mamosh. 1) This is qualified by two ideas: A Chassidic form: חלק אלוקה ממעל ממש, as it was blown (rather than spoken) by Hashem into our nostrils. A Kabbalistic form: we come from מחשבה and חכמה like all children (have their…

Another idea associated with the Kochos is that it inhibits, limits, and gives finite expression to the infinite soul כחות הנפש מבטאים גילויי הנפש בהגבלה ובהתחלקות. This allows the Neshama and the person to operate in a finite world and to co-exist with other Neshamos and to even make compromise.

Introduction: The Neshama’s three levels: 1) Etzem, 2) Kochos and 3) Levushim. Chapter 2 dealt with Etzem, Chapter 4 will deal with Levushim and our Perek will deal with Kochos. The idea of נשתלשלו מהם, that בצלמינו כדמותינו in חקירה means intelligence, but in קבלה it means that all the aspects that exist in אלקות…