The soul of the matter

What is a soul? Something inside us. Something that gives us life; allows us to think, love, fear.

Our souls come from G-d. When He created Adam, He “blew into him a neshama (a breath, a soul) of life.” (Genesis 2; 7)

Our soul is truly a part of G-d above. G-d sent the soul down, into a physical body, to give it life. So that a person (body and soul) can illuminate the world with G-dliness.

And G-d gave us His Torah, so that we can know more about Him, know what He wants us to do, how He wants us to fufill our mission, and how He wants us to channel our energies, our thoughts, our love, our fear and stringency.

Abraham, our forefather, epitomized love. “Abraham who loves Me.” (Isaiah 41; 8)

Isaac epitomized fear, stringency. “The fear of Isaac.” (Genesis 31; 42)

They perfected these traits to be perfectly in tune to G-d’s will, and they bequeathed this capability to their descendants.

There is a time for love, and a time for stringency.

Close to 300,000 gathered together in Washington D.C. to demonstrate their love and caring, and their fierce determination to vanquish the enemy.

And Jewish soldiers entered a hospital that sits above Hamas headquarters. They came with a medical team, to help the patients. They came to try to redeem Israel’s captives. And they came to destroy Hamas, the enemy of civilization.

The soul has the capacity to use intellect and emotions to serve G-d, and make the world a better place.

If you want to know about G-d, look at the soul, a part of G-d. Look at how it illuminates the world, according to G-d’s Torah. Look at the light, the holiness. Look carefully, and you’ll see G-d’s Oneness with all of creation. “Taste and you’ll see, that G-d is good.” (Psalms 34; 9 — ‘taste’ is a Chasidic interpretation)

Until the entire world “will be filled with knowledge of G-d.” (Isaiah 11; 9)

May it happen very soon.