On Divine Inspiration – Chapter 18

However, we must first understand the fundamental difference between Divine excitement that stems from the Divine soul and the excitement of the intellectual, natural soul in the brain and heart. At first glance, what difference is there here?

Now, in short, the explanation is as follows: In regard to the Divine soul’s excitement about G_dliness, though the person becomes excited through comprehension and the like, nonetheless, it all is an actual aspect of G_dliness, including the comprehension itself. After all, it is actual G_dly comprehension.

On the other hand, the comprehension of the intellect of the natural soul cannot be compared to this at all, for though when the natural soul becomes excited with intellectual comprehension, the essential thing is also only the G_dliness within the comprehension, because he would not become excited by comprehending a different concept unrelated to G_dliness. Nonetheless, this is a comprehension from the “Garment of Nogah”[1] that conceals the essential Divine illumination. This is because the place from which this natural soul was hewn, including its ten powers: Desire, intellect, emotions, thought, speech etc., in essence, is all from the aspect of the “Garment of Nogah” which is a composite of good and evil etc.

This is in accordance to the well known statement of our sages, of blessed memory, that there are three partners in the birth of a child;[2] the father and mother draw down the natural soul, such as human emotions and intellect etc., whereas the Holy One, blessed be He, contributes the Divine soul, as in the verse, “You blew it into me etc.”[3] This is in accordance to the statement in Etz Chaim that the soul, in and of itself, does not need repair because it is from the world of Repair [Olam HaTikun[4]] that is, from the world of Atzilut.

(Even in the Nefesh of Asiyah, a glimmer from the external vessels of Zeir Anpin radiates there. As known, the thirty vessels of Zeir Anpin become Nefesh, Ruach and Neshamah of the worlds of Beriyah, Yetzirah and Asiyah etc. Therefore, even in an unlearned Jew who only possesses a Nefesh of Asiyah, a glimmer of the aspect of Atzilut is present there. However, it is only called Atzilut of Asiyah etc.)

The Divine soul descended into the natural soul for the sole purpose of clarifying the garments of Nogah which were drawn down by the father and mother. This is the foundation of service of G_d in this world through fulfilling Torah and mitzvoth [commandments] with love and fear of Him. This is to say that it all is contingent on the excitement of the natural soul, as mentioned above in regard to the particular categories of its five levels; Nefesh, Ruach, Neshamah, Chaya and Yechidah etc.[5] However, the Divine soul, in and of itself, in the place from which it was hewn, that is, in the aspect of Atzilut of Beriyah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, is not in need of repair.

Now, we need to understand all this. For does not the Divine soul also become excited with desire, intellect and emotions? This being the case, what, essentially, is the difference between the excitement of the Divine soul when it comprehends G_dliness and the excitement of the natural soul when it comprehends G_dliness? Certainly, in both of them the excitement is only from the G_dly aspect within the comprehension or the emotions etc.