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In kabbalah, the animal soul (נפש הבהמית; nefesh habehamit) is one of the two souls of a Jew. It is the soul that gives life to the physical body, as stated in Tanya, and is the source of animalistic desires as well as innate Jewish characteristics such as kindness and compassion. Although its initial desire is to seek out worldly, physical pleasures, it can be trained to desire spiritual pleasures instead through the guidance of the divine soul.
While the animal soul is still attached to worldly, physical pleasures, it is synonymous with the yetzer hara , the evil inclination. However, the nefesh habehamit is not inherently evil; it merely seeks pleasure. Through persistent, joyous exposure to Torah study and observance of mitzvot , the nefesh habehamit can be trained to desire spiritual and divine pleasures. In its refined state, it is often termed the nefesh hachiyunit, the life-giving soul, because its primary function then is to give life and energy to the body in order to study Torah and perform the mitzvot.
The nefesh habehamit is typically mentioned together with the nefesh ha'elokit , the divine soul, because the nefesh habehamit and the nefesh ha'elokit are at first in opposition to each other. Chassidut teaches that every person must seek to dominate and conquer the nefesh habehamit to make it serve the nefesh ha'elokit. [1]
The nefesh habehamit actually desires to be defeated, as explained by a Zoharic parable of a king (God) who desired to test the mettle of his son, the prince (the soul, whose true identity is the nefesh ha'elokit). The king hires a beautiful harlot (the yetzer hara) to seduce his son, explaining to her that his goal is to test the son. She is to utilize all of her wiles and techniques to ensnare the prince, as anything less would not be a true test. However, inwardly, the harlot wants that the prince should succeed and not succumb to her. [2]
Thus, the sole purpose for evil's existence is to be defeated by mankind, and this is for people's own benefit. [3]
The Tanya explains that it is within the power of all people to at least control the so-called "garments" of the soul. These garments are thought, speech and action, and are derived from the verse (Deuteronomy 30:14), "For it is exceedingly close to you, in your mouth [speech] and heart [thought], to do it [action]." [4] Once these three garments are wholly devoted to Torah and mitzvot, a person attains the rank of a beinoni , and this is within reach of every person. [5]
A tzadik is a person who has utterly transformed the actual emotions of the nefesh habehamit. [4] That is, instead of changing just the external "garments" of the soul, they have transformed the soul's emotions themselves and actually feel no attachment to worldly desires. Their sole desire is for divine pleasures. [6]
The above, however, describes an "incomplete tzadik" in whom a small remnant of evil remains. [7] A "complete tzadik" is a person in whom the essential nature of the nefesh habehamit has been transformed, to the extent that the person "transforms the evil and elevates it to holiness", turning "darkness to light". This tzadik feels no attachment to evil. [6]
The Tanya teaches that the nefesh habehamit is primarily manifest in the left ventricle of heart, and that from there, it spreads throughout the body via the blood. It fights against the nefesh ha'elokit by flooding blood to the brain, where the nefesh ha'elokit resides. [8] The nefesh habehamit itself may be defeated by causing the brain to control the heart, [1] that is, by causing logic to control and guide the emotions. In fact, this is considered the natural state of a person, since in a human the brain is physically positioned above the heart (in contrast to animals, where the brain and the heart are on the same level).
Lust is a psychological force producing intense desire for something, or circumstance while already having a significant amount of the desired object. Lust can take any form such as the lust for sexuality, money, or power. It can take such mundane forms as the lust for food as distinct from the need for food or lust for redolence, when one is lusting for a particular smell that brings back memories. It is similar to but distinguished from passion, in that passion propels individuals to achieve benevolent goals whilst lust does not.
Rabbinic literature, in its broadest sense, is the entire spectrum of rabbinic writings throughout Jewish history. However, the term often refers specifically to literature from the Talmudic era, as opposed to medieval and modern rabbinic writing, and thus corresponds with the Hebrew term Sifrut Chazal. This more specific sense of "Rabbinic literature"—referring to the Talmudim, Midrash, and related writings, but hardly ever to later texts—is how the term is generally intended when used in contemporary academic writing. The terms mefareshim and parshanim (commentaries/commentators) almost always refer to later, post-Talmudic writers of rabbinic glosses on Biblical and Talmudic texts.
Torah study is the study of the Torah, Hebrew Bible, Talmud, responsa, rabbinic literature, and similar works, all of which are Judaism's religious texts. According to Rabbinic Judaism, the study is done for the purpose of the mitzvah ("commandment") of Torah study itself.
Tefillin, or phylacteries, are a set of small black leather boxes with leather straps containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah. Tefillin are worn by adult Jews during weekday and Sunday morning prayers. In Orthodox and traditional communities, they are worn solely by men, while some Reform and Conservative (Masorti) communities allow them to be worn by any gender. In Jewish Law (halacha), women are exempt from most time-dependent positive commandments, which include tefillin.
Shneur Zalman of Liadi was a rabbi and the founder and first Rebbe of Chabad, a branch of Hasidic Judaism, then based in Liadi in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later in the Grodno Governorate of the Russian Empire. He wrote many works, and is best known for Shulchan Aruch HaRav, Tanya, and his Siddur Torah Or compiled according to the Nusach Ari.
In Judaism and Christianity, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is one of two specific trees in the story of the Garden of Eden in Genesis 2–3, along with the tree of life. Alternatively, some scholars have argued that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is just another name for the tree of life.
The Tanya is an early work of Hasidic philosophy, by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of Chabad Hasidism, first published in 1796. Its formal title is Likkutei Amarim, but is more commonly known by its first Hebrew word tanya, which means "it has been taught", where he refers to a baraita section in "Niddah", at the end of chapter 3, 30b. Tanya is composed of five sections that define Hasidic mystical psychology and theology as a handbook for daily spiritual life in Jewish observance.
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Tzadik is a title in Judaism given to people considered righteous, such as biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The root of the word ṣadiq, is ṣ-d-q, which means "justice" or "righteousness". When applied to a righteous woman, the term is inflected as tzadika/tzaddikot.
Tzitzit are specially knotted ritual fringes, or tassels, worn in antiquity by Israelites and today by observant Jews and Samaritans. Tzitzit are usually attached to the four corners of the tallit gadol, usually referred to simply as a tallit or tallis; and tallit katan. Through synecdoche, a tallit katan may be referred to as tzitzit.
Devekut, debekuth, deveikuth or deveikus is a Jewish concept referring to closeness to God. It may refer to a deep, trance-like meditative state attained during Jewish prayer, Torah study, or when performing the 613 commandments. It is particularly associated with the Jewish mystical tradition.
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The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Judaism:
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