In honor of Israel’s 75th birthday, Israel365 is excited to launch a new series of essays that will unlock the secrets of the Hebrew Bible!
Excerpted from Rabbi Akiva Gersh’s forthcoming book, 75 Hebrew Words You Need to Understand the Bible, these essays illuminate the connection between related Hebrew words, revealing Biblical secrets only accessible through Hebrew.
Enjoy the series – and happy 75th birthday to the State of Israel!
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NESHAMA
NE-SHA-MA
SOUL
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When describing the creation of Adam, the first man, the Bible says that God blew āinto his nostrils the breath of life,ā a gift no other living being received. Jewish tradition teaches that each time we breathe, the original act of God breathing life into us is repeated.
Manās very breath came directly from God, infusing his being with a lofty soul capable of being conscious and aware of Godās presence in the world. Neshima, the Hebrew word for ābreath,ā is composed of the same letters, in the same order, as neshama, the Hebrew word for āsoul.ā Our precious souls, the very essence of our being, are truly the breath of God.
āThe soul of man is the candle of God, revealing all his innermost partsā (Proverbs 20:27). Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, an early Hasidic master, teaches that the human soul is literally a āpieceā of God from above that is placed into each and every person. This Godly presence within us allows us to reveal our āinnermost parts,ā helping us recognize the strengths that God blessed each of us with, as well as our incomplete parts that need further development and fixing.
The word neshama appears in the very last verse of the very last psalm in the Book of Psalms. āLet all souls praise God, Hallelujah!ā (Psalms 150:6). Praising God and recognizing that everything God does is for the good is the highest expression of the soul.
