#nefesh

[echoesofthefall]

Jewish animism & the notion of "soul"

"Two souls exist in the earth being, Wind Spirit and Breath Spirit. Wind Spirit [Rua'h] journeys from one end of the universe to the other while a person dreams. Breath Spirit [Neshamah] dwells deep within the chambers of chambers." Midrash Olam Katan, No. 4, from Gershon Winkler, Magic of the Ordinary.

Jewish tradition uses different names for the soul. The ones that are mostly used in the Tanakh are neshamah (breath), nefesh (living being) and rua'h (wind). Kabbalah adds two more terms: 'hayyah (life) and yekhidah (singularity), but I won't be talking about these two in this post because I don't personally use them in my practice for now.

Many non-monotheistic systems of belief incorporate soul dualism, or the doctrine of multiple souls. Wikipedia tells us: "In many cases, one of the souls is associated with body functions ("body soul") and the other one can leave the body ("free soul" or "wandering soul"). Sometimes the plethora of soul types can be even more complex. Sometimes, a shaman's "free soul" may be held to be able to undertake a spirit journey." My animistic perspective on Judaism is no different: I do believe in a pluralistic conception of the soul.

The Torah says "For the nefesh of the flesh is in the blood." (Leviticus 17:11). Nefesh, thus, is associated with the blood of a living thing, and dies with it. Neshamah is the part that is reincarnated in the Gilgul Neshamoth, the Wheel/Cycle of the souls. Neshamah is given directly by HaShem, and is responsible of the nefesh, as it is written: "He blew into his nostrils the breath of life [nishmath 'hayyim] and man became a living being [nefesh 'hayyah]." (Genesis 2:7). That leaves us with the rua'h, the wind. I equate this with the "free soul" of soul dualism, the one that can travel outside the body, as the opening quote of this post illustrates : "Wind Spirit [rua'h] journeys from one end of the universe to the other while a person dreams." I believe the rua'h also travels when the body is in certain trance states. Some people may thus be able to journey through the universe. HaShem is also said to have Their own rua'h, the rua'h Elohim (Spirit of G-d), the rua'h HaShem (Spirit of the Name), or the rua'h haQodhesh (Holy Spirit), sometimes equated with the Shekhinah. These notions are not to be confused with the Christian Holy Ghost, one of the three persons of the Trinity, a concept which can't exist in Judaism.

I believe every thing created by HaShem has a neshamah. In the Tehilim, the Book of Psalms, inanimate things are said to praise HaShem:

"Praise Him, all His angels, praise Him, all His hosts. Praise Him, sun and moon, praise Him, all bright stars. Praise Him, highest heavens, and you waters that are above the heavens. [...] Praise HaShem, O you who are on earth, all sea monsters and ocean depths, fire and hail, snow and smoke, storm wind that executes His command, all mountains and hills, all fruit trees and cedars, all wild and tamed beasts, creeping things and winged birds" Psalms 148:1-4;7-10

"Let all that breathes [neshamah] praise Yah." Psalms 150:6

Everything is alive, and everything is constantly praising its Creator. This is the core belief of Jewish animism.

כל הנשמה תהלל יה הללו יה

Woodcut credit

[classicalmonuments]

Tomb of Absalom / Absalom's Pillar  (Yad Avshalom, Absalom's Shrine)

Kidron valley, Jerusalem, Israel

1st century CE

20 m.

Tomb of Absalom is an ancient monumental rock-cut tomb with a conical roof, a few metres from the Tomb of Zechariah and the Tomb of Benei Hezir. Although traditionally ascribed to Absalom, the rebellious son of King David of Israel (circa 1000 BCE), recent scholarship has dated it to the 1st century CE. 

The tomb is not only a burial structure in its own right, with its upper part serving as a nefesh or funeral monument for the tomb in its lower part, but it was probably also meant as a nefesh for the adjacent burial cave system known as the Cave or Tomb of Jehoshaphat, with which it forms one entity, built at the same time and following a single plan. The freestanding monument contains a burial chamber with three burial sites. The chamber is carved out of the solid lower section of the monument, but can only be accessed from the upper section via a built entrance and a staircase. It has been compared to Petra, given the rock-cut nature of the bottom segment and the style of the finial.

Absalom's Pillar is approximately 20 metres (66 ft) in height. The monument proper stands on a square base and consists of two distinct parts. The lower section is a monolith, hewn out of the rocky slope of the Mount of Olives, while the upper part, rising higher than the original bedrock, is built of neatly cut ashlars.

The lower half is thus a solid, almost perfectly cubical monolithic block, about 6 m (20 ft) square by 6.4 m (21 ft) high, surrounded on three sides by passageways which separate it from the vertically-cut rock of the Mount of Olives. It is decorated from the outside on each side by pairs of Ionic half-columns, flanked in the corners by quarter-columns and pillars (a so-called distyle in antis arrangement). The four square facades are crowned by a Doric frieze of triglyphs and metopes and an Egyptian cornice.

The upper, ashlar-built part of the monument consists of three differently-shaped segments: a square base set on top of the Egyptian cornice of the lower part, followed by a round drum crowned by a rope-shaped decoration, which sustains a conical roof with concave sides (the easily recognisable "hat"), topped by a half-closed lotus flower. The upper part of the monument corresponds to the outline of a classical tholos and is not unlike contemporary Nabatean structures from Petra.

On the inside, the upper part of the monument is mostly hollow, with a small arched entrance on the south side set above the seam area (where the masonry part starts). Inside this entrance a short staircase leads down to a burial chamber carved out of the solid, lower section. The chamber is 2.4 metres (7 ft 10 in) square, with arcosolium graves on two sides and a small burial niche. The tomb was found empty when first researched by archaeologists.

[progressivejudaism]

Come join your WWT family for a Tashlich ceremony!

Tashlich: Letting go of what you need to release in the coming year

September 19, 2020 @ 11:30 AM EST following Rosh Hashanah services

Ritual Description:  Come join us for a personal and introspective ritual, adapted to Zoom! Typically tashlich is performed on the bank of a moving body of water, where people release breadcrumbs representing mistakes or regrets from the previous year.  This is a restorative practice designed to help you forgive yourself and move forward in the new year.

** All are invited to participate in our High Holy Day services, classes, and rituals regardless of their faith tradition or background! **

[project-sefirot]

The Aftermath | Chapter 3 | Body Discovery

You were shooed away from the storage room hallway by force. As you waited for word from Nefesh and Ruach, Neshama soon joined you.

“It appears a dangerous gas was detected in the air within the storage room.” She crossed her arms, clucking her tongue. “It should be safe for you to enter soon enough.”

Chayah sidled up behind her soon after.

“Ooh, what’s going on, what’s going on?”

“Chayah, go downstairs.” But Neshama didn’t pay him any mind.

“Awww, fiiiine…”

He stormed off, pouting. Soon enough, Nefesh returned, looking dejected.

“It’s… It’s clear now. You’re… not gonna like this.”

Her steps were heavy, and she slowly turned around to lead you back down the hallway towards storage. As you passed by the storage room door, now jammed 90% open, you spied Ruach, sans goggles, arms crossed, looking more tired than ever. He merely shot a glance through the doorway,

Nikki Hera, the Sociologist, and Hideyoshi Ueno, the Computer Technician, were sprawled on the floor, face down. A faint sickly smell hung over the air, meaning beyond the shadow of a doubt - they were dead.

Soon enough, that voice came over the PA system once more.

“Attention please - two bodies have been discovered in the Storage Room. Work will be suspended to allow for an investigation into this matter. After which, we will convene an official meeting to review this incident.”

[project-sefirot]

The Trash Compactor | Chapter 3 | EVENT

The door, normally off-limits to clerks and employees alike, was unlocked, and slightly ajar. As you approached it, a wave of apprehension swept over you. Did you really want to see what was on the other side?

Were you really prepared to face this truth?

Hesitantly, you nudged open the door and slipped inside, one by one.

Inside, you found a larger room than expected, filled with what appeared to be assembly lines, as well as other machinery, too complex for you to comprehend. A putrid stench met your nose. Whatever this place was, it felt ungodly wrong.

You heard a familiar voice up ahead - was that Neshama?

“Now, now, it’s all going to be okay.”

“I don’t want to, I’m scared...” And… Chayah?

You step forward, and they come into view. Or at least their voices do. What stands before you are two machines, box-like machines with mechanical arms and legs. They have the voices of the two Sephirah you’ve recently met, but… Is this really them?

“Did you ever hear of the AI Ethics Amendment?”

Aletheia had come into the room behind you. You whirled around to confront her, finding her maintaining the appearance you’ve come to know this whole time.

“The Sephirah you’ve come to know, they appeared human to you this whole time, yes? Expressive, emotive, alive? Perhaps moreso than myself, even. But they can never truly have a human appearance, due to this amendment. The only AI here capable of having such a sophisticated appearance is myself. Haven’t I told you that from the beginning?”

At this point, Neshama had noticed your presence, though Chayah was still babbling incoherently behind her.

“What’s with that look on your faces? Don’t make me laugh. I’m not in the mood.” She crossed her arms, appearing irritated, despite her current appearance. 

Chayah whimpered. Neshama reached out and gave his frame a gentle pat.

“Now, now, no need to worry, it’ll all be over soon.” She scooted forward a little, leaving him be. “Well since you’ve come here anyway, you may as well know now. This is the place we were born, and the place we’ll come to die someday.”

“Everything you’ve seen here has been distorted and filtered quite heavily.” Aletheia added. “But that does not include this place. If you intend to stay here, do not look away.”

“You’re right to hate us, you know.” Neshama’s words seemed tired, devoid of their usual measuredness. “This is all we know. This is all we have. I only hope that someday it will all end, and we can finally rest for good.”

You blinked, and Chayah vanished with a sickening crunch as a metal pillar with a flat bottom closed onto the ground. Silence fell over the room, broken only by the faint dripping of blood onto the floor from within the press. 

After a few moments, someone else files into the room behind you.

“Oi, there you are-” It’s Nefesh. Or another box-like robotic frame, with a glowing eye - this one with Nefesh’s voice. “Ah. It’s happened, then?”

“Yes… Tell Ruach he was right.” Neshama sighed, a tinge of sadness in her voice. “I should have known this would happen again when he woke up early, I was just… glad to see him in good spirits for once.”

“I don’t blame you, and neither does he.” It seems she’s just noticed you now. “Oh shit, you’re all here? Well… No going back now, I suppose. Haaah…”

“I know you won’t spare us any thoughts, so I won’t ask it of you.” Neshama addressed you hesitantly. “Just know that the scars in this facility run far deeper than you could ever understand. Now go. Your kind do not belong here, in a place of death like this.”

[project-sefirot]

A Lesson On Efficiency | Chapter 2 | Aletheia’s Corner

With a sigh, Aletheia starts today’s lecture.

“I understand most of you are demonstrating certain attachments to certain abnormalities, which while not explicitly outlawed, is not exactly practical. Today I’d like to discuss efficiency in terms of extracting energy…”

Her voice fades out as you listen to her lecture.

A memory occurs to you, around this time. You’re not sure from when, but you can hear their voices clearly in your head. In this very lobby, in fact.

“Aletheia, Aletheia, hey!” Nefesh trotted towards her desk, panting. “Geez, there you are. I’ve been trying to talk to you all day!”

In response, Aletheia simply looked up at her, waiting for whatever question might come.

“So, that breach today, I was doing some root cause analysis, and I’ve identified a few specific areas of our standard handling procedures we could stand to alter for abnormalities like this going forward to prevent further breaches.” She rifled through a few print-outs in a folder she was carrying, passing two of them to Aletheia. “They only need your approval, ma’am, and we can start training on them immediately.”

Aletheia eyed them dismissively, before laying them on her desk.

“Denied.”

Nefesh’s face paled, her expression twisting from shock to rage.

“W-What the hell do you mean, denied? You know half my department died today, right?”

Aletheia held up a finger to silence her.

“Yes, I’m aware of that. And I’m aware of how serious you take the safety of your staff, Nefesh. Your record has been impeccable, and what few incidents have occurred under your watch have had little to no recurrence.” She gestures towards one particular monitor, showing a graph of some sort. “But consider this. Your department’s energy production has been lagging somewhat, but that one breach today? It more than made up your deficit, in fact? It significantly raised your production average.”

“I-It what-?” Nefesh’s eyes widened as she stared, first at the chart, then back at Aletheia. “You mean to tell me, you’re… actually considering…”

“Putting employees at risk, and even getting them killed, appears to be a significant source of energy for us from this abnormality.”

Words spoken completely level by Aletheia. Nefesh recoiled, taking a step back. She seemed to be struggling to form a response.

“I will permit you to take responsive actions in case of an outbreak, but I cannot allow these measures in light of the energy that abnormality produces when escaped. You know how important this energy is, Nefesh. We cannot pass up figures like this.”

“But-!” Nefesh tried to raise her voice, but Aletheia cut her off.

“I will not permit you to put personal attachments above our goals. Is that understood?”

Nefesh’s face twisted, between shock and anger, before falling, her gaze moving to the floor.

“Yes, ma’am.” Her voice was flat. She turned slowly, and left the lobby, without looking back.

You look up, in time to catch the conclusion of Aletheia’s lecture.

“I trust you understand why we cannot prioritize attachment over energy production now, yes? Keep this in mind going forward. Dismissed.”

Chapter 2 - Stand Vigilant, Protect The Light - END

[project-sefirot]

Deeper And Down | Chapter 1 | Event

When the doors opened, the room that greeted you was startlingly silver. There was little to say for it besides that. What was this place?

"Well, here's our stop." Nefesh stepped out of the elevator first, motioning you to follow. As you left the lift, your eyes settled on a large video screen adorning the far wall. Looking around, you identified two exits - smaller doors, on opposite ends of the room. That was it. Was this our stop? "Well, ok, not quite yet I guess." She shrugged, gesturing towards the doors.

Once you were all out of the elevator, the video screen flickered on. While no picture was displayed, a voice came through.

"Welcome, everyone."

The voice was deeper, and felt... somewhat familiar, oddly.

"In a moment I will direct you to enter one of the elevators downward, to our meeting room. But first, I wanted to offer you a quick explanation of what will happen. For starters, you can call me Y. "

A pause.

“Once you get down to the meeting room, you’ll find seats assigned to you. But we’ll discuss the specifics later. One thing I wanted to answer for you before you enter is a question - why is this investigation your responsibility, you’ve asked?”

The question lingers out there for a moment.

“It is simple, although regrettable. We may be advanced beings, but our primary responsibilities are to maintain this facility and to supervise energy production. We are forbidden from participating in this investigation. Though I myself will serve as judge, I will only render a verdict according to your votes, after your discussion. What is to come is uniquely human in nature, and as such, has to be left to you alone. I do apologize for that, on behalf of myself and my colleagues.” 

A bit of silence, just enough time for you to ask questions and for the voice to not answer them.

“That is all. Now, please proceed into the elevator downwards, and we will begin this meeting.”

The doors on either end opened, and the monitor clicked off. Looks like it’s time, huh? Better get going.

[project-sefirot]

Fond Farewell? | Chapter 1 | Investigation End

Once you arrived in the lobby, you found Aletheia seated by her monitors, waiting for you.

"Good, welcome back. I trust this investigation has been fruitful for you?"

She stood up, taking a step towards you. Dismissing the glares and nervous glances, she waved a hand towards the large elevator in the lobby.

"All you have to do is get in there. While a safety bulkhead has disabled elevator access to the surface, you will be, in fact, going down."

The elevator dinged, and the doors opened with a hiss. Out stepped Nefesh, who gave you a small wave.

"Run along now." Aletheia dismissed. "Department head Nefesh will be escorting you to this meeting. I will remain here, making sure all our systems are back online once more. Once you get downstairs, your host will explain the specifics of how the meeting will function."

A beat of silence, and she continued, offering you a small smile.

"I know most of you don't really care for me, understandably. Trust me, your host is, if nothing else, fair. We have no right to pass judgement on human matters, so this falls to you, unfortunately. Best of luck."

She sat back down with that, returning to her work. Looks like that conversation was over. With nothing else to say to her, you eventually made your way to the elevator, joining up with Nefesh.

"All aboard..."

A push of a button, and the doors closed behind you.

And down you descended...