Is Judaism a Soulless Religion?
Some people believe that Judaism's belief in the existence of souls is a later historical development that borrowed from Greek thought and philosophy. If so, a great deal of Jewish thought, which speaks in length about the effect of human behavior on the soul, is a product of external non-Biblical influence. This would call into serious question many ideas central to Judaism, such as the Afterlife, but more importantly the effect of doing mitzvos on the soul of a human being. This is especially true for
Chassidic thought for which the soul is a prime area of focus and perhaps the most deeply considered area of subject matter. In a very real way Chassidus treats the soul as one of its main disciplines.
However, if the Torah does make references to the soul then it can rightfully said that Judaism's focus on this subject matter is not a product of Greek influence, but to the contrary, sprouts forth quite naturally from the Torah. To that end I have compiled a list of sources throughout the Tanakh that make explicit reference to the soul of a human being.
Topics Covered
Man Became a Living Soul
The first example comes from Genesis 2:7, which says, “And the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and He breathed into his nostrils the soul of life, and man became a living soul.”
.וַיִּ֩יצֶר֩ יְ-הֹוָ֨ה אֱלֹהִ֜ים אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֗ם עָפָר֙ מִן־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה וַיִּפַּ֥ח בְּאַפָּ֖יו נִשְׁמַ֣ת חַיִּ֑ים וַיְהִ֥י הָֽאָדָ֖ם לְנֶ֥פֶשׁ חַיָּֽה (בראשית ב:ז)
Gathered to His People
The Torah uses a peculiar phrase (gathered to his people) in the following places:
| And Abraham expired and died in a good old age, old and satisfied, and he was gathered to his people. (Genesis 25:8) | וַיִּגְוַ֨ע וַיָּ֧מָת אַבְרָהָ֛ם בְּשֵׂיבָ֥ה טוֹבָ֖ה זָקֵ֣ן וְשָׂבֵ֑עַ וַיֵּאָ֖סֶף אֶל־עַמָּֽיו: (בראשית כה:ח) |
| And he commanded them and said to them, "I will be brought in to my people; bury me with my fathers, in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite… (Genesis 49:29) | וַיְצַ֣ו אוֹתָ֗ם וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֲלֵהֶם֙ אֲנִי֙ נֶֽאֱסָ֣ף אל־עַמִּ֔י קִבְר֥וּ אֹתִ֖י אֶל־אֲבֹתָ֑י אֶ֨ל־הַמְּעָרָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר בִּשְׂדֵ֖ה עֶפְר֥וֹן הַֽחִתִּֽי: (בראשית מט:כט) |
Ishmael - And these are the years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred years and thirty years and seven years; and he expired and died and was gathered to his people. (Genesis 25:17)
Isaac - And Isaac expired and died and was gathered in to his peoples, old and sated with days, and his sons, Esau and Jacob, buried him. (Genesis 35:29)
Jacob - And Jacob concluded commanding his sons, and he drew his legs [up] into the bed, and expired and was brought in to his people. (Genesis 49:33)
Moses and Aaron - And die on the mountain upon which you are climbing and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people. (Deuteronomy 32:50)
King Josiah - Therefore, behold I gather you in to your forefathers, and you shall be gathered into your graves in peace, and your eyes shall not see any of the calamity that I am bringing upon this place." And they brought back word to the king. (II Kings 22:20).
Commentators
This section includes the commentaries of Rashi and Seforno on the phrase "was gathered to his people" in Genesis 49:29.
Rashi
Rashi explains it as follows:
| Heb. נֶאֱסָף [The term נֶאֱסָף is utilized] because they brought souls into the place where they are concealed. | נאסף אל עמי - על שם שמכניסין הנפשות אל מקום גניזתן, וכל אסיפה האמורה במיתה אף היא לשון הכנסה... (בראשית מט:כט) |
Seforno
Seforno explains it as follows:
| And he was gathered to his people - to the bundle of life for eternal life with the righteous of the generations like him. And he said to him "(to) his nations" in the plural form, to signify the great the difference in their virtues, although they have all received eternal life, as the Sages said of this chapter, "and each one is embarassed from his companion" ... (ibid) | ויאסף אל עמיו - אל צרור החיים לחיי העולם עם צדיקי הדורות שהם עמו הדומים אליו. ואמר עמיו בלשון רבים, שרב ההבדל במעלותיהם, עם היותם כולם זוכים לחיי עולם, כחז"ל בפרק השואל, "וכל אחד נכוה מחופתו של חבירו"... (שם)) |
Angels
The Torah speaks of angels, which are purely spiritual (immaterial) beings that in some cases temporarily possess a physical body. Where do the angels exist when they abandon their temporary, earthly forms? Do they cease to exist?
And it was, when the flame went up from upon the altar toward heaven, and the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on, and they fell on their faces to the ground. (Judges 13:20)
וַיְהִי֩ בַעֲל֨וֹת הַלַּ֜הַב מֵעַ֚ל הַמִּזְבֵּ֙חַ֙ הַשָּׁמַ֔יְמָה וַיַּ֥עַל מַלְאַךְ־יְהֹוָ֖ה בְּלַ֣הַב הַמִּזְבֵּ֑חַ וּמָנ֚וֹחַ וְאִשְׁתּוֹ֙ רֹאִ֔ים וַיִּפְּל֥וּ עַל־פְּנֵיהֶ֖ם אָֽרְצָה. (שופתים יג:כ)
Resurrection of the Dead
| And I will lay sinews upon you, and I will make flesh grow over you and cover you with skin and put breath into you, and you will live, and you will then know that I am the Lord." (Ezekiel 37:6) | וְנָתַתִּי֩ עֲלֵיכֶ֨ם גִּידִ֜ים וְהַֽעֲלֵתִ֧י עֲלֵיכֶ֣ם בָּשָׂ֗ר וְקָֽרַמְתִּ֚י עֲלֵיכֶם֙ ע֔וֹר וְנָתַתִּ֥י בָכֶ֛ם ר֖וּחַ וִֽחְיִיתֶ֑ם וִֽידַעְתֶּ֖ם כִּֽי־אֲנִ֥י יְ-הֹוָֽה:(יחזקל לז:ו) |
| And I looked, and lo! sinews were upon them, and flesh came upon them, and skin covered them from above, but there was still no spirit in them. (Ezekiel 37:8) | וְרָאִ֜יתִי וְהִנֵּה־עֲלֵיהֶ֚ם גִּידִים֙ וּבָשָׂ֣ר עָלָ֔ה וַיִּקְרַ֧ם עֲלֵיהֶ֛ם ע֖וֹר מִלְמָ֑עְלָה וְר֖וּחַ אֵ֥ין בָּהֶֽם:(יחזקל לז:ח) |
Other References
| Man's soul is the Lord's lamp, which searches out all the innermost parts. (Proverbs 20:27) | נֵ֣ר יְ֖-הוָה נִשְׁמַ֣ת אָדָ֑ם חֹ֜פֵ֗שׂ כָּל־חַדְרֵי־בָֽטֶן:(מִשְׁלֵי כ:כז) |
| And many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awaken-these for eternal life, and those for disgrace, for eternal abhorrence. (Daniel 12:2) | וְרַבִּ֕ים מִיְּשֵׁנֵ֥י אַדְמַת־עָפָ֖ר יָקִ֑יצוּ אֵלֶּה לְחַיֵּ֣י עוֹלָ֔ם וְאֵ֥לֶּה לַֽחֲרָפ֖וֹת לְדִרְא֥וֹן עוֹלָֽם:(דניאל יב:ב) |
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