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Once someone asked a great Jewish sage (the Maharal of Prague), “what is the soul?” The Maharal answered, “It’s impossible to define the soul, because just as G-d fills the world, so the soul fills the body.” Just as it’s impossible to define G-d, so it’s impossible to define the soul. However, we can know something about the soul based upon sources in the Torah, both written and oral. In our parsha, “Ha’azinu,” there is a verse (Deut. 32:9) that gives us a clue. It says, “His people are a part of Him, Jacob is His rope of inheritance.” Rashi explains simply; the Jewish nation emerged from among the non-Jewish world with Jacob as the third of its forefathers. Therefore the Jews coming from Jacob are like a three-stranded rope.
Tanya, which might be called the “handbook” of the Chassidic movement, goes much further with the allegory of the “rope” and “inheritance” provided by this verse. In the fifth chapter of the ‘Epistle on Tshuva,’ the Alter Rebbe (author of Tanya) says that the soul is “like a rope with one head tied above and the other end below.” This rope of the soul is connected to G-d Himself, and consists of 613 strands, corresponding to the 613 commandments of the Torah. If you transgress one of the 613 mitzvot, you are doing the spiritual equivalent of cutting one of those strands. You might not feel it, because the rest of the 612 strands remain intact, but still your transgression has the effect of cutting of part of your soul from the One above.
Further on in Ch. 6, the Alter Rebbe gives another illustration using the allegory of the soul as a ‘rope.’ He says that just as when you pull one end of a rope, you move the opposite end, so your actions in the physical world influence your soul in the upper worlds of its origin. If you transgress here in this physical world, you “shlep” and pull down the absolute spirituality of the source of your soul into the ‘dirt’ and ‘gutter’ that characterizes the physical world and conceals G-dliness.
There seems to be a contradiction between the parables. First, the Alter Rebbe says that our transgressions cut the ‘rope’ that is the soul. Then, he says that our transgressions pull the rope down into the ‘gutter’ that conceals and hides G-dliness. If the rope has been cut, then how is it possible to draw it down from above to below? In addition, the Alter Rebbe slightly changes his language from one chapter to the next. When speaking of transgressions that ‘cut’ the rope (ch. 5), he says that one ‘head’ of the rope is above while the second ‘end’ is below. But when speaking of transgressions that ‘pull’ on the rope, he says that pulling on one ‘head’ pulls down the second ‘head’ as well. That is, rather than mentioning a ‘head’ and an ‘end,’ he mentions ‘head’ twice. This may not seem like a significant difference, but the language of a sage is very precise, and if the Rebbe saw fit to change his use of words, there was probably a good reason.
When bringing the first parable of the rope as 613 strands that are ‘cut’ by our transgressions, the Alter Rebbe also mentions the source of the soul. He cites the verse in Genesis (2:7) that says that G-d “blew into man’s nostrils” the breath of life. He says that this parable is meant to teach us that just as when one blows somewhere, if there is something impeding the path of his breath, it won’t arrive at its goal, so if there is something interrupting between the Jew and G-d, then the “breath of life” will not enliven the person at all. And nothing can get in the way between us and G-d except our transgressions.
Here as well, it’s not understood. If transgressions prevent the ‘breath of life’ that enlivens man’s G-dly soul from even arriving to their source, then how can the transgressions also ‘cut’ the rope that connects the soul in the body with its spiritual source? If G-dliness never made it down into the body (because our sins prevented it from arriving, as in the parable of breath), then there is no ‘rope’ to be cut. Furthermore, from the parable of the strands of the rope that are ‘cut’ by our sins, we understand that different sins have different effects. Each possible transgression cuts a particular strand of the rope, leaving the others intact. But from the simile of G-d’s breath that comes down to enliven our soul in the body, we see that any transgression whatsoever prevents all of the ‘breath’ from arriving to its goal. If the person does any kind of transgression, it will serve as an impediment that prevents any of G-d’s ‘breath’ from enlivening the person.
Obviously, the three parables are coming to illustrate different levels of the soul. Each parable describes a different ‘stage,’ if you will in the unity of the soul with the body. On the highest level, the parable of “breath” illustrates the levels of the soul that always remain in steady contact with their source in the infinite light of G-dliness. This level cannot be separated from its source, and therefore any transgression of any sort will cause this level of the soul to separate from the body. These are the higher levels of the soul, which only one who is pure and holy can experience. The moment there is any whiff of sin, this level returns to its source.
The two parables involving the ‘rope,’ though involve the lower levels of the soul that are en-clothed in the body. The soul descends in two ways. Either the person knows that he is connected to G-d and performs Torah and mitzvoth, or he isn’t aware of the connection and fails to do mitzvoth. In the former case, he is like the ‘end’ of the rope. He is nullified to the One above, like an appendage and an adjunct to the ‘head’ of the rope, which is the soul as it exists in its source. If he fails to fulfill a certain mitzvah or worse, transgresses one of the negative mitzvoth, then he cuts that particular strand. But, for better or for worse, he remains connected through the rest of the 613 strands with his soul-source in the infinite worlds above.
If however, one is totally oblivious of his connection to the source of his soul with G-d above, then he is like a second ‘head’ of the rope. He acts independently of the first ‘head’ that is really his spiritual source, thinks that he has no need for it. If that’s the case, then his transgressions do not merely incise the ‘rope.’ They actually draw the rope down into the mire and the muck that is the ‘klipot’ that hide and conceal G-dliness. He remains “alive,” soul in physical body, because his essential connection with G-d cannot be severed. But, the connection is external and superficial. In reality, he is like a shadow of his true (spiritual) self, and his actions only drag him down, rather than elevate him to his source.
The two parables of “breath” and “rope” are apparent in the verse from our Torah portion (Deut. 32:9) as well. There are two phrases within the verse; “His people are a part of Him,” and “Jacob is His rope of inheritance.” “His people are a part of Him” refers to the higher levels of the soul, that cannot remain in contact with the body when the person sins. This is the “portion of [the essential name of] G-d” within the person, the level that cannot tolerate sin. (In other places, this is called the ‘makifim’ that elevate the person to essential levels of G-dliness). The rest of the verse refers to the soul-levels that are associated and enclothed within the body. They are the two levels of ‘rope’ that are described above, in which we act either as agents of the soul or as independent entities. If we act as agents, then we’re connected by a rope of 613 strands, but if we act independently, then we pull the rope down rather than let ourselves be elevated.
Presently, we are in the period between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, known as the ten days of ‘tshuva,’ or return to the One above. Some translate ‘tshuva’ as repentance, but this is not accurate. When a Jew returns to his spiritual source, from whence his soul originates, he automatically runs away from sin and transgression. He doesn’t merely repent and regret the past, he actively makes a decision to commit to Torah in the future. The process, or itinerary of the ‘tshuva’ journey takes place during these ten days, starting with Rosh Hashana. The first day of Rosh Hashana, simply establish the connection. This is the superficial, external connection that every Jew has, as a Jewish soul in a body. Then, we begin to build upon the connection, adding layer upon layer, until on the tenth day of Tishrei (Yom Kippur), we complete the connection of all of our ten soul-powers committed to 613 mitzvoth. The ultimate completion of this connection, as a ‘rope’ made of 613 strands, takes place on Yom Kippur. Then, as pure and holy souls, we are able to bring down the higher levels of the soul that are not en-clothed in the body. These are the levels that are illustrated by the parable of “breath of life” that G-d breathed into man. They begin to become actualized when the Cohen gadol, or high priest, goes into the Temple and offers the incense on Yom Kippur. This, in turn brings us to the holiday of ‘makifim,’ or transcendent light of the soul – Succot.
May the One above bless all of our respective soul-journeys and enable us to arrive safe and sound with our soul levels intact and in contact with Him.
Adopted and embellished from Likutei Sichot of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, ztz’l, vol. 9, pp.215-224.
Rabbi David Sterne, Jerusalem Connection in the Old City of Jerusalem