Answer: Do you have a body? Did you say yes? So now tell me: Who is this "me" that has this body? Couldn't be the body--you can't say that the body has a body.
So this is what we call the soul. More comprehensively, we are each the composite of a soul and a body. Explains why we're all so confused, right?
Rabbi Tzvi Freeman, a senior editor at Chabad.org, also heads our Ask The Rabbi team. He is the author of Bringing Heaven Down to Earth. To subscribe to regular updates of Rabbi Freeman's writing, visit Freeman Files subscription.
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Your soul is the quintessential expression of feeling joy, sadness, sorrow, despair, passion, and love. Your soul’s purpose is for you to be happy, experience your true self, and to evolve into all that you are. Your soul is your personal history book of all your memories from past lives. They remain in your inner consciousness until patterns of mental, emotional, or physical pain kicks you out of your comfort zone into fear or healing. The essence of your soul is the basis of all knowledge and awareness. Your knowledge comes from your life (s) experiences, and nothing happens to you without your permission. Your soul gains wisdom from experiencing the fragility of your personality. They are misunderstood and judge by many. Human frailties are mistakes we make, and we pray that we do not have to suffer because of them. Your soul loves and accepts you the way you are, and holds no judgment on how you experience your life. It provides you the opportunity to change
Posted By Omena, Tolland County, CT
Posted: Dec 14, 2011
Ummm...
Sorry but I don't really understand the arbitrary comments on this thread, which is probably dead anyway, but a lot of anything about the soul posted on the internet is just completely unsupported. It has been realized that the brain is simply a big mesh of molecules that can tell their fellow molecules if they're in an on or off state, 0 or 1, like binary. And the state of these cells can also be influenced by the cells around them. So given all this - my interpretation is that the brain is just a nice big complex computer that has been programmed through evolution to do the things that are beneficial to itself and man kind. Now I would just like someone to tell me where the idea of a soul is supported in any of this or in a topic I haven't grazed.
Posted By Darren, LA, CA
Posted: Oct 4, 2010
I guess technology is helping us connect our wires inside so we can properly focus
Posted By anon, who, knows
Posted: Aug 23, 2010
So our soul only watches our brain?
So from what I can tell from this conversation is that a soul isn't what thinks and makes decisions for us but its simply an observer of the brain and what it does. So our soul takes the information and feelings from the brain and then expeiriences it but has no say in what the brain does? So free will is simply an illuision created by an overly advaned decision making device called our brain, and it is just displaying its processes and sensory input to our soul? That would mean that as my brain is writing this (ironically) the only true concious part of me that isint just an evolved replicating robot is simply watching with no way to alter it?
That would be one way to look at it :D. Maybe our soul can influence our brain with moral judgement or something... Or maybe our soul is just lent to us from god :D
Posted By Random Highschool student
Posted: Mar 16, 2010
to zav
We have to agree on the definition of a soul to be able to talk about it.
Each jewish denomination has its own definition of a soul. That is the reason why you hear such a variety of opinions concerning the soul.
Like everything else in judaism before you embark in a debate about a soul you have to refer to the talmud and quote the authority who wrote about it.
I do not believe that the members of the Hevra Kadisha (burial society) have seen a soul.
Posted By leon roiter, barranquilla, colombia
Posted: Mar 14, 2010
Anon, how do you know this?
Anon - tell me how you know what a soul is and why animals have one.
If you can not identify what a soul is, and what constitutes having one, how can you claim that you know animals and we have one?
Which animals do not have one? Why?
Please define and locate a soul, so I can find out what one is.
Posted By zav, Dallas
Posted: Mar 14, 2010
Oh My Word. All animals have souls. They think like us. They speak like us. They just don't have the power to overrule us! Remember, we are animals aswell! Think of it like that. Hinduism is the root of religion but has been reaaaaaaally adopted i believe - why not adopt one more thing?
Posted By Anonymous
Posted: Feb 11, 2010
to sam omeksra
G-d gave us free will.
Good or bad has nothing to do with the soul.
Posted By leon roiter, barranquilla, colombia
Posted: Oct 19, 2009
The Mind
It is not the soul that thinks for you. That would be the mind. Which has been proven to be the source of thoughts, emotions, and moralities.
Posted By Adam Bartczak, anaheim, ca
Posted: July 25, 2009
Me
Your consciousness and self identity is a result of advanced brain function. And the self awareness of that and the body it is within is the "me" we all have. And this me doesn't have a body. It is part of the body and a result of the functionality provided by the body. Many animal species have exhibited self awareness and a me identity. Shouldn't they have souls then if this is true? What is the policy on animal souls? (oops, just read it). In Christianity/Catholicism, no animals are allowed in heaven because they do not have souls. Seems counter to observed reality of the self awareness of other advanced mammals and intelligent birds.
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