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AA Meeting Meeting of Mindsof Minds

The Two Levels of the Intellectual Soul

BBASEDASED ONON THETHE TEACHINGSTEACHINGS OFOF

TTHEHE R REBBEIMEBBEIM OFOF CCHABADHABAD

1 In honor of

ע"זי מ"נבג ה"זצוקללה

Compiled and adapted

by Rabbi Yehoishophot Oliver

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A Tale of Three SoulsBased on the teachings of the Rebbeim of Chabad

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

All Mankind is Created “In the Image of G–d”..2

The Intellectual Soul..................................................3

Bittul: The Key to Objectivity.................................6

The Jew’s Superior Intellectual Soul....................8

The Jew’s Responsibility to Elevate the Nations...........................................................................9

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3 In honor of

ALL MANKIND IS CREATED “IN THE IMAGE OF G–D”The1 Mishnah states:2

Beloved is man, for he was created in the

image of G–d; it is by special divine love that

he was informed that he was created in the

image of G–d. As it is stated: “For G–d made

man in His own image.”3

The Tosafos Yom Tov notes that the Mishnah

cites a verse addressed to Noach and his

descendants, who were not Jewish. He interprets

that “beloved is man” refers not only to Jews,

but to all mankind. All mankind is created “in

the image of G–d,” and is therefore beloved to

G–d. And since human beings are beloved to G–

d, all mankind should also respect, value, and

love one another.

1 Based on Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 15, pp. 58-61.

2 Avos 3:18.

3 Bereshis 1:17.

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A Tale of Three SoulsBased on the teachings of the Rebbeim of Chabad

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Of course, although in this context “man” refers

to all mankind, not only the Jewish people, it

surely includes Jews as well. Although Jews

possess an additional soul that is “literally a part

of Hashem above,”4 they too were created “in

the image of G–d.”

THE INTELLECTUAL SOUL

What indeed does it mean to have been created

“in the image of G–d,” and why is this “beloved

to G–d”? To state the obvious, G–d has no image

or form, neither material nor spiritual.5 Rather,

4 Tanya ch. 2.

5 See the Yigdal hymn: “He has no semblance of a body,

nor is He corporeal.” Cf. Derech Mitzvosecha, Shoresh

Mitzvas HaTefillah ch. 2.

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echoing the Rambam,6 Chassidus explains7 that

“the image of G–d” refers to the Nefesh

HaSichlis, the Intellectual Soul.

The Intellectual Soul is the mind, the spiritual

faculty that enables a person to think in a 6 See Guide for the Perplexed 1:1:

Now man possesses as his proprium something that

is very strange in that it is not found in anything else

that exists under the sphere of the moon, namely,

intellectual apprehension. In the exercise of this,

neither sense, nor any part of the body, nor any of

the extremities are used; and therefore this

apprehension was compared to G–d’s apprehension,

which does not require an instrument, although in

reality it is not like the latter apprehension, but only

appears so at first.

It is because of ... the divine intellect conjoined with

man, that it is said of man that he is “in the image of

G–d” and “after His likeness”—not that Hashem, may

He be exalted, is a body and possesses a shape.

Likewise, Rashi explains kidmuseinu, “after our likeness”

to mean “with the power to comprehend and discern.”

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uniquely human way. Its goal is to transcend

personal interest and pursue abstract, objective

truth. This is alluded to in the verse, “The

spirit ... of man rises upwards”8; i.e., man—and

the faculty that defines man as different from

animals, the Intellectual Soul—naturally yearns

upward, to transcend itself.

Both Jews and non-Jews possess an Intellectual

Soul. However, the Jew’s Intellectual Soul is

higher than the non-Jew’s, for it “senses spiritual

refinement, so although it is by nature human

intellect, it has a feel for spiritual refinement.”9

This sensitivity to spiritual refinement enables

the Jew who follows Torah properly to truly

transcend his own self-interest in his intellectual

strivings.

7 Sefer HaMa’amarim 5702, p. 104 ff.

8 Koheles 3:21.

9 Ibid.

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By contrast, the non-Jew’s Intellectual Soul

naturally relates to the world in a coarse,

materialistic way, lacking the Jew’s natural

sensitivity to the spirituality that underlies the

world.

The non-Jewish Intellectual Soul comes fully

manifest in secular wisdom, which is the

culmination of the intellectual efforts of the

finest of non-Jewish minds.

This wisdom naturally fosters a feeling of

arrogance; in fact, it fosters a feeling of the

utmost arrogance.10 Thus, ongoing study of

secular wisdom without the spiritual fortification

that Torah study provides will spoil the student

spiritually until he or she ultimately degenerates

to a state of spiritual and moral coarseness.11

10 Put differently, there is no greater arrogance than that

of secular intellectuals.

11 Sefer HaMa’amarim 5709, p. 52 ff.

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BITTUL: THE KEY TO OBJECTIVITY

Now, as mentioned, the purpose of intellect and

of the Intellectual Soul is to bring the person to

transcend his own narrow self-interest and

prejudices, and discover the truth of whatever

subject he examines.

But if so, how is it possible that the Intellectual

Soul of the non-Jews does the very opposite—it

drags the person down into a state of

coarseness?

The answer lies in the key to objectivity, bittul—

which means self-effacement or humility.

When a person is consumed with the desire to

promote his own self-interest, and freely

indulges his preferences, desires, and lusts, then

no matter how intelligent he may be, and how

much of an effort he makes to set aside his

personal interests and be objective in his

analysis of a moral dilemma, he is simply

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9 In honor of

incapable of attaining true objectivity—although

he may well convince himself and others that he

has. And so the moral judgments that he

renders will inevitably be hopelessly biased, and

hence most likely incorrect.

How can one transcend personal bias and

thereby attain truth? It starts with fostering an

attitude of bittul—humility before Hashem and

one’s fellow man.12 This underlying philosophy

then becomes manifest in one’s approach to

worldly matters. The humble person will eschew

hedonism and embrace a lifestyle of moderation

and restraint in which fulfilling his

responsibilities to Hashem and his fellow man is

primary and material pleasure is secondary.

Although this order of priorities may necessitate

sacrifice and hardship, it opens the person up to

realize and connect with a higher truth. Since

12 Cf. Tanya ch. 30.

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pleasure and personal comfort are not the goal

of life, the person is willing to forgo them when a

higher cause requires it of him.

THE JEW’S SUPERIOR INTELLECTUAL SOUL

But if so, how is the Intellectual Soul of a Jew

any better? It too consists of worldly, human

intellect; by what virtue does it also “sense

spiritual refinement”?

Rather, the Jew’s Intellectual Soul itself is not

inherently different from the non-Jew’s.

However, since the Jew possesses the Divine

Soul (a.k.a., Nefesh HoElokis) that transcends

the world completely, and the Nefesh HoElokis

becomes vested within the Nefesh HoElokis, this

proximity subdues the Nefesh HoElokis’ natural

sense of ego and enables it to “sense spiritual

refinement” in a way that makes it possible for

the Jew to attain true objectivity in intellectual

judgments, and thus fully fulfill the potential of

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the Intellectual Soul. It emerges that the verse,

“The spirit ... of man rises upwards” refers

primarily to the Jew’s Intellectual Soul.

Perhaps this is comparable to the difference

between two people of equal intelligence. One

constantly keeps the company of a very

spiritual, inspired, and sagely rabbi, while the

other keeps no such company, and so he is left

to live a life focused on materialism. All things

being equal, the former will be much more

spiritually inclined than the other.

This explains the double expression in the

Mishnah cited above: “Beloved is man ... it is by

special divine love ... ”

The first phrase refers to the Intellectual Soul

within all mankind, while the second refers to

the Intellectual Soul within the Jewish people.

“Beloved is man ... ” tells us that the non-Jew is

beloved to Hashem because of his Intellectual

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Soul. In contrast, “it is by special divine love that

he is informed that he was created in the image

of G–d” tells us that a Jew is beloved to Hashem

because of his Divine Soul. Because of this

belovedness, Hashem also gives the Jew an

Intellectual Soul.

THE JEW’S RESPONSIBILITY TO ELEVATE THE NATIONS

This is also the reason that Torah instructs and

even obligates the Jew to influence non-Jews

positively by teaching them the Noahide laws, as

the Rambam rules explicitly: “Moshe was

commanded via a direct divine revelation [to tell

the Jewish people] to compel all the world’s

inhabitants to undertake the laws commanded to

Noah’s descendants.”13 The Tosafos Yom Tov

explains14 that the expression “compel” also

includes the imperative to use verbal persuasion

13 Mishneh Torah, Laws of Kings, 8:10.

14 Tosafos Yom Tov, Avos 3:14.

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to explain the necessity to adhere to the

Noahide laws even to someone resistant.

Of15 course, at the same time one should be

careful to influence non-Jews in a pleasant,

peaceful manner, for the Torah’s “ways are ways

of pleasantness, and all its paths are peace.”16

Why is the Jew in particular assigned with this

mission? Because provided that the Jew is

refined and G–d-fearing, his more sensitive

Intellectual Soul enables him to serve as a true

guide for the non-Jew, elevating him above the

limitation of his Intellectual Soul, and bringing

him to relate to the world, and to the moral

choices he is constantly called upon to render, in

a manner that is truly objective, and therefore

truly correct and truly ethical.

15 Hisva’aduyos 5747, Vol. 1, p. 82.

16 Mishlei 3:17.

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