Holy Spirit vs. Ruach HaKodesh: Revealing the Essence of Divine Presence
One of the most elusive concepts in the Bible is the idea of the Holy Spirit. Though Judaism and Christianity share some common ground in recognizing Ruach HaKodesh/Holy Spirit as an aspect of the Divine Presence, the nuances and theological underpinnings differ significantly.
One of the most elusive concepts in the Bible is the idea of the Holy Spirit.
Though Judaism and Christianity share some common ground in recognizing the Holy Spirit as an aspect of the Divine Presence, the nuances and theological underpinnings differ significantly.
It seems evident that the Church struggled and suffered division over this concept throughout its history, a reality, I believe, that came about through [its] early departure from the Jewish roots.
As is the case with Messiah¹ and so many concepts in the Bible, the "Holy Spirit" is mentioned, but not explained. Understanding this sort of institutional knowledge requires an exploration of the Jewish oral tradition.
In this article, we will focus on this concept from within the Jewish tradition. To provide a different approach, I will frequently refer to the Holy Spirit as the "Divine Presence."
The Divine Presence In the Bible
In Hebrew, Ruach HaKodesh is translated as the "Holy Spirit." We are familiar with the word Ruach, which means "spirit", which immediately connects readers to the levels of the soul².
We first see the word Ruach, as a reference to the Spirit of G_D, in the opening verses of Genesis;
... and the spirit of G_D hovered over the face of the waters. - Genesis 1:2
Throughout the Hebrew Bible, the Divine Presence is a broad idea that is associated with; the creation of humankind³, an agent to help humans carry out the Divine Will⁴, an enabler of Prophecy⁵, a sustaining force that accompanies the nation of Israel, and more.
Most importantly for our focus, we'll see that the Divine Presence is particularly sensitive to the human spiritual condition⁶. This point will explain why the Rabbinic tradition has locked into a more practical and instructive view than the church.
Throughout early Rabbinic literature, we see various linguistic circumlocutions that seek to account for a paradoxical reality: 1) that G_D mysteriously remains ever-present in our world, and 2) that His Presence is diffused enough to allow us to exist, without annihilating us.
What is important to note is that the Divine Presence is not the same as G_D's full Presence in our world; the degree of intensity has been significantly filtered.
The Popular Understanding
While many are most familiar with the popular idea that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. For me, this doctrine poses several problems.
One problem is that this view confines this mysterious and vast phenomenon in a way that can occlude the functional view upon which the discipline of the Jewish lifestyle has been built.
To me, it is not so much the personification that is problematic as the Rabbis use similar frameworks.
Put another way, viewing the Divine Presence solely as a 'person' detracts from the practical understanding that leads to action, as we will explore. As a result, many who ascribe to the popular view are generally unaware that attaining and maintaining this state of being requires effort.
Judaism's Divine Presence
Thus, a key distinction in the Rabbinic view is that the Divine Presence is viewed as a sentient level of consciousness that we have the potential to tap into.
Also, the Rabbis taught that this potential is not only for Jews⁷.
This supernatural state of being is acquired through effort and careful obedience to G_D's commandments and prohibitions. This again underscores the enduring value of the Torah.
The more we strive to uphold the wisdom of the Torah and concern ourselves with spiritual purity - the more eligible we become for the higher levels of Divine Presence.
You might already see in this language that there are levels to the Divine Presence. In his work, "Inner Space", Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan writes:
Reaching the level of Ruach, one feels a moving spirit rather than a quieting one. At the highest levels, this becomes the experience of Ruach HaKodesh - Divine Inspiration.
While plugged into this supra-consciousness, we are given access to spiritual powers like deeper insights, prophecy, clairvoyance, more powerful prayers, and much more.
Attain the Divine Presence Through Work
To some extent, all humans have an innate spark of the Creator in their soul(s). We will explore this in an upcoming article, but one need not be religious to tap into the lower levels of Divine Presence.
However, the levels spoken of in the New Testament are referring to the higher degrees.
Many people might find repulsive the idea that one can attain the Divine Presence through effort, or "works". Yet, proof of this can be found throughout the Bible.
As we've explored in the past, the novel innovation of the New Testament is that the Gentiles were finding themselves tapped into a high degree of Divine Presence, offering them insights of wisdom and prophecy:
For one person is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, and another the message of knowledge according to the same Spirit
- 1 Corinthians 12:8
The challenge for the Apostles, then, was how to preserve this for their Gentile congregants who were not given all of the protective measures of the Torah.
Attaining the Divine Presence
Jewish tradition, for thousands of years, has maintained the process for one to become a vessel for the higher levels of Divine Presence.
In the Talmud, we read:
Torah study leads to care in the performance of mitzvot. Care in the performance of mitzvot leads to diligence in their observance. Diligence leads to cleanliness of the soul. Cleanliness of the soul leads to abstention from all evil. Abstention from evil leads to purity and the elimination of all base desires. Purity leads to piety. Piety leads to humility. Humility leads to fear of sin. Fear of sin leads to holiness. Holiness leads to the Divine Presence. The Divine Presence leads to the resurrection of the dead...
- Avodah Zara 20b
This implies that, without effort and care, we can lose this higher level of consciousness. This idea is expressed in the letters of Paul as 'grieving the Spirit'⁸.
Thus, attaining [and keeping our connection to] the Divine Presence is not something achieved through mere intellectual belief or memorization of Statements of Faith.
It is through genuine repentance and adherence to the Torah's commands and protective measures. In other words, it will take, work⁹.
Even though the tradition maintains that we've lost access to the collective higher levels of Prophecy and Ruach haKodesh¹⁰, we're told the world will receive these higher levels in a lasting measure as the Messianic era becomes a reality.
Until then, we should remember the Divine Presence is in us, and all around us at all times, waiting for us to connect more deeply. Whether or not we answer the call is ours to make.
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Notes:
¹ Messiah: https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/messiah-program/
² The Soul: https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/the-human-soul/
³ Job 33:4
⁴ 2 Samuel 23:2-3; Isaiah 42:1
⁵ Numbers 11:24-30
⁶ Isaiah 63:10
⁷ In the school of Elijah it was taught: “I call as my witnesses the heavens and the earth, that anyone - whether they be Jewish or of some other people, man or woman, manservant or maidservant - his capable of channeling upon their self Divine Inspiration, for revelatory experiences are gifted to us based not on our gender, or on our religious affiliation or social status, but on our life choices and actions” - Midrash Eliyahu Rabbah Chapter 9
⁸ 'Grieving the Spirit' is an idea that is mentioned multiple times, referring to he ways we cut ourselves off from the Divine Presence. (See: Isaiah 63:10 and 1st Thess. 5:19)
Also see: Pesachim 66b.
⁹ "Just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead." - James 2:26
¹⁰ "The Sages taught: After the last of the prophets, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, died, the Divine Spirit of prophetic revelation departed" - Sanhedrin 11a
