Soul Series: Yechidah pt. 5

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

In our Soul Series¹ thus far, we've explored the levels of the soul that we may perceive more frequently in our day-to-day life, namely the Nefesh, Ruach, and Neshamah.

We have also looked at the transcendent level of Chaya, and its influence on our cognitive and intuitive abilities.

Yechidah is the final and ultimate stage of consciousness that humankind awaits.

But, before we build a foundation for understanding Yechidah, we must tie in a few concepts that will help us understand this enigmatic and incomprehensible level of the soul.

We'll begin our exploration in the Garden of Eden.

Strategic Imperfection

While many envision Eden as a world of immaculate and pristine perfection, tradition tells us that Adam was created in a state of strategic imperfection².

This implies, even at the outset, there was work to do, and a large part of Adam's work was centered on his obedience to the Will of the Creator.

When one suppresses their will to serve G_D's Will, they achieve a spiritual elevation.

From the exalted soul Adam possessed at his creation, obeying the Will of G_D would have elevated and rectified all creation. This would have meant no wars, death, sickness, deception, and no evil - or at least not inside our world.

“... If Adam had not sinned, he would have been able to attain this perfection without restraint. His soul would have purified his body step-by-step, until he reached the level required to permanently partake
of everlasting bliss…”
- Ramchal, The Way of G_D, 1:3:6-8 

This is because Adam's soul was in a near-perfect state upon his creation, only requiring a final step to reach perfection: Yechidah.

As we are painfully aware, Adam never attained Yechidah, and this potential was left unrealized³. His sin damaged the other aspects of his soul in the process, impairing humankind from reaching this level from that moment forward⁴.

Worse still, Adam damaged the upper worlds too, causing a massive rift between the Creator and mankind

Unification

It is generally believed that accessing the level of Yechidah is only achievable for very righteous people. These unique souls live a life of steadfast dedication to serving the Creator, maintaining purity, and obeying the commands and prohibitions laid out in the Torah.

Translated as "unification," the word Yechidah (יְחִידָה) hints at this idea. If one attains this level of consciousness, they will have achieved a "unification," or "oneness" with the Creator.

This idea is reflected in Jesus's words on a number of occasions, for example:

"I and the Father are One." - John 10:30

and:

"For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me." - John 6:38

Yechidah corresponds to the Sefirot of Keter (Crown)⁵, and is represented by the world of Adam Kadmon⁶.

Messiah and Yechidah

According to the Midrash, Yechidah, referred to here as the "Spirit of Messiah," existed at the beginning of creation: 

“And the spirit of G_D wavered upon the water... (Genesis 1:2)” - that is the spirit of the King Messiah. If man merits [to see him], we say to him: “You were created before all of creation.” - Leviticus Rabbah 14:1 

(For those familiar, this idea is associated with the opening of John's Gospel.) Additionally, Rabbi Chaim Vital (16th century Sage), expounds on this passage: 

“... the soul of celestial splendor [Yechidah], no created being in the world has ever yet been worthy to obtain. The King Messiah, however, will receive it: it is accordingly said of him, ‘He shall be high and exalted,’ [Isaiah 52:13], etc, or as our Rabbis say, ‘He shall be higher than Abraham, exceedingly above Adam!”
– Shaar HaGilgulim 

Though some righteous individuals may attain a glimpse of Yechidah at times throughout history, it is believed that Messiah will achieve it fully, sparking a global consciousness the world has never experienced. This is essentially the Messianic era we await.

The Glassblower 

A well-known analogy helped me understand how these components of the soul work together. The analogy begins with a glassblower, who represents the Creator.