In this series, we will explore the discipline of Mussar and understand how it is a vital component of spiritual development. In the first session, we introduce the concept, the history of the late movement and how it is anchored to the Biblical texts.
In this series of discussions, I join Rey Luque to talk about the dimensions of the soul; the various levels; the worlds of creation; and how many of these ideas are fundamental to understanding the New Testament.
Chaya means "life", and is often associated with a more holistic span of life energy than the previous levels of the soul. The first appearance of this word is seen upon the creation of humankind.
An ancient midrash declares that the Neshamah is the only thing (ie: part of humankind) that is truly good¹. This is primarily because the Neshamah is rooted above, in the upper world. Remember, this is the source of the conflict between the Nefesh, which is rooted in the lower world.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Yeshua leverages many ideas from the Midrash that expound upon the deeper concepts in the Torah. ... many of them find their closest parallels to the works of the Kabbalah - texts like the Zohar, the writings of the ARIzal, and the Tanya.
Below is a helpful diagram mapping the levels of the soul, how they interact with human expression, and where they are generally connected to the body.
Contrary to many modern [prevailing] ideas about the soul, the Bible teaches that the human soul is more complex than we are aware. The soul is comprised of levels and sub-levels that all influence the (3) modes of human expression; Thoughts, words, and deeds.
