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Kochos hanefesh
Kochos/Kochot haNefesh (Hebrew: כוחות הנפש from nephesh-"soul"), meaning "Powers of the Soul", are the innate constituent character-aspects within the soul, in Hasidic thought's psychological internalisation of Kabbalah. They derive from the 10 Sephirot Heavenly emanations of Kabbalah, by relating each quality to its parallel internal motivation in man. The Hasidic discussion of the sephirot, particularly in the Kabbalistically oriented system of Habad thought, focuses principally on the Soul Powers, the experience of the sephirot in Jewish worship.
Among the soul powers, Bittul (Human "self-nullification" of ego), the first revealed power, turns the Ani-"Self" into Ayin-"Nothingness" in the contemplative preparation for experiencing the Divine "Ayin" nullification of Existence. In the elite ideal of Deveikut-"cleaving" to God, the central Hasidic principle in its reinterpretation of Judaism, this inspires the subsequent powers of expression. In Mainstream "Practical Tzadikism", this elite dimension is reserved for the Hasidic leader, with popularised deveikut devotion found instead in the emotional sanctification of life. The Essential Soul Powers are revealed in spiritual Mesirat Nefesh-"Self Sacrifice" in devotional fulfilment through action. Hasidic emphasis on Divine Omnipresence sees the essential Divine purpose embodied only in action, its ultimate mystical stress on action.
Each of the 10 Sephirot Divine emanations of Kabbalah comprises both an external "functional" characteristic, and an inner motivational principle. Kabbalah studies the role of the sephirot in the emanated spiritual Worlds of Creation. As the soul of man is "created in the image of God" (Genesis 1:27), understood in Kabbalah to connote the partzuf-"configuration" of the sephirot in the Man-metaphor Yosher-"upright" inter-relationship, so the sephirot also describe the soul of man. Jewish spirituality experiences both the external and internal characteristics of the sephirot in serving God, their internal characteristics becoming the innate "soul powers" in man, defined and focused on in Hasidic thought's psychologisation of Kabbalah.
The terminology of the Kochos hanefesh is defined in Habad systemisation of Hasidic thought as the following experience-powers of the soul:
The soul's sephirot expressions and their inner Soul Powers, while psychologically felt from the revealed conscious level of Chochmah downward, are only revealed outwardly through their enclothement in the three Levushim-"garments" of the soul: Machshavah-Thought, Dibbur-Speech and Maaseh-Action. As the sephirot are all inter-included as sub-categories within each other, Chochmah, Binah and Daat (the Mochin-Intellects), are enclothed in Thought as a soul to a body. Similarly, the emotional sephirot of Chesed to Malchut (the Middot-Emotions), are revealed through Malchut in Speech and Action.
In Kabbalah and Hasidism, the soul has five levels, whose names derive from five Midrashic terms for the soul. Consequently, the generic Hasidic adjective "Kochos HaNefesh"-Powers of the Soul accurately relate more specifically to different levels amongst the five soul levels. The five levels in Kabbalah correspond to the Sephirot:
The two powers in the soul's Keter-Crown: Ratzon-Will and Taanug-Delight are termed Kochot HaEtzem-Essential Powers of the soul, as they transcend the invested soul in the body, as Makif-Encompassing lights, still above consciousness. They affect the subsequent Revealed Pnimi-Internalised Soul Powers as the soul's supernal root. Here Etzem-essential power is used relative to the Revealed Powers, as the singular essence of the soul is beyond expression as Delight, united with the Divine Atzmus essence. In Kabbalah the supernal soul is also termed its Mazal, related to the "downward" channeling of illumination into consciousness. The quality of Faith reflects the Etzem-essential singular point of the soul, beyond the essential powers of Will and Delight.
Above-conscious Delight, still beyond awareness, shapes subsequent emotional inclinations, as it is rooted in the essential soul. Regarding it, Sefer Yetzirah 2:2 says, "There is none higher than delight". Hasidic thought elaborates that "regarding a (true) desire, no questions can be asked", as if there were reasons for the desire, then it would not be a true Taanug above intellect. Delight shapes Will, the outer manifestation of Delight, as Will can intend for external objectives to be fulfilled in the process of realising the true Delight. Keter-Will in Kabbalistic description of Heavenly emanations corresponds to the highest World of Adam Kadmon-"Primordial Man", the first Partzuf-configuration in Lurianic Kabbalah. The term Adam Kadmon denotes ordered system ("Adam"-the "Yosher" Upright arrangement of the Sephirot in Kabbalah) and primary cause in Creation ("Kadmon"-"First" emanation in enacting Creation). Similarly in the soul, Ratzon-Will denotes the primary power of Will on all subsequent revealed soul powers, "Nothing can obstruct will".
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Kochos hanefesh
Kochos/Kochot haNefesh (Hebrew: כוחות הנפש from nephesh-"soul"), meaning "Powers of the Soul", are the innate constituent character-aspects within the soul, in Hasidic thought's psychological internalisation of Kabbalah. They derive from the 10 Sephirot Heavenly emanations of Kabbalah, by relating each quality to its parallel internal motivation in man. The Hasidic discussion of the sephirot, particularly in the Kabbalistically oriented system of Habad thought, focuses principally on the Soul Powers, the experience of the sephirot in Jewish worship.
Among the soul powers, Bittul (Human "self-nullification" of ego), the first revealed power, turns the Ani-"Self" into Ayin-"Nothingness" in the contemplative preparation for experiencing the Divine "Ayin" nullification of Existence. In the elite ideal of Deveikut-"cleaving" to God, the central Hasidic principle in its reinterpretation of Judaism, this inspires the subsequent powers of expression. In Mainstream "Practical Tzadikism", this elite dimension is reserved for the Hasidic leader, with popularised deveikut devotion found instead in the emotional sanctification of life. The Essential Soul Powers are revealed in spiritual Mesirat Nefesh-"Self Sacrifice" in devotional fulfilment through action. Hasidic emphasis on Divine Omnipresence sees the essential Divine purpose embodied only in action, its ultimate mystical stress on action.
Each of the 10 Sephirot Divine emanations of Kabbalah comprises both an external "functional" characteristic, and an inner motivational principle. Kabbalah studies the role of the sephirot in the emanated spiritual Worlds of Creation. As the soul of man is "created in the image of God" (Genesis 1:27), understood in Kabbalah to connote the partzuf-"configuration" of the sephirot in the Man-metaphor Yosher-"upright" inter-relationship, so the sephirot also describe the soul of man. Jewish spirituality experiences both the external and internal characteristics of the sephirot in serving God, their internal characteristics becoming the innate "soul powers" in man, defined and focused on in Hasidic thought's psychologisation of Kabbalah.
The terminology of the Kochos hanefesh is defined in Habad systemisation of Hasidic thought as the following experience-powers of the soul:
The soul's sephirot expressions and their inner Soul Powers, while psychologically felt from the revealed conscious level of Chochmah downward, are only revealed outwardly through their enclothement in the three Levushim-"garments" of the soul: Machshavah-Thought, Dibbur-Speech and Maaseh-Action. As the sephirot are all inter-included as sub-categories within each other, Chochmah, Binah and Daat (the Mochin-Intellects), are enclothed in Thought as a soul to a body. Similarly, the emotional sephirot of Chesed to Malchut (the Middot-Emotions), are revealed through Malchut in Speech and Action.
In Kabbalah and Hasidism, the soul has five levels, whose names derive from five Midrashic terms for the soul. Consequently, the generic Hasidic adjective "Kochos HaNefesh"-Powers of the Soul accurately relate more specifically to different levels amongst the five soul levels. The five levels in Kabbalah correspond to the Sephirot:
The two powers in the soul's Keter-Crown: Ratzon-Will and Taanug-Delight are termed Kochot HaEtzem-Essential Powers of the soul, as they transcend the invested soul in the body, as Makif-Encompassing lights, still above consciousness. They affect the subsequent Revealed Pnimi-Internalised Soul Powers as the soul's supernal root. Here Etzem-essential power is used relative to the Revealed Powers, as the singular essence of the soul is beyond expression as Delight, united with the Divine Atzmus essence. In Kabbalah the supernal soul is also termed its Mazal, related to the "downward" channeling of illumination into consciousness. The quality of Faith reflects the Etzem-essential singular point of the soul, beyond the essential powers of Will and Delight.
Above-conscious Delight, still beyond awareness, shapes subsequent emotional inclinations, as it is rooted in the essential soul. Regarding it, Sefer Yetzirah 2:2 says, "There is none higher than delight". Hasidic thought elaborates that "regarding a (true) desire, no questions can be asked", as if there were reasons for the desire, then it would not be a true Taanug above intellect. Delight shapes Will, the outer manifestation of Delight, as Will can intend for external objectives to be fulfilled in the process of realising the true Delight. Keter-Will in Kabbalistic description of Heavenly emanations corresponds to the highest World of Adam Kadmon-"Primordial Man", the first Partzuf-configuration in Lurianic Kabbalah. The term Adam Kadmon denotes ordered system ("Adam"-the "Yosher" Upright arrangement of the Sephirot in Kabbalah) and primary cause in Creation ("Kadmon"-"First" emanation in enacting Creation). Similarly in the soul, Ratzon-Will denotes the primary power of Will on all subsequent revealed soul powers, "Nothing can obstruct will".