The Human Soul

Rabbi, please give me some information about human being's souls. Thank you.

According to the Kabbalists the "soul" is actually comprised of five components, Nefesh, Neshama, Ruach, Chaya and Yechida. Each human being has at least three of these parts and Jews have all five. What is fascinating is that the Kabbalists teach that the two parts of the soul that are uniquely Jewish are not a part of the body but, rather, they exist above the person and serve as conduits to connect the person in a more direct way to God. The soul is like a chain with one end linked into the brain and the other to a certain spiritual source. As I mentioned, there are five levels of the soul like the five links in a chain, each one parallel to the spiritual sphere where it exists. However, we only relate to the three bottom links as we have no understanding about the two top ones. The three are the Nefesh, the Ruach and the Neshama. The Nefesh is the spiritual existence which resides in the body and keeps the physical metabolism working and the person alive. The Ruach is a connection between the Neshama and the Nefesh. It is the cause of feelings and personal qualities. The Neshama is the spiritual existence which pulls the man towards God, to the performance of good deeds, to be pious and humble and to seek knowledge and achievement in spiritual fields. It resides around the head.