This morning I had my annual bloodwork done. While I was driving to the appointment, I was thinking about how amazing it is that so much about our body and our health can be determined by analyzing our blood.
Then I started to contemplate that while this is the case regarding our physical selves, we have a parallel regarding our spiritual selves. Our soul can tell us a lot about who we are and what our deeper nature is. Our soul can tell us what type of emotions we are drawn to experience. Our soul can tell us which aspect of Torah we are most enthused by. Our soul can tell us which Mitzvot will excite us most and which will present the greatest challenge. Our soul can tell us which music we will appreciate and what kind of person we will marry. Our soul can give us the secret of who we were and what we were like in a previous lifetime.
The major difference between the two is that you cannot draw a soul specimen and analyze it in a laboratory. So instead, the process works in reverse until we get a big enough sample size from which we can project about future matters. We start to experience certain sensations upon encountering particular phenomena. Knowing that how we experience these phenomena can be traced back to the nature of our soul, allows us some insight into that very nature. These begin indicating to us what our soul is like and from there we can apply beyond those experiences.
(An additional option is to go to a soul doctor, a Tzaddik who is an expert in souls. The Tzaddik can tell you what your soul’s nature is and therefore what you should pursue in your life.)
Are you intrigued? Would you like to explore more of this subject? Do you want more details on how to start noticing things and how to connect the dots? Are you curious to find out that you are way more spiritual than you assumed? If you answered yes to any of those questions, I have a suggestion for you. Consider taking our upcoming course: Kabbalah and the Hidden Architecture of You, beginning in late October.
Just as our bloodwork enables us to make healthier lifestyle choices for our physical well-being, learning about your soul enables us to make healthier lifestyle choices for our spiritual well-being.
Learn more about the course at www.chabadneworleans.com/jli. We are launching the course on Wednesday, October 28 at 7 pm. Feel free to sample the first class with no commitment. This course will also be offered on Tuesdays in Metairie by Rabbi Mendel Ceitlin, info at www.jewishlouisiana.com/jli.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin