tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post5305140599440181225..comments2024-01-30T02:37:28.387-06:00Comments on Notes from a Jewish Thoreau: Do animals have souls? (Part I)Yonassan Gershomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-15077800867041025062020-06-20T16:42:41.871-05:002020-06-20T16:42:41.871-05:00Hello,
My question is not about animals, but our ...Hello,<br /><br />My question is not about animals, but our relationship to them. I'd like to ask, "what's the original Hebrew for "dominion" in Gen 1:28?" Someone said it's not "radah," or dominion, but "yarad," "to lower oneself." Dominion is a problematic word, because it can mean "property" or "ownership" (lat. dominium). Thus, many believers think that God granted them the rights to use animals as they wish. If you are in mood to expound on this, even in an article, I wouldn't mind - I like reading your stuff.<br /><br />Thanks for this article about the soul.<br /><br />AttilaAttilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17804429477193381861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-1840374808498229142020-06-20T16:40:20.721-05:002020-06-20T16:40:20.721-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Attilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17804429477193381861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-79879170303660879552018-09-30T14:32:24.155-05:002018-09-30T14:32:24.155-05:00Yes, the collie was a she. Thank you for asking! ...Yes, the collie was a she. Thank you for asking! Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02387950397362968927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-64704350649540837762018-02-04T05:55:23.881-06:002018-02-04T05:55:23.881-06:00Any living creature has a soul and spirit that wou...Any living creature has a soul and spirit that would be common sense. God has a special relationship with animals as they cannot read the bible.<br />Wnere as humans need to read.<br />Animals are gods pets, so how would you treat your pet if your are godly?<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12871449097098793618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-21692156573777990922017-12-14T08:02:57.324-06:002017-12-14T08:02:57.324-06:00Thіѕ website was... how do І say it?
Relevant!! Fi...Thіѕ website was... how do І say it?<br />Relevant!! Finally Ι've found something which helped me. Thank you!<br />Here is my web site ----> <a href="https://aab-edu.net/en/" rel="nofollow">AAB</a><br /> <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-89624024517560727392015-10-27T21:07:48.697-05:002015-10-27T21:07:48.697-05:00I have never heard that. Did you perhaps misheard...I have never heard that. Did you perhaps misheard "nebbesh" as."nefesh?" Yonassan Gershomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-77213625711272233952015-10-10T17:55:41.552-05:002015-10-10T17:55:41.552-05:00I have heard that a dead body is called a dead nef...I have heard that a dead body is called a dead nefesh.<br /><br />I have always thought of the nefesh as the container of the image. <br />Dr. Miles Tadmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17594966691380306071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-85710459245296093652015-07-06T08:10:49.720-05:002015-07-06T08:10:49.720-05:00Thank you for explaining this in such a succinct w...Thank you for explaining this in such a succinct way!Rene Yoshihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09050922960143541294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-68565498736252651312015-05-18T13:51:14.819-05:002015-05-18T13:51:14.819-05:00Well of course all animals and living things have ...Well of course all animals and living things have "souls" - just look into their eyes!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-79108936297162332262015-05-10T11:54:54.234-05:002015-05-10T11:54:54.234-05:00I am happy to have found your blog. As an Orthodo...I am happy to have found your blog. As an Orthodox Christian I found myself nodding along in agreement. Blasted Descarte. I have always wondered why in Italy, France, Greece, Spain, Malta, Cyprus, why there was so much cruelty and neglect of animals. People ask me all the time, too. Now I understand where it came from and I can point them to your posts. <br /><br />Not all Christians believe in the Substitutionary Atonement. <br /><br />Orthodox Christians believe in The Recapitulation Theory as taught by the early Church Fathers, and Mel's movie is a far cry from the way we see it, thankfully. <br /><br />Thank you for your wonderful and informative posts on this subject.Anita https://www.blogger.com/profile/03027168158963687468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-49376720436472274452014-12-03T09:30:44.430-06:002014-12-03T09:30:44.430-06:00Genesis 30? I think you meant Genesis 3? Typo?
...Genesis 30? I think you meant Genesis 3? Typo?<br /><br />Anyway, there are many good teachings about Judaism and animals but much of the community lost connection with that when we became urbanized. Also, much of the mysticism was thrown out by Jews who came to America and wanted to be "modernized." This blog is my tiny attempt to help heal that breach. Peace & blessings.Yonassan Gershomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-8442278870109110892014-12-01T15:04:02.661-06:002014-12-01T15:04:02.661-06:00Thank you, Rabbi. I am sharing your insights. My h...Thank you, Rabbi. I am sharing your insights. My husband and I just read Genesis 30 and were delighted and surprised to see that animals (and all living things) were infused with Nefesh Chayah. God is good. He would not create anything He does not love.<br /> Judith Acostanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-18553452792078349202014-05-25T12:44:18.362-05:002014-05-25T12:44:18.362-05:00Oh, bother. Blogger's commenting system is way...Oh, bother. Blogger's commenting system is way behind Disqus and IntenseDebate.<br /><br />Here: <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-543470/The-tiny-Chihuahua-thinks-hes-Buddhist-monk.html" rel="nofollow">The tiny Chihuahua who thinks he's a Buddhist monk</a>Jeff Eygeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11967707883565162538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-49728491683302204032014-05-25T12:39:19.869-05:002014-05-25T12:39:19.869-05:00[img]http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/03_03/con...[img]http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/03_03/conanG_468x385.jpg[/img]Jeff Eygeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11967707883565162538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-48598426155068292792014-05-25T12:23:54.104-05:002014-05-25T12:23:54.104-05:00DM, thank you for this comment -- my apologies for...DM, thank you for this comment -- my apologies for taking so long to get back to you, I was not online much this past winter. Anyway, it is possible, according to kabbalah, for a human to reincarnate as an animal, although that is not the normal order of things. But there are such stories in the Hasidic tradition. Rebbe Nachman of Breslov was of the opinion that most domesticated animals are reincarnations of humans. No way to prove that, but it is an interesting idea. <br /><br />I have a dog who always shows up for havdalah (the ceremony to end the Sabbath) and sits there quietly and rresectfully, even though there is no food or other treats for her. <br /><br />Your question has inspired me to do a part three of this series: "Do animal reincarnate?"<br />I'll be posting it soon.Yonassan Gershomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-58079399026507741312014-05-07T12:32:48.539-05:002014-05-07T12:32:48.539-05:00Back in November I adopted a 3 year old cat. She h...Back in November I adopted a 3 year old cat. She had been in a non Jewish household. Lately I have been playing Hebrew songs on my Kindle. As soon as Belle hears the music or the singer she runs over sits next to me listening. As soon as the song is finished she'll run off. She does like the late Arik Einstein.<br />Just wondering if Belle and were meant to be because she might have a Jewish soul.dmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09001935963946959084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-31093070969188601132013-04-14T13:17:46.024-05:002013-04-14T13:17:46.024-05:00Well thank you, Peter. The problem with a lot of ...Well thank you, Peter. The problem with a lot of Jewish sites is that they use a ,ot of in-house jargon not accessible to the general (often non-Jewish) reader. I try to write in a more user-friendly style and to translate all my Hebrew & other foreign terms. And there does seem to be a big need for this page -- after 2 years it still gets the most daily hits of anything on my blog. Glad to be of help :)Yonassan Gershomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-84040863152769156942013-04-13T11:06:46.620-05:002013-04-13T11:06:46.620-05:00I revisited this page when revising my web page ab...I revisited this page when revising my web page about the views of organised religions on whether animals have souls. I find your discussion superior to anything else I have found from Jewish sources. So I have now put a link to this page from my website. Thanks for a very clear discussion and for your compassion towards all animals!Peterhttp://do-animals-have-souls.infonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-54121318529354055542013-02-28T09:53:01.245-06:002013-02-28T09:53:01.245-06:00Yosef:
According to classical kabbalah, one devel...Yosef:<br /><br />According to classical kabbalah, one develops the higher soul through learning Torah and doing the mitzvot. (For non-Jews, it is the Seven Laws of Noah.) <br /><br />Some kabbalists speak of building a "spiritual body" through one's deeds. Again, they were equating "soul" with moral and ethical development -- which is why you find references to non-Jews not having souls in medieval literature -- given the barbarity that Jews experienced at the hands of the Crusades and the Inquisition, I do not think they REALLY mean no "soul" in terms of no eternal life, but rather, no "heart," no compassion, no feelings for others, no conscience -- the things that make us human beyond species biology. I have heard Holocaust survivors say that the Nazis were "heartless beasts without souls" and by this they were referring to behavior.<br /><br />Isaac Luria (kabbalist, 1500s) believed that a human soul that showed no improvement after 3 incarnations would indeed cease to exist. However, except perhaps for Haman and Hitler, there are rarely souls so wicked that they have NO good qualities, so in real life I do not think this happens very often. Most of us keep coming back over and over until we get it right.Yonassan Gershomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-79050753237339015152013-02-22T08:28:13.344-06:002013-02-22T08:28:13.344-06:00You mentioned some commentators that say that we a...You mentioned some commentators that say that we are only born with the animal soul, and need to develop the higher soul. It is the higher soul that lives on after death. So, it this to say that if we do not develop our higher soul, when the body dies, everything we are dies too? If so, according to these commentators, how does one develop the higher soul?Yosef Kahanenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-70898742929977625122013-02-03T11:40:51.300-06:002013-02-03T11:40:51.300-06:00According to Jewish mysticism, the First Adam was ...According to Jewish mysticism, the First Adam was created as a hermaphoroditic being who was both male and female in one, then later separated into two individuals. (Based on Genesis 5:2, see also Midrash Rabbah VIII:1) <br /><br />This is the origin of the idea of "soul mates" or "finding your other half." Some schools of kabbalah teach that the human soul remains both male and female on the spiritual level, only taking a gender when it enters a human body. This is probably the origin of the statement by Paul of Tarsus that in heaven "they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like the angels in heaven [which have no gender] --Matthew 22:30)<br /><br />The word "adam" in Hebrew means "human" in terms of the species: "Male and female God created them and called <i>their name</i> Adam" (Genesis 5:2) Only later does "Adam" become the name of a specific male. So technically the breath of life was breathed into female and male together. (The word commonly translated "rib" also means "side," BTW.)<br /><br />Therefore, medieval Christian arguments that women had no souls were bogus. Of course, during that time the churches were not consulting us Jews about what our scriptures mean or how to translate various Hebrew words. In fact, no Jews were involved in doing the King James translation (which bwecame the basis of so many other versons); the Jews had all been expelled from England in the 1200s. Thus there are many misunderstandings in popular culture about what Genesis does or does not mean.Yonassan Gershomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-82535244406807555852013-02-02T20:03:09.487-06:002013-02-02T20:03:09.487-06:00I do believe animals also have souls, just by my f...I do believe animals also have souls, just by my faith in God and by his word, I read no where that God breathed into the animals life, I am a women and I also do not read any where that God had breathed into the womans nostril either. I believe anything with a brain, heart and lungs is worthy of God's promise to his Kingdom. Wonderful blog it opens up many more questions for me to study.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-67763956890380983782012-09-19T11:36:59.094-05:002012-09-19T11:36:59.094-05:00I'm aware of the various "intelligent des...I'm aware of the various "intelligent design" theories as well as the arguments pro and con. What I believe is that there is a God who created the universe, but part of that creation process included enough random factors to allow for creativity and free will. An analogy I like to use goes like this:<br /><br />Imagine a computer programmer designing a complex video game. If he pre-programs every character's actions and every event on the quest in advance, he does not have a game, he has a movie. So he programs in some random factors which allow the computer to choose which monsters pop up in response to whatever choices the players make, what weapons they can earn, which companions they take on the quest, etc. By giving up some control over the program, the game allows for some real choices within the parameters of the game. It also allows for real mistakes and the possibility of losing as well as winning.<br /><br />Now, if God is the programmer of the universe, so to speak, then I believe he also programmed in some random factors, the things we call geological events, mutations, free will, etc. God could at any time step in and re-program things to go His/Her way, but then there would be no free will, and God would just have a bunch of robots. So God allows for multiple possibilities in the way things evolve and grow. <br /><br />Some events, such as an asteroid smashing into the earth and ending the age of dinosaurs, probably were predestined, given the orbits of planets and asteroids. But how things developed after that had multiple possibilities. We might as easily have ended up being more like birds than mammals. But since God in Judaism has no physical body, the "image of God" is not necessarily a primate one. The "image" (actually, "likeness", the Hebrew word is "tselem") is not about the phyical body or "animal self," it is about the ATTRIBUTES of God that we can emulate.<br /><br />Like all analogies, this one has its limits, but it works for me.Yonassan Gershomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-81574763838430908012012-09-16T13:51:37.973-05:002012-09-16T13:51:37.973-05:00There are theistic evolutionary biologists who bel...There are theistic evolutionary biologists who believe that God set up the system so that it would eventually produce a being with a higher-order intelligence, then God breathed in the nefesh chaya (I think Ken Miller at Brown may be one of these; I know he's a practicing Catholic). Mainstream biologists don't agree with that position; they feel the data indicates that the appearance of beings such as ourselves was not inevitable.<br /><br />I think that from a Jewish perspective, it could probably be resolved within the framework of Kabbalah (I believe that in Vedanta, which has some very similar concepts, they see it as an evolutionary process involving consciousness as the precursor or substrate of matter), but you would know more about that than I.Jeff Eygeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11967707883565162538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-66674756833550163622012-09-16T13:41:51.794-05:002012-09-16T13:41:51.794-05:00One could argue that the mutation was caused when ...One could argue that the mutation was caused when God breathed in the nefesh chayah, thereby elevating humans to a different category from apes. There are some rabbinical opinions that in say "Let us make Man" the "us" refers to God along with the rest of creation participating in the process or creating Adam's physical body. Which is one possible way of reconciling evolution with Genesis. The body evolved from nature and the higher consciousness was "breathed in" by God later. Yonassan Gershomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.com