Man is the highlight of creation and deserves honor and respect for he carries the image of God.The honor due man as the representative of God who carries His image is a basic theme is Chassidic thought.  Supposedly this was the last teaching of the Baal Shem Tov.  On his deathbed his final statement was, “An artist invests himself and expresses his deepest self in his work.  Want to understand an artist? Look at his handiwork.”  The point of the lesson was that to appreciate God and to love God it is necessary to appreciate and love man.  Man is God’s greatest masterpiece, study the sculpture and appreciate it in order to appreciate the Divine.   What is the meaning of Tzelem Elokim, the image of God?  If I look at my reflection in a mirror am I to think for a moment that I have seen God?!  Judaism abhors any attempt to ascribe to God any physical characteristics, as Maimonides defined it and it is one of the articles of faith that Jews recite on a daily basis,

I believe with complete faith that the Creator, Blessed is His Name, is not physical and is not affected by physical phenomena, and that there is no comparison whatsoever to Him.

God is totally incorporeal, so in what way is man in His image? 

The mystics explain that each Hebrew name of God denotes a different way in which man perceives the Omnipotent.  Sometimes, I feel the Almighty’s boundless love, at other times I witness His awesome force and power, at still other points I might see His hand in nature.  Each of the different attributes of God that man acknowledges is characterized with a unique name.  The name YHVH reflects our feeling His love, Ado-n-y is the name for the fact that He is the master of all, and Sha-d/k-y reflects His power and dominion, His setting limits for the world.  

Man was formed in the image of Elokim.  This name represents the awareness that God is “Baal Hakochos kulam ubaal hayecholes,” “Master of all powers and He has total authority.”  Man in the image of Elokim means that man too, in a certain sense, is the master over all the forces of creation and is endowed with unbridled power.

Tzelem Elokim teaches the cosmic effect of human behavior.  Our deeds affect the entire world and the entirety of creation follows man’s lead. 

 An example of this principle is the story of the great flood.In parshas Noach the Torah tells of a time when all creatures were corrupted.  Even animals and the inanimate earth violated nature’s law.  Lions copulated with bears and a man would plant peach seeds only to reap apples.  As a result of the pervasive corruption God sent a deluge of water that destroyed almost all of humanity, the animals, plants, and several feet worth of topsoil.  Only man has freedom of choice, animals, plants, and the earth do not have the ability to decide between good and evil, so how did all of creation become corrupt?  The answer is that man controls the rest of creation.  When man performs evil, the spirit of misconduct is increased throughout the world.  Animals and the earth become infected too, and they start to perform in ways that are at variance with their law.

Mankind at the time of the flood was thoroughly rotten.  They consistently chose evil. All the humans were sinners who polluted themselves and they caused the rest of creation to be polluted as well.  Noah was righteous and his influence allowed for a minute sample of animal and plant life that maintained fidelity to its laws.   

Currently we confront a physical world that suffers from pollution, ozone depletion, and global warming.  The earth’s illnesses do not result merely from industrialization and its excesses.  Spiritually there is an obvious cause for our planet’s troubles; human society is an increasingly corrupt group.  Presidents lie, corporate titans shamelessly deceive, and the various forms of media pull readers and viewers to the lowest of lowly urges.   Innocent faith, old-fashioned honesty, decency, and morality have become rare commodities.  The rest of creation reflects our misdeeds.   

How does this cosmic power work?  Why do the actions of man have such effects?The answer is that man is a miniaturization of the entire spiritual realm.  Man’s soul parallels God’s spiritual universes that form the foundation for this physical world. The technical term for this concept is Olam Kattan, man is a miniature of the entire world.  C.f. Shichas Malachey Hashareis chapter three, and the Overview of Artscroll’s Tehillim by Rabbi A.C. Feuer.  When God created man, He said “Let us make man.” Nahmonides explains the plural of “Let us” to mean that God invited all of creation to contribute to the creation of man, man has within him microcosmic traces of each created being.  When a man displays strength and power that is the aspect of the lion within man, sometimes man is timid and fearful, that is when the nature of the lamb expresses itself in man.  When people idle, doing nothing, it is a display of the plant element within man.    

Imagine two harps tuned to the same pitch placed right next to each other.  Play note A on one harp, its string will vibrate and produce a loud sound.  Even though you have not touched the second harp, note A in the other harp will also vibrate softly.   Man and the universe are parallel harps; when we cause our strings to vibrate, parallel strings in the supernal realms vibrate ever so softly, broadcasting the same notes throughout the world.The imagery of two parallel harps is utilized by Rav Wolfson to explain a Talmudic story.  The Talmud in Berakhoth 3b relates:

                There was a harp hanging above the bed of David.  When midnight would hit, a northern wind would blow.  The harp would then play.  David would awake and rise to study Torah until the morning.

The Spiritual Dimension as Supernal Universes

A great Rabbi once walked with his student along a grassy path.  While they were talking, the student carelessly picked a flower from the ground and started to scatter its petals.  The Rabbi stopped walking and said to his student, “In the Midrash (Breishit Rabba 10) it is taught that every blade of grass has an angel that stands behind it hitting the grass saying, ‘Grow.’  When you picked the flower from the earth, you caused this flower’s angel to die.  Do you have a good reason for destroying the life of a celestial light?”

Our physical world is controlled by a spiritual world.  Each blade of grass, for instance, has a spiritual channel, an angel that provides for its life.  Jewish mysticism details the makeup of this spiritual dimension.  In a broad sweep this spiritual dimension is comprised of five spiritual universes. 

Why is there a need for a spiritual dimension?  Can’t God direct us personally without any intermediates?  The answer is that man’s feeble physical and spiritual nature would be overwhelmed by the presence of God.When the Torah was given at Mt. Sinai Jews experienced a direct revelation of Godliness.  The experience was so overwhelming that their souls left their bodies and all of Jewry had to undergo a revival of the dead.  Finite man cannot directly experience the breath of the infinite. 

God’s essence is so overpowering that it does not allow for anything to exist independently before It.  The spiritual universes are the steps in which God has limited His essence so that an independent existence can emerge.  The key terms in understanding these steps are Tzimtzum, constriction, and Or Ain Sof, Light With No End. 

Consider light.  Light usually enables sight, yet too much light can blind. The same is true with noise.  A whisper can hardly be heard, only if one raises the volume of speech is it audible.   However, if one shouts at the top of his lungs, the heightened noise renders the words inaccessible.  Similarly, God is called Infinite Light (Or Ain Sof), with no end and no beginning.  He is the ultimate Reality.  His life and vitality is so powerful, it overwhelms all other existing items that face Him directly.  To allow for creation God acted with Tzimtzum, He pulled in His light.  He then emanated from Himself a light that was less bright than His essence.  Even this light was too much for existence, so out of this light He caused another further limited light to emerge, and then another and another.  At the last stage of limited light a physical universe emerged out of the spiritual lights.  Olam is a universe, and the words heelam and neelam, unknown and hidden, share the same Hebrew root.  A universe is a “hiding of the Infinite”, a dimunition of Divine light.  The process of limiting the light and turning the spiritual into a progressively more physical creation is called Seder Hishtalshlus- the order of development.  

Hishtalshlus shares a root with the word shalsheles, a chain.  Creation is a chain for two reasons.  Firstly, in a chain each ring leads to another and creation is a process of cause and effect, greater lights producing lesser lights, out of which are formed even smaller forces.  The Nefesh Hachaim and many other sources tell us that there are many interlocking levels to the Creation.  In an infinitely stretching chain beginning at the very Source of existence, many worlds are connected in sequence.  Each of these higher worlds infuses the level below it with existence and energy; each is “male” with regard to the world below it which is relatively speaking, “female”, and together they “bring out” yet another level below them.  This process continues with myriad complexity until finally our finite world results.Secondly, in a chain, the rings interlock, the end of the first ring’s airspace has within it the beginning of the second ring and in the spiritual dimension each level is interwoven with the next level.   For instance, the lowest level of the universe of Atzilus (the first universe), is also the highest level in the universe of Beriyah (the second universe).  

The different stages of the Seder Hishtalshlus are the universes that are the soul parts of the physical universe.

The first supernal universe is so high that it too is a light that is almost infinite.  This universe is hardly spoken about in Chassidic literature and is called Adam Kadmon, Initial Man, or Olam Hatzachtzachos, in Kabbalah, it parallels the human soul part of Yechida.The Ari Hakadosh wrote that humans should not try to meditate and think about this world.

The second universe is Atzilus.  Atzilus means next to, noble, and emanated or given off.  This world is “next to” God, it is the first light that God gave off.  An Atzil is a nobleman, he has power and importance because of his proximity to the king.  Similarly, this universe is next to the King of Kings and that is where its importance stems from. 

Prayer is a soulful sojourn through the universes. Atzilus is represented by the extremely righteous in their Shemoneh Esreh, - silent devotion - part of prayers.  For the silent devotion one takes three steps forward to enter into a new dimension in which the prayers are recited silently. At this point of the service the petitioner is standing next to God and that is why all can talk with Him in the hushed tones of an intimate whisper.  Furthermore, according to Halakha ideally this prayer should lead to leaving the physical self and getting lost in rapture of the Divine.  During the silent prayer the Tzadik achieves Dveykus, absolute cleaving.  Dveykus means becoming one with God.   What is it like to become one with someone else?   Oneness cannot be described nor defined it can only be understood through the experience of a sensitive heart.  Loss of all bodily sensation and absolute union with the Infinite is a human sensation that is Atzilus-like, it is a sense of a wholly new dimension.  The sense of absolute oneness with the Divine is an out of body experience that emerges from Atzilus, the universe that is above our world and serves as a makif an enveloping light to our physical dimension. 

Atzilus is all good and it produces the Chaya part of the human soul. Chaya is the source of dveykus, devotional oneness, and what Chaya is in the human is what Atzilus is to the cosmos. 

Out of Atzilus a further diminished light emerged, the world of Beriah, creation.  Atzilus experientially is felt as a loss of self-hood, it is called Ayin, a sense of nothingness.  Beriah emerged out of it, thus Beriah is a manifestation of and the place of Yesh meayin, something coming out of nothing.  In this world there is a possibility of evil although good is the majority.  This world parallels the section of prayers that speak of accepting God’s yoke, the recital of Shma and its blessings.  This world is also termed “Olam Hakisey” “the universe of God’s throne.”  Symbolically the Almighty “sits” there, that is why there is a widespread Jewish custom to sit during the prayers of Shma.  Beriah produced and parallels the Neshama part of the soul.  The Neshama is located in the mind and expressed through thought, and in the world of Beriah thoughts are tangible and real.  The depths of Neshama can be felt when all of one’s thoughts are holy, centering on Torah knowledge and Mitzvah fulfillment.

Beriah let out a lesser light that became the world of Yetzirah.  Yetzirah implies yesh miyesh, something from something, to form an item out of a primordial matter.  In Yetzirah evil has even more presence and is equal to the amount of good.  This world is represented by the Psukey Dzimrah - verses of praise - part of the morning prayers.  Zimrah also means to prune, the verses of praise are pruning shears, they cut away the forces of evil and allow man’s prayers to enter before God. This universe let off the Ruach part of the soul that it parallels.  Yetzirah is the world of feeling and man’s emotions of holiness reach this world.  The ultimate level of Ruach is felt when one’s heart is filled exclusively with the best desires, such as swirls of love for Judaism, or awe and fear of Heaven.  Feelings are as tangible in the world of Yetzirah as objects are in our universe.

Finally, there is the universe of Asiyah where the majority is evil, and it parallels the Nefesh part of the soul, and the prayers of Korbanos - the sacrificial order that purified and provided the spiritual merit for this world. Good deeds performed on this earth reach the world of Asiyah.

After the spiritual universes, stands the physical universe itself, which is joined to the world of Asiyah.

Man in Hebrew is called adam a word that shares a root with the word adameh, literally, “I will resemble.”  What is a man?  A being who resembles the Heavenly domain.  Since man’s soul parts constitute a small harp to the great harp of the physical universe’s “soul-parts” his actions cause similar results in those realms.  Man is the soul of the universe.Rabbi Tzadok explains that the life-forms on our planet are roughly divided into four categories; domeim, inanimate materials such as air and water, tzomeach, growing items such as grass and trees, chay, living beings like animals, fowl, and insects, and medaber, speaking creatures, namely, humans.  The world of Asiyah and the soul part Nefesh are expressed through righteous deed.  If you put a coin into the hand of a poor person without any care for his welfare nor a thought about why it is correct to give charity, then it is exclusively in the realm of Asiyah.  Domeim bears a trace of Asiyah.  An act without feeling or thinking is like an inanimate item, the doer was a block of wood during its performance, no better than a mechanical machine.  The world of Yetzirah is the source for Ruach and feelings and resembles tzomeach.   Most of what I feel is internal, only a small fraction of my love or hate can be seen by others.  I cannot see the tree moving up when it grows, however I do see a small fraction of the growth process, and by regular monitoring of a plant I can stay abreast of its development.  Animals have some intelligence, thus chay corresponds to Beriah and Neshama, the sources of thoughts.  Chaya and Atzilus is total connection to God, thus corresponding to medaber, the human who through speech can experience union with Infinity.

A superficial view of body and soul and their relationship to each other would lead one to view them as eternal opponents.  Yet, once one delves deeper one can see how the body can help the cause of the soul. 

The Body Clothes the Divine Soul Most of this segment (The body as clothing) is from the Stutchiner Rebbe not Rav Wolfson.  C.f. Mishbetzos Zahav,Shavuos (5751), page 194

           The inner wisdom of Torah teaches that the relationship between the physical body and the Divine soul is like that of a garment.  The body is the clothes of the soul.  In mystical terminology Oros, lights, is the term for soul-like forces while Keilim, clothes or vessels, is the term for body-like entities.  To describe the soul and other spiritual entities and mystics use the term light.   This is because light is one of the least physical of items in our material world, it cannot be grasped and held, thus it represent the spiritual non-tangible entities.  Light also provides a clear field of vision, and is a universal symbol of purity.  Furthermore, it spreads out quickly just as spirituality causes a person to spread himself out and do acts that bring honor to God.  Additionally, light was the first creation and thus it represents the source of existence.  Rabbi  Yechiel Bar Lev suggested that light represents an extremely strong degree of connection to root.  If you cut a branch off a tree the branch will no longer grow but it will not disappear, it continues to exist.  However, if you sunder a ray of light from its root, say shuttering a window, thus separating the rays from the sun, the room will become dark because light detached from its root ceases to exist.  Light represents the spiritual dimension since we must be totally connected to the root and if we are not connected to the Divine we cannot exist.  C.f. Yedid Nefesh pages 35-36

Consider a lamp in your living room as an example of Oros and Keilim.  Light in the elemental form is soul-like, it is the Or.  Essential light is clothed in the Keli (vessel) of the light bulb.  Light itself; pure, absolute, and unlimited in any way would be so bright that no one would benefit from it.  In a light bulb, light is restrained so that it can be appreciated. This is the function of all Keilim.  They limit the Oros to enable enjoyment.  

The light bulb is an Or, a soul-like light, relative to the lamp shade, its Keli, its vessel.  The light bulb on its own would be too bright for anyone to benefit, the shade around it reduces the glare so that its rays are soft and helpful.  Body is light to clothes as its vessel.  The clothes conceal the body so that it is not seen in its naturalness. 

The soul is light to the body as vessel.  The soul on its own is like pure unlimited light.  It is overwhelming.  Just as a light fixture limits absolute radiance and cloaks it in a manageable form, the body obscures the light of the soul. Body as vessel to soul as light seems to mean that the two are opposing forces since concealing is the opposite of revealing.Another pair of terms that describe this relationship is chomer and tzurah.  Chomer  literally means matter and it is body-like or vessel-like.  Tzurah literally means form and it is the soul or light to matter Within man the soul is the tzurah and the body is the chomer.  C.f. Yedid Nefesh part 1 chapter 5.At the Creation, the body of Adam was just that.  It was an ethereal, luminescent structure which revealed the spiritual content.” (Living Inspired page 118) “The garments of the world, the covering of Adam before he sinned were of Or “light.”  After the sin, the covering became skin.  The root Or has the silent aleph, it is light, spiritual, all revelation.  The root (for the Hebrew word for skin) spells not only skin but blind too – the covering which revealed has become a covering which obstructs.” (Living Inspired page 120)  When one purifies his body he is, in some measure, returning to the state of Adam before the sin.

  The soul is the source of life, it is what gives life. The body receives life from the soul.  The body is a receiver to soul as a giver.  Here again, body and soul are opposites for taking is the opposite of giving, just as dimming is the opposite of illuminating.  A deeper look will reveal that the definition of body and soul as light and vessel is the reason why study of the body can teach about the soul.

  We can delve deeper.  A vessel need not always dim the light.  Sometimes the vessel becomes pure and radiant.  Then, the vessel itself becomes light-like.   For instance, a lampshade can become translucent so that the light bulb shines through it without being dimmed at all.  In such cases the lampshade is indistinguishable from the bulb and one might say that the lampshade produces light for it loses its identity to the light bulb.  The body is the vessel of the soul, yet once the body is purified it will not oppose the soul nor will it hide the soul. “The body should reflect the neshama perfectly, (it) should serve the soul in perfect loyalty.  Never should the body stray after its own desires.  It should be a vessel, a tool which obeys its control dimension totally selflessly.  It should be like a vehicle driven only from within, its very existence justified only as a loyal servant.

Even prior to the absolute purification of the body, the body can help you grow spiritually. Every Keli (vessel) can become an Or (a light), and the ability to become a light is constantly latent within it.  Thus a study of the vessel that discovers its latent abilities will teach about the light’s characteristics. The body clothes the soul. “Clothes hide but also reveal – although the wearer is hidden by his clothes, his dignity is revealed by his clothes.  Royal robes cover the king, but they reveal his royalty. (‘Oteh or ka’salma’ –‘ God wears light like a garment’; nature hides God, but accurately reveals His presence!)” (Living Inspired page 120)  Thus the body obscures the soul and reveals the soul.

Lessons of the Body

What is the body’s strongest impulse?  I would argue that it is lust.  Lust is a mask of a Heavenly and soulful force, Chessed, the desire to spread out and connect with others. In Leviticus 20:17 it is written, “Viish asher yikach es achoso bos aviv oh vas imo viraah es ervasah vihi sireh es ervaso chessed hu vinichrasu lieiney bney amam ervas achoso gilah avono yisah” “ A man who marries his sister, daughter of his father, or daughter of his mother, and he saw her nakedness and she saw his, it is chessed, and they will be cut off before their nation, he revealed his sister’s nakedness he must bear his sin.” (emphasis added)  The Baal Shem Tov explained that the verse included the word chessed, to teach that lowly lustful desires are a misapplication of the Heavenly drive for chessed.  The verse is bemoaning the disgrace saying, “Lust? How could you do that, to misapply chessed, the most radiant and important of character traits?” Lust is when I seek to connect with them for my own selfish pleasure, Chessed is the elevated form of this urge; desire to connect with others in order to give and to help them and an urge to attach oneself to God.  Lust as the most virulent bodily desire teaches that generous giving is the most powerful urge of the soul.  The body’s lust drive is enormously powerful; that should teach us how deeply the soul desires Chessed.

Perhaps the following thought might help one overcome improper drives:  The animal soul is ascendant when lust is actualized.  If one acts according to the dictates of desires one is little better than the beasts of the wild.  On the other hand, the Heavenly soul shines through the body when one displays selfless giving.  When experiencing lust temptation the body is reflecting a fallen urge of the soul.  It is a moment to engage in Chessed - selfless giving to other humans and to the cause of Holiness. Raising lust is a very high level of service of the Almighty.   When overcome with such feelings contemplation that at its root it is a desire for divinity and turning those passions towards feeling Love towards Him or His children is a difficult task.  Chassidim demanded it of themselves.“The Baal Shem Tov taught that God created human emotions to teach man how to serve his Master.  The Besht explicitly said, ‘Man must believe that when an evil lust falls into his heart it was sent to him from God, for the time has come for him to serve God with love of Holiness.  Heaven is hinting to him, “turn love to the love of God.”   Once the heart is already in a state of desire it is easier to reach love of Divinity.  Similarly, when a great fright falls upon man, he should know with certitude that this fear was sent from Heaven to tell him, “Now is the time to arouse your own innate fear of God.”  So it is with all the emotions’”(Divrey Sholom, Purim page 38) 

The reason for the centrality of lust and generosity  is that Chessed, the Divine and elevated form of this drive, was the foundation of the world; as scripture states, “Olam Chessed Yibaneh” “The world was built upon Chessed” (Psalm 89)  God’s creation was an act of total love, and he placed Chessed as the foundation of a Heavenly personality.

 Even the physical form of the body can teach lessons about the Nefesh elokis, the Godly soul.  Look at the body from the form of the body, and the various functions its parts fulfill, and you may learn about the nature of the soul.  For instance, the tongue is the vessel for speech and it is a very delicate and soft limb, it does not have a bone and can easily be burnt and damaged.  This is a lesson about the soul, soulful speech is soft and delicate.  Soulful rebuke is delivered to others through a context of love and in an oblique manner that does not offend.  (C.f. Mishbetzos Zahav, Parshas Noach) The tongue has two uses it enjoys taste that no one else will enjoy and it reveals to others insights through oral communication.  This teaches that some ideas, such as lessons of the revealed Torah should be shared, other concepts, such as the secrets of how God created the universe are to be hidden and each individual should enjoy them by himself.  (C.f. Pachad Yitzchok on Rosh Hashana Maamar one). The Maharal explains that the reason why the human body is naturally straight and we do not walk on all fours with our head to the earth, is that God wanted to send a message to man through the human form.  “Because God’s presence is not visible in this world, it is easy for people to come to sin.  God compensated for this physical blind spot with the spiritual ability to perceive and fear God.  Our erect human posture directs our gaze upwards to the Heavens.  There we observe God’s presence… and we are less inclined to sin.”  (Maharal of Prague on Pirkei Avos page 81 c.f. Derech Chaim, end of the commentary to Mishna 2:1)

  The body has two hundred and forty eight primary limbs and three hundred sixty five sinews. The limbs are the major bones of the body, the sinews are what hold muscles to bone and contain blood within their channels.  Bones are white while sinews (that are filled with blood) are red.  Thus there are two hundred and forty eight white parts of the body and three hundred sixty five red parts of the body.  The soul has matching segments.

There are two hundred and forty eight “white lights” and three hundred and sixty five “red lights” in the soul.  Each soul “light” (part of the soul) is Godly holiness clothed in one of the physical parts of the body.  The soul-part is what gives life to that portion of the body.  The “white lights” are clothed in the limbs, in the white bones, and the “red lights” are sheathed within the sinews.

 Jewish observance is divided into two parts, Mitzvos Aseh, commandments that require a particular act from the Jew, and Mitzvos Lo Taaseh, enjoinders prohibiting behaviors.  The Torah contains two hundred and forty eight Mitzvos Aseh and three hundred sixty five Mitzvos Lo Taaseh.  Performance of the Mitzvos Aseh draws life to the limbs from the “white” of the soul while observing the prohibitions of Mitzvos Lo Taaseh brings added strength and purity from the “red” of the soul.  Thus each Mitzvah parallels a soul and a body part.  The more Mitzvos one performs the purer the body becomes and that much more spiritual vigor may flow into it.

In mysticism, the different colors along the spectrum symbolize different Divine attributes (C.f. “Meditation and Kabbalah” pgs. 179-183 )  The color white symbolizes chessed – unbridled generosity and love.  The color red represents din – harsh justice, and limitations.  Mitzvos Aseh require that action be taken, one has to extend his personality and do, and are expressions of love for God.  What we do is the basis of who we are, thus our deeds provide added life to the white bones, the body part that frames a person’s form and shape.  Mitzvos Lo Taaseh are injunctions, forbidding acts that are injurious to our and the world’s spiritual well being.  Observance of these laws entails constriction, pulling one’s self in and not doing what sensory urges seek.  Scrupulous adherence to the commands of Mitzvos Lo Taaseh is thus an exhibition of din, -fear and justice - setting boundaries and rigorously maintaining them.  Our forefather Avraham was the ultimate paradigm of chessed, Heavenly giving and love.  Avraham even sought to perform kindness with earth worshippers and the sinners of Sodom (see parshas Vayera).  Since Mitzvos Aseh are expression of giving, extending oneself for God’s sake, Avraham is the personification of Mitzvos Aseh.  The gimmattriah of Avraham’s name (1+2+200+5+40) is 248 the same as the sum of all Mitzvos Aseh.

The goal of Mitzvos Lo Taaseh is to preserve the spiritual well being of the person, thus they parallel sinews that tie the muscles to the bones and maintain the person. Isaac was the paradigm of Din or Gevurah, setting limits and constriction.  Isaac’s greatest moment was when he allowed himself to be bound on the altar, an act of remarkable discipline and withdrawal.  Isaac is the personification of Mitzvos Lo Taaseh, as a result when God first appeared to him and gave Isaac a Mitzvah to live in the Land of Israel it was phrased as a prohibition “Do not go down to Egypt, stay in this land etc.” (Genesis 25:2).  (Emunas Etecha, Lech Lecha 5759).  The Nefesh part of the soul is the part that has 613 “pieces” that correspond to the various body parts.

 Death divides the soul from its physical body and the soul then enters another dimension, the World-to-Come.  A soul always needs some sort of vessel to contain it.  Since death rids us of a body, what will clothe our soul in the next dimension?  The answer is the Mitzvos that we performed.  Since each Mitzvah parallels a soul part, if we fulfill all of the Mitzvos in the next world they will clothe us fully in a Heavenly body-like cloak. Every Jew can fulfill all the Mitzvos even though some commands only apply to priests and others were limited to the Land of Israel.  A simple Israelite outside the Holy Land can study the Torah’s discussion of the Mitzvos of priesthood or of the Land of Israel.  Intellectual thought of these commandments and discussing their laws are partial fulfillments of these Mitzvos.  Another way for each individual to fulfill all 613 obligations is through love.  If a Jew binds himself with great attachment to all the Jews within the nation, the Mitzvos that the Cohanim perform will accrue merit for him as well.

A great Tzadik who has performed many good deeds brings about a new spirit to his person.  While in this world he already has some qualities of the next world.  His body is constantly being purified through the Mitzvos that he performs and it becomes a vessel like the translucent lampshade.  It does not oppose the soul, rather it reflects God’s glory to all.  When seeing such an individual you immediately sense his soul and its message for it shines right through the body. 

At an ideal level all of us when seeing others focus on what is essential, the soul of the other and not what is external, the body that clothes the soul.  If you shake the gloved hand of a friend you would not characterize it as, “touching Jake’s glove”, rather you would describe the event as, “I shook Jake’s hand” since the glove pales in importance to the hand it covers.  Similarly the body is merely the clothing of the soul.  It should pale in importance to the soul.  Where there is a conflict between the will of the body (the nefesh habahamis) and that of the soul (the nefesh elokis), the needs of the soul should come first, and in truth when we think of ourselves we should immediately think of our essence, our soul and not the clothes, the body.  The gemmatriah ( numerical value of words and letters) of the word ahava (love) is 13 the same as for the word echad (one).  Total love demands singular devotion.   One can only truly fully love one spouse or ideal.  If so how did the Torah demand love for fellow Jews once we were already commanded to love God our Lord?  If the heart is filled with love for God where will there be room for love of fellow men?  The answer is that the Torah  demands love to one subject, God.  If one sees souls and not bodies, then one sees the Divine in others and that Divinity is what is beloved.  If you love your spouse you love her children who are extensions of the spouse.  “You are children to God,” according to the Torah, therefore, love of God demands love for the Jewish soul that emerges from Him.   The Tzadik reaches this level; he only sees souls; all he sees is the nefesh elokis - the Divine within others.

 God formed man out of dust of the earth, and blew into his nostrils a soul of life, and man (thus) became a living creature (Genesis 2:7).    For you are dust and to dust you shall return (Genesis 3:19)

 Man is composed of two opposing components.  He has a body that was initially formed from dust and is coarse like the physical world.  Man is also the guardian of a soul, a fragment of Divinity, that emerged from God’s essence when He blew into Adam.The Midrash, (Bresishis Rabbah 12:8, Rashi’s version) describes the composite nature of man in the following text.

“Great is peace for when God created His world he made peace between the higher (spiritual) creations and the lower (physical) creations.  On the first day He created in both realms, as is written, ‘In the beginning God created Heaven and Earth.’ On the second day He created in the spiritual realm, as is written, ‘And God said “Let there be a firmament.’’’  On the third day He created in the lowly realm, as is written, ‘And God said “Let the earth sprout grasses.”’  On the fourth day He created in the Heavenly realm, as is written, ‘And God said “Let the Heavenly lights (the sun and moon) appear.”’  On the fifth day He created in the lower realm, as is written, ‘And God said “let the waters swarm.”’  On the sixth day He wished to create man.   God then said, ‘If I create Him from the Heavenly then the spiritual will exceed the physical by one creation and there will be no peace in the world.  If I create him from the lowly then the physical will be one more than the spiritual and there will be no peace in the world.  Therefore, I will create him from the Higher and lower realms for the sake of peace.’  This is what is meant by the verse, ‘And God formed man dust from the earth’ (man is) from the lowly, and ‘He blew in his nostril a soul of life’ (man is also) from the Heavenly.”

Hebrew names manifest the essential nature of an item.  The essence of man can be found in his name Adam.  The letter aleph is a composite of three letters, two letters yud (one on the right and the other to the left) and a vav.  The gimmatria equals 26 which is the numerical value of God’s name of being (Yud then Heh then Vav and Heh).  The aleph of Adam recalls “Alufo shel Olam” “The Master of the world” for man has a part of Divinity within him.  The remaining two letters spell the word dam - blood.  Blood is the home for the animal soul of man.  Thus man is a union of Divine Soul with animal flesh. (Rav Wolfson)

 Since God is not a human who has a respiratory system, what is the meaning of God’s breath?  God’s breath symbolizes the Almighty’s “essence”, as it were His “vitality”.  Breath is human life.  Time of death is determined in Jewish law as the point when respiration ceases, and the Hebrew word for soul, neshama, shares a root with the word for breath, neshima.  To blow means to push out breath from the depths of your being, “G-d blew into man”, He reached to the essence of Himself, cut off a piece, and endowed it to man as the human soul.   Body (earthiness) and soul (pure Godliness) are opposites, yet they need each other.

     A parable helps explain their relationship.  There was once a cripple who was blessed with vigorous eyesight and a keen intellect.  One day he was told that his daughter, who lived in the next town, was organizing a party in her home celebrating the birth of her first child.  The invalid sorely wanted to attend the party.  The next town was only a few miles away, but he could not walk, and he could not afford to pay for a horse and buggy to transport him.

     In the same town as the invalid lived a blind man who was healthy and strong.  He had heard that a medical professor, expert in vision restoration, was in the next town for a short visit.  The blind man desperately desired to visit the doctor, however, he knew that he could not attempt the trip on his own.  Were he to try and grope along the roads he would quickly lose his way at the various turns and would be easy prey for the bandits that ambush passerby.

     The invalid asked a friend to bring him to the town’s central square to find a ride to the next town.  The blind man also came to the square for the same purpose.  They ended up sitting next to each other.   They both waited for hours but no ride materialized.  Eventually, they started talking to each other and the invalid realized that he and the blind man both sought the same destination. 

He recommended that the blind man carry him.  He would look out and guide the blind man along treacherous turns and watch from his elevated perch for ambushers that may be lying in wait, while the blind man’s vigorous strength would easily carry them both to their goal.  Together they arrived in the next town.The blind man is the body while the invalid is the soul.(Adapted from Vayikrah Rabbah chapter four)

The body does not see well. The body accepts pleasure as the purpose of life.  The body desires to sleep and waste away time.  It is easy to anger, and it revels in wasteful speech and thought.  The body is often depressed and it seeks pride and power.  The soul however has perfect vision. The soul knows that we are on earth in order to display the Divine’s rule and thus mend His world.  The soul sees ultimate reality, what truly matters and what is real pleasure.  Alone, the soul is an impotent invalid.  For its tikkun, to accomplish its mission of performing Mitzvoth and learning Torah in this sphere of existence, it needs a body. 

It was most important for the blind man to walk and the invalid to ride.  Imagine if the order had been inversed, would they have achieved their goal?  If the blind man had ridden atop the invalid, he would not have been able to see afar in order to protect the invalid from robbers who lay in ambush, nor would the invalid with his atrophied legs have been able to carry the blind man’s weight.  The soul must control the body and have the body serve it.  People in whom the soul serves the body lack the correct perspective on life, they enslave their moral thinking to legitimize base behaviors, and they torment their soul with the lowest desires.The highest point of the soul is concentrated in the mind, that is why the prayer recited before placing Tefillin (phylacteries) on the arm and head declares, “(the Teffilah box) on the head stands opposite the brain so that the Neshama Shebimochi, the soul, whose location is in the head, together with my other proclivities and abilities will be fully committed to the service of God.”  Thus, thought is associated with the soul, while impulses are expressions of the body.

The differing attractions of the body and the soul             

Everything in nature seeks to return to its root.  So as well is a child always attracted to his parental home. Home as the source of one’s life has the quality of a root and branches are attracted to their roots.  Consider the strength of the bond between father and child.  The father is the source of the son, he is a root, and the son is an offshoot.  Since the attraction to source is so powerful the son seeks to emulate his father and earn his father’s approval. Tzion Viareha pg. 31

Similarly every man is attracted to his wife and when single feels forlorn and incomplete.  This too stems from the need to reconnect to one’s roots.  Before birth each soul is a duality, with a male half and a female half.  When we are born, only half of a soul enters the world at a time.  There is another half, of the opposite gender, that is born into another family, usually at a different time.  The urge for marriage is a desire to return to the perfect state, the most natural, the form in which we were originally created.  Marriage is not a union of disparate individuals, it is a reunion of the halves that were initially one soul. The primordial unity of souls is hinted at in the verse, “Hema Mehevel Yachad” “They are together from mist,” namely, since the point of mere soul mist, male was together with female.  Perhaps this concept can explain a difficulty that is found in Rabbinic sources about marriage.  Legal authorities stress that marriage should be performed with symbolic omens of blessing.  For instance, ideally one should marry at the beginning of the lunar month when the moon, the symbol of the Jewish nation, is growing in luster.  Secondly, there is a widespread custom to place the wedding canopy under the stars, the artifact of God’s blessing to Abraham that Jews will be as plentiful as the celestial lights.  Yet, the Rabbi’s derived the laws of marriage from the purchase of the Machpela cave, the burial plot where Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sara, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Leah are interred.  Can a cemetery and death be a good omen?  The answer is yes, the Machpela cave indicates the heights of union married individuals can reach.  Marriage is not merely a partnership of bodies and lives, it is a reunion of souls.  As a result it does not have to end.  The body stops living at the point of death but the soul lives on and a marriage where husband and wife are fully connected to each other, continues after death.  Even in the next world the two souls are fused.  That is why our patriarchs and matriarchs were buried as couples in the same cave, to indicate that during their lifetimes they had fully fused their personalities and therefore the bond fully continued on a soulful level after death.  Perhaps the name Chevron (where the Machpela cave is located) reflects this concept, since Chevron stems from the word Chibur - connection.  Deriving the laws of marriage from the purchase of the Machpela cave is a wonderful omen, it shows that in marriage an absolute unity can be achieved during the lifetime of the couple and that union can continue after physical death.  (Emunas Etecha parshas Vayetze page 86)

C.f. “Made in Heaven” page 1 note one.

Since marriage is a return to one’s root it resembles and symbolizes the ultimate redemption. 

Every nation’s root is their homeland, that is why Englishmen are loyal to England and Americans are loyal to America.  The root of the Jewish nation is the Land of Israel.  That is why Jews are innately attracted to the Land of Israel. 

In the realm of person the roots of the Jewish people are our forefathers, Avraham, Yitzchok, and Yaakov.   God introduced Himself to each with commandments about the Land of Israel.  God’s first words to Abraham were, “Lech lecha” “Leave your land, birthplace, and family and go to the Land that I will show you (Israel).” (Genesis 12:1)  To Isaac He said “Do not go down to Egypt, reside in the land that I will command you to stay there.  Stay in this land (Israel).” (Genesis 25: 2-3)  And Jacob’s first message was “I am the G-d of Abraham etc. the land that you are lying on will be given to you and your descendants.” (Genesis 28:13)   Since the land of Israel is the root of the nation in the dimension of space, in the dimension of people our roots first began their relationships with God through hearing of the bond to the land.   (Emunas Etecha, Lech Lecha 5759)

The ultimate redemption will return Jewry to their land and thus will return us to our root.  Since marriage is also a return to the root, marriage is the symbol of the redemption.  That is why in the blessings celebrating marriage the seventh blessing requests the ultimate redemption.  At a time of return to a root it is fitting to pray for the ultimate return to the Source. Thus, the prophet promised, “Once again it will be heard in the hills of Judea and in the outskirts of Jerusalem the sounds of joy and gladness, the sounds of groom and bride, the sounds of thanks to God.” 

The body and soul have different roots. The body is from the earth.  It is organic and chemical like the earth.  Since the body is attracted to its root it is drawn to an animalistic life, one of passions, laziness, emptiness, and false pride.  The soul however is also attracted to its root.  The soul stems directly from God’s breath.  The soul pulls us up to God Himself.  The soul attracts man to the highest ideals, it inspires morality, and demands behavior that connects us to God.See Horeb chapter 61, who explains the obligation of burial as a requirement to return the body to its root, just as the soul has returned to its root in Heaven through death.  The concentrated life force of the body is called nefesh habahmis - the animal soul, since animals also have organic “spirits” that provide their life and attract them to lowly desires.

The soul is the nefesh elokis - the Godly soul, since it is a piece that was hewed off of the Divine.  The nefesh habahamis is concentrated in the blood, which is why loss of much blood causes death to the body.  The Torah severely prohibits ingestion of animal blood because what you eat influences your character and since the blood contains an intense form of the animal’s vitality and nature, eating it would cause the human nefesh habahimis to become too strong.C.f. Ohr Hachaim, Vayikrah 17:10  The organ with the most blood in the body is the liver, the nefesh habahamis is therefore said to be located in the liver, or the left half of the heart, a section of the heart that has excessive amounts of blood.  The home of the nefesh elokis is the mind, and it is concentrated in the right half of the brain.  The nefesh habahamis is sometimes called yetzer hara, evil inclination, for it draws the person to evil, the selfish behaviors of the animal world.  The nefesh elokis, pulls man to attachment with the Divine and is called yetzer tov, the inclination for good. 

     “The candle of God is the human soul.”(Proverbs) Just as in a candle the flame seeks to leap ever higher, the soul (nefesh elokis) seeks to leap out of the body into the embrace of the Heavens.  The wick tethers the flame and the body tethers the soul keeping it grounded and constrained.

     These conflicting urges may be the source for the custom to Shuckle, sway back and forth, while praying and studying Torah.  To remove an embedded tooth a dentist must pull it.  Resisting dislocation, it shakes back and forth.  When praying or learning the soul seeks to leap out of the body; it wants to rejoin its root and feel God without the limitation of flesh.Rav Moshe Chayim Luzzato writes in his work Daas Tevunos, “The soul is a fragment of Divinity, its only desire is to return to and cleave to its Source, to reach Him; (this is because the soul is) like all effects that seek their cause, and the soul will only rest and feel inner peace once it accomplishes this goal.”      Yet the body keeps the soul in this world. The two drives face off against each other, as a result, there is a swaying back and forth.

     The greatest miracle is the human specimen.  According to Rav Moshe Isserles,[17] the blessing recited after relieving oneself in a lavatory expresses thanks for the wonder of human life.  The blessing concludes with praise to God, “Baruch atah hashem rofeh chol basar umafli laasot” “Blessed are you God who heals all flesh and created a wondrous creation.”  The final few words seem incongruous.  The ability to release excrement and the various holes in the body preserve health, but what is so wondrous about them?  Seeing the intricacies of the microscopic realm or the magnificence of a waterfall does not elicit a blessing with the term “wondrous creation” in it, why does excretion?  Rabbi Moshe Isserles answered that the paradoxical nature of man makes his existence wondrous.  On the one hand man is a physical being who eats, procreates, and excretes as the lowest animals do.  On the other hand man is a soul with the ability to praise God, thank the Almighty, and experience transcendent Divinity.  Joining these two forces is a supernatural feat.  Thus, after the most physical of activities when we are reminded of the coarse nature of man it is the time to thank God for maintaining the union of body and soul.Body and soul seem to be opposite forces destined to eternal conflict for supremacy.  However a deeper look reveals that the body can help you learn about the soul, and that the body is neither exclusively nor permanently an opponent to the soul.

The story of “The turkey prince”   

                 Once the king’s son went mad.  He thought he was a turkey.  He felt compelled to sit under the table without any clothes on, pulling at bits of bread and bones like a turkey.  None of the doctors could do anything to heal him or cure him, and they gave up in despair.  The king was very sad.

     Until a wise man came and said, “I can cure him.”

     What did the wise man do? He took off all his clothes, and sat down naked under the table next to the king’s son, and also pulled at crumbs and bones.

     The prince asked him, “Who are you and what are you doing here?”

     “And what are you doing here?” he replied.

     “I am a turkey,” said the prince.

     “I am also a turkey,” said the wise man.

     The two of them sat together like this for some time, until they were used to one another.

     Then the wise man gave a sign and the king’s men threw them shirts.  The wise man-turkey said to the king’s son, “Do you think a turkey can’t wear a shirt? You can wear a shirt and still be a turkey.” The two of them put on shirts.

     After a while he gave another sign and they threw them some trousers.  Again the wise man said, “Do you think if you wear trousers you can’t be a turkey?” They put on trousers.

     One by one they put on the rest of their clothes in the same way.

     Afterwards, the wise man gave a sign and they put down human food from the table.  The wise man said to the prince, “Do you think if you eat good food you can’t be a turkey any more?  You can eat this food and still be a turkey.”  They ate.

Then he said to him, “Do you think a turkey has to sit under the table?  You can be a turkey and sit up at the table.”

This was how the wise man dealt with the prince, until in the end he cured him completely. (Rebbe Nachman of Breslov)

 Rabbi Nachman of Breslov’s parable can be understood as a display of the ideas in this lesson.  Every human has a body, that is his animal or turkey part, and a soul, that is a prince as the son of God.On the verse, “Vigam haNefsh lo timaleh” “ And the soul as well will not be satisfied” (Kohelet 6:7), the Midrash compares the relationship of body and soul to a marriage of unequals.It is like a village peasant who marries the king’s daughter.  Even if he were to bring her many luxurious items they would be worthless in her eyes since she is the daughter of the regent.  He can never provide for her according to what she expects.  So too the soul is the daughter of the King, even if the body brings her all the physical pleasures of the world she will not be satisfied, for she is Heavenly. 

 We should stress our soul and the fact that we are the children of the King of Kings.  Yet the prince thinks he is a turkey.  We so often immerse ourselves in bodily concerns that we view them as the sum of our essence.  Physical desires become our needs and the body’s urges our obligatory behavior.   We are the prince who is certain that he is a turkey.

The wise man used the turkey misconception to heal the prince and free him from his delusions.  As a turkey the prince had to act like the other turkey (the wise man), since turkeys cannot be different from each other.  Guided correctly, the body itself, its physical urges, can further the cause of holiness and eventually become saintly.Rebbe Nachman’s lesson can serve as a source of comfort.  Even if I feel that I am lost in a morass of physical urges and I am naked of my spiritual dignity, there is still hope.  I can be rescued by a wise man, a Tzadik, who will descend to my level and attach himself to me.  The Tzadik will then show me how to channel my physicality and turn a turkey into a prince of God’s kingdom.Rabbi Wolfson did not quote this story of Rabbi Nachman in this lesson.  I inserted it and adapted its explanation from Avraham Greenbaum’s “Under the Table and How to Get Up: Jewish Pathways of Spiritual Growth”.

Study of the body is another way in which the material aspect of man might help further the cause of his soul.  Through a deeper look at the relationship between body and soul. The next post will detail why the body can help the cause of the soul and how the body’s lessons can be accessed. 

Pikuach nefesh (Hebrew: פיקוח נפש‎, "saving of human life") is the principle in Jewish law that the saving of a human life is paramount, overriding virtually any other religious consideration. When the life of a specific human being is in danger, almost any negative commandment of the Torah may be broken, with just three exceptions.

The Bible in Leviticus 18:5 states "אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה אֹתָם הָאָדָם וָחַי בָּהֶם" literally translated as "that do them the person and live with them". Ezekiel 20:11 also states this phrase. Nehemiah 9:29 also mentions this phrase.The Talmud discusses a number of cases as examples in which biblically mandated laws can be disregarded for the sake of saving a human life. All of these examples relate to Shabbat prohibitions: rescuing a child from the sea, breaking apart a wall that has collapsed on a child, breaking down a door about to close on an infant, and extinguishing a fire to save a life. The Mishna there discusses when one is permitted to break his or her fast on Yom Kippur: "If one is seized by a ravenous hunger (ostensibly referring to something life threatening), he may be given to eat even unclean things until his eyes are lightened."

Pikuach nefesh has limitations. The individual whose life is to be saved must be a specific, identifiable individual, rather than an abstract or potential beneficiary.

The laws of pikuach nefesh apply equally in saving the lives of a Jew or a gentile, since a gentile is just as much God's creation as a Jew. If one must choose between saving a Jew or a gentile, and can only save one, the one who is more likely to survive given the circumstances must be saved.

Pikuach nefesh does not apply when an animal's life is in danger, and halakha may not be broken to save the life of an animal. Reform Jewry challenge this interpretation based on compassion for a wounded animal that one would certainly use a car to an drive an injured animal to a hospital on Sabbath.

Another question is what constitutes a life-threatening situation. Some situations are clearly life-threatening, such as one who is dying of a disease and will die without medical intervention, or one who is drowning and will not be able to escape the water without help from another. But in other situations, it may be unclear if a life is truly in danger.If one is in danger of losing a limb, mobility, eyesight, suffering the loss of some other function vital to one's future survival, or may be in danger of a new health problem developing that may ultimately shorten one's life, the situation is considered to be life-threatening.

If it cannot be ascertained whether or not a situation is life-threatening, the situation must be considered life-threatening until proven otherwise, thereby allowing action to be taken.

It is of prime importance that if one believes a life may be in danger, and seconds may count, that persons involved not delay helping the victim out of fear of violating halakha, or in order to determine if such a violation is permissible according to halakha.

If one takes action in violation of halakha to save a life when s/he believes the situation is life-threatening, but later learns that there was no threat to a human life, s/he has not sinned, and must not feel guilty over having made such a mistake.

In a life-threatening situation, when possible, it is necessary that the most qualified individuals available provide all assistance necessary during every moment of the situation. But when seconds count, there must be no delay in determining who is more qualified.

If there is a choice between a Jew and a gentile who are equally qualified, and there is clearly plenty of time to decide, it is preferable that the gentile provide the assistance. But if there is a choice between two Jews, and there is clearly plenty of time to decide, it is preferable that the more observant of the Jews break the halakha. This shows the importance of breaking halakha when a life is on the line, and that less observant Jews are not permitted to serve the purpose of breaking halakha during non-emergencies.

According to some halakhic rulers, organ donation under Jewish law is one classic example of the obligation to violate a commandment because of Pikuach nefesh. Saving one's life can override the prohibition against desecrating a corpse. However, due to the limitation that a specific life must be in danger, a specific organ recipient must generally be identified before the organ is removed. Organ removal to organ banks for possible future is generally prohibited by all Orthodox Judaism halakhic decisors.Basically this is saying that if a relative dies and there is a person who immediately needs a transplant to live,you should donate that organ.

The laws of Shabbat and the Jewish holidays may be suspended for the purposes of pikuach nefesh. The earliest known example of this took place in 167 BCE, when Mattathias and the Hasmoneans declared that it was permitted for their followers to fight on the Sabbath day to defend themselves from attack. One is allowed to travel in order to save another’s life, and medical care may be provided to critically ill patients (see Driving on Shabbat). According to Moshe Feinstein, it is permissible to travel to accompany a woman in labor to a hospital because the Talmud is especially solicitous of health with respect to pregnancy and childbirth. Shabbat laws can also be bent for a woman who has given birth in the last three days to make sure that she is comfortable and healthy.

One is allowed to drive a woman to a hospital on Shabbat to give birth, since birth can be life-threatening without medical supervision. Similarly, one may sign a consent form for surgery on Shabbat if the surgery will otherwise be delayed.If one's close relative is transported to the hospital under emergency circumstances during Shabbat, one is allowed to drive or accept a ride to the hospital in order to provide company to their relative at the hospital, since this may be life-saving. One may also be needed at the hospital to sign potentially life-saving consent forms

If a medical emergency is known or suspected that warrants placing a phone call rather than transportation in a motor vehicle, the telephone may be used. If the situation has a lower level of urgency, the receiver shall be removed and the buttons pressed in an unusual manner. If the person involved is expecting a call to be returned to deal with the issue, answering the phone is permitted, and if another uninvolved person has placed the call, the person involved shall state that they are waiting for a call from the doctor (or similar).

It is permissible for one whose profession it is so save lives (such as a physician, nurse, or emergency medical technician) to work on Shabbat in order to save lives. It is permissible even for such a professional to use a telephone or pager to be alerted to his/her need for a life-saving act or to communicate life saving information, or to travel by any means necessary to the location where the potentially life-saving act will be performed.

Extinguishing a fire on Shabbat or Yom Tov is forbidden under Jewish law. Extinguishing a fire or using the phone to call the fire department only in order to save one's property from damage is forbidden. However, it is still permissible do to so in most cases due to the danger caused to others unknown to the person who discovers the fire. Even if all people can escape a building, as long as the fire burns, there is a danger it can spread to other nearby buildings, thereby endangering the lives of others in them. Even in a rural area, where there are no other buildings nearby, there is the danger the fire can spread to a nearby forest, started a more devastating forest fire, which may endanger others. Only if it can clearly be established that no such risks are present is it forbidden to break Shabbat.

On Yom Kippur, the fast preferably may only be broken if one is advised by a physician not to fast, and then consults a rabbi regarding the physician's advice. The general practice though, is to eat only as much as is necessary in order to satisfy one's needs. If one is advised by a physician not to fast, but is unable to consult a rabbi, s/he should eat in accordance with the physician's advice.
If one senses s/he may have a health problem that may be aggravated by fasting, but no physicians or rabbis are available to give advice, s/he should use his/her own judgment, and is permitted to refrain from fasting. In such cases, s/he must not delay eating in order to speak with the appropriate authority, or feel guilty for eating in this situation.
One who must eat on Yom Kippur is required to give eating necessary to avoid aggravating a medical condition priority over prayer. All blessings normally recited before and after eating are recited as usual.Fasts other than Yom Kippur are viewed more leniently. Anyone who feels unable to fast is permitted to break the fast without attempting to consult a physician or rabbi.
On all fasts, one who is taking a medication for any reason is permitted to use food or water as necessary to aid in taking the medication. If the medication has instructions to consume food or beverage with the medication, s/he is not permitted to fast, and s/he need not further consult a physician or rabbi.
A person who becomes severely dehydrated during any fast shall consume sufficient fluids to restore his/her body to normal hydration levels.
Rabbinical law prohibits eating at certain times even on non-fast days, such as prior to daily morning prayer, the recitation of kiddush on Shabbat or Yom Tov, and between the ending of Shabbat and Havdallah. In particular, these laws are to strictly be followed by adult males and should be followed by adult females who are not pregnant or nursing. While it is optimal to wait out these shorter periods of time rather than eating, even for one whose medical condition demands frequent eating, there are exceptions:
A pregnant woman or a woman who is nursing a baby who has a craving shall eat without delay. For all other women and for boys yet to have reached bar mitzvah age, these laws are treated more leniently.
One who must take a medicine at a specific time may consume any food or drink necessary in order to consume the medicine or that must be eaten with the medicine.
A person who is severely dehydrated may consume fluids as necessary to restore his/her body to normal hydration levels.
A person who lacks the strength to perform the necessary service without nourishment may eat the minimum amount necessary to perform the service with kavannah.

There are some Jewish laws that may not be violated, even when a life is in danger. In these cases, a life must be sacrificed rather than a halakha be broken. These include:
Sins that involve Chillul Hashem (the defamation of God's name) may not be committed even to save one's life. These include idolatry, blasphemy, or denial of God's existence. Forbidden violations include:
Worship of any god other than Hashem
Bowing to any god other than Hashem for show just to please the enemy, or other signs of pretending to worship such a god, even if one's intention is not to worship
Violating any negative commandment in submission to a persecuting enemy whose purpose is to stand against God
Construction of such a god for oneself or others to worship, or support of such worship
Entry into a building where a god other than Hashem is being worshipped. It is for this reason that one may not enter a church during services, even to save a life. Entering a church when services are not going on has lesser restrictions.
Recitation or printing God's Holy Name in vain
Destruction of God's Holy Name from a printed sheet of paper or parchment except in the performance of rituals prescribed in the Torah
Pretending God does not exist in order to avoid persecution

Any act that intentionally causes the death of another person (considered to be an act of murder), that injures a person so the potential for death from the injuries is high, or that otherwise creates a dangerous situation that will very likely put one or more lives at risk, is not permitted for the preservation of life. Forbidden examples are:

Harvesting organs from the body of a person who is clearly alive
Live organ donation, where the risk of death to the donor is extremely high. If the risk is low, the donation is permitted.
Driving at a very high speed in order to reach a hospital if a crash with an innocent motorist is almost assured
An exception in which killing another person is permitted is the case of a rodef (aggressor), who may be killed in order to save the live of oneself or another. This permits self-defense and wartime killings in Judaism. Also, abortion is permitted in Jewish law if the unborn fetus is endangering the mother's life, because the fetus is considered to be a rodef. The "rodef" assertion is also used to permit the separation of conjoined twins when it is likely or even certain that one will die as a result if the operation if this is necessary to save the other.

While one is not permitted to automatically give up one's life in order to save the life of another (an act of suicide, forbidden in Jewish law), one may risk his/her life to save the life of another. Doing so is a great mitzvah.

One may not put another's life in danger, especially against that person's will, in order to save his/her own life or that of another.

Scholars have long questioned whether or not stealing is permitted in order to save a life. Most have concluded that stealing sustenance from a poor person is prohibited under life-threatening circumstances, since the life of a poor person who loses even a small portion of his/her sustenance is considered to be endangered. Also, operating a business or similar operation that intentionally robs or defrauds the poor of all or any part of their sustenance is strictly forbidden, even to save a life. Robbing or defrauding a large business, organization, or the government is forbidden if the poor will suffer as a result of the business, organization, or government losing these funds. If a business suffers the loss of money due to fraud or theft, it may pass the losses onto customers by raising its prices, and as a result, the poor may have to spend more. The government, if cheated, may raise taxes, even to the poor, or cut services from which the poor benefit.

Lashon hara is symbolically considered an act of murder, and therefore may not be spoken to save a life. However, most cases in which bad word must be spoken against a person in order to save a life are productive, and thereby do not constitute lashon hara.

Torturing or persecuting another person is forbidden, since a person who has undergone such trauma has been "murdered" for whom s/he is. An exception is one who is seemingly tortured by medical treatment performed to save his/her life.

Engaging in individual sex acts or entering long-term relationships forbidden according to the Torah are not permitted if failure to do so would place one's life on the line. This includes adultery, incest (acts with one's blood relatives mentioned in the Torah as constituting a forbidden relationship), male homosexual acts, or marriage between a kohein and a woman forbidden to a kohein.

Forbidden sex acts that are only rabbincally prohibited are permitted in order to save a life. Also forbidden forms of sex with one's spouse, such as niddah violations, are also permitted in order to save a life.

Other behaviors that directly lead to a violation of a prohibited sex act are also forbidden in order to save a life. For example, violations of yichud laws prohibiting long-term seclusion with a member of the opposite sex would be forbidden. It is therefore forbidden to live with a member of the opposite sex forbidden under yichud laws if the alternative is life-threatening homelessness. Pre-sexual romantic behaviors, even without intercourse, are also forbidden. However, indirect violations, such as those falling under the category of negiah, may be broken. A man is permitted to rescue a drowning woman, even if his contact with her causes him to be sexually aroused. Violations of tznius (modesty) laws are not forbidden to save a life because these are rabbinically defined and standards vary by community.

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 As you've probably noticed, I'm into comparative theology and looking how different faiths look at things. I've had a few tell me I'm anti-Christian or anti-Islam, but I'm not. I just post what I write so people who follow those faiths can see how their concepts compare to the original text. I live in America and we have freedom of religion. If you want to sacrifice squirrels to a Mr Potatohead, you have that right. The same as I don't want someone telling me what my religion believes, unless they actually have the facts, I don't tell anyone how to live their lives. I simply show what this says compared to what that says. If you have the book,it's right in front of you to see for yourself and decide your own path.