What is a Soul?

[00:00:01] Speaker A: People will usually say that they feel. [00:00:03] Speaker B: That they have a soul. [00:00:06] Speaker C: We use the word soul all the time. [00:00:08] Speaker D: We talk about it. [00:00:10] Speaker B: But what is a soul? [00:00:13] Speaker D: The most obvious function of a soul. [00:00:15] Speaker E: Is giving us life. [00:00:17] Speaker C: A living person has a soul, and a dead person doesn't. That means that our souls are responsible. [00:00:26] Speaker F: For our physical existence. [00:00:29] Speaker B: But animals have life too. [00:00:33] Speaker G: And at the biological level, the life of a human body is not much different from the life of an animal's body. [00:00:42] Speaker C: Does that mean that animals have the. [00:00:44] Speaker G: Same soul as ours? [00:00:48] Speaker F: Many will say that our desires and. [00:00:50] Speaker C: Our feelings come from our soul. But animals have desires and feelings too. [00:00:56] Speaker H: Animals can love, feel jealousy, feel if you are sincere. Animals can even appreciate classical music. [00:01:05] Speaker C: So is my soul not any different. [00:01:08] Speaker G: From a soul of a dog or. [00:01:10] Speaker D: A monkey or a pig? [00:01:14] Speaker C: If my soul is responsible for the vitality of my body and its desires are dictated by the physical needs of my body, then where do my selfless desires come from? If I want to help someone, despite. [00:01:29] Speaker H: Of the fact that I will be. [00:01:30] Speaker C: Acting contrary to my own interests, where. [00:01:35] Speaker I: Does this desire come from? [00:01:37] Speaker D: It cannot come from my soul. My soul only protects the needs of my body. [00:01:44] Speaker C: Where do altruistic feelings come from? [00:01:48] Speaker D: My soul only wants what my body wants. [00:01:52] Speaker C: So maybe people are not really capable of true altruism. And if at some point I have two different desires, does my soul simultaneously want two different things which are conflicting? No. Our souls do not suffer from a split personality. [00:02:17] Speaker H: Yes, we are capable of true altruism. [00:02:20] Speaker G: And our inner world is different from. [00:02:23] Speaker J: That of a pig. [00:02:26] Speaker C: The Torah explains that we have two souls. [00:02:31] Speaker F: One is responsible for our material existence. [00:02:34] Speaker H: It cares for our physical life. [00:02:37] Speaker F: And our bodily desires come from this soul. [00:02:42] Speaker C: And it does resemble a soul of an animal. And the feelings and the desires that it makes us have do not differ much from the feelings and the desires of an animal. [00:02:56] Speaker H: The desire to eat well, to be. [00:02:58] Speaker G: Warm and comfortable, and so on. [00:03:01] Speaker F: In Judaism, this soul is called an animalistic soul for that very reason. [00:03:07] Speaker C: But we are much more than just an animal. [00:03:11] Speaker H: We are not limited to our materialistic lives. We are capable of having selfless desires. [00:03:18] Speaker C: Therefore, the Torah says that we also have a godly soul. It is called that way because it is a part of God. Literally, it allows us to rise above our physical nature. From this soul comes a potential for true altruism. Many religions promise peace and tranquility to their followers. They claim that their adherers will not. [00:03:48] Speaker F: Have any internal conflicts. [00:03:51] Speaker C: The Torah says that internal conflict is a normal phenomenon because we have two souls. That pull us in different directions. [00:04:01] Speaker F: The book of Tanya gives an example. [00:04:03] Speaker H: Of two kings who are fighting over one territory. [00:04:07] Speaker C: This fight happens every day and it allows us to have freedom of choice every second. Each of these souls pushes us to. [00:04:19] Speaker B: Do what it wants. [00:04:21] Speaker G: And the whole point is to try. [00:04:25] Speaker C: To follow our godly soul as often as we can.