בס "ד

This blog summarizes the classical and mystical Jewish sources regarding the levels of the soul, the spiritual status of the Bnei Noach, and the difference between Neshamah and Nefesh Elokit. It is written as a clear explanation for anyone struggling with these concepts.

What Is a Neshamah, and How Does It Work for a Ben Noach?

According to Jewish tradition, every human being has a soul. Not just Jews, not just religious people, but absolutely everyone. You can imagine the soul like an onion with different layers. The first layer is called the nefesh — this is your basic life force, the energy that keeps your heart beating and your body alive. The second layer is called the ruach — this is your inner world: your thoughts, your feelings, your ability to speak and be aware. Up to this point, there is no difference between one person and another; everyone has these parts.

Above these layers there is another level called the neshamah. This is the part of the soul that reaches upward toward G-d. It helps you feel more spiritual, brings clarity, and strengthens your connection to something higher than yourself. Not everyone uses this part equally, and not everyone develops it automatically.

The Ramchal (a major Jewish thinker) explains that when a non-Jew chooses to keep the Seven Noahide Laws specifically because G-d commanded them, he or she receives a portion of the neshamah. This is not something magical or mysterious — it simply means that an extra light turns on inside your soul. You become more sensitive to holiness, you can come closer to G-d, and you gain a place in the World to Come. You grow spiritually in a way that you otherwise would not have reached.

Some people get confused when they hear that Jews also have something called the Nefesh Elokit — the “Divine soul” — according to Kabbalah. It may sound exclusive, as if others have nothing. But that is not what it means. It simply means that Jews were given a different mission — to keep the 613 commandments — and for that mission they were given a different kind of spiritual “engine.” It is not about being better or worse; it is simply a different design for a different job. Just like a surgeon and a firefighter need different skills, but both are essential.

This absolutely does no mean that a Ben Noach cannot feel a deep love for G-d. In fact, a Ben Noach can feel a very strong pull toward G-d, can enjoy praying, learning, and living by the Seven Laws with love and devotion. According to the sources, such a person stands spiritually much higher than someone who denies G-d. The Admor Maharash explains that a Ben Noach who keeps the Seven Laws draws spiritual energy not from dark or harmful forces but from the good, pure side of creation — from holiness and light.

So the main point is this: a Ben Noach does not stand on a “lower level.” He is not “below” a Jew. He stands in his own place, with his own mission, given by G-d Himself. And that mission is extremely important for the entire world. The Jew has his assignment — to be a “kingdom of priests” — and the non-Jew has his assignment — to bring justice, stability, and goodness into the world. Without the nations, there is no human society; without Israel, there is no spiritual center. They are like two wings of one bird — both needed to fly.

The Talmud even says that a Ben Noach who fulfills his commandments perfectly, for the sake of G-d, can reach a spiritual level comparable to the High Priest in the Temple — the highest human spiritual level. In other words: the path that G-d designed for you can take you incredibly high, without you needing to become Jewish or take on a different role.

So, a neshamah is simply a way of describing the part of a person that can live close to G-d. And Jewish tradition clearly says that every Ben Noach who keeps the Seven Laws with dedication receives this light in his soul and has a beautiful share in the World to Come.

Por Angelique Sijbolts
Gracias al rabino Moshe Bernstein por sus comentarios.

Fuentes

• Ramchal, Derech Hashem, Chapter 4, “Israel and the Nations”
• Admor Maharash, Torat Shmuel, 5633, vol. 1, treatise Ki Yishalcha, p. 223
• Likkutei Torah, Parashat Pinchas, p. 79c
• Sanhedrin 59a
• Tanach: Shemot 19:5–6, Vayikra 19:2, 20:26, Deuteronomium 26:19, Genesis 12:3



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