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Judaism: Self, Death and the Afterlife

Nefesh, Neshamah and Ruach

  • 3 things to know
  • Component 2

Overview

Recall questions on the episode used in discussions of She'ol and on the three Hebrew terms for aspects of the soul.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

Define the nefesh.

Key term

Define the ruach.

Key term

How does belief that the soul comes from God shape Jewish burial practice?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Define the nefesh.

    Model answer

    The life or living self of a person, the animating principle that makes a body a living being.

  2. 2

    Define the neshamah.

    Model answer

    The soul understood as the breath of God within a person, the highest and most divine element of the self.

  3. 3

    Define the ruach.

    Model answer

    The spirit, the element of the self associated with breath, emotion and moral character.

  4. 4

    What does Genesis 2:7 contribute to Jewish understanding of the soul?

    Model answer

    It describes God forming the human from the dust and breathing life into him, so that body and soul together constitute the living person.

  5. 5

    Why does Judaism resist a sharp separation of body and soul?

    Model answer

    The human being is treated as a unity, which is why the body is honoured in death and why resurrection of the flesh rather than escape from the body became the classic hope.

  6. 6

    How does belief that the soul comes from God shape Jewish burial practice?

    Model answer

    The body is treated as holy, washed, buried whole and promptly, and is not embalmed or displayed.

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