Soul and Intelligence

 Nefesh HaChaim (14) And thought, it is in the category of the Neshama. She teaches man knowledge and understanding via the holy Torah, and therefore the origin of its abode is in the brain, the tool of thought, and she is the highest category of them all. And so they said in Bereshis Rabbah “She is called by five names...”, “the Neffesh is the blood..., Ruakh..., Neshama is the nature of the creature”— meaning his knowledge and thoughts, as was explained by the Arukh and Rashi.

Nefesh HaChaim (15) The word “Soul-Neshama’s” meaning is “breath”, and in this way it appears to the eye that a person’s breath is a gaseous flow that arises from the heart, from below to above. And also in this way it is the characteristic of “returning light” and not a feature of higher spirituality. However, the matter that is referred to by the term “breath”, the intention is not man’s breath, rather it is as metaphor for His breath, as is written “…and He blew into his nostrils the breath of life”.

Nefesh HaChaim (15) However, the aspect of Neshama is the breath itself, whose innermost essence hides itself in concealment and its  blessed wellspring is within the breath of His mouth, For its essential aspect does not enter at all within the body of man. First Adam, before the sin, merited to its essence, and by reason of the sin it departed from within him and remained only hovering above him. Except for Moses Our Teacher  who merited to have its essence within his body, and therefore he was called “the man of God-Elohi”m” 

Nefesh HaChaim (15) And the Neshama is what gives to man an extra measure of understanding to intellectually grasp the inner intelligence hidden in our holy Torah. And as is written in the Sitrei Torah of Zohar Lekh L’kha 79b: “Neshama awakens in man understanding. And in the Zohar Chaddash, Root 64a: “And I will awaken in you with lofty wisdom…”. And refer in the Etz Chayyim (Sha-ar Mokhin D’kahtnoot, chapter 3), and this is what it says: “Surely not all men are worthy to earn it, and know that one who has the power in his actions… then he will have a wondrous memory in Torah, and will understand all the secrets of Torah… and all the secrets of Torah will be revealed to him correctly

Nefesh HaChaim (15) The Neshama is “the breath of God-Shadda”i”, meaning the breath of His mouth; its essence does not impress and reveal itself within man, for she dwells in the heavens, metaphorically within His mouth, only that she gives him understanding in the sparks of light above him, to make him understand the depths of the Holy Torah’s hidden aspects.And what is written in the Zohar and the Kabbalists  that the aspect of the Neshama’s abode is in man’s brain, they intended the sparks of brilliant light that impart intelligence to his mind and intellect, not her actual essence

Nefesh HaChaim (16) “For God will give wisdom from His mouth, knowledge and understanding” where they said: “To what does it resemble? To a king who had a son. His son came from school and found a platter of food in front of his father. His father took one piece of it and gave it to him…, He said to him: ‘I do not request anything other than a part of what is within your mouth’. What did he do? He gave it to him. … .” That is, what the beloved son is requesting to attain is that He should impress upon him from the sparks of the light of the aspect of Neshama, whose source is deeply hidden in the breath of His mouth. And they provided further hints in their holy phrasing, that the metaphor they used was a young child who comes specifically from school. They reliably informed us that there is no worldly entrance to attain the aspect of the sparks of the light of the Soul-Neshama if not via the engagement and in-depth study and reflection in the holy Torah, from within a state of holiness, for the two of them originate from a single source,