Body
and
Soul
(Modified
by
Dr.
Michael
Laitman)
Three
Theories
of
Body
and
Soul
All
the
widespread
theories
of
body
and
soul
can
be
combined
into
the
following
three
theories::
1. Theory
of
Faith
This
theory
maintains
that
nothing
but
the
soul
(or
spirit)
exists.
Adherents
of
this
theory
opine
that
there
exist
spiritual
entities
separated
from
one
another
by
quality
that
are
called
human
souls.
They
exist
independently
before
they
descend
and
incarnate
in
human
bodies.
Afterwards,
when
the
body
dies,
its
death
does
not
extend
over
these
entities,
because
they
are
spiritual
and
not
composite.
In
their
view,
death
is
a
mere
separation
between
the
elements
of
which
an
entity
consists.
It
therefore
refers
to
the
material
body
that
constitutes
a
conglomerate
of
elements
separated
by
death.
But
being
a
spiritual
entity,
the
soul
is
simple
and
cannot
disintegrate,
so
that
its
structure
would
be
affected.
Hence,
the
soul
is
immortal
and
exists
eternally.
According
to
advocates
of
this
theory,
the
body
is
the
soul’s
attire.
The
soul
dresses
into
the
body
and
manifests
its
powers,
qualities,
and
various
faculties
through
it.
This
way
the
soul
provides
the
body
with
life
and
movement
and
protects
it
from
injuries.
The
body
turns
into
lifeless
and
motionless
matter
when
the
soul
leaves
it.
All
the
signs
of
life
we
observe
in
a
human
being
are
nothing
but
the
manifestations
of
the
soul’s
powers.
2.
Theory
of
Dualism
Those
who
believe
in
duality,
contrive
this
theory.
According
to
their
opinion,
the
body
is
a
perfect
creation
that
can
live,
eat,
protect
itself
from
all
harm
and
does
not
need
help
of
any
spiritual
entity.
However,
this
body
is
not
considered
the
person’s
essence.
This
role
is
taken
by
the
intelligent
soul,
a
spiritual
entity
(this
coincides
with
the
first
theory).
The
difference
between
the
two
theories
only
concerns
the
body.
Rapid
development
of
science
reveals
that
nature
has
installed
in
the
body
all
the
vitally
important
needs.
Therefore
the
soul’s
function
in
the
body
is
only
confined
to
passing
good
spiritual
qualities
and
skills
to
it.
The
adherents
of
dualism
believe
in
the
two
theories
at
the
same
time,
but
they
assert
that
the
soul
originates
the
body.
3. Theory
of
Negation
Researchers,
who
deny
the
existence
of
any
spiritual
reality
and
only
believe
in
corporeality
of
the
body,
share
this
theory.
Followers
of
this
theory
completely
negate
the
presence
of
any
abstract
spiritual
entity
in
the
structure
of
the
human
body.
With
an
indisputable
certainty
they
believe
that
the
human
mind
is
nothing
but
a
derivative
of
the
body.
They
imagine
the
body
as
a
kind
of
an
electrical
machine
with
cables
that
connect
the
limbs
and
organs
with
the
brain.
The
entire
mechanism
is
activated
by
external
irritants
and
is
transmitted
as
pain
or
pleasure
to
the
brain,
which
commands
a
certain
organ
to
act.
Everything
is
controlled
through
nerves
(cables)
and
tendons
attached
to
the
organs
programmed
to
avoid
sources
of
pain
and
aspire
to
sources
of
pleasure.
This
is
how
supporters
of
this
theory
see
the
process
of
human
comprehension
and
reactions
to
every
life
situation.
Our
perception
of
intelligence
and
logic,
inside
the
brain
is
much
like
a
photographic
imprint
of
what
is
going
on
inside
the
body.
In
comparing
man
with
any
representative
of
the
animal
world,
man’s
advantage
consists
in
the
fact
that
everything
that
takes
place
in
his
body,
is
reflected
in
his
brain
as
a
picture
perceived
as
the
mind
and
logic.
So,
the
adherents
of
this
theory
consider
the
mind
a
result
of
all
the
processes
that
occur
in
the
body.
Similarly,
some
of
the
followers
of
the
theory
of
dualism
completely
agree
with
the
theory
of
negation.
However,
they
add
to
it
the
eternal
spiritual
essence
called
“soul”,
which
in
their
opinion
dresses
in
the
body.
They
assert
that
the
soul
is
the
person’s
essence,
while
the
body
serves
as
its
shell.
By
and
large
this
is
how
the
humanities
have
described
the
notions
of
“soul
and
body”
until
now.
Body
and
Soul
as
Scientific
Notions
in
Kabbalah
The
science
of
Kabbalah
is
intended
for
revelation
of
the
Upper
World
to
the
same
extent
of
clarity
and
reliability
as
the
earthly
sciences
reveal
our
world
to
us.
All
that
we
know
about
the
Upper
World
was
received
by
the
Kabbalistic
researchers
as
a
result
of
their
experiments
on
themselves.
Therefore,
there
is
not
a
single
word
in
Kabbalah
based
on
a
theory;
everything
is
described
as
a
result
of
a
practical
attainment.
It
is
an
obvious
fact
that,
by
his
nature,
the
person
is
liable
to
doubts
and
any
conclusion
defined
as
obvious,
by
the
human
mind,
is
called
into
question.
Hence,
the
power
of
theorizing
grows
and
the
previous
facts
receive
a
different
explanation,
which
is
in
turn
considered
as
obvious.
If
the
person
is
really
able
to
think
abstractly,
he
keeps
moving
in
this
circle
all
his
life.
The
obviousness
of
a
previous
day
turns
into
the
doubts
of
today,
and
the
clarity
of
today
will
turn
into
doubts
of
tomorrow.
So
the
absolute
certainty
can
only
be
possible
“today”.
The
Revealed
and
the
Concealed
Modern
science
has
already
come
to
an
understanding
that
absolutely
nothing
is
obvious
in
reality.
Theorizing
and
hypothesizing
have
always
been
forbidden
in
Kabbalah.
The
Kabbalists
divide
the
science
into
two
parts:
The
revealed
and
the
concealed
one.
The
revealed
part
of
the
science
includes
all
that
we
understand
by
simple
realization,
when
the
study
is
based
on
the
practical
basis,
without
any
theorizing.
The
concealed
part
of
the
science
includes
the
knowledge
that
we
have
attained
by
ourselves,
or
from
reliable
sources,
but
is
insufficient
for
analysis
from
the
point
of
common
sense
and
simple
realization.
Therefore,
this
part
of
information
we
are
temporarily
obliged
to
accept
as
“simple
faith”
and
never
try
to
research
it,
because
it
will
be
based
on
theorizing
and
not
on
practical
experience.
However,
the
names
“revealed”
and
“concealed”
points
not
at
certain
kinds
of
knowledge,
but
at
the
person’s
realization.
That
is,
the
knowledge
the
person
gained
from
his
practical
experience
may
be
called
“revealed”.
The
knowledge
that
has
not
yet
reached
such
a
degree
of
realization
may
be
defined
as
“concealed”.
From
the
aforesaid,
it
follows
that
there
has
never
been
a
person
in
any
generation,
who
would
not
possess
these
two
parts
of
knowledge,
the
revealed
and
the
concealed.
He
is
only
allowed
to
study
and
research
the
revealed
part
because
he
has
a
real
basis
for
it.
Ban
Imposed
on
the
Humanities
Kabbalah
considers
it
impermissible
to
use
the
humanities.
It
only
relies
on
empirically
proven
knowledge.
Therefore,
we
cannot
receive
any
scientific
knowledge
about
the
notions
of
“soul
and
body”
from
the
three
aforementioned
theories,
because
the
conclusions
are
based
on
religious
arguments.
We
can
only
accept
the
information
about
soul
and
body
as
scientific
knowledge
based
on
the
wisdom
of
Kabbalah.
In
accordance
with
this,
we
have
the
right
to
use
only
the
third
theory,
which
deals
with
the
body,
in
all
the
empirically
proven
conclusions
that
raise
no
doubts.
Kabbalah
forbids
all
the
general,
logical
explanations
of
any
theories.
Criticism
of
the
Third
Theory
However,
the
third
theory
is
alien
to
the
educated
person’s
spirit,
because
it
does
away
with
personality
and
presents
it
as
a
machine
that
is
activated
by
external
forces.
From
this,
it
follows
that
the
person
is
not
free
in
his
desires
and
is
totally
controlled
by
nature’s
powers.
All
his
actions
are
forced,
and
he
is
neither
rewarded
nor
punished
for
his
own
actions,
since
the
law
of
reward
and
punishment
only
applies
to
the
person
with
a
free
will.
This
theory
is
equally
rejected
by
the
religious
masses,
which
believe
in
the
Creator’s
reward
and
punishment
and
by
secular
people.
It
turns
out
that
each
of
us
is
like
a
toy
in
the
hands
of
a
blind
nature
that
leads
us
to
an
unknown
destination!
Hence
the
third
theory
is
unacceptable
in
this
world.
It
was
therefore
decided
that
the
body
that
is
called
a
machine,
in
accordance
with
the
third
theory,
does
not
constitute
a
human
being.
The
person’s
essence,
his
“I”
is
an
invisible
and
imperceptible
spiritual
essence
concealed
within
the
body.
Yet
how
can
this
essence
activate
the
body,
if
according
to
philosophy,
the
spiritual
has
no
contact
with
the
material
and
in
no
way
influences
it?
This
is
why
there
is
no
answer
to
the
question
of
the
soul
in
philosophy
and
metaphysics.
Conclusion
1.
We
feel
everything
in
our
five
senses.
The
combined
picture
of
all
that
we
perceive
in
our
senses
is
processed
and
analyzed
in
our
brain,
compared
with
the
already
known
and
is
forwarded
to
our
consciousness
as
an
image
of
ourselves
and
of
the
surrounding
world.
Thus,
the
person
perceives
both
his
own
body
and
the
world
as
a
result
of
sensations
in
his
senses.
Neither
the
body
nor
the
world
exists
by
itself;
they
are
but
the
consequences
of
our
sensations.
Baal
Sulam
writes:
“I
feel
my
body
as
solid
and
of
a
certain
size,
because
my
sensations
present
it
to
me
this
way…”
2.
If
we
had
no
senses
at
all,
we
would
not
feel
ourselves.
If
our
senses
were
different,
we
would
perceive
the
world
and
ourselves
differently.
3.
Everything
we
feel
in
our
five
senses
is
called
the
“revealed.”
Naturally,
every
individual
reveals
his
own
measure
of
information
depending
on
his
sensitivity
and
intelligence.
The
revealed
is:
4.
The
“concealed”
is
the
information
that
still
waits
to
be
revealed
in
the
future.
The
concealed
is
of
two
kinds:
-
That
which
we
will
reveal
in
our
senses
in
the
future,
and
-
That
which
we
will
never
be
able
to
reveal
in
our
five
senses.
5.
The
information
that
is
impossible
to
reveal
in
our
five
senses
can
be
received
in
the
sixth
one.
Each
person
carries
in
himself
a
root
of
the
sixth
sense
and
can
develop
it.
The
method
of
developing
the
sixth
sense
is
called
Kabbalah.
The
sensation,
experienced
in
the
sixth
sense,
can
also
be
divided
into
two
elements
in
similarity
to
the
sensation
of
the
body
and
the
surrounding
reality
in
our
five
senses:
-
The
body,
referred
to
as
the
“soul”,
and
-
The
surrounding
reality
called
the
“Upper
World.”
The
sensation
of
the
Upper
World
is
perceived
as
eternity,
perfection
and
omniscience.