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From: samet@sfmag.UUCP (A.I.Samet)
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: Mysticism, all of, while standing on one foot
Message-ID: <504@sfmag.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 23-Feb-85 20:32:17 EST
Article-I.D.: sfmag.504
Posted: Sat Feb 23 20:32:17 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 27-Feb-85 03:45:34 EST
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> I was wondering. Does anyone out there have ideas on the difference
> between:
> 	neshama
> 	ruach elokim
> 	nefesh
>  Which one of these is the seat of b'chira chafshi (free-will)?

This is a tall order to answer on the net.  There is an excellent
presentation  which  answers  your  questions  in  R. Moshe Chaim
Luzatto's classic "Derech Hashem".

It presents the hierarchical architectures of the  spiritual  and
physical  universes,  their relation to the Jewish soul, and it's
respective levels.

An excellent translation, by R. Aryeh Kaplan Z'L, is available  in
English:
        "The Way of G*D", Feldheim Publishers

                                        Yitzchok Samet