The DNA of the Jewish Soul—No Test Required

The DNA of the Jewish Soul—No Test Required

The Sefer Yetzirah states: “Wisdom is spread through 32 paths,” referring to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet and the 10 Sefirot. “The 22 foundational letters are established in the wheel (Sefirah) and in 231 gates, and the wheel turns back and forth.” (Sefer Yetzirah, Mishnah 4) Moreover, it is known that the world was created through the Decalogue—the Ten Utterances, whose letters also impart power to all creations, from domem (silent), meaning inanimate objects, to medaber (speaking)—human beings. Every creation receives its power from its own combination of the letters of the holy language. A person's spiritual root lies in the letters of their name. It is through these letters that each person's vitality descends. The letters of a name are conduits, channels for the light of life. But because of a person's avonot (transgressions), the letter-channels of the name become blocked, obstructing the passage of Divine light and vitality. The soul of a Jew is the neshamah—נשמה. The Sages draw our attention to something remarkable: the letters of the word “neshamah”— נ ש מ ה  —“nun-shin-mem-hei,” while the two middle letters of the word—ש מ —“shin-mem”—form the word שם—name. In other words, the word for soul itself already contains the word name. Yetzer hara (the evil inclination) urges a person to sin, and since it is with a person from birth, people often give in to it, becoming accustomed to following its lead. The great Mekubalim have given us a beautiful segulah against the urges of the Yetzer hara. This segulah is “le-hatzil et ha-adam min ha-chet”—to protect a person from sin. Those familiar with the hidden Torah advise us to “leshalev otiyot neshamah im shemo”—to combine the letters of one's name with the letters of the word “neshamah” (soul)—נשמה—by visualizing the letters (looking at them, not pronouncing them). For this purpose, it is best to write one's name in Hebrew on a sheet of paper, along with the word נשמה—“neshamah”. If a person's name is Isaac יצחק, they should first visualize the letter  נ “nun” from “neshamah,” then  י “yud” from Isaac, then  ש “shin” from “neshamah,” צ “tzadi” from Isaac, then  מ “mem” from “neshamah,” ח  “chet” from Isaac, then  ה “hei” from “neshamah,”  ק “ kuf” from Isaac. נשמה           יצחק נ י     ש צ    מ          ח    ה          ק    In this way, we connect the soul with the name and give our soul strength to protect us from sin throughout the day.   The most appropriate time for this segulah is on weekday mornings, ideally immediately after “Modeh Ani”. Another suitable time for this segulah is during Birkat HaShachar, before prayer: “Elokai, neshamah shenatata bi tehorah”—(My G-d, the soul You have given me is pure). On Shabbat, the order is reversed: first, the letters of the person's name are recited, followed by the letters of the word “neshamah”. If a person has two names, both names should be combined with the letters of the word “neshamah”. If the name is longer than the word “neshamah”, continue visualizing the remaining letters of the name. If the name is shorter than the word “neshamah”—for example, גד—Gad, continue visualizing the remaining letters of the word “neshamah.” And this, as the Sages of Kabbalah teach, is a person's code—the DNA of their Jewish soul.   Another segulah against the Yetzer hara is the recitation of Tehillim 12.   (Based on the book Sefer Yetzirah and a lesson by Rabbi Israel Yakobov)