Nefesh HaElokit — The Divine Soul

Hebrew: נֶפֶשׁ הָאֱלֹקִית

The nefesh ha-elokit (Divine soul) is described in Tanya as “chelek Eloka mi-ma’al mamash” — literally a part of God Above. This is the distinctly Jewish spiritual dimension that yearns for God, truth, and transcendence.

Source

The Divine soul derives from the Atzilut (World of Emanation) — the level of Divinity where God and the created are still united. It is “hewn from beneath the Throne of Glory” and is the point at which a human being is truly connected to the Divine.

The Divine soul resides primarily in the brain — the intellectual faculties — and in the right chamber of the heart — the seat of holy love.

The Ten Faculties

The Divine soul possesses ten koachot (faculties) corresponding to the ten sefirot:

Three Intellectual (Chabad):

1. Chochmah — flash of wisdom/insight
2. Binah — understanding, development
3. Daat — internalization, connection

Seven Emotional (Midot): 4. Chesed — love, expansiveness 5. Gevurah — awe, restraint 6. Tiferet — compassion, harmony 7. Netzach — perseverance 8. Hod — gratitude, humility 9. Yesod — connection, bonding 10. Malchut — expression, receptivity

Three Garments of the Divine Soul

The Divine soul expresses itself through:

1. Torah study — thought
2. Prayer — speech
3. Mitzvot — action

These garments, the Alter Rebbe explains, are actually higher than the soul itself — for they are the will and wisdom of God, whereas the soul is only a part of God.

The Divine Soul’s Aspiration

The Divine soul’s fundamental drive is bittul — self-nullification before God. It naturally desires union with the Divine source, expressed through:

• Love of God (ahavat Hashem)
• Fear of God (yirat Hashem)
• Delight in Torah and mitzvot
• Love of Israel (ahavat Yisrael), because all Jewish souls share a common Divine root

See Also

• Nefesh HaBehemit — The animal soul in constant tension with the divine soul
• The Beinoni — One who governs through the divine soul’s mind over heart
• Five Levels of the Soul — The broader framework the divine soul fits within
• Bittul — The divine soul’s natural orientation toward self-nullification

Sources

• Tanya, Chapters 2-3, 18-19
• Likkutei Sichos, teachings on the divine soul’s garments and expression
• Alter Rebbe