Is personality inherited?

Shalom! You wish to know if personality traits are G-d given, or of our own making, predetermined, or influenced by our souls. The answer is yes, to all of the above, and more. How does it work?

In a publication called “The Abbreviated Code of Jewish Law,” written approximately in the 1870’s, it states that “People have different approaches (meaning different natures). There is a person who is heated and prone to anger, and there is a person whose thought pattern is stable and doesn’t become angry at all, or only once in a few years.” The author continues to describe various kinds of natures, and – since this is a book of law, he leads on to the conclusion that the middle path is the recommended one. The book is a summary of some of the basic laws derived from the Oral law as discussed in the Talmud. Thus the ideas presented in the book are based on age-old Jewish wisdom and axioms. Indeed you requested an explanation about traits which are not ‘moral’ ones, but it is all connected. The fact that this discussion is presented in the context of law means that the Torah approach is that we may have genetic tendencies, but we are to refine them and do the best we can with them. The fact that many different traits are enumerated means that we acknowledge individual differences, and each person is given a mission to work with his or her own unique make-up and utilize it according to G-d’s will.

So yes, to a certain extent our traits are genetically and spiritually predetermined, and this includes whether or not we will be ‘creative or analytical’, but we have much potential to develop. Towards the end of the eighteenth century, (approximately,) there was a Jew called Yekutiel Liepler. He was a pious salt merchant, who had never managed to get very far with his Torah studies as a child. He kept the precepts of the Torah to the best of his ability and gave charity. One day, a bright young student of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, (the first Lubavitcher Rebbe,) came to his town and shared what he had learned from the Rebbe with the residents of the town. Reb Yekutiel sensed that the subject matter was profound and meaningful, but was very frustrated that he could not really follow it. He made his way to Rabbi Shneur Zalman and poured out his sorrow to him, about never having been able to succeed academically, and not succeeding in understanding what a young student could. Rabbi Shneur Zalman saw his sincerity and invited him to stay with him. Reb Yekutiel used to sit on an upper part of the building far from distractions and go over the subject matter he learned from the Rebbe time and time again. The Rebbe apparently interceded on high for him. Reb Yekutiel’s mind was opened and he became one of the greatest scholars in the teachings of the Rebbe.

This leads us to the Chassidic approach. Rabbi Shneur Zalman wrote a book called ‘Tanya’. ‘Tanya’ is an Aramaic word meaning ‘it is repeated’ or ‘it is taught’, which is a common term in Talmudic learning. The book of Tanya is a basic text of Chassidic teaching, which explains certain Kabbalistic concepts. In the Tanya it is explained that we possess ten soul powers, or G-dly energies. These are Divine energies that manifest themselves in our apparently physical world. (‘Apparently’ because the Tanya teaches that G-d not only created all existence and continues to recreate it – for if not we would cease to exist, but even the physical world and the laws of nature are really only a part of G-d.) These ten soul powers are divided into three powers of intellect, and seven emotive powers. The three intellect powers are: Chochmah, translated as wisdom but referring here to the initial flash of insight, Binah, translated as knowledge but referring to the development of the insight into details, and Da’at, translated as understanding but referring to actualization of the insight into speech or action.

The seven emotive powers are: Chesed – translated as loving-kindness but referring to the energy of reaching out,

Gevurah – translated as severity but referring to the energy of holding back, and in certain contexts striving high as a flame does,

Tiferet – translated as beauty or harmony, representing the integration of Chesed and Gevurah,

Netzach – translated as victory, representing the energy of perseverance,

Hod – translated as glory, but referring to the energy of humility, the capacity to acknowledge,

Yesod – translated as foundation and representing the energy of connection, and

Malchut – royalty, representing communication, dignity, and more.

Every person is a combination of these energies. They are manifested in us by means of what Chassidic teaching calls ‘the soul garments’, which are thought, speech, and deed.

These soul powers and their predominance in you are connected to whether or not you will be creative or analytical, for example, or persistent in achieving your goals, or endless possibilities of personality traits and talents. Someone who is predominantly ‘Chochmah’ will probably be right brain – which connects with creativity, indeed Chochmah, Chesed, and Netzach are on the right, while Binah, Gevurah and Hod are on the left. Tiferet, Yesod and Malchut are in the middle, integrating and channeling the other energies.

In the story of Yekutiel Liepler, we see that his strong desire to comprehend, and spiritual help from the Rebbe, affected his capabilities and released the apparent potential.

A famous singer who grew up in a secular home and decided to learn Torah in a Yeshivah, asked his Rabbi what he should do, since he was always composing songs and putting them in the drawer. The Rabbi answered him that if G-d gave him that talent, it is not his alone, he must use it for the good. This is what he now does…

Souls can be reincarnated in order to rectify things that either went wrong or in order to perform mitzvot that were not performed in the previous incarnation, this can affect a person’s make-up as well. This does not cancel out free choice though, there is always free choice even if the dice seem loaded.

Of course many and varied environmental factors can and do affect people’s traits, and the challenge is to reveal them, use them and channel them to help make the world a better place, until we soon reach the true and final Messianic Redemption, which is the aim of creation.