Shalom and thank you for your question! You raise a fascinating point, as to the wholeness of our souls.
A soul, by definition, cannot be divided into separate parts, because a soul is a totally spiritual entity, and it is actually a part of the infinite G-d above. There ARE different FUNCTIONS of the soul, just as there are different functions of the brain and the heart in the body. Part of the soul is in charge of animating the body and giving it basic character and physical function. This aspect of the soul is called the animal soul. What is called the G-dly soul is the aspect which gives us our striving for spirituality, for higher goals in life than merely surviving. The G-dly soul can be revealed only in an appropriate and supportive environment. Traumatic experiences can definitely cover up the function of the G-dly soul, but it is there, it is just hiding. If you are referring to experiences such as seances, where spiritual energies are accessed which are NOT from the side of holiness, it is possible for impure forces to temporarily take over our consciousness, and that’s why we should stay far away from such things. A healthy example, however, of our soul temporarily distancing itself, is the act of sleeping. The Talmud calls the experience of sleep a sixtieth of death. This is why we pray at night that G-d protect our soul, and we thank G-d in the morning with the Modeh Ani prayer, “I give thanks to you, L-rd, for returning my soul to me, great is your trust…” After the Modeh Ani prayer, we wash our hands ritually, to remove the impurity of our slight brush with death. Nevertheless the soul was not detached from the body during sleep, just distanced.
Our purpose and challenge is to reveal the soul with its higher levels by providing the right environment and stimulus.
This can be done by learning Torah, carrying out the Mitzvot, and having a strong connection with a community that also strives to do the above.
The soul has five levels, called Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, Chaya and Yechida. The level of Nefesh is what we discussed above, with the animating aspect and the aspect of relating to spirituality. The other levels are usually not manifest in our daily lives. A common example of the function of the highest level of the soul, the Yechida, is that it is aroused when somebody or something threatens our connection to G-d. For example, if someone should say to us, “worship idols or die”, we will likely prefer to give up our lives. This is the function of the Yechida. Also, let’s say we jump in to the river to save a drowning person that we don’t even know, or who we know but it is someone who has harmed us, and nevertheless we value life and try to save it at the risk of our own life, this may also be the Yechida level at work.
When a person is traumatized or in a coma, their soul is there, but in a state of less revelation.
The Hebrew word for belief is Emuna, which shares a root with Imun, meaning practice. The more we practice living according to the guidelines of Torah, which the Sages of the Talmud teach us is G-d’s blueprint for the world, the more our soul is expressing itself, even though we do not yet have the spiritual vision to perceive it. G-d gave us our souls, our bodies, and the Torah to channel our bodily natures by accessing our soul power through Torah.
At the time of the complete Redemption, which is coming ever closer, we will be able to discern G-dliness without any barriers. May this be very soon!
