Since we maintain that perfection of the level of nefesh, the bodily influenced human traits and, emotions that arise out of inborn physical constitution of an individual (negative ones such as anger, frustration, jealousy, self-doubt, melancholy or conversely positive ones like pity, sense of shame and kindness), does not prevent achieving gains in the world of Ruach, many questions arise. If artistic and even spiritual achievements are available even to those who wallow in lusts and appetites of the body, why should the world of neshama, the exulted abode of Divine Inspiration and Ruach Hakodesh not also be open even to those whose nefesh remains polluted?
In fact, however, every authority, from Jewish philosophers to mekubbolim maintain that moral perfection is a necessary condition for Ruach Hakodesh.
To explain this, we can invoke the concept found in the writings of the Ari. The Ari (Otsros Chaim, Shaar Hanekudim 9) posits that a light of a level can shine through the level immediately below it to the level two steps removed from it. The converse is also true. The imperfection of a level can retard, influence or drag down a level two steps above it.
There are several implications to this fact. First, we do not have to deny that limited spiritual enlightenment can accrue even to those of another religion or spiritual way. The level of Ruach, and perhaps, even an occasional glimpse into the level of the Neshama is available to all sincere seekers, especially inf they are constitutionally open to spirituality (what Rambam called a developed imaginative faculty). What is closed to them however, is the perfection of the bodily nefesh , the "kedushas hamitvos", the sanctification of the "chaluka D'rabbonon", or more explicitly, the intermediary soul-spirit that mediates between the body and the total soul. This semi-spiritual life-spirit takes the shape and form of the body itself. It has 248 limbs and each positive misva sanctifies a corresponding limbl the same is true of the remainder of the organs that correspond to the negative commandments (Shaar Hakedusha, Ch.3). Only with a sanctified body, can one become a resident of the level of the Neshama. Without the mitsvos,nothing more than an occasional glimpse of the Neshama is possible.
By the way, deeper is higher. The deeper one is able tor each into his own soul, the higher in the spiritual cosmos can he see, for each level of the soul is in fact what's above, just that it is connected to an individual instead of cosmos. In addition, as is known, Neshama is only located within the body in its lower parts. Most of it is actually outside of the body. Metaphorically this means that, "from my flesh I see God (Iyov 19)", that penetrating into one's own soul takes one also into the realms of the Divine.
How does one perfect the level of Nefesh? Well, we already discussed one way, the path of the commandments. Unfortunately, we do not have much detailed guidance on how to do so in kabbbalistic of chassidic literature, although much information is scattered in works such as Reishis Chochma, Taharas Hakodesh and others. I find that Mussar has a lot to offer in this regard.
Mussar is directed toward tikkun hamiddos. Various schools of thought focus on different levels of what we here call Nefesh. Roughly, though, Nefesh, as Tanya explains in ch. 2, 3 and 4, consists of Sekhel and middos. In Tanya's terminology, middos means something other than character traits. To understand it, let's briefly discuss one of the emotions associated with the Nefesh-level, anger.
Anger is an emotion closely associated with the body, both its earthy character and in in how it manifests itself in flushing, rapid heartbeat and rising blood pressure. Some people are predisposed to anger because of thier biology. Its lower manifestations are its middos. What lies behind anger is its sekhel. These are the assumptions, beliefs and suppositions that drive it. Anger comes to those who hold a certain set of beliefs - a feeling that one is entitled to respect, a sense of having been chronically wronged, internal hostility and the like. Thus, one person may be set off by a failry minor insult becasue fo what he believes it to represent and another is barely affected by the same incident.
Mussar offers a method of affecting both the beliefs and the manifestations of emotion. Chanting, melody, practice, "with lips aflame" help drive the transformation of the middos, whereas smussen, especially the shiurei daas variety a.k.a Telz, transform the Sekhel of the Nefesh.
The work on the Nefesh need not completely precede the purification of Ruach. Yes, true, great people who have climbed high rungs of spirituality sometimes fail specacularly and in most debased ways,b ecsue their Nefesh is not faulty. Still, as a practical manner, one is engaged in work of Ruach and Nefesh simultaneously because the capacity for self delusion means that, as we grow throughout life, so we continue to discover the levels of Nefesh that are deficient in ways we had not previously been capable of ascertaining. In proprtion to improvement in Nefesh, so our residence in Ruach becomes more consistent and more proolonges and so, will it lead to more and more frequent glimpses of the Neshama, until that too is a daily ocurrence and becomes a state of one's being, the level of great tsaddikim, the level within reach of prophecy and vision.
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