The holy spirit is identified with a traditional rabbinic idea of an “additional soul” believed to dwell in the people of Israel [esp.] during the Shabbat. While in the Zohar the holy spirit is conceived of as a “tube” spanning from the godhead to the human body, for the sixteenth-century kabbalists, the human soul is, in itself, such a “tube” or “branch” spanning from the human soul to an higher part or “root” of the soul that never descends into the human body.
-Adam Afterman – ‘THE RISE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT @ https://bulletin.hds.harvard.edu/the-rise-of-the-holy-spirit-in-kabbalah/
Zohar – Prologue
Verse 109
נֶגֶד בְּנֵי אָדָם, דָּא גַּן עֵדֶן דִּלְתַתָּא, דְּכָל צַדִּיקַיָּיא תַּמָן קָיְימֵי בְּרוּחָא דְּאִתְלַבַּשׂ בִּלְבוּשׂ יְקָר, כְּגַוְונָא וְדִיּוֹקְנָא דְּהַאי עָלְמָא, וְדָא אִיהוּ נֶגֶד בְּנֵי אָדָם בְּהַהוּא דְּיוֹקְנָא דִּבְנֵי אָדָם דְּהַאי עָלְמָא. וְקָיְימֵי תַּמָּן, וּפָרְחֵי בַּאֲוִירָא וְסָלְקוֹ לְגוֹ מְתִיבְתָּא דִרְקִיעָא בְּהַהוּא ג”ע דִּלְעֵילָא, וּפָרְחֵי וְאִסְתַּחְיָין בְּטַלֵּי נַהֲרֵי אֲפַרְסְמוֹנָא דַכְיָא וְנַחֲתֵי וְשָׂרָאן לְתַתָּא
“In the sight of the sons of men” (Tehilim 31:20). This is the lower Garden of Eden, where all the righteous stand in the spirit, which is clothed in a precious garment, in the SAME way and form that they appeared in this world. Thus, the phrase “in the sight of the sons of men” means in the same form as human beings that live in this world. And they stand there and then rise up in the air, ascending to the celestial Academy in the upper Garden of Eden. They float around THERE and bathe in the dew of the rivers of pure balsam. Then they come down and dwell below IN THE LOWER GARDEN OF EDEN.
Commentary on the Lineage from Rashbi to Rav Ashlag
1. Zoharic Foundations: The “Tube” as Cosmic Bridge
The Zohar (Prologue 109) describes the righteous ascending from the lower Garden of Eden (Gan Eden Taḥton) to the celestial Academy (Yeshiva shel Ma’alah) via a “spirit clothed in a precious garment.” This “garment” symbolizes the ruach—the intermediate soul—that retains the form of the physical body, allowing it to traverse spiritual realms. The Zohar’s imagery of the holy spirit as a “tube” (צִנּוֹר) reflects a dynamic conduit linking the divine Ein Sof to embodied existence. This tube channels the “dew of pure balsam” (טללי נהרי אפרסמונא דכיא), a metaphor for the effulgent shefa (divine influx) that nourishes souls. Here, the soul’s ascent and descent embody the cyclical rhythm of ratzo v’shov (“running and returning”), oscillating between ecstatic union with the divine and grounded service in the lower world.
2. 16th-Century Innovation: The Soul as Intrinsic Conduit
Post-Zoharic kabbalists, as noted by Adam Afterman, reimagined the “tube” not as an external channel but as the soul’s own structure. The human soul (neshamah) is itself a branch extending from its transcendent “root” (shoresh), which remains eternally bound to the divine. This shift internalizes the Zohar’s cosmology: the soul’s lower aspect descends into the body, while its upper root abides in the sefirotic realms. The ruach (emotional spirit) and nefesh (vital soul) become vessels through which the higher neshamah (intellectual soul) and chayah/yechidah (transcendent selves) radiate light. During Shabbat, the “additional soul” (neshamah yeterah) amplifies this connection, enabling the lower self to temporarily align with its root, drawing down heightened ruach hakodesh.
3. Rav Ashlag’s Synthesis: Tikkun, Altruism, and the Shabbat Gateway
Rav Ashlag, building on Lurianic Kabbalah, frames the soul’s conduit as a mechanism for tikkun (cosmic repair). In his Sulam commentary, he interprets the Zohar’s “dew of balsam” as the light of chesed (lovingkindness) that softens the rigidity of din (judgment). The righteous souls’ ascent to the “celestial Academy” symbolizes the study of divine unity (yichudim), while their return to the lower Garden reflects the dissemination of this wisdom into the world. For Ashlag, Shabbat is the apex of this process: the neshamah yeterah acts as a “temporary root,” merging the soul’s earthly consciousness with its supernal source. This merger is achieved through kavanah (intentionality) in mitzvot and selfless action (hashpa’ah), which widen the soul’s tube to receive ruach hakodesh.
- Practical Dimension: Ashlag’s Tikkun HaMidot (rectification of character traits) emphasizes transforming egoism (kabbalah) into altruism (hashpa’ah), mirroring the Zoharic soul’s journey. By cultivating empathy, one’s soul becomes a transparent vessel for the “dew” of divine wisdom, aligning with the 16th-century view of the soul as an innate conduit.
4. New Life Wisdom: Eternalizing the Shabbat Consciousness
Modern applications (“New Life Wisdom”) extend Ashlag’s teachings by framing Shabbat as a paradigm for daily life. The “additional soul” is not merely a weekly gift but a template for sustaining ruach hakodesh through:
- Mindful Unity: Meditative practices (e.g., Hitbodedut) that dissolve the illusion of separateness between soul and God.
- Altruistic Action: Channeling divine influx into ethical deeds, echoing the Zoharic souls who “descend and dwell below” to elevate the material world.
- Dew as Renewal: Viewing Torah study and prayer as “balsam dew” that revitalizes the soul’s connection to its root, even amidst mundane struggles.
Conclusion: The Tube as Living Tradition
From Rashbi’s Zohar to Rav Ashlag, the tube evolves from a cosmic bridge to the soul’s innate structure, culminating in a call to embody Shabbat’s sanctity perpetually. The righteous souls’ cyclical journey—ascending to bathe in divine light and descending to radiate it—becomes a mandate for humanity: to transform the self into a living conduit of ruach hakodesh, merging transcendence and immanence. As the Zohar states, “They float in the air and bathe in the dew… then dwell below”—a dance of revelation and repair that defines the kabbalistic path.
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