samet@sfmag.UUCP (A.I.Samet) (02/24/85)
> I was wondering. Does anyone out there have ideas on the difference > between: > neshama > ruach elokim > nefesh > Which one of these is the seat of b'chira chafshi (free-will)? This is a tall order to answer on the net. There is an excellent presentation which answers your questions in R. Moshe Chaim Luzatto's classic "Derech Hashem". It presents the hierarchical architectures of the spiritual and physical universes, their relation to the Jewish soul, and it's respective levels. An excellent translation, by R. Aryeh Kaplan Z'L, is available in English: "The Way of G*D", Feldheim Publishers Yitzchok Samet