Four Dimensions: So What? Conclusion
Torah: Multidimensional
We may now have developed a greater appreciation for Torah and Sod in particular. No longer is Torah viewed as a one-dimensional law book, but as a multi-dimensional Divine book of light that contains everything in it from practical directives as to how we should live our lives to the most sublime secrets of the cosmos.
To be certain, the primary purpose of why G-d gave us the Torah is to adjust our lives to the frequency that G-d had in mind for this world. This translates into one mode of behavior that is in conformity with all of the Mitzvot of the Torah. No mystical experience or spiritual ambition can allow us to compromise one iota of these Mitzvot.
However, to make our Mitzvot complete, and to enable us to grow to greater heights and to instill meaning into our lives and the Mitzvot, we must be aware and master the four levels of To-rah knowledge. By doing so we are able to climb the ladder that connects heaven and earth, going from rung to rung, until we are able to appreciate even the level of Sod.
Four Levels of Torah Correspond to Four Levels of our Soul
Moreover, by mastering the four levels of Torah it opens up new wellsprings of Divine energy from within our own souls. We have been taught in Kabbalah that the four dimensions of Torah correspond to the four levels of our soul, that are mentioned in the Zohar: Nefesh, Ruach, Neshomo and Chaya Him, these feelings emanate from the level of Ruach.. When one studies the Torah on the level of Remez it energizes the level of Ruach.
Neshama, although it can be translated as soul, refers to a specific aspect of the soul, the one that is responsible for the intellectual expression of the soul. Thus when one studies Torah on the level of Drush they energize the level of Neshama.
Finally, the level of Chaya, which means life, is responsible for the soul’s power to will, and to surrender one’s will to a higher cause. This level of Chaya is stimulated by the study of Sod.
By fathoming the secrets of the Torah, one can also fathom the hidden aspect of one’s soul, which is the level of Chaya. For unlike the three other levels of Nefesh, Ruach and Neshama that are the soul’s conscious faculties, the level of Chaya, represents the sub-conscious, or subliminal dimension of the soul. When this level is activated, the person is capable of achieving selftranscendence by discovering one’s hidden capabilities. Very often, when the level of Chaya is awakened it will even allow a person to surrender his life for their cause.
The Correlation between the Soul and Torah in Reverse
If the study of Torah can activate the different layers of our soul’s potential, the reverse is also true. What is it that enables us to understand the different levels of Torah? It is the fact that we have the soul-energies that correspond to these levels of interpretation.
Now, while all of us possess all the four levels of the soul – and, therefore, are capable and required to master all the dimensions of Torah – nevertheless, each of us enjoys the predominance of one of the four levels. This explains why some of us are more attuned to one of the four levels than someone else.
This explains why, in the past, there were certain Sages who were not privy to the mystical dimension of Torah. And yet, today, these heretofore hidden layers of Torah knowledge are available to everyone. How does this work?
From the book Safe Kabbalah, Part Two: The Fourth Dimension by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
