AYIN BEIS | Existence Unplugged
Chapter 78: Yotzer Prayer: 7 Steps Within Malchus (part 4) – 3 Types of Teshuvah
Long Summary
Just as these three, nefesh ruach neshomo, reflect different type of service, they are also distinguished in their type of teshuvah:
1) The teshuvah of nefesh is on action related transgressions, and on the general inclination and consumption with material crassness, and on the lack of commitment to heaven. The sadness over one’s predicament leads to rejecting the past and resolving to begin a new path into the future.
2) Teshuvah of ruach is in the lack of emotional love and respect in one’s service. The importance of ahava and yirah is: 1) a mitzvah, 2) they refine their animal soul turning it into “human,” 3) this is the purpose of the souls’ descent. The sadness over the divine soul’s deprivation of being realized elicits a passionate teshuvah, to reintroduce ahava and yirah. This teshuvah itself is one that has more passion that the teshivah of nefesh, which may touch deeper being that it is over inappropriate behavior (while tuach is over more subtle matters), but it is not as emotional (hispaalus). In addition, teshuivah of ruach is some ways touches even deeper, like a fruit on top of a tree which falls farther than lowedr hanging fruit. So too, one is who capable of an emotional relationship and doesn’t pursue it, is on some ways in deeper potential trouble.
3) Teshuvah of neshomo is over the lack of divine comprehension and contemplation, ejich is also a mitzvah, and one that rises above them all. Specifically — teshivah over the lack of being touched by the what one understands. This is an even deeper teshivah, because here the individual intellectually understands the divine, he therefore knows and appreciated the distance he is experiencing, far deeper than the lower forms of teshuvah.
We receive strength from above to fulfill and sustain all three levels of teshuvah. These are three makifim – transcendent forces — of tzur, magen, misgav: Following the general makif of adon uzeinu which affect all in a general way of awakening the Jewish spark (makchus) within, this in turn gives power to the the three crowns of biy”a to infuse energy into the specific service of different souls: Nefesh/action based. Ruach/emotion based. Neshomo/mind based.
We thus see the tolls and impact of all the levels of keser, the general all encompassing one, and the specific detailed ones.
Hebrew Text
Concepts
Binah. Malchus