The Mysteries of Reincarnation Explored

"The concept of reincarnation is filled with numerous details. However, the main idea is that the differentiated soul is divided into many parts, including nefesh, ruach, neshamah, chayah, and yechidah. These five parts can further split into many components, and they can reincarnate into a second or third body, and sometimes multiple times. Generally, not all parts reincarnate because, depending on the merits of the body, some parts of the soul achieve their correction and don't need to reincarnate again, while the uncorrected parts do continue to reincarnate... "

(Ramchal - Maamar HaChochmah)

Change of Place, Name, and Deeds

One who is engaged in Torah is not sentenced to Gehinnom... [Thus] the few sins are refined through reincarnations, and he acquires significant merits in each reincarnation without end, eventually earning wondrous reward... Whoever did not manage to engage in Torah and mitzvot in their first reincarnation, must reincarnate a second and third time. There are three changes, Change of Place in the first reincarnation, meaning his spirit is clothed in another spirit to help him, thus his place changes.

Change of Name in the second reincarnation, meaning his spirit is clothed in another to assist him.

And Change of Deeds in the third reincarnation, where the spirit descends to the level of malchut in deeds, and all three reincarnations aim to correct the spirit, the essence of man.

According to the Arizal mentioned, the intention is towards the spirit of the soul. (Here, it only discusses those reincarnated, not those newly coming into the world).

(Tikkunei Zohar Chadash, page 514 )

Reincarnation Due to a Fraudulent Document

A remarkable and unique story illustrating the high level of those who study Torah for its own sake is told in the book "The Righteous Rabbi Shlomo," attributed to the Chafetz Chaim. The story unfolds in Vilna, where a wealthy man was constantly pestered by a peculiar beggar. The rich man, seeking a solution, brought the beggar by force to the Gaon Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin, for an explanation of the beggar's intentions.

Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin, as reported by the Chafetz Chaim, saw that a spirit clung to this beggar and asked the spirit who it was and what it desired. The spirit responded that he had been the tutor for the rich man's father's children. "One day, the late wealthy man defrauded a gentile out of ten thousand rubles, and I, the tutor, signed the fraudulent document," the spirit told Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin. "Thus, I reincarnated into the body of a beggar, so I would meet the son of the late wealthy man, urging him to return the stolen money to the gentile, thereby rectifying my sin."

The shocked rich man, standing by Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin and hearing the spirit's story, protested: "How could you return to this world in a spirit incarnation for such a minor sin?!"... The spirit retorted: "You're partly correct. I was indeed a great sinner, but at the end of my life, I committed to studying Torah l'shmah for four hours daily, which I did. Upon ascending to heaven, my repentance was accepted, correcting most of my sins. Only this fraud remained uncorrected, hence my return to the world to fix it." The Chafetz Chaim adds: "From this story, I learned that sincere Torah study can rectify even serious transgressions."

Abel Reincarnates as Moses

Moses, who was a reincarnation of Abel to cover his father's disgrace, who is Adam, aimed to correct Cain - born from Adam's flaw, resulting in Abel's murder. Moses took Yitro's daughter as a wife, who was a reincarnation of Abel's twin sister, for whom Cain killed Abel. By saying the part of Cain's goodness reincarnated in Yitro, then he repented, giving back to Abel, that is Moses, his twin wife Tzipporah, thus correcting an aspect of Adam's sin...

(Zohar, Bereshit 28, Metok MiDevash, page 356)

Someone Who Did Not Strive to Have Children

Anyone who did not attempt to father children in this world, [does not merit] to reach the Garden of Eden above, and will not have a share of the flow that descends to the Garden of Eden below... His soul is banished from the world of souls to this world, finding no rest in the place known to souls. Thus, he wanders among the living, akin to restless spirits.

[One is considered dead in the afterlife if he did not sire children^[1] because he will not find rest there, as Isaiah the prophet told Hezekiah the king "For you are dead [in this world] and will not live [in the afterlife]" ... [and so Hezekiah corrected this by marrying].

(Zohar, Vayehi 228, Metok MiDevash, pages 426-428)

Why King Solomon Praises the Dead

King Solomon praises the dead (who have already died) more than the living, yet only one who follows the path of truth in this world is considered alive, as stated "Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant man." We learned (Berachos 18b) that the righteous are considered alive even in their death, while the wicked, not pursuing truth, are dead even in life. [So], why does Solomon extol the dead over the living?

[Because] when it says "who have already died," they have already departed and been corrected through the judgment of grave-execution, also by the body's decay by the angel in charge of the grave's punishment. If after reincarnation they dedicated themselves to the tents of Torah to fix sins from previous incarnations, upon fulfilling their time and dying, certainly this dead is more praiseworthy than other world dead not reincarnated for rectification, as Solomon said: "I praise the dead who have already died" who reincarnated and corrected. They are deemed more significant than the living who still need to die and reincarnate again.

If you say they will be judged again in the heavenly realm for the first world sin, it is written, "trouble shall not rise up the second time" - meaning one is not punished twice... They already faced death and grave punishment, then another reincarnation death.

Therefore, surely this person's place in the corrected Garden of Eden is more praised than those who are alive for the first time, not having received correction from sins yet, (for in the first reincarnation, it is nearly impossible for complete correction, for "there is no righteous on earth who does good and never sins," except for ultimate righteous foundational figures).

Hence the words: "I praise the dead," intending those who are now alive and called dead.

Why are they called dead? Because they've already tasted death once, and returned reincarnated from among the dead. Though present in this world, they are titled dead, as they returned from the dead. Another reason is because their previous deeds stand for correction, dying in the tents of Torah, engaging in mitzvot, and enduring poverty for rectification, thus called dead.

(Zohar, Chukat 182, Metok MiDevash, pages 335-337)