Mystical Stories of Reincarnated Souls

The Boar That Sang L'cha Dodi

Rabbi Shlomo Bloch, a disciple of the Chofetz Chaim, recounted a tale from his teacher. In the town of Shawel, one early morning, the synagogue caretaker awoke to open the doors, only to find a wild boar appearing alongside him, trying to enter. Despite attempts to shoo it away, the boar was determined, and when the doors opened, it dashed inside. It approached the cantor's stand and flipped through a parchment prayer book, stopping at the verse "What has brought the boar of the woods?" The boar tore out those words and then fled. Alarmed, the caretaker rushed to the town rabbi, who took it as a bad omen—the verse symbolized the wicked Esau. A few days later, a massive fire ravaged the Jewish homes in the town. "That boar," explained the Chofetz Chaim, "was indeed a reincarnation of Esau."

The Ari Z"l gave his disciples signs to recognize souls that had reincarnated into animals

The righteous can recognize a person's essence and can tell from which of the four beasts of the chariot a man's soul originates. This is hinted at in the phrase "The facial expression betrays him," meaning one's interior is reflected on their face, and sometimes one's actions reveal the source animal of their soul's root.

This concept is recorded in the book Midrash Talpiyot (Branch of Reincarnation, page 126b): The Ari Z"l provided signs for his students to recognize souls reincarnated into beasts or mute creatures. He told them, "When you see brazen-faced people without shame, you can be sure they were reincarnated from mute animals. Just as those creatures lack shame in front of people, so too do these people now."

The compiler (Rabbi Eliyahu HaKohen, author of Shevet Musar) added: "Hashem granted me the ability to recognize souls that were reincarnated from both pure and impure animals, and these individuals tend to be brazen and harmful to others… Through a person's deeds, their inner essence becomes apparent. The righteous, to whom Hashem has granted understanding, can discern one's root connection by recognizing the facial features without witnessing their actions."

(Tikkunei Zohar, Sweet as Honey, pages 215-216)

The Holy Rabbi Nachum of Chernobyl and the Reincarnated Soul in a Bird

Once, during a Shabbat, the holy Rabbi Nachum of Chernobyl was hosting a meal with his followers. On Friday, someone brought a special bird called "Karpatoiv" to honor him. As the meal proceeded, the assistant intended to serve this bird, but the Rabbi instructed him to save it for the next day's Shabbat morning meal. The bird was placed in a closed box in another room, with the key kept securely by the assistant. After the meal, both the Rabbi and the assistant went to sleep.

In the middle of the night, the Rabbi suddenly awoke and called for his assistant urgently. Confused as to why the bird was needed at such an hour, the assistant assumed the Rabbi was concerned about theft.

The assistant reassured him: "I locked it myself, and the key is with me; everything is secure."

The Rabbi insisted: "Hurry and bring the bird without delay."

Alarmed, the assistant rushed to the box, finding it open with a cat nearby starting to chew on the bird. He chased away the cat and quickly brought the bird to the Rabbi.

The Rabbi took the bird, blessed it, and began to eat it on his bed, consuming even the bones. Seeing the assistant bewildered, as he had never witnessed such behavior, the Rabbi explained: "Let me tell you why I did this:
'I asked you to save the bird for the morning meal because within it was the soul of a pious man (whose name can't be revealed) that needed rectification.

The soul came to me earlier, requesting that I eat the bird to help purify it.

Since I was tired that night and lacked the strength, I postponed it until the next morning when I'd be more capable. However, the soul cried out to me at midnight, lamenting its fate: 'How can you not pity me? I went through so much to reincarnate in a pure bird, and now a treacherous cat is consuming it, threatening its chance for rectification!' So, I forced myself to eat every part, even the bones, to repair the damage done by the cat's nibbling."

The Holy Rabbi R' Leibish of Ozerov and the Reincarnated Soul in a Goose

Rabbi Meir Yehoshua, the chief rabbi of the Klimentov community, recounted that on the day of Hoshanah Rabbah, the town shochet came to the house of the revered Rabbi Leibish of Ozerov to slaughter birds for the celebration of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. Thirty geese were to be slaughtered. On the eve of the holiday, hundreds of followers gathered.
While the shochet was preparing the geese for slaughter, the Rabbi instructed that one goose be left for the Yom Tov of Simchat Torah.Thinking it was to ensure fresh sauce and meat for the holiday, the attendant negligently thought he could later offer the Rabbi another fresh bird from those intended for the feast.

Thus, he neglected the instruction and had all geese slaughtered. After the slaughter, a halachic issue arose with one goose found to have a rubbery esophagus. It required consultation, which eventually reached the Rabbi.

When the Rabbi learned of the issue, he gathered the most learned from among his followers to seek any lenient views allowing the goose to be kosher, but no resolution was found.

The Rabbi, deeply troubled, searched tirelessly for a ruling all day Hoshanah Rabbah until nightfall. Many consultations were held to find a leniency, but it was fruitless, and the goose was condemned as unkosher.

Lamenting this failure, the Rabbi performed festive prayers and rituals until dinner on Shemini Atzeret night. Addressing the followers, he explained the chaos surrounding the goose:

"Understand this clearly: sometimes in a pure creature lies a soul in need of repair. When a Jew eats such with a blessing, especially during a holy meal or Shabbat, the soul is rectified. If the creature is declared treif, it's often because the heavenly courts have judged whether the soul is ready for rectification. If not, the creature is deemed unfit. If a defect like a rubbery esophagus prevents consumption, it's because the soul is virtuous but not yet ready—its time for purification still awaits.

That's what I sensed in these geese, knowing one had such a soul. I requested it be left, allowing a rubbery obstruction to dissolve in its system, naturally becoming kosher. Had my instructions been followed and a goose set aside, surely that would have been the very one harboring this soul, miraculously itself avoiding the blade as it would have slipped beneath the shochet's hand. Unfortunately, this folly thwarted the process, forcing great efforts and numerous actions, until Heaven granted this soul its necessary repair."