How Is My Soul Different from Others?

Liran asks: "Hello and blessings. I have a question that came to mind recently: How is my soul different from every other soul? Are all souls the same? If not, what makes me special? Another question I pondered: Why is human life divided into infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age? Why did Hashem create us this way? Thank you."

Hello Liran, and thank you for your question.

We are certainly not identical, because if we were, there would be no souls choosing between good or evil, rather they would all make the same choices in identical situations. The mere fact that we differ from one another, both in attributes and deeds, proves that each soul is unique, endowed with free choice, and created to choose between good and evil, making its choices unique to it. In other words, you are a partner in your own creation process all the time, choosing who you will be.

Regarding King David, peace be upon him, the sages said that he was born under the sign of Mars, and therefore was destined to be a shedder of blood, but he chose to use this trait to fight the enemies of Israel. This is what the sages taught (Tractate Shabbat, Page 156, A), that even when a person is born with a certain trait, such as shedding blood, they still have full choice on how to direct their life between good and evil, and instead of a murderer, they can be a shochet, a mohel, or even save lives as a surgeon or a volunteer in Magen David Adom (as there are people who are less disturbed by the sight of blood). This is the power of free choice, making each one of us unique.

Nonetheless, one might continue to ask: After all, righteous people like Moses our Rabbi and Rabbi Akiva have already achieved perfection, so why did Hashem create both you and me? What need is there for us, comparatively small, when Hashem's world already has souls greater and more righteous than us? The answer to this question is what the sages said: "Anyone who saves a single soul, scripture considers it as if they saved an entire world" (Mishna, Tractate Sanhedrin, Chapter 4, Mishnah 5).

Your life is different from anyone else's, because you have been given challenges unique to you, and Hashem accompanies you throughout your life. Every soul is unique, created with spiritual abilities (and also disadvantages) that no other soul has, and created in a life unique only to it, allowing it to sanctify Hashem's name in a way that no other soul can! Moses fulfilled his purpose, but what about Liran? Liran has his unique challenges in this generation, and must correct something in the world that no other soul was chosen to correct.

You are a unique soul that descended into the world to sanctify and elevate. No one else is identical to you, because the challenges and choices you received in the world are unique to you. Therefore, it is said, each person is a complete world.

To test you, Hashem placed you in a certain body in this world. The body you are in has certain strengths and weaknesses determined by Heaven, as well as certain character traits.

But you are not an animal - you are a divine soul, and because you are a soul, you have the ability to overcome the animalistic traits of your body and transcend your character, amending traits thanks to the commandments of Judaism, and fulfilling the meaning of your life in the world.

The sages said, "Yiftach in his generation is like Samuel in his generation" (Rosh Hashanah, Page 25, B). This means every person can reach great heights, because Hashem examines individuals according to the effort and personal challenges, not only external success.

Regarding your second question, humans are indeed mature souls, and our coming into the world is about free choice and testing.

The purpose of childhood and adulthood is to lead the soul along a path that advances it.

Childhood - brings the soul to know the world created by Hashem as if for the first time, allowing it to marvel at creation and change its ways.

Adolescence - brings the soul to confront the youthful inclination, rebellion, and desire. The sages said, "Who is mighty? He who conquers his inclination" (Pirkei Avot, Chapter 4, Mishnah 1). This period is the best for building your personality towards responsible and adult life.

Adulthood - brings the soul to family life, relationships, and children, which are meant to teach it to overcome selfishness through giving to others, through which the soul learns to give and love, hence maturing.

Old age - occurs in stages and is meant to bring the soul to intellectual recognition that the material world is transient, prompting a reconsideration of life and its meaning in a new light, aiming to achieve the divine purpose and educate the young to acknowledge it.

The sages taught us in Pirkei Avot (Chapter 5, Mishnah 21): "At five years for Scripture, at ten for Mishnah, at thirteen for commandments, at fifteen for Talmud, at eighteen for marriage, at twenty for pursuit, at thirty for strength, at forty for understanding, at fifty for counsel, at sixty for elderliness, at seventy for ripeness, at eighty for strength, at ninety for stooping, at a hundred as if he were dead and passed away from the world."

Each age is meant to teach a person something about themselves and life, and bring them closer to the divine truth, aiming to advance their true soul, hidden behind the body and material world.