How Can a Physical Body Contain a Spiritual Soul?

Shira asks: "If material and spirit are two separate realities, how can the body contain the soul within it? Additionally, if the soul does not occupy space and time, how can it enter and connect to a physical body that is limited by space and time? I'd appreciate an answer."

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Hello Shira, and thank you for your question.

Many compare the soul to a driver driving a car. However, even in this analogy, both the driver and the car exist in the material world (having form and body), allowing the driver to drive the car and influence it materially. The question remains, how can the soul, made of a completely different essence from physical matter, influence and "drive" within it?

To answer this question, we must first acknowledge the fact that only Hashem does not occupy space and time. This means that the soul is limited relative to the Creator, as explained by the Ramchal, indicating that even in the world of souls, there are spiritual levels, where lesser spirituality is considered physical compared to its higher sphere counterpart (i.e., an angel in a higher sphere views an angel in a lower sphere as a soul views the material world). Only Hashem is infinite and eternal, beyond all boundaries and attributes, above all creations and forces.

Therefore, the soul, being limited relative to the Creator, can control and move something even more limited than itself, the physical body.

Regarding your second question, how the physical body can limit the soul's perception of reality through material eyes, a material brain, and a body under space and time constraints. This concept can be likened to a driver in a car who sees the world through the windshield, and if the windshield is dirty, the driver's perception is limited. We can also compare it to a person speaking via a phone, essentially communicating through electrical signals translated into sounds, and if there are distortions, the communication is faulty. People often "forget" themselves while watching a video or playing a video game because their reality perception is focused on that of the virtual character on the screen. Similarly, the soul views the world through material eyes and brain processes that limit its true reality perception. Our descent to this world is intended for testing and experiences that refine our soul, for which we received the Torah and commandments, and thus the soul was placed within a limited body, grasping reality in material space and time.

These answers can explain how the soul operates in the body, but they still cannot explain why the spiritual soul does not leave the physical body. The soul has no physical volume and is not confined to a place. Naturally, the soul should "leak" from the body and leave, as there are no barriers that can hold it. Spirit cannot be trapped in a physical body.

The true answer to this question may surprise you. It turns out we are witnessing an open miracle every moment, where Hashem personally holds the spiritual soul within our physical body. Hashem not only breathed the soul into the body but also confines it within from the moment of birth until the individual's passing. Without the Creator, the soul would abandon the body immediately.

Thus, we bless in the blessing of "Asher Yatzar:" "Who has formed man with wisdom, and created within him many orifices and cavities," - the simple meaning speaks of our internal organs, where any alteration can bring immediate death. Still, there is also a spiritual interpretation of this blessing, where we thank Hashem for keeping the soul inside us every second, not allowing it to leave the body as its usual spiritual nature would dictate. As stated in Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 6, Section 1): "And does wonders - because man is like a skin full of air, and if a person makes a hole the size of a needle tip, the air escapes. A man is full of openings, yet his spirit stays inside, which is a wonder."

And the Rema wrote (there): "He who does wonders - by keeping the human spirit inside him, binding spiritual with physical."

Therefore, we recite every morning upon waking up: "I offer thanks before you, living and eternal King, for returning my soul to me with great mercy. Your faithfulness is great," and then in the morning blessings "The soul You have given me is pure." This is truly a great wonder and a remarkable miracle we don't comprehend fully, as naturally, all souls should leave bodies immediately and shouldn't remain in them even for a moment.

This also strengthens belief in Hashem's providence over His creations. We learn that Hashem not only created the world and the souls but sustains each soul in every body at every moment, an evident miracle accompanying us throughout our lives, unnoticed. Humanity's life in this world is a visible and direct testimony to God's personal providence over them. To strengthen faith, we should focus more on the blessing of "Asher Yatzar," reminding ourselves that every additional moment of life is a supernatural gift from God.