מַרְגְּלָא בְּפוּמֵּיהּ דְּרַב: לֹא כָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא אֵין בּוֹ לֹא אֲכִילָה וְלֹא שְׁתִיָּהּ וְלֹא פְּרִיָּה וּרְבִיָּה וְלֹא מַשָּׂא וּמַתָּן וְלֹא קִנְאָה וְלֹא שִׂנְאָה וְלֹא תַּחֲרוּת, אֶלָּא צַדִּיקִים יוֹשְׁבִין וְעַטְרוֹתֵיהֶם בְּרָאשֵׁיהֶם וְנֶהֱנִים מִזִּיו הַשְּׁכִינָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וַיֶּחֱזוּ אֶת הָאֱלֹהִים וַיֹּאכְלוּ וַיִּשְׁתּוּ״.
Rav used to say: The World-to-Come is not like this world. In the World-to-Come there is no eating, no drinking, no procreation, no business negotiations, no jealousy, no hatred, and no competition. Rather, the righteous sit with their crowns upon their heads, enjoying the splendor of the Divine Presence, as it is stated: "And they beheld God, and they ate and drank” (Exodus 24:11), meaning that beholding God’s countenance is tantamount to eating and drinking.
״כִּי הוֹלֵךְ הָאָדָם אֶל בֵּית עוֹלָמוֹ״, אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק: מְלַמֵּד שֶׁכׇּל צַדִּיק וְצַדִּיק נוֹתְנִין לוֹ מָדוֹר לְפִי כְּבוֹדוֹ.
The Gemara interprets the continuation of the verse cited above: “For a person goes to his eternal home” (Ecclesiastes 12:5). Rabbi Yitzḥak said: This teaches that each and every righteous person is given a dwelling place in the World-to-Come in accordance with his honor.
אַף הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, עַל גּוּפָן שֶׁל צַדִּיקִים אוֹמֵר: ״יָבֹא שָׁלוֹם יָנוּחוּ עַל מִשְׁכְּבוֹתָם״, וְעַל נִשְׁמָתָן הוּא אוֹמֵר: ״וְהָיְתָה נֶפֶשׁ אֲדוֹנִי צְרוּרָה בִּצְרוֹר הַחַיִּים״.
The Holy One, Blessed be He, also [acts in this way]. With regard to the bodies of the righteous, it states: “He enters into peace, they rest on their beds (Isaiah 57:2). And with regard to their souls, it states: “And the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life," (I Samuel 25:29).
In some descriptions of the afterlife, we find that beyond Gan Eden there is a little known realm called the otzar, the divine treasury of souls; this is also called the tzror ha-hayyim, the bundle of life. This otzar is a transcendent realm of human souls, in the highest spheres of creation. Before souls are born they are said to come from this treasury, and they return they at some point after death.
Souls are said to originate in a realm called the 'guf' (Avodah Zarah 5a, Nedarim 13b, Yevamot 62a), from which they descend to the earthly real to animate human bodies. After death, these souls return to the otzar, or tzror ha-hayyim. (Shabbat 152a; Pesikta Rabbati 2:3)
מָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מָלֵא כָּל הָעוֹלָם — אַף נְשָׁמָה מְלֵאָה אֶת כָּל הַגּוּף. מָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא רוֹאֶה וְאֵינוֹ נִרְאֶה — אַף נְשָׁמָה רוֹאָה וְאֵינָהּ נִרְאֵית. מָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא זָן אֶת כָּל הָעוֹלָם כֻּלּוֹ — אַף נְשָׁמָה זָנָה אֶת כָּל הַגּוּף. מָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא טָהוֹר — אַף נְשָׁמָה טְהוֹרָה. מָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יוֹשֵׁב בְּחַדְרֵי חֲדָרִים — אַף נְשָׁמָה יוֹשֶׁבֶת בְּחַדְרֵי חֲדָרִים.
Just as the Holy One, Blessed be He, fills the entire world, so too the soul fills the entire body. Just as the Holy One, Blessed be He, sees but is not seen, so too does the soul see, but is not seen. Just as the Holy One, Blessed be He, sustains the entire world, so too the soul sustains the entire body. Just as the Holy One, Blessed be He, is pure, so too is the soul pure. Just as the Holy One, Blessed be He, resides in a chamber within a chamber, in His inner sanctum, so too the soul resides in a chamber within a chamber.
Five Dimensions of the Soul
- Nefesh: The level of the soul most connected with physicality. The nefesh is sometimes called the "animal" soul. According to the Zohar, the "Nefesh is the lowest stirring to which the body cleaves, like the dark light at the bottom of the candle-flame which clings to the wick [body] and exists only through it. When the candle is fully kindled, this dark light becomes a throne for the white light above it [the next higher soul level: ruach]."
- Ruach: Meaning wind or spirit, it is related to speech and emotions, both of which are constantly moving within the body. Whereas nefesh is associated with body awareness, ruach is more correlated with emotional awareness.
- Neshamah: This word has same root (NShM) as the word for breath. This soul level is associated with higher awareness and angelic realms, it is a defining quality of human consciousness. The neshama is pure in its essence. It cannot be blemished. When we die, it immediately returns to its source.
- Chayyah: This soul level means means living essence. Nothing can be said about this soul level except that it represents the highest degree of awareness accessible to human beings. This is the kabbalistic realm of "wisdom" (chochma) which is the source of all "understanding" (binah). The experience of enlightenment, merging with God, dwells in the soul dimension of chayah.
- Yehidad: It is the center point of the soul and as such it disappears into the infinitude of creation. This is where duality dissolves. Yehidah is our ultimate link with God, the part of us that can never be separated from the Divine. When all else fails, the awareness of our yehidah endowment may be sufficient to carry us through our most difficult of times.
https://www.rabbidavidcooper.com/cooper-print-index/2010/11/8/2358-five-dimensions-of-the-soul.html
Rabbi Chaim of Volozin, as conveyed by Rabbi Walter Wurzburger (Tradition 30:4, 1996, pg. 220)