Breisheit: The Breath of Life

(א)בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (ב) וְהָאָ֗רֶץ הָיְתָ֥ה תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ וְחֹ֖שֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י תְה֑וֹם וְר֣וּחַ אֱלֹהִ֔ים מְרַחֶ֖פֶת עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הַמָּֽיִם׃

Genesis 1:1-2

(1) When God began to create heaven and earth— (2) the earth being unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep and a wind from God sweeping over the water—

בראשית ב׳:ז׳

(ז) וַיִּ֩יצֶר֩ יהוה אֱלֹהִ֜ים אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֗ם עָפָר֙ מִן־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה וַיִּפַּ֥ח בְּאַפָּ֖יו נִשְׁמַ֣ת חַיִּ֑ים וַֽיְהִ֥י הָֽאָדָ֖ם לְנֶ֥פֶשׁ חַיָּֽה׃

Genesis 2:7

(7) God יהוה formed the Human from the soil’s humus, blowing into his nostrils the breath of life: the Human became a living being.

Ruach - breath, wind, spirit

Neshamah - breath (Divine or human)

Nishmat chayim - breath of life

Nefesh - soul, life, living being, breath, that which breathes, inner being i

Ruach

ליקוטי מוהר"ן ח׳:א׳:ג׳

וְהוּא גַּם כֵּן חִיּוּת הָאָדָם, כִּי חִיּוּת הָאָדָם הוּא הַנְּשִׁימָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (בראשית ב׳:ז׳): וַיִּפַּח בְּאַפָּיו נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים; וּכְתִיב (שם ז): כֹּל אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁמַת רוּחַ חַיִּים בְּאַפָּיו; וּכְמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים: אִם תֶּחְסַר הַנְּשִׁימָה – תֶּחְסַר הַחַיִּים.

Likutei Moharan 8:1:3

This [ruach] is also the vital force of human life. This is because man’s breath is his life-force. As is written (Genesis 2:7), “He breathed into his nostrils nishmat (the breath of) life,” and (ibid. 7:22), “All in whose nostrils was a nishmat (breath of) ruach-of-life.” Regarding this, wise men said: To the extent breath is lacking, so is life (Maaseh Tuviah, Bayit Chadash 2; cf. Zohar II, 24b).

Conscious Breath Practice

Pause for a moment and take a few full breaths. As you release each breath, allow your thinking mind to relax and dissolve. Drop into a state of presence – of just being. Notice what you experience right now. Remain here for a few moments, just being present and noticing what arises.
- The Path of Primordial Light: Ancient Wisdom for the Here and Now, Zvi Ish-Shalom, p. 11.

Nachman - Sighing

"If you want to return …[to God]… you must make yourself into a new creation. You can do this with a sigh! We never stop breathing - releasing the stale air and drawing in fresh air. Our very lives depend on this. The physical air we breathe has its root above....The sigh begins when you draw in extra air. This is similar to what happens just before a person dies: he draws in extra air and then the spirit leaves him. Every exhalation is the death of the moment that has passed, in preparation for the birth of the new moment. Thus when you take a deep sigh, you release yourself from …the old and impure and open yourself to the pure air [in order to receive new vitality.]This is Teshuvah, returning from impurity to pure, from old to new, in order to gain new life. The very body is renewed, because "Sighing breaks a person's whole body" (Berachot 58b), and therefore the body is remade."

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, Adapted from Chayei Moharan #37

Sylvia Boorstein

“Sweetheart, you are in pain. Relax. Take a breath.
Let’s pay attention to what is happening.
Then we’ll figure out what to do.”
Sylvia Boorstein
https://www.lionsroar.com/restoring-the-mind-to-kindness/

Breath of Life

I breathe in All That Is-
Awareness expanding
to take everything in,
as if my heart beats
the world into being.
From the unnamed vastness beneath the mind,
I breathe my way into wholeness and healing.
Inhalation. Exhalation.
Each Breath a “yes,”
and a letting go, a journey, and a coming home.
By Danna Faulds

From Cosmos - Neil deGrasse Tyson

"...Back from the commercial break, Tyson is standing in a field with some trees just breathing in and out as we see the molecules he’s taking in and expelling. He tells us the plants are softly breathing. They are taking in molecules of carbon dioxide and exhaling oxygen. Tyson says he’s doing the opposite. Atoms of the same kind are exactly the same as each other. Every breath we inhale has more atoms than there are visible stars of all the known galaxies. When we breathe out, those molecules get mixed in with all the others in the air and spread out to other continents. They are then available for others to use.

Tyson says we just inhaled billions of molecules that have passed through the lungs of everyone who has ever lived before us. This recycling of atoms is another link from us to our distant ancestors, including those who launched us on an exploration of unseen universes that surround us.

Breishit Rabbah

בראשית רבה י״ד:ט׳

חֲמִשָּׁה שֵׁמוֹת נִקְרְאוּ לָהּ: נֶפֶשׁ, רוּחַ, נְשָׁמָה, יְחִידָה, חַיָּה. נֶפֶשׁ, זֶה הַדָּם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים יב, כג): כִּי הַדָּם הוּא הַנֶּפֶשׁ. רוּחַ, שֶׁהִיא עוֹלָה וְיוֹרֶדֶת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (קהלת ג, כא): מִי יוֹדֵעַ רוּחַ בְּנֵי אָדָם הָעוֹלָה הִיא לְמַעְלָה. נְשָׁמָה, זוֹ הָאוֹפִיָּא, דִּבְרִיָּתָא אָמְרִין הָאוֹפִיתָא טָבָא. חַיָּה, שֶׁכָּל הָאֵבָרִים מֵתִים וְהִיא חַיָּה בַּגּוּף. יְחִידָה, שֶׁכָּל הָאֵבָרִים מִשְׁנַיִם שְׁנַיִם, וְהִיא יְחִידָה בַּגּוּף. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (איוב לד, יד): אִם יָשִׂים אֵלָיו לִבּוֹ רוּחוֹ וְנִשְׁמָתוֹ אֵלָיו יֶאֱסֹף, רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בַּר נְחֶמְיָה וְרַבָּנָן, רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בַּר נְחֶמְיָה אָמַר אִם יָשִׂים אֱלֹהִים לִבּוֹ עַל הָאָדָם הַזֶּה, רוּחוֹ כְּבָר הָיָה בְּיָדוֹ (שנאמר): וְנִשְׁמָתוֹ אֵלָיו יֶאֱסֹף בְּגוּפוֹ כְּבָר יִגְוַע כָּל אָדָם, אֶלָּא בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁאָדָם יָשֵׁן, נְשָׁמָה מְחַמֶּמֶת אֶת הַגּוּף שֶׁלֹא יִצְטַנֵּן וְיָמוּת. רַבָּנָן אוֹמְרִים אִם יָשִׂים אֱלֹהִים לִבּוֹ לָאָדָם הַזֶּה רוּחוֹ כְּבָר הוּא בְּיָדוֹ וְנִשְׁמָתוֹ אֵלָיו יֶאֱסֹף לְמַעְלָה כְּבָר יִגְוַע כָּל אָדָם יַחַד, אֶלָּא בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁאָדָם יָשֵׁן נְשָׁמָה מְחַמֶּמֶת הַגּוּף שֶׁלֹא יִצְטַנֵּן וְיָמוּת, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (משלי כ, כז): נֵר יהוה נִשְׁמַת אָדָם. רַבִּי בִּיסְנִי וְרַבִּי אַחָא וְרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי מֵאִיר אוֹמְרִים, הַנְּשָׁמָה הַזּוֹ מְמַלְּאָה אֶת כָּל הַגּוּף, וּבְשָׁעָה שֶׁאָדָם יָשֵׁן הִיא עוֹלָה וְשׁוֹאֶבֶת לוֹ חַיִּים מִלְּמַעְלָה. רַבִּי לֵוִי בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי חֲנִינָא אָמַר, עַל כָּל נְשִׁימָה וּנְשִׁימָה שֶׁאָדָם נוֹשֵׁם צָרִיךְ לְקַלֵּס לַבּוֹרֵא, מַה טַּעַם (תהלים קנ, ו): כֹּל הַנְּשָׁמָה תְּהַלֵּל יָהּ, כָּל הַנְּשִׁימָה תְּהַלֵּל יָהּ.

Bereshit Rabbah 14:9

Rabbi Levi said in the name of Rabbi Ḥanina: For each and every breath that a person takes, he must laud the Creator. What is the source? “Let every soul [neshama] praise God” (Psalms 150:6) – [read instead:] Let every breath [neshima] praise God.

בראשית ז׳:כ״ב

כֹּ֡ל אֲשֶׁר֩ נִשְׁמַת־ר֨וּחַ חַיִּ֜ים בְּאַפָּ֗יו מִכֹּ֛ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר בֶּחָֽרָבָ֖ה מֵֽתוּ׃

Genesis 7:22

All in whose nostrils was the merest breath of life, all that was on dry land, died.