The Body Will Feed the Soul (But Not Yet)
In the Messianic future, the Body rises above the Soul. But Ruth Kedem warns: If we try to force this "Reversal" before the work is done, we don't get Holiness—we get Survival Mode.
THE FUTURE VISION VS. THE PRESENT WORK
There is a deep truth that in the Future to Come (Le’atid Lavo), the advantage of the Body over the Soul will be revealed. The Soul will be “fed” by the Body. This is not a minor correction; it is a Reversal of the Orders of Creation.
No longer the Body as a mere “covering” for the Soul.
But the Body as a revelation of a Divinity that the Soul cannot grasp on its own.
This is hinted at in the Zohar regarding the “Ascent of Malchut above the Zeir Anpin (Male).” In this sense, the Body is not just a “tool” but a place of Revelation. The Soul learns through it what God is within boundaries, time, matter, and desire.
The Thin Line (and the Danger) However, there is a gap between the Vision and the Order of Work. Chassidut indeed “flips everything,” but not by canceling steps—by completing them.
The Rule: The Body is indeed destined to lead, but only after a true partnership has been created. Not before.
As long as the Body carries emotions, loads, compensations, and cravings alone—without internal leadership—it is not “leading”; it is carrying excess baggage. In such a state, speaking of the “Virtue of the Body” can unintentionally become a justification for an uncorrected state.
The Marriage Metaphor The image of Male and Female (Soul and Body) is precise. In a true marriage, the “Reversal” where the Female leads happens only after there is Security, Presence, Listening, and Containment. If the Female is required to lead when the Male is absent, that is not Redemption; that is a Burden.
So too with Body-Soul: When the Soul is not present with quiet leadership, the Body “leads” out of Survival, not out of its Divine Virtue.
The Four Levels of Understanding (Pardes) Let us look at the verse: “But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty (Nishmat Shaddai) giveth them understanding.” (Job 32:8)
1. Peshat (The Simple Meaning): Wisdom does not come merely from age or intellect. It comes because man has a Divine Spirit (”Nishmat Shaddai”) that grants him Binah (Understanding). Man does not truly understand by his own power; deep understanding comes from the Soul God breathed into him.
2. Drash (The Homiletic Meaning): The Sages emphasize that true wisdom depends on the Refinement of the Vessel. “Nishmat Shaddai” gives understanding only when the Soul rests truly—when a person is clean of interests, fears, and pride. Only then does he gain Binah. It is not he who understands, but the Soul understanding through him.
3. Remez (The Hint): “Nishmat Shaddai” hints at the name Shaddai (Shin-Dalet-Yud), which relates to Limit (”Who said to His world: Dai / Enough”). This reveals a special depth: Understanding does not come from infinite, wild light, but specifically from the revelation of Divinity within a Limit. The Soul is a force that knows how to bring light into a limited reality. True Binah is born in the meeting between Infinity and Boundary (Soul and Body).
4. Sod (The Secret): Here lies the Messianic depth. “Nishmat Shaddai Tevinem” means not that the Soul understands the reality, but that Reality itself becomes a source of understanding for the Soul. In the future (and as an inner direction now), the Soul is nourished by the Body, by the corrected Matter. This is the secret of the Ascent of Malchut: When the Body, Time, and Emotion are purified, they teach the Soul what Divinity is.
The Soul not only guides -> It Listens.
It not only influences -> It Learns.
Summary We are striving for the “Sod” (Body teaching Soul), but we must pass through the “Drash” (Purifying the Vessel). As long as the Body is fighting for its place or acting as an emotional buffer, we are still in the training phase, not the reversal phase.