Souls

He whose soul does not soar in the wide expanses, he who does not seek the light of truth and goodness with all his heart, does not suffer spiritual devastation. But neither does he acquire mighty buildings. He takes shelter in the shade of natural havens, like the hares who take shelter in the clefts of the rock. But when a person has a robust soul, his soul can shelter only in structures that he erects with his spiritual toil, never ceasing from his vigorous labor.

Orot Hakodesh II, p. 314

The very essence of the soul, which expresses and experiences the true, spiritual life, requires complete inner freedom. This freedom is its life. This freedom comes to the soul from the midst of its essential thought, its inner spark. Our learning and contemplation cause this spark to continually flame. But really, this independent spark is the basis of idea and thought. If room is not provided for the independent spark with its light to appear, then whatever comes to it from without will be of no avail. This spark must be guarded in its purity. Then the inner thought—in the depth of its truth, in its greatness and exaltedness—will awaken.

Orot Hakodesh I, p. 175

The inner, essential "I"—whether individual or communal—does not appear by itself. Rather, it appears in relation to our holiness and purity. It appears in relation to the amount of supernal power that, with the pure light of an elevated illumination, burns within us.

We abandoned our essential "I." "Israel rejected goodness" (Hosea 8:3). In the days of creation, the earth itself sinned. It denied its own essence. It constricted its power and went after limited goals and purposes. It did not give all of its hidden power so that the taste of the tree could be equal to the taste of its fruit.

Orot Hakodesh III, pp. 140-41

Whoever has said that my soul is torn spoke well. It is certainly torn. I cannot imagine a person whose soul is not torn. Only a lifeless object is whole, but a human being is filled with conflicting desires, and an inner war rages within him continuously. The purpose of all my work is to mend the rents within my spirit by means of an all-inclusive viewpoint in whose greatness and exaltedness everything is embraced and comes to complete harmony.

Hamachshavah Hayisraelit, p. 13