Editing Gentile (section)

=== In Kabbalah ===
Some [[Kabbalah|Kabbalistic]] writings suggest a distinction between the souls of the gentiles and the souls of the Jews. These writings describe three levels, elements, or qualities of soul:<ref name=":1">''Qabbalistic Magic: Talismans, Psalms, Amulets, and the Practice of High Ritual''. Salomo Baal-Shem, Inner Traditions / Bear & Co, 2013, Chapter 5.</ref>
* ''Nefesh'' (נפש): the lower part, or "animal part", of the soul. It is linked to instincts and bodily cravings. This part of the soul is provided at birth.
* ''Ruach'' (רוח): the middle soul, the "spirit". It contains the moral virtues and the ability to distinguish between good and evil.
* ''Neshamah'' (נשמה): the higher soul, or "super-soul". This separates man from all other life-forms. It is related to the intellect and allows man to enjoy and benefit from the afterlife. It allows one to have some awareness of the existence and presence of God.

Other descriptions of the soul add two more levels Chaya and Yechida.

There has been debate among the [[kabbalist]]s on whether gentiles access the mystical knowledge ([[Daat]]). [[Isaac Luria]], prominent kabbalist, wrote:{{quote|Israel possesses the three levels of soul, nefesh, ruah, neshamah,—from holiness... the gentiles possess only the level of nefesh from the feminine side of the shells... for the souls of the nations (gentiles), come from the [[Qlippoth]], are called evil and not good' since they are created without knowledge (Daat). The animal soul of man is the good and evil inclination. The soul of the gentiles comes from the three shells: wind, cloud and fire, all of them evil.<ref>Judaism and other religions: Model of Understanding, Alan Brill, Springer Books, 2010, p. 165</ref>}}

[[Moses de León]], presumed author of the main kabbalistic work ''[[Sefer Ha-Zohar]]'', agrees with this assumption:{{quote|You know that all of the gentiles (goyim) and all of their matters are in the category of the impure... you must know and discern that the gentiles come from the side of impurity, for the souls of the gentiles derive from the side of impurity <ref>Does Judaism condone violence?Holiness and ethics in the Jewish tradition, Alan L. Mittleman, Princeton University Press, 2018, P. 71</ref>}}

The following passage in the ''[[Zohar]]'' reaffirms this idea:{{quote|Said Rabbi Hiyya: If this is true (that neshamah is acquired through following the Torah) is it so that gentiles have no neshamah, only the living nefesh? Rabbi Yohannan said: That is correct.<ref>''The Mystic Quest: An introduction to Jewish mysticism'', David S. Ariel, Jason Aaronson Inc, 1977, p. 132 {{ISBN?}}</ref>}}

The view that gentiles only possess bestial souls was more popularized by the main kabbalistic text of [[hasidic]] movement, the [[Tanya (Judaism)|Tanya]] (or Likkutei Amarim). Rabbi [[Shneur Zalman of Liadi]], the founder of the [[Chabad]] [[hasidic]] dynasty, claims that Jews like gentiles possess a vital animal soul, but the animal soul of the Jew comes from the fourth husk (Qlippoth nogah), while the animal soul of the gentiles comes from the three lower impure husks (Qlippoth Tumaot). Thus nothing gentiles do can elevate them to the level of holiness, their soul remains trapped in the unholy world of the impure Qlippoth. <ref>''Does Judaism condone violence?Holiness and ethics in the Jewish tradition'', Alan L. Mittleman, Princeton University Press, 2018, p. 72 {{ISBN?}}</ref>

However, other Kabbalists like [[Abraham Abulafia]] believed that higher levels of soul are to some extent accessible to gentiles.<ref>''The Serpent Kills or the Serpent Gives Life: The Kabbalist Abraham Abulafia's Response to Christianity'', Robert J. Sagerman, Brill, 2011, p. 70 {{ISBN?}}</ref>