In healthy souls burns a desire to know, to comprehend the way of the universe, its inner character. In order to live true, we must be familiar with the complexion of the world, its temperament.
We know ourselves first, and through this knowledge we work out the nature of our fellow men, their personalities. Assuming that the people with whom we interact are more or less similar to us in character just as they are in body, we extrapolate to them the basic template of our own character and then fine-tune according to what we observe. But to know the character of the whole universe is another matter entirely. We imagine that the cosmic pathways must be studied purely on their own terms, dispassionately. Take yourself out of the picture, we tell ourselves, and observe the world outside detachedly and objectively, if you wish to know it in truth.
This would be an error. The most accurate source for understanding the universe is nothing but your very self. For you can’t study vast reality objectively, as much as you might wish to: You won’t know which questions to ask, where to focus your thought or even with which categories to structure your inquiry. The richness of the universe exceeds what can be gleaned from any sliver of it observable in direct light. If you want to know the way of the universe, you’ll have to find something familiar, bounded and finite that reflects it with precision.
And that is you. For you are a product of the universe, and like a mirror-image of reality, your psyche reflects its vast complexity. History and experience make you what you are and mold your personality, and thus all of history and the universe are manifest, in concentrated form, in your soul, a product of what was and what is. Dim, subconscious perceptions seep into your mind and shape you, forming a depiction of reality and a map of its character. The universe molds your soul and instructs it, wordlessly; for you to know the universe in turn, you need only open the fascinating book that is your soul and read.
To see outwards, look inwards.
The kindness within you is a reflection of the kindness that exists without, your own justness and reasonableness amplifications of cosmic waves detected by an antenna attuned to the way of the world – your soul.
The soul is the seat of profound instinctive knowledge all the more certain for being unlearnt.
It must be stated: This only holds true for healthy souls, those beings of stature who know how to encompass the universe entire and mirror what is. Sick, broken souls don’t accurately reflect what is; they warp it, which is why they are broken. Only the great souls who reflect what is, in purity – only they can read the world off the book of their knowing heart. It is therefore of utmost importance to learn how to mirror what exists, a matter which is not the subject of this essay.1 Nonetheless, this is not an all-or-nothing proposition: some quality pure, genuine and eternal, inheres in almost all people, and that aspect of their character is a mirror on the universe, a window to the world outside. Few indeed are the souls trapped in unwindowed cages, having nothing clear enough within themselves through which to see what is without. In general, the healthier your soul, the more you know; and the more you know, the healthier your soul will become.
Your soul is your most important source for knowing the way of the universe, but it is an incomplete source. It is but one reflection, of a certain type; if you seek comprehensive knowledge, a myriad of objects awaits your attentive study: all of your fellow humans. As the way of the universe is partially manifested in your way, so is it in their ways, and for each in a unique fashion. The universe imprints its character in a different way on each of its numerous people, and you must know them all for a comprehensive knowledge of the world. Righteous souls serve as windows through which the eternal light filters in and sparkles, their own pathways mirror images of the pathway of the universe; observe the multifaceted ways of all men worthy of the name, and you observe the totality of the way of the world and thus enrich your own.
If you want to perceive the world accurately, pay close attention to the souls that inhabit it. Observe the actions of man and ask questions: Is the act true to nature, and in what way? Why does he act as he does? Judge solely to learn what is and what isn't true, and you will discover the pleasant side-effect of a natural, instinctive morality grounded in truth. Study the great men that reflect the universe fully and the greatness within those men that reflect it partially, and you will notice your mind expanding to encompass the universe entire, and your own way of life becoming wider, fuller and truer.
The idea presented here, in all its wonderful depth, has a simple and concrete action to match, a mitzvah: to escort the traveler on his journey. As the wayfarer embarks on his trip, take the first few steps on the road together with him and you are symbolically conjoining your own path in life with his, recognizing that his way is nothing less than divine – it is the secret way of the world – and that your own way is expanded and enriched through converging with his.
Sources and references:
Genesis 18:16-19
MT De’ot, chapter 1
Ibid., Laws of Mourning, 14:2
Lots of readers are curious about the sources for the ideas presented in “To Design a Soul,” and are wondering where they are derived from. The answer is, in short – entirely from the Torah. I intend to soon provide a detailed explanation of the background and sources of this project, along with its objectives, but for now, please click on this link for a video that will enlighten you regarding the sources for this essay.
For more on that topic, see here: How to be in Love with the Universe (substack.com).
Thank you. Brilliant as usual. Leaves much to think about.
Speechless! What a beautiful tribute to the uniqueness of the soul and the importance of others.