Can you tell me in simple terms what a soul is? What does it actually mean to have a soul? And can you provide evidence that we have a soul?

 

Answer: 

 

The answer is: the soul. They each have a soul, and every soul is completely unique. No two souls are alike, and even two people with the same genes and the same family have different souls. Your soul is the true you, deeper than any other feature of your personality, deeper than both nature and nurture.

 

So here's a definition of soul: the deepest layer of your identity that makes you unique. Your soul is your essence, the you behind everything else. It is your core, the raw surface upon which all other layers of your identity are placed. Your soul remains beyond the reach of any external influence, including your parents, your upbringing, your surroundings and your experiences. It is the real you.

That's why no matter what you have gone through in your life, no matter what type of life you have led until now, you can decide today that you want to change for the better, and you can do it. Because you have a soul that remains untouched by the outside world, and if you choose to define yourself by your soul rather than by externalities, nothing can stop you.

 

Your soul is yours, it is you, and it is free.

 

Good Shabbos, 
Rabbi Moss