Rebbe Nachmans teachings on Reincarnation have been translated by Rabbi Gavin Michal, and will soon be available in book form.

Please mail us if you would like to be informed when the book is published.

Please find below extracts making up a small part of the book. In this extract, only names have been given with full details being left for the publication:

 "THE ROOTS OF THE SOULS"

AVTALYON

Avtalyon's Nefesh was from the Shoresh of Eliezer, Avraham's servant.

ABAYE

Abaye was born after his father had passed away. Since he was a complete Gilgul of his father, he was called Abaye (which means "father").

Abaye's Nefesh Ruach and Neshama were from the Shoresh of Cain. For this reason the prevailing Halachic view in a Talmudic debate is not in accordance with him.

Abaye used to "create" the souls of converts (many of whom are also rooted in Cain). He was able to do this because being orphaned he could relate to the souls of converts, who were also considered "orphaned", not being born of Jewish parents.

Abaye is an acronym for Asher becha Yerucham Yatom (through you, orphan, compassion was shown).

AVRAHAM AND YITZCHAK

Avraham was Adam. Yitzchak was Hevel.

It was during the Akedah, the binding of Yitzchak, that both Avraham and Yitzchak were able to effect their respective Tikkunim.

This is why Yitzchak was only taken to the Akedah at the age of thirty-seven, which is the Gematriya (numerical value) of "Hevel" (Hey=5, Bet=2, Lamed=30. 5+2+30=37).

We know that Avraham also accomplished his Tikkun at that time, since the Torah tells us that "both (father and son) walked together."

Hevel sinned through his faculty of "reiyah" - sight. Now that Yitzchak had "fixed" Hevel's blemish, Avraham acknowledged that fact by stating that G-d would "ye'raeh" -show - (ie, provide) a real ram for the sacrifice. (Hinting to the idea of the blemished "sight" having being restored.)

Furthermore, the very same verse continues with Avraham telling his son; "HaSeh LaOlah Beni" - that G-d would provide "the ram for the sacrifice, my son." The first letters of each of these three words spell the name "Hevel".

AVRAHAM YITZCHAK AND YA'AKOVÄ (1)

AVRAHAM YITZCHAK AND YA'AKOVÄ (2)

The essay continues with discussing why Ya'akov was the only one of the Patriarchs who did not father evil sons.

Avraham is Chessed (kindness) and therefore corresponds to the right column. Yitzchak is Gevurah (severity) the left column.

Ya'akov, on the other hand is Tiferet (beauty) the centre column, from which no evil can nurture.

This is why Ya'akov's children were all Tzadikim, while Avraham and Yitzchak produced Yishmael and Esav respectively.

AVRAHAM, DAVID AND SHLOMO

ADAM, DAVID AND MOSHE

 The three letters of Adam's name (Aleph, Daled and Mem) allude to Adam, David and Moshe, who were all reflections of each other.

ADAM'S SIN (1)

After Adam sinned he saw that he was naked and without garments. Garments are not only physical clothes but can also refer to layers of spirituality. A physical sin can cause a blemish in one's spiritual make up.

After Adam sinned, he was stripped of his spiritual garments.

Of the three dominant aspects of his soul; Nefesh, Ruach and Neshamah - he lost Ruach and Neshamah, his spiritual garments. It was then that he saw that he was "naked".

Before Adam sinned, he was warned not to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge; "because on the day that you eat of it, you will die." (Ber. 2,17)

Adam disobeyed. He went ahead and ate the fruit. Yet, he didn't die on that day. On the contrary, he went on to live nine hundred and seventy years. (He was supposed to live a thousand years but he gave seventy to King David.)

Was G-d's threat that he would die on that same day, a vain one?

We understand from Psalms that one of G-d's days is equivalent to one thousand of man's years. This being the case, Adam did die on that same "day". He died just seventy years short of G-d's day.

Furthermore, as we have seen in the previous paragraph, after Adam had sinned he immediately lost his Ruach and Neshamah. The withdrawal of such lofty aspects of his spirituality constituted a death in itself, on that same day.

Thus either way one looks at it he died "on that day".

ADAM'S SIN (2)

ADAM'S SIN (3)

ADAM AND CHAVA (EVE)

The Torah tells us that Chava was "taken from him (Adam)".

The numerical value of Adam is 45 (Aleph = 1, Dalet = 4 and

Mem = 40. 1 + 4 + 40 = 45).

The numerical value of G-d's Hebrew name Hashem is 26

(Yud = 10, Hei = 5, Vav = 6 and Hei = 5. 10 + 5 + 6 + 5 = 26).

When the G-dly element was removed from man (ie when 26 is removed from 45), we are left with Chava, who in gematriya is19 (Chet = 8, Vav = 6 and Hei = 5. 8 + 6 + 5 = 19).

Chava, the first woman, therefore represents the spirituality of man.

AHARON

IDI BAR AVIN

Idi bar Avin was from the root (shoresh) of Haran (Avraham's brother), who in turn was from the root of Hevel.

IYOV (JOB) (1)

Iyov and his wife were incarnations of Terach and his wife (Avraham's parents).

 IYOV (2)

The King Pharaoh of Egypt had three advisors. One of them was Iyov. He advised Pharaoh not to kill the Hebrews, but only to suppress them physically and financially.

This is why Iyov was able to survive although he lost all his money and was smitten with terrible leprosy.

ELIYAHU HANAVI (ELIJAH THE PROPHET) (1)

Eliyahu HaNavi's Nefesh came from Nadav and Avihu (the two sons of Aharon who offered up their "strange fire"), who came from Cain.

(Rabbi Chaim Vital writes that he did not hear from his teacher, the Ari, where Eliyahu's Ruach had it's source.)

ELIYAHU HANAVI (2)

In the generation of Moshe (Moses), who had difficulty in speaking, Aharon served as his Meturgaman or spokesman. Aharon would explain and interpret all that his brother had taught.

In the generation of Messiah, Moshe will come back in a Gilgul and will still have difficulty in speaking.

Eliyahu will then serve as Moshe's Meturgaman.

Eliyahu was also Pinchus. The Torah refers to Pinchus as the son of Elazar, the son of Aharon. (Num. 25,11)

One of the reasons why his lineage is repeated (the Torah already told us who he was three verse earlier in verse 7), is to connect Pinchus (Eliyahu) to Aharon - in terms of them both serving as Moshe's Meturgaman.

From here we see that Eliyahu and Moshe will teach Torah in the era of Messiah.

ELIYAHU HANAVI (3)

ELIYAHU HANAVI (4)

When the moment arrives for a Tzadic to depart from this world, all the Torah and Mitzvot he did and all the Yichudim - spiritual unifications- he achieved while alive, are all gathered together at one time and place in order that they ascend on high.

A spiritually sensitive person can actually witness this transfer of energy and light.

Eliyahu was so pure that when he left this earthly domain, all his spiritual energy was so concentrated and intense that even lesser beings could perceive it.

Hence it appeared to all as if his ascent to heaven was in "fire".

ELKANA

ELIHU ben BARACHEL the BUZI

ELIEZER, AVRAHAM'S SERVANT

Eliezer was Og king of Bashan, whom Nimrod had given to Avraham as a servant. Besides Noach's family, Og was the only other survivor of the Flood. He held on to the outside of the Ark and Noach sustained him from the inside.

ELIEZER ben DURDYA

Eliezer is a good and simple example of the principle of Gilgul. He died while doing Teshuvah ©repentance, having led a life negating the dictates of the Torah.

We do not understand how he was able to enter the World to Come, as he did not have any previous Ma'asim Tovim - good deeds. According to the Zohar, Ma'asim Tovim become the "coverings" that clothe the soul in the next world, and no access is permitted without such coverings.

We also do not understand how he got his title "Rabbi".

These questions can only be answered once we understand hisGilgul. R. Eliezer ben Durdya was a Gilgul of Yochanan the High Priest. Yochanan served in his esteemed position for eighty years, and then suddenly rebelled and became a Tzedoki- heretic.

Since Yochanan had blemished his last moments on earth, he was later given a chance to rectify them in the person of R.Eliezer. Hence R. Eliezer's passing during the process of Teshuvah. The Teshuvah, during his last moments, now served as the tikkun for Yochanan.

He assumed the title "Rabbi" from Yochanan the High Priest from whom he also acquired his "covering" of good deeds.

Yochanan, on the other hand acquired the evil "covering" of R. Eliezer.

The one was the spiritual mirror image of the other, there by finally restoring the balance between two aspect of the same soul.

ELISHEVA bat AMINADAV

EliSHEVA, the brother of Nachshon ben Aminadav (the first person to unhesitantly enter into the Red Sea as it split) was Aharon's wife. She was later incarnated as Bat SHEVA, the wife of Uriya (who was coincidentally also a Gilgul of Aharon).

(See AHARON)

ELISHA

Elisha was a Gilgul of Cain.

R. ELAZAR ben AZARYA

He was a Gilgul (ten generations later) of Ezra the Scribe. Ezra is famous for building the Second Temple.

ANTIGNUS ISH SOCHO

EFRAYIM AND MENASHE

ARISTOTLE

Aristotle was a Nitzutz - spark of Avtalyon. Avtalyon had one flaw, he taught people who were inappropriate. His former students turned against Torah and became Sadducees.

In a similar vein, Aristotle denied the Torah.

Later, however, he did Teshuvah -repentance, and was reincarnated as Antoninus. Antoninus studied together with R.Yehudah HaNasi, the compiler of the Mishna.

BAVA ben BOTA

BILAH, RACHEL, ZILPAH AND LEAH

BILAAM

Bilaam was the non-Jewish prophet who was hired by Balak, king of Moav, to curse the Jewish People.

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