Pensamento Judaico sobre Jó 35:11

The author concludes that nefesh, soul at birth—though superior as a life motivating force to all other living creatures, just as the human body is superior to all other living creatures—is something quite primitive. Through the life experience it develops into the kind of force that matures. "Free will" is part of the force that helps this "life force" mature and become the kind of disembodied spirit that survives the flesh at the time the body dies. "Nefesh-Ruach-Neshamah” are the way stations in the progress of this "life motivating force" of man towards the formation of the disembodied immortal personality. "Ruach hakodesh,” holy spirit, is not yet the level at which "nevu-ah," prophetic insights can be achieved. That stage is reached only by the "neshamah" stage in a person's development. If actual nevua-ah is denied such people, it is only because their contemporaries do not deserve to be the beneficiaries of such prophetic insights (Sukkah 21).

From Reason: For our reason bears witness that a rational creature's superiority over an irrational one consists in the former's superior ability to perceive, understand and acquire knowledge of the marks of wisdom found throughout the universe, as Scripture said "Who teaches us more than the beasts of the field, and makes us wiser than the fowls of heaven" (Job 35:11).

Through these he has superiority over the irrational creatures (animals), as written "Who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth, and makes us wiser than the fowls of heaven" (Iyov 35:11). Let him imagine that if he were without intellect and understanding and a certain man came and helped him to attain them, and he afterwards understood the superiority he had gained over his previous state. Would it be enough for him to thank and praise the man for the rest of his days to repay him for his help? How much more so the Creator, for who there is no limit to His favors on us, and no end to His kindness towards us, as written: "Many, O L-ord my G-d, are Your wonderful works which You have done, and Your thoughts which are toward us: they cannot be recounted in order unto You: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered." (Tehilim 40:5).