By Rabbi Yair Hoffman It is well known that on Shabbos Friday night, an additional neshama – an extra spirit and soul enters into a person.  What is not so well known, however, is that this happens in three different stages – with three different parts.  What follows is an elaboration of this. In Shaar HaKavanos (Drushei Tosefes Shabbos #2), Rav Chaim Vital writes that the extra soul that is received comes in three parts and three stages. The three parts are Nefesh, Ruach and Neshama. The extra Nefesh comes to us at the moment of Kabalas Shabbos The extra Ruach comes to us at the recitation of Barchu. The extra Neshama comes to us at the recitation of “Ufros aleinu – Spread over us Your shelter of peace.” THE PARAMETERS The exact parameters of these three parts is a debate among various Rishonim, however the most common understanding is as follows: The Nefesh generally refers to the aspects of the guf..  It is linked to insticts and the physical.  Thus on Shabbos, we have an extra portion of this section of the general Neshama. The Ruach is the middle soul, the “spirit” or the interconnector. It contains the moral virtues and the ability to subtley distinguish between good and evil.  On Shabbos, the Ruach is enhanced. The Neshamah is the higher soul, or “super-soul.” This separates man from all other lifeforms. It is strongly related to the intellect and allows us to perceive the existence, presence, and benevolence  of Hashem.  It helps us achieve greater Dveikus to Hashem. The Gemorah in Beitzah 16a tells us that Hashem said to Moshe Rabbeinu: “I have a precious gift in My treasury house and Shabbos is its name, and I wish to give it to Israel and make it known to them.” The Gemorah elaborates that the gift referred to here concerns the Neshama Yesairah – additional soul. Therefore, one should be exceedingly joyful when reciting the section of Ufros Aleinu. The  Zohar (Parshas Bereishis page 48a) elaborates further: “At the time when Israel blesses and invites this ‘shelter of peace,’ and they say ‘Spread over us the shelter of peace,’ since it is a holy covering, an exalted divine shelter spreads over Israel and covers them like a mother over children, and all evil things are concealed from before them, and Israel sits beneath the holiness of Hashem, and then this ‘shelter of peace’ gives new souls to all. HOW TO FURTHER ACTIVATE THE UFROS ALEINU NESHAMA Each person possesses vast storehouses and wellsprings of various forms of wisdom, qualities, and pursuits.  The Holy One does not skimp upon these at all.  He provides them to us – bountifully and particularly so on Shabbos.  Rav Nosson Wachtfogel zt”l explains that there are, however, blockages that must first be removed in order to access these vast storehouses and wellsprings. The ability to achieve Dveikus is contained deep within the soul of man, like all other qualities such as wisdom and other pursuits. DVEIKUS IS A SENSE – A SIXTH SENSE THAT KLAL YISROEL IS ENDOWED WITH Dveikus is a sense, similar to that of seeing and hearing.  It is part of the nature of man – it is just that the blockages to achieving it must first be removed. The essence of […]