The Light of Judaism

Memories of the Soul

QUESTION: Can you explain how it is possible or even if it is possible to recall past lives. I have heard of people remembering past lives through hypnosis. Are we even supposed to remember these past lives?

MY RESPONSE: Our neshamah (heavenly soul), and the inner aspects of our soul, yechidah (divine spark) and chaya (light-power), abide in the eternal realm and Holy One, and as such neshamah holds the knowledge of all previous incarnations. As we know and understand, a nefesh (vital soul) and ruach (intelligence) is generated with each incarnation, and thus there is a different person and life, unique and individual, serving as the vehicle of our greater soul in each incarnation. The nefesh and ruach generated corresponds with the development and evolution of our soul, and the realization of our soul, and neshamah corresponds with the being of this becoming, that which is being actualized and realized in this process of creative evolution or becoming. Neshamah is within and behind our nefesh and ruach, and therefore there is knowledge of our previous incarnations in us, and it is possible for us to access that knowledge. As we know from certain experiences of the afterlife, understanding that neshamah abides in the eternal realm, not only is there knowledge of past incarnations, but also future incarnations; hence, there is knowledge of the greater evolution and journey of the soul through countless cycles of reincarnation past and future.