A Thought on Parshas Shlach

"...v'im nefesh achas tech'ta b'sh'gaga..." "...and if a single soul sins unintentionally..." (15:27) The Torah prescribes for us the spiritual and personal ramifications of sinning, even in error. This includes bringing forth offerings to atone for one's mistakes. Our verse is interesting in that it is one more example of how the Torah refers to the sins of the soul, rather than the sins of a person. Generally, the terms adam or ish are used when referring to a human being. When it comes to human folly and iniquity, the Torah seems to upgrade mention of man into "nefesh" which is the soul or sanctified essence of a person, his or her transcendent element. The Gan notes this, and says that this is quite ubiquitous when referring to the sins of man. They are called "the sins of the soul." Why might this be? The Gan suggests that "the soul comes from the Place of Purity and Holiness, from amidst angelic sanctity. When it stains itself with sinfulness, it is fitting to attribute the iniquity to that soul. In contrast, the "human being" comes from the mundane, which is a place of soil and impurity. When that mortal part of the self soils itself with sin, it is regressing to the level of its origin." In the view of the Gan, the effects of sin are twofold. When a person commits a forbidden act, on the one hand, he has failed to actualize the potential of his humanness. He has sunk back to his mundane and unrefined starting place. On the other hand, from the standpoint of his internal sacred soul, a forbidden act is not just a failure to grow. It profanes that part of the self which was pure not only in potential, but in actuality. One's character experiences a setback upon erring. The soul, however, experiences a demotion, compromising its pristine reality. This is why the Torah refers to iniquity as the misdeed of, and to, the very soul of a person. The greatest subjective damage we do with our misdeeds is in creating imperfection where there was once completeness and purity. Wishing you a good Shabbos. D Fox