We Are Digested Souls
Torah Tuesday in (exactly) 100 words
In the Biblical Israelites’ nomadic wanderings through the desert, the Levites were tasked with repeatedly disassembling the tabernacle, schlepping it to the next camp, and reassembling it. Each time, the ark containing the Ten Commandments would get wrapped in (or “swallowed by”) three layers of coverings for the journey. Some say our soul is similarly wrapped or swallowed in three layers of materiality for this human journey. I like the concept of “swallowed.” It suggests that my soul doesn’t ride around in my body, but is absorbed into it. For the purposes of this lifetime, we are embodied, digested souls.
Every Tuesday I offer a reflection on the Torah portion of the week -- in 100 words, of course. This week’s Torah portion is BaMidbar (in the desert wilderness), the first in the book of Numbers. Please share, comment, and join the conversation!
Haha, never thought of digested as the next step after embodied, which makes so much sense. Perhaps what comes after digested is refined. And after that what?