In the Bible, precious little is written explicitly about a truly far-reaching matter: man’s immortal soul. How puzzling! Fortunately, here in Samuel 25, Abravanel steps into the breach. Using words spoken by Abigail to David as the backdrop, he injects a hefty dose of clarity into this intriguing topic.
For our purposes here, we briefly encapsulate Abravanel’s seven findings or as he calls them: cores. We will show how Abigail’s terse comment and blessing to David lay a cornerstone into our understanding of the soul. Following are her prescient words: “Yet the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD your God…”
- The wholly rational or intellectual soul or spirit does not shed its subparts. Furthermore, the soul stands apart from all other things that have been created. While other creations decompose, not so with the soul; it lives on. Alluding to this core #1, the wise Abigail said: “Yet the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life.” Man’s spirit waxes eternal.
- After death, man’s soul carves out its own niche, meaning that it doesn’t seek out or need to connect to or fraternize with other people’s souls. This attests to man’s custom-made spiritual reward/punishment based strictly his deeds (or misdeeds). To the point, a righteous soul is placed or positioned in its own precision-guided otherworldly setting. The pious, then, garner afterlife. Each tzaddik – accordingly. Core #2 is conveyed by Abigail, this God-fearing woman when she uttered: “Yet the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life.”
- Judgement or evaluation of man’s soul has nothing to do with his I.Q., grading a genius more advantageously. Instead, the sole measuring stick by which a soul is judged has to do with man’s adherence to holy commandments and behaving in a noble fashion. All told, God marks man’s soul according to his devotion to learning Torah and observance of Torah commandments on the one hand, and on the other hand, by keeping negative precepts at bay. Warning David about the consequences of killing Nabal, Abigail foreshadowed eternity should David heed her counsel: “Yet the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life…”
- From where is man’s holy soul created, chiseled? Put differently, from where did man’s timeless soul emanate, before being infused within man’s body? Is it the handiwork of the Almighty? Or, does it come from a lower, albeit divine spirit? Abravanel argues with and debates earlier thinkers and philosophers. The soul, he asserts, comes directly from the One Above. In our context of divine reward/punishment for man’s soul, Abravanel puts forth that it is the Creator’s domain; He doesn’t delegate to lower beings, though holy they may be. One Scriptural source suffices: “And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns unto God Who gave it.” (Ecclesiastes 12). Simply put, since God Himself forged man’s eternal soul, it follows that back to God will the soul return after it sheds its physical casing. Of course, we are speaking about the souls or spirit of pious men, the tzaddikim. Their spiritual lot receives, if you will, V.I.P. treatment, nestled close to the Almighty’s throne, metaphorically speaking. This is precisely what Abigail alludes to: “Yet the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD your God.” Underscore: the soul of the pious clings to the Creator – and no other – after death. Divine providence.
- This core aspect of man’s soul addresses the question: What is the nature of reward after death? What pleasure will be derived by a tzaddik’s soul when his body expires? Now unchained by its former body, the soul attains spiritual closeness with the Maker. The pleasure is nary indescribable and inestimable, so idyllic is its new reality. One element of spiritual enjoyment centers upon new vistas which open up – a heretofore unfathomable understanding of God. A radiant light. Regarding this core, Abravanel conveys how the soul basks in otherworldly delight as per the tzaddik’s love of God and service to Him. In the afterlife, the unshackled soul sings the Creator’s praise. Abigail, a woman of valor, hints at a soul’s blissful reward: “Yet the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD your God.”
- Here we change tack and address the fate of the soul of the wicked. What transpires to it after he dies? Will his soul wither and evaporate, no differently than his tainted body frame? For Abravanel, the answer is: NO. Instead, the evildoer’s soul, like the soul of the pious, lives on forever. However, that works to the louse’s disadvantage, as he will be subjected to divine consequence for a considerable time. It incurs divine wrath for the man having misused or abused his once-pristine spirit. This core, too, may be deduced from divinely inspired Abigail when she told David: “Yet the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD your God; and the souls of your enemies, them shall He sling out, as from the hollow of a sling.”
- What is the nature or type of spiritual punishment dished out to a sinner’s soul? Abravanel contends that the consequence shall be of long duration and painful, discomfort unlike any physical distress. Jewish tradition writes on this topic. For our purposes here, we once again see how Abigail’s utterance produced pearls of wisdom, as she stressed to David the dire punishment awaiting the evildoer: “And the souls of your enemies, them shall He sling out, as from the hollow of a sling.”
In sum, we have outlined Abravanel’s insights into man’s soul.