how to say “soul” in Hebrew
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/נפש-#.m4a” /]נֶפֶשׁ, רוּחַ, נְשָׁמָה
Jewish mystical tradition has three words for that non-physical side of man: נפש[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/נפש-#.m4a” /] – soul, רוח[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/נפש-#.m4a” /] – literally, wind and נשמה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/נפש-#.m4a” /] – spirit (Kabbalah expands on these terms).
Today, Israelis tend to use נשמה to refer to someone’s divine spirit:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/נפש-#.m4a” /]יש לו נשמה טובה.
He has a good soul (spirit).
רוח – also meaning wind – sometimes refers to the soul, while רוחניות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/נפש-#.m4a” /] means spirituality.
נפש tends to refer a person’s mental and emotional self, as expressed in the phrase בריאות הנפש[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/נפש-#.m4a” /] – mental health.
Another example using an adjective form of נפש:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/נפש-#.m4a” /]היא סובלת מעומס נפשי.
She suffers from mental strain.