Timeless: The Timeless Soul

“When my soul fainted within me, I remembered (zacharti) God. My prayer came to You in Your Holy Sanctuary.” (Jonah 2:8)

The Midrash (Shocher Tov 62) on the verse “Every breath shall praise the Lord,” (Psalm 150:6) teaches that with every breath the soul attempts to escape the confines of the body. But it perceives the Divine Presence – as the “Earth is full of His glory.” (Isaiah 6:3) Thus, it remains in place.

It is natural for all things to yearn for their home. The soul of a person, being a part of God, rejects the materiality of the body, aspiring to return to its heavenly origin and cleave to God. It is continuously struggling to leave the body and only remains there when it realizes that the Holy One, likewise, retains a presence in the world.

Jonah says, “when my soul was weak and struggles to escape from me, I remembered God in my thoughts. I did this so my soul would no longer yearn to escape but find comfort by perceiving God’s Presence in this world. Thus, by remembering God, Jonah found a place for God within him so that his soul would be content and settle down. (Alshich)

The soul desires to cleave to its source. On Rosh Hashana, God, the Source of the Soul, remembers, and connects with Infinite time. Just as He exists above time, so too, can we connect with the Timeless Source, and find our peace in this world.