Spirit

Ruach is one of Hebrew's most multifaceted words, simultaneously meaning wind, spirit, breath, and mood. In the very second verse of the Torah, 'the ruach of God hovered over the face of the waters' (Genesis 1:2) — a passage that places ruach at the very beginning of creation, as the animating force of the universe. The multiplicity of ruach's meanings is not accidental. In Hebrew thought, the physical and spiritual are not separate realms but different aspects of the same reality. Wind and spirit share a word because both are invisible forces that produce visible effects. You cannot see the ruach, but you can see the trees bending, the waves rising, the person inspired. In Jewish mysticism, ruach is one of the five levels of the soul, situated between the basic life-force (nefesh) and the higher soul (neshamah). It is associated with emotion, moral discernment, and the capacity for spiritual growth. The 'ruach hakodesh' (holy spirit) describes a level of divine inspiration just below prophecy, attributed to various rabbis and righteous figures throughout Jewish history. In modern Hebrew, ruach appears in numerous everyday expressions: ruach tova (good mood), ruach shtuyot (nonsense, literally 'spirit of foolishness'), and the beautiful phrase 'ruach gadit' (a spirit that overflows). Israelis describe the unique atmosphere of a place or gathering as its ruach, capturing something that statistics and descriptions alone cannot convey.