Do Animals Have Souls?

A number of years ago, one of my students asked me whether or not animals are endowed with a soul.
The Hebrew word nefesh (soul) is used in many senses. It has many different shades of meaning.
Man became a human being in the Book of Genesis (2:7) when God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and gave man his soul.” Since God is eternal, the soul, too, is understood to be eternal.
There is even a place where souls are said to reside after one has died, and in Judaism this place is called Olam HaBa – the World to Come.
Jewish teachings on the afterlife are relatively sparse. It has been conjectured that the silence of the Five Books of Moses with regard to an afterlife is meant to ensure that Judaism does not evolve in the direction of the Egyptians, who were obsessed with death and the mummification of its leaders.
Since nobody has gone to the World to Come and returned, everything written about what happens in it is a matter of faith and speculation. The Talmud describes the World to Come as ‘a place where there is no eating, drinking, business, jealousy, hatred or competition. Rather, the righteous sit with crowns on their heads feasting on the radiance of the divine presence.” Sounds heavenly to me.
Jewish mystics believe that all living beings – human and natural – have souls. However, not all souls are created equal, and humans have both a nefesh and a neshamah.
The nefesh is considered the animal soul – the life force with animalistic drives. The neshamah is a purely spiritual component, a divine spark which separates man from animals.
This is the part that yearns for spirituality. Mystics also posit that there exists in humans a divine spiritual soul which has the ability to create a relationship with the Divine, allowing them to make moral decisions based on free will. It is this divine soul that lives in eternity, and which animals do not possess.
There is also another view in Jewish mysticism of reincarnation, whereby a person’s soul returns again and again in different bodies, and the way in which it conducts itself in each reincarnation determines its ascent or descent in its next visit.
Others believe that immortality and eternal life occur biologically through the children that we bring into the world. Some understand immortality through influence, meaning that when we influence others and have them use us as role models, this kind of eternal significance is itself a form of immortality.
Although there is no consistent view on whether or not animals have souls, especially pets such as a dog or cat, I have given this question quite a bit of thought. Over the years, my many canines have afforded me love, companionship, a less stressful life, and more days with a smile on my face. So, I cannot say for sure that animals have souls, but those that I have had as pets surely have had them.
All of my dogs have been uplifting to have as loving companions, and have been the light of my life. As Proverbs 20:27 reminds us: “The soul is God’s candle.” My dogs have been my light.
ED. NOTE: Rabbi Isaacs is rabbi at Beth Judah Temple, Wildwood. He invites questions emailed to his website, www.rabbiron.com