וַיִּבְרָ֨א אֱלֹהִ֤ים ׀ אֶת־הָֽאָדָם֙ בְּצַלְמ֔וֹ בְּצֶ֥לֶם אֱלֹהִ֖ים בָּרָ֣א אֹת֑וֹ זָכָ֥ר וּנְקֵבָ֖ה בָּרָ֥א אֹתָֽם׃
And God created the human in God's image, in the image of God God created "him"; male and female God created them.
וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֤ם אֶת־חֻקֹּתַי֙ וְאֶת־מִשְׁפָּטַ֔י אֲשֶׁ֨ר יַעֲשֶׂ֥ה אֹתָ֛ם הָאָדָ֖ם וָחַ֣י בָּהֶ֑ם אֲנִ֖י יְהוָֽה׃
You shall keep My laws and My rules, by the pursuit of which man shall live: I am the LORD.
It once happened that Rabbi Yishmael, and Rabbi Akiva, and Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya were walking on the road, and... This question was asked before them: From where is it derived that saving a life overrides Shabbat?...
Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said: If I would have been there among those Sages who debated this question, I would have said that my proof is preferable to theirs, as it states: “and live by them” (Leviticus 18:5), and not that he should die by them. In all circumstances, one must take care not to die as a result of fulfilling the mitzvot.
(כ) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֔ים יִשְׁרְצ֣וּ הַמַּ֔יִם שֶׁ֖רֶץ נֶ֣פֶשׁ חַיָּ֑ה וְעוֹף֙ יְעוֹפֵ֣ף עַל־הָאָ֔רֶץ עַל־פְּנֵ֖י רְקִ֥יעַ הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃ (כא) וַיִּבְרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֔ים אֶת־הַתַּנִּינִ֖ם הַגְּדֹלִ֑ים וְאֵ֣ת כָּל־נֶ֣פֶשׁ הַֽחַיָּ֣ה ׀ הָֽרֹמֶ֡שֶׂת אֲשֶׁר֩ שָׁרְצ֨וּ הַמַּ֜יִם לְמִֽינֵהֶ֗ם וְאֵ֨ת כָּל־ע֤וֹף כָּנָף֙ לְמִינֵ֔הוּ וַיַּ֥רְא אֱלֹהִ֖ים כִּי־טֽוֹב׃ (כב) וַיְבָ֧רֶךְ אֹתָ֛ם אֱלֹהִ֖ים לֵאמֹ֑ר פְּר֣וּ וּרְב֗וּ וּמִלְא֤וּ אֶת־הַמַּ֙יִם֙ בַּיַּמִּ֔ים וְהָע֖וֹף יִ֥רֶב בָּאָֽרֶץ׃ (כג) וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם חֲמִישִֽׁי׃ (פ) (כד) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֗ים תּוֹצֵ֨א הָאָ֜רֶץ נֶ֤פֶשׁ חַיָּה֙ לְמִינָ֔הּ בְּהֵמָ֥ה וָרֶ֛מֶשׂ וְחַֽיְתוֹ־אֶ֖רֶץ לְמִינָ֑הּ וַֽיְהִי־כֵֽן׃
(20) God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and birds that fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” (21) God created the great sea monsters, and all the living creatures of every kind that creep, which the waters brought forth in swarms, and all the winged birds of every kind. And God saw that this was good. (22) God blessed them, saying, “Be fertile and increase, fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” (23) And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day. (24) God said, “Let the earth bring forth every kind of living creature: cattle, creeping things, and wild beasts of every kind.” And it was so.
(ז) וַיִּיצֶר֩ יְהוָ֨ה אֱלֹהִ֜ים אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֗ם עָפָר֙ מִן־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה וַיִּפַּ֥ח בְּאַפָּ֖יו נִשְׁמַ֣ת חַיִּ֑ים וַֽיְהִ֥י הָֽאָדָ֖ם לְנֶ֥פֶשׁ חַיָּֽה׃
(7) the LORD God formed the human from the dust of the earth. God blew into "his" nostrils the breath of life, and the human became a living being.
(ג) נפש חיה: מילת נפש תחילת הוראתה נשימה, והמלה הפוכה מן נשף, וכן מצאנו נפשו גחלים תלהט (איוב מ"א י"ב) שענינו נשימתו ורוח פיו. וכן נשמה, וכן רוח תחילת הוראתם שאיפת האויר והוצאתו שהוא עיקר חיי האדם וכל החיים אשר על הארץ, ו"חיה" הוא פירוש לנפש, כלומר עצם השואף ומוציא האויר וע"י כן הוא חי; ומנהג הלשון לומר נפש סתם על האדם, כמו נפש כי תחטא (ויקרא ד' ב') ונפש חיה על שאר בעלי חיים, כלומר עצם בעל נשימה שיש בו חיות ולא יותר, כי האדם יש לו מעלות אחרות, הדיבור והשכל, ושאר תכונות שאינן בשאר בעלי חיים.
(3) Living creatures: The derivation of the word nefesh is from neshima (breath), and the word is the opposite of neshef (blow). Thus we find (Job 41:13), "His nefesh kindles coals;" the implication of which is his breath and the air from his mouth. And so too neshama and ruach. Their derivation is the inhalation and exhalation of air, which is the mainstay of human life, and all life upon the earth. And chaya (living) is the explanation of nefesh; which is to say a being that inhales and exhales air and, by so doing, lives. And the customary language is to say the word, nefesh by itself, when referring to man, as in (Leviticus 4:2), "when a nefesh sins," (indicating a person) and nefesh chaya when referring to other animals. In other words, it is a breathing being that has life but no more, since man has other virtues: speech and intelligence and the other characteristics that are not found in other animals.
תנו רבנן שלשה שותפין יש באדם הקב"ה ואביו ואמו אביו מזריע הלובן שממנו עצמות וגידים וצפרנים ומוח שבראשו ולובן שבעין אמו מזרעת אודם שממנו עור ובשר ושערות ושחור שבעין והקב"ה נותן בו רוח ונשמה וקלסתר פנים וראיית העין ושמיעת האוזן ודבור פה והלוך רגלים ובינה והשכל וכיון שהגיע זמנו להפטר מן העולם הקב"ה נוטל חלקו וחלק אביו ואמו מניח לפניהם
§ The Sages taught: There are three partners in the creation of a person: The Holy One, Blessed be He, and his father, and his mother. His father emits the white seed, from which the following body parts are formed: The bones, the sinews, the nails, the brain that is in its head, and the white of the eye. His mother emits red seed, from which are formed the skin, the flesh, the hair, and the black of the eye. And the Holy One, Blessed be He, inserts into him a spirit (ruach), a soul (nefesh), his countenance, eyesight, hearing of the ear, the capability of speech of the mouth, the capability of walking with the legs, understanding, and wisdom. And when a person’s time to depart from the world arrives, the Holy One, Blessed be He, retrieves His part, and He leaves the part of the person’s father and mother before them.
Vexation is better than revelry: Medical men have already indicated that man possesses three souls (nefashot). One is the vegetative soul; that is to say, just as in the vegetative kingdom (as in grass, plants, and trees) there is a power we call soul, responsible for growth and reproduction, so man possesses a similar power. This soul grows in strength for a specified time. Its main attribute is corporeal desire and it requires the intake of food for its realization. The second soul is the animal soul. It uses the faculties of the five senses and is responsible for the power of motion, moving animal and man from place to place. The third soul, which only man possesses, is referred to as neshamah. This is the faculty of reason that distinguishes between truth and falsehood. The second soul is midway between the other two souls...
God endowed man with a rational faculty, which is also referred to as lev in order to actualize every soul's potential in due time. God also provided him with mitzvot to make it possible to maintain everything in proper proportion...
Now although the three souls are alluded to by one all-embracing name, we shall distinguish the three different powers of the soul by three specific names: neshamah, ruach, nefesh. This will avoid undue elaboration on the various qualities associated with each of the three souls. Thus the term nefesh refers to man's desire to eat, to be merry, and indulge in sexual pleasures. The name ruach alludes to our sensations that stir feelings for mastery and self-glorification. Neshamah denotes our rational faculties.
(א) מודֶה [מודָה] אֲנִי לְפָנֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ חַי וְקַיָּם, שֶׁהֶחֱזַרְתָּ בִּי נִשְׁמָתִי בְּחֶמְלָה, רַבָּה אֱמוּנָתֶךָ:
(1) I offer thanks to You, living and eternal King, for You have mercifully restored my soul within me; Your faithfulness is great.
(א) אֱלהַי. נְשָׁמָה שֶׁנָּתַתָּ בִּי טְהורָה הִיא. אַתָּה בְרָאתָהּ. אַתָּה יְצַרְתָּהּ. אַתָּה נְפַחְתָּהּ בִּי. וְאַתָּה מְשַׁמְּרָהּ בְּקִרְבִּי. וְאַתָּה עָתִיד לִטְּלָהּ מִמֶּנִּי. וּלְהַחֲזִירָהּ בִּי לֶעָתִיד לָבוא...
(1) My God, the soul which you have placed within me is pure. You have created it; You have formed it; You have breathed it into me. You preserve it within me; You will take it from me, and restore it to me in the hereafter...