In Judaism, the holy spirit (, Ruach Ha-Kodesh) is conceived of as the divine force, quality, and influence of God over the universe or over God's creatures, in given contexts.Maimonides, Moses. Part II, Ch. 45: "The various classes of prophets." The Guide for the Perplexed. Trans. M. Friedländer. 2nd ed. New York: Dover Publications, 1956. pp. 242-244. Print.In response to Isaiah 63:10 written in commentary Ba’al Shem Tov, Shoftim 4:1
בשם הריב"ש, שכל החיבורים שהיו עד המהרש"א ועד בכלל, היו ברוח הקודש, וכיון שהוא ברוח הקודש הוא תורה עצמה וכו':
(שארית ישראל שם ברמזי סוכות)
All the words of Torah that were written up until and including the Maharsha were composed with Divine Inspiration. And since they were written with Divine Inspiration, they are Torah itself.
Sheiris Yisroel, Rimzei l’Sukkos
And in Shenei Luchot HaBerit, Torah Shebichtav, Introduction 40
וזהו שאמר זוכה להקביל רוח הקודש, כי כשהוא מתקן השכינה למעלה בסוד ויעש דוד את השם, אז כבוד השכינה חופף עליו ומברכתה יבורך הוא למטה, ולפי תוספות הקדושה שגרם למעלה יומשך ג"כ עליו רוח הקודש, כמו שבארתי בארוכה ענין זה בהקדמה תולדות אדם. ואמר מאי טעמא למען תשמור, ולא אמר מנלן דכתיב למען תשמור, אלא משום דיליף ליה דבר זה מקרא הזה ועשיתם אותם וכדפירשתי. אך טעמא דמילתא לא ידענא, על כן מביא זה הקרא דאז תצליח ואז תשכיל, דמגלה שם הפסוק דקיום התורה והמעשים מצליחים, כלומר עושים הצלחה למעלה ומתקנים השם. על כן מן הראוי שאח"כ יושפע עליו ג"כ ומברכה זו יתברך:
When Rabbi Acha said that true performance results in someone being endowed with Holy Spirit, he meant that if someone "repairs, reinforces," i.e. is מתקן the Holy Name in the Celestial Regions, as did David, then the Holy Spirit will come to rest on such a person in our world also because of the additional dimension of holiness such a person contributed to the heavens. I have explained this at length in my introduction to תולדות אדם. Although I plan to make my contribution to the understanding of the profound meaning of each מצוה, I am well aware that my efforts will not even comprise one millionth part of all those meanings.
Hebrew Bible "Holy spirit" The term "holy spirit" appears three times in the Hebrew Bible: Psalm 51 refers to "Your holy spirit" (ruach kodshecha). Chapter 63 of the Isaiah refers twice to "His holy spirit" (ruach kodsho) in successive verses.
Psalm 51 contains a triple parallelism between different types of "spirit":
"Spirit of God" Variations of a similar term, "spirit of God", also appear in various places in the Hebrew Bible. The Hebrew noun ruacḥ () can refer to "breath", "wind", or some invisible moving force ("spirit").
The following are some examples of the word ruacḥ (in reference to God's "spirit") in the Hebrew scriptures:Translations from Sefaria Genesis 1:2: "a wind from God sweeping over the water" See: Darshan, Guy, "Ruaḥ ’Elohim in Genesis 1:2 in Light of Phoenician Cosmogonies: A Tradition's History," Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages 45,2 (2019), 51–78. 1 Samuel 16:13: "and the spirit of the gripped David from that day on." Psalm 143:10: "Let Your gracious spirit lead me on level ground." Isaiah 42:1: "Behold My servant, I will support him, My chosen one, whom My soul desires; I have placed My spirit upon him, he shall promulgate justice to the nations." Isaiah 44:3: "So will I pour My spirit on your offspring, My blessing upon your posterity." Joel 2:28: "I will pour out My spirit on all flesh; Your sons and daughters shall prophesy."
Rabbinic literature The term ruach haqodesh is found frequently in talmudic and midrashic literature. In some cases it signifies prophetic inspiration, while in others it is used as a hypostatization or a metonym for God.Alan Unterman and Rivka Horowitz, Ruach ha-Kodesh, Encyclopedia Judaica (CD-ROM Edition, Jerusalem: Judaica Multimedia/Keter, 1997). The rabbinical understanding of the holy spirit has a certain degree of personification, but it remains, "a quality belonging to God, one of his attributes".Joshua Abelson,The Immanence of God in Rabbinical Literature (London:Macmillan and Co., 1912). The idea of God as a duality or trinity is shituf (polytheistic).David Novak, Jewish Christian Dialogue: A Jewish Justification, page 49
Nature What the Bible generally calls "spirit of God" is called in the Talmud and Midrash "holy spirit" due to the disinclination to the use of the Tetragrammaton.See, for example, Targum to Isaiah 40:13 It is probably owing to this fact that the Shekhinah is often referred to instead of the holy spirit. It is said of the former, as of the holy spirit, that it rests upon a person. The difference between the two in such cases has not yet been determined.
Although the holy spirit is often named instead of God,e.g., in Sifre Deuteronomy 31 [ed. Friedmann, p. 72] it was conceived as being something distinct. The spirit was among the ten things that were created on the first day.Hagigah 12a,b Though the nature of the holy spirit is really nowhere described, the name indicates that it was conceived as a kind of wind that became manifest through noise and light. As early as it is stated, "the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing," the expression "behind me" characterizing the unusual nature of the noise. The Shekhinah made a noise before Samson like a bell.Sotah 9b When the holy spirit was resting upon him, his hair gave forth a sound like a bell, which could be heard from afar. It imbued him with such strength that he could uproot two mountains and rub them together like pebbles, and could cover leagues at one step.Sotah 17b; Leviticus Rabbah 8:2
Although the lights which accompanied the noise are not expressly mentioned, the frequently recurring phrase "he beheld (hetzitz be-) the holy spirit" suggests that he upon whom the spirit rested saw a light. The holy spirit gleamed in the court of Shem, of Samuel, and of King Solomon.Genesis Rabbah 85:12 It "glimmered" in Tamar (Genesis 38:18), in the sons of Jacob (Genesis 42:11), and in Moses (Exodus 2:12), i.e., it settled upon these individuals.See Genesis Rabbah 85:9, 91:7; Leviticus Rabbah 32:4, "nitzotzah" and "hetzitz"; compare also Leviticus Rabbah 8:2, "hitkhil le-gashgesh" Like everything that comes from heaven, the holy spirit is described as being composed of light and fire. When it rested upon Pinchas, his face burned like a torch.Leviticus Rabbah 21, end
From the day that Joseph was sold, the holy spirit left Jacob, who saw and heard only indistinctly.Genesis Rabbah 91:6 When the Temple was destroyed and Israel went into exile, the holy spirit returned to heaven; this is indicated in Ecclesiastes 12:7: "the spirit shall return unto God".Ecclesiastes Rabbah 12:7 The spirit talks sometimes with a masculine and sometimes with a feminine voice, as the word ruach is both masculine and feminine, the holy spirit was conceived as being sometimes a man and sometimes a woman.
Individuals possessing the holy spirit
The holy spirit dwells only among a worthy generation, and the frequency of its manifestations is proportionate to the worthiness. There was no manifestation of it in the time of the Second Temple,Yoma 21b while there were many during the time of Elijah.Tosefta Sotah 12:5 According to Job 28:25, the holy spirit rested upon the Prophets in varying degrees, some prophesying to the extent of one book only, and others filling two books.Leviticus Rabbah 15:2 Nor did it rest upon them continually, but only for a time. The stages of development, the highest of which is the holy spirit, are as follows: zeal, integrity, purity, holiness, humility, fear of sin, the holy spirit. The holy spirit conducts Elijah, who brings the dead to life.Yerushalmi Shabbat 3c, above, and parallel passage Pious individuals act through the holy spirit;Tanhuma, Vayechi, 14 whoever teaches the Torah in public partakes of the holy spirit.Shir haShirim Rabbah 1:9, end; compare Leviticus Rabbah 35:7 When Pinchas sinned the holy spirit departed from him.Genesis Rabbah 60:3; Leviticus Rabbah 37:4; compare Genesis Rabbah 19:6; Pesikta 9a Abiathar was deposed from office as High Priest when he was deserted by the holy spirit without which the Urim and Thummim could not be consulted.
In Biblical times the holy spirit was widespread, resting on those who, according to the Bible, displayed a propitious activity; thus it rested on Eber and (according to Joshua 2:16) even on Rahab.Seder Olam, 1; Sifre, Deuteronomy 22 It was necessary to reiterate frequently that Solomon wrote his three books (Proverbs, Song of Songs, and Ecclesiastes) under the inspiration of the holy spirit,Shir haShirim Rabbah 1:6-10 because there was a continual opposition not only to the wise king personally, but also to his writings. A teacher of the Law says that probably for this reason the holy spirit rested upon Solomon in his old age only.Shir haShirim Rabbah 1:10, end
The holy spirit rested not only on the children of Israel who crossed the Red Sea,Tosefta Sotah 6:2 but, toward the end of the time of the Second Temple, occasionally on common people; for "if they are not prophets, they are at least the sons of prophets".Tosefta Pesachim 4:2 The holy spirit is at times identified with the spirit of prophecy.Compare Seder Olam, 1, beginning; Targum Yerushalmi to Genesis 41:38, 43:14; II Kings 9:26; Isaiah 32:15, 40:13, 44:3; Shir haShirim Rabbah 1:2 Sifre remarks: I will put My words into his mouth,' means 'I put them into his mouth, but I do not speak with him face to face'; know, therefore, that henceforth the holy spirit is put into the mouths of the Prophets."Sifre 170 (to Deuteronomy 18:18) The "knowledge of God" is the holy spirit.Shir haShirim Rabbah 1:9 The division of the country by lot among the tribes was likewise effected by means of the holy spirit.Sifre Numbers 132, p. 49a
Works inspired by the holy spirit The visible results of the activity of the holy spirit are the books of the Bible, all of which are believed (in Jewish tradition) to have been composed under its inspiration. All the Prophets spoke "in the holy spirit"; and the most characteristic sign of the presence of the holy spirit is the gift of prophecy, in the sense that the person upon whom it rests beholds the past and the future. With the death of the last three prophets (Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi), the holy spirit ceased to manifest itself in Israel, and only the Bat Kol remained available to the sages.Tosefta Sotah 13:2-4, and parallels Although the holy spirit was not continually present, and did not rest for any length of time upon any individual, yet there were cases in which it appeared and made knowledge of the past and of the future possible.ib.; also with reference to Rabbi Akiva, Leviticus Rabbah 21:8; to Gamaliel II, Leviticus Rabbah 37:3 and Tosefta Pesachim 1:27; to Rabbi Meir, Leviticus Rabbah 9:9; etc.
Frequently, in rabbinical literature, a single Biblical verse is described as having been spoken by the holy spirit (for example, verses in which God speaks in the first person).Sifre Numbers 86; Tosefta Sotah 9:5; Sifre Deuteronomy 355 (six times); Genesis Rabbah 75:8, 84:12; Leviticus Rabbah 4:1 [the expression "and the holy spirit cries" occurs five times], 14:2, 27:2; Numbers Rabbah 15:21; 17:2, end; Deuteronomy Rabbah 11, end
Non-Jews and the holy spirit