Sōma and Gufa: Rabbinic Perception of a Person

In our modern perception, the human personality, or the self, inhabits the body. Similarly, for medieval people, the soul or the spirit were the dwellers of the body but not identical to it. This perception originates in the Hellenic worldview, characterized by anthropological dualism. According to it, body and soul are in a complementary relationship, not devoid of antagonism. A personality is more identified with the soul or the mind than with the body. In contrast to this western notion, the late-antique Jewish idea of ​​ personality is inextricably linked with the body. Often, concepts focused on the body and its parts are used to indicate personality. In addition, rabbinic speculations about obtaining knowledge and its storage inside the human being are of particular interest. I will demonstrate these conceptual features using narrative material from Rabbinic Literature.