Jewish tradition offers a rich, intricate, and frankly, quite beautiful answer.
According to the Legends of the Jews, a collection of fascinating rabbinic stories compiled by Louis Ginzberg, God’s care in forming our physical bodies is nothing compared to His concern for our souls. In fact, the soul wasn't an afterthought. It was created on the very first day! It's "the spirit of God moving upon the face of the waters," Ginzberg writes. So, instead of humans being the last creation, maybe we're actually the first. Think about that for a moment.
This soul, or neshama (נְשָׁמָה), as it's often called in Hebrew, isn't just a simple thing. It has five different powers, according to tradition. One of these powers allows it to leave the body every night, ascend to heaven, and bring back renewed life for us. It's like a nightly spiritual recharge!
And here's where it gets really interesting. The souls of all people, from Adam to the present day, were created together at the same time. They're kept in a sort of… soul bank, a "promptuary," in the seventh heaven. From there, they're drawn as needed, one by one, for each new human body. Imagine a vast library containing the essence of every person who ever lived, and every person yet to be born.
But how exactly does a soul get matched with a body? Well, when a woman conceives, the Angel of the Night, Lailah, presents the sperm before God. God then decrees the characteristics of the person to be born—male or female, strong or weak, rich or poor, all those things. Except for one thing: piety and wickedness. Those are left to our own choices.
Then, God instructs the angel in charge of souls to bring a specific soul from Paradise—one with a particular name and form. The soul appears before God, bowing down in reverence. God commands, "Enter this sperm."
And here's where the story takes a poignant turn. The soul, understandably, isn't thrilled. "O Lord of the world!" it pleads. "I'm happy where I am! Why do you want me to enter this… impure sperm? I'm holy and pure, a part of Your glory!"
God, in His infinite wisdom, consoles the soul. "The world you're going to is better than the one you know. I created you for this purpose." But even with this reassurance, the soul is forced to enter against its will.
The angel then carries the soul to the mother's womb. Two guardian angels are assigned to watch over it, and a light shines above, allowing the soul to see the entire world. According to the Midrash Rabbah, a compilation of ancient Jewish interpretations of the scriptures, this light helps the soul understand the grand scope of existence.
Each morning, an angel takes the soul to Paradise, showing it the righteous people sitting in glory, wearing crowns. "Do you know who these are?" the angel asks. When the soul says no, the angel explains, "These were like you, formed in their mother's womb. They followed God's Torah and commandments. That's why they're here. You, too, can earn this bliss if you observe God's Torah. But if not…"
In the evening, the angel takes the soul to hell, showing it the sinners being punished by the Angels of Destruction. Again, the angel asks, "Do you know who these are?" And again, the soul says no. "These were created like you," the angel says. "But they didn't observe God's Torah. That's why they suffer. Your destiny is also to depart this world. Be just, not wicked, so you can gain the future world."
Between morning and evening, the angel shows the soul where it will live, where it will die, where it will be buried. It sees the whole world, the righteous and the sinners, all things. Then, in the evening, the angel returns the soul to the womb, where it remains for nine months.
When it's time for birth, the angel says, "The time has come to go into the world." But the soul resists. "Why do you want me to go?" The angel replies, "Know that just as you were formed against your will, you will be born against your will, and against your will you will die, and against your will you will give account of yourself before the King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He."
Still, the soul hesitates. So, the angel flicks the baby on the nose, extinguishes the light, and brings it into the world against its will. Immediately, the child forgets everything it has seen and learned, and it cries, because it has lost a place of shelter, security, and rest.
And what about the end of life? When it's time to leave this world, the same angel appears and asks, "Do you recognize me?" And the person replies, "Yes, but why are you here today, when you never came on any other day?" The angel says, "To take you from the world, because the time of your departure has arrived."
The person weeps, and their voice echoes throughout the world, though only the rooster hears it. "You took me from two worlds and brought me into this one," the person says to the angel. But the angel reminds them, "Didn't I tell you that you were formed against your will, born against your will, and would die against your will? And that you would have to give account of yourself before the Holy One, blessed be He?"
It's a powerful and thought-provoking story, isn't it? It reminds us that our lives are part of something much larger than ourselves, a cosmic tapestry woven with purpose and meaning. And perhaps, it offers a bit of comfort, knowing that even in the face of the unknown, we are never truly alone.