2.38: Derech Hashem B'Iyun Book 1 Chapter 5 Part 1

Rabbi Shulman explains Ramchal’s taxonomy of creation as divided into two overarching realms—גשמי (physical) and רוחני (spiritual)—and then carefully traces the subdivisions within each. He clarifies what “perceivable by the senses” means (including perception aided by tools), and why the spiritual realm contains both נשמות (souls destined to enter bodies) and נבדלים (transcendent beings not destined for bodies), including כוחות and מלאכים. Rabbi Shulman then highlights a surprising “middle category” between physical and spiritual—שדים—using Chazal’s broader principle that Hashem creates intermediary gradations, and he offers modern analogies (microscopic life, quantum phenomena) to help conceptualize what “in-between” might mean.

Outline: https://danielggordon.github.io/ateresami/dh-biyun-1-5-1-20260611-030536-outline-20260611-030613.pdf