I've always thought that our true essence, who we actually are, our personalities are our souls. To me, bodies are just temporary "homes" for the soul. My body can perish, but my soul will continue with its path. And I've always thought this is what Judaism teaches us. But I recently noted that in the *Elokai Neshama*, which we say every morning, the soul and the body are described in a completely opposite way:

> 
> אֱלֹהַי, נְשָׁמָה שֶׁנָּתַֽתָּ בִּי טְהוֹרָה הִיא.
>  אַתָּה בְרָאתָהּ, אַתָּה יְצַרְתָּהּ, אַתָּה נְפַחְתָּהּ בִּי,
>  וְאַתָּה מְשַׁמְּרָהּ בְּקִרְבִּי, וְאַתָּה עָתִיד לִטְּלָהּ מִמֶּֽנִּי,
>  וּלְהַחֲזִירָהּ בִּי לֶעָתִיד לָבוֹא. כָּל זְמַן שֶׁהַנְּשָׁמָה
>  בְקִרְבִּי, מוֹדֶה אֲנִי לְפָנֶֽיךָ, יְיָ אֱלֹהַי וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתַי,
>  רִבּוֹן כָּל הַמַּעֲשִׂים, אֲדוֹן כָּל הַנְּשָׁמוֹת.
>  בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, הַמַּחֲזִיר נְשָׁמוֹת לִפְגָרִים מֵתִים.  
> 
>  My G-d, the **soul that You have placed into me** is pure. You created it; You formed it; **You breathed it into me**; and **You preserve it within me**. You will eventually **take it from me**, and restore it within me in Time to Come. As long as **the soul is within me**, I give thanks before you, Lord my G-d and G-d of my fathers, Master of all works, Lord of all souls. Blessed are You, G-d, Who restores souls to dead bodies.
> 
> 
> 

Here, when I say **me**, I'm referring to **my body**. And I'm thanking G-d for giving me back my soul. But why is the body "me"? Shouldn't the soul be the real "me"? Am I the soul or the body?