The descent of the soul – any soul – into this world is very profound indeed.
It can be described as suffering a steep fall, a severe decline, from its former position in the supernal heights.
The soul experiences this decline not only when placed specifically in the body of a sinner or a person lacking moral scruples, since every person in this world is endowed with free will and can potentially choose to lead a sinful lifestyle, tainting the divine soul within.
The soul regards its descent into this world as a painful decline, even were the person housing it to be a complete tzaddik who had forged the most profound and intimate bond with God humanly possible.
The soul regards its very descent into a physical body – irrespective of how spiritually refined it may be – as a spiritual “fall,” for an embodied soul cannot experience even a modicum of its previous connection to the Divine prior to being forcibly placed within a body.
Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz