Musar על בבא בתרא 23:16

The eighth—The soul of the prophet is not worthy of attaining the perfection of prophecy until it becomes pure and very lofty, being drawn with all strength to sublime matters. Therefore, the soul of the prophet is near the Creator, blessed be He. Due to the excellence of its thoughts, there is no curtain separating soul and prophecy from the Creator, blessed be He; since the soul of the prophet is so very lofty and while it is still within the body, it can elevate itself and join with superior persons. We know that it can go twice as high when it separates from the body, for the body holds it back from rising with all its power, just as a bird whose wings have been clipped cannot fly with all of its power until its feathers grow again. The power which united the soul of the prophet with the spirit of prophecy still unites them even after it separates itself from the body, and the ascent of the soul becomes easier. A similar process occurs with the souls of the pious and the wise. Our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Baba Batra 12a), “A wise man is superior even to a prophet.”