Glossary · Torah Ohr · Likkutei Torah
Abba yasad brata
אבא יסד ברתא
“Abba founded the daughter” (Abba yasad brata)
The Zohar’s “Abba (Chochmah) founded the daughter (Malchus)”: Malchus, the divine speech and the lower awe, has its root and source in Chochmah, the higher awe, and rises back toward it.
Where it’s explained
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 5, ¶17The middos are “established with understanding,” through gestation in Binah, but Malchus is founded in Chochmah itself. As Chochmah comes from nothing to something, not by a chain of descent, so Malchus, the letters, is also drawn from the level of nothing.
משא״כ המל׳ הנה בחכמה דוקא יסודה ממש וכמ״ש בזוהר אבא יסד ברתא
- Torah Ohr, Beshalach 6, ¶10Chochmah of Atzilus is called Abba, the source and beginning of revelation; Malchus is called the daughter. As speech comes from Chochmah, its source, and cannot rise above it, so Malchus, by an arousal from below, rises only to Chochmah, as a child follows its father.
כמו״כ חכמה דאצי׳ נק׳ אבא שהוא מקור וראשית הגילוי ראשית ההשתלשלות ומל׳ נק׳ ברתא
- Torah Ohr, Vayigash 1, ¶12Chochmah is the higher awe and Malchus, the lower Chochmah, the lower awe; Malchus is drawn from the higher awe. In the Time to Come the lower awe will rise into its source, and so will be “the crown of her husband,” since self-nullification is above the love and awe of the middos.
שמבחי׳ יראה עלא׳ דחכ׳ נמשכ׳ המל׳ יראה תתאה
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 7, ¶8Malchus of Atzilus is the supernal speech, and the root of speech is Chochmah. The light of Chochmah clothed in the letters of speech revealed in Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah is only a contracted glimmer, the diminishing of the moon; in the Time to Come Malchus will receive from Chochmah as the middos do.
והנה שרש הדבור הוא מהחכמה ונקרא אבא יסד ברתא
- Likkutei Torah, Yom Kippur 3, ¶12Because Malchus is rooted in the higher Chochmah, the supernal holiness (kodesh), it too is called kodesh; so accepting the yoke of Heaven raises the souls to the supernal kodesh.
אבא יסד ברתא שהמל׳ שרשה מח״ע קדש העליון ממש ולכן גם היא נקרא קדש
Stated differently
Whether Malchus, speech, comes from Chochmah directly or receives through the middos
שהרי עפ״י השתלשלות לא היה ראוי להיות התהוות האותיות מהשכל או מהמדותMalchus is founded in Chochmah itself, from nothing to something; by an ordered descent, letters could not have come into being from the intellect or the middos.
שהדבור מקבל מהמדות כי הגם דאבא יסד ברתא. מ״מ הרי השכל משפיע במדות תחלהSpeech receives from the middos: although Abba founded the daughter, the intellect first flows into the middos, as we see that the power of speech follows the strength of the middos.
How high Malchus reaches in its root and ascent
כמו״כ עליית המל׳ אינה אלא לבחי׳ חכמה שהוא ראשית הגלוי באתעדל״תBecause Abba founded the daughter, the ascent of Malchus by an arousal from below is only to Chochmah, its source.
והמשכת הכתר נמשך ג״כ ע״י עול מצות כי המל׳ שרשה ג״כ מבחי׳ כתרMalchus is rooted also in Keser, above Chochmah, and so Keser too is drawn through the yoke of the mitzvos; citing Mikdash Melech, at times Malchus is cast up as high as Arich.
Sefer HaErchim Chabad
והרי פירוש ”אבא יסד ברתא” (בפשטות) הוא שהכח לדבר הוא מבחינת החכמהThe plain meaning of “Abba founded the daughter” is that the power to speak comes from Chochmah. (our translation)
Sefer HaErchim Chabad, vol. ח, entry אחד — ביחס לועד (שני הדלתי״ן), note 332, col. שיח · © Kehot Publication Society, quoted
Main sources
Torah Ohr, Bereishis 5, ¶17Torah Ohr, Beshalach 6, ¶10Torah Ohr, Vayigash 1, ¶12Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 7, ¶8Likkutei Torah, Yom Kippur 3, ¶12Likkutei Torah, Shelach 12, ¶7
Where it appears
In 31 paragraphs of 29 maamarim.
- Likkutei Torah, Yom Kippur 2 ¶8 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 1 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 37 ¶3
- Torah Ohr, Beshalach 6 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 3 ¶20
- Likkutei Torah, Emor 4 ¶25
- Likkutei Torah, Haazinu 3 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 12 ¶7 ¶8
- Torah Ohr, Vayigash 1 ¶12
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 2 ¶28
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 1 ¶14
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 5 ¶17
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 9 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 39 ¶1
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 7 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Matos 6 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Metzora 1 ¶20
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 9 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 10 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 3 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 5 ¶23
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 8 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Yom Kippur 3 ¶12
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 5 ¶13
- Torah Ohr, Shemos 4 ¶5
- Torah Ohr, Toldos 5 ¶6
- Torah Ohr, Beshalach 4 ¶7
- Torah Ohr, Vayechi 2 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 3 ¶3
Written with AI from the paragraphs of Torah Ohr and Likkutei Torah, each entry checked by a second AI reader and every Hebrew quote checked by code; not yet reviewed by a person. Our English: CC BY-NC 4.0.