Glossary · Torah Ohr · Likkutei Torah
Ahavah rabbah
אהבה רבה
Great love (ahavah rabbah)
Great love: a love above reason and without limit, for G‑d Himself and not His radiance alone; higher than ahavas olam, the love bounded by intellect. Aharon the Kohen Gadol draws it into Israel.
The word Ahavah Rabbah is also the name of the blessing before the morning Shema (“With great love You have loved us”); where the text speaks of that blessing or quotes it, it means the prayer, not this level of love.
Where it’s explained
- Likkutei Torah, Tazria 3, ¶2When Knesses Yisrael “sows first” and the arousal from above follows, a “male” love is born: “Whom have I in heaven… and with You I desire nothing,” not even what is with You, the delight of the souls in Gan Eden, which is only radiance. It wants to be nullified in the Or Ein Sof itself, like a candle in a torch. It is called male, a strong daas that chooses the essential.
האהבה רבה היא ליבטל וליכלל באור א״ס ב״ה ממש ולאשתאבא בגופא דמלכא שלמעלה מעלה מבחי׳ זיו והארה
- Likkutei Torah, Eikev 3, ¶3There are two loves: one below the contemplating intellect and therefore limited by it, and ahavah rabbah, without limit. It comes from above in response to the arousal from below, and is called “silver” (kesef) from “you longed” (nichsof nichsafta).
הא׳ היא אהבה שלמטה מן השכל המתבונן כו׳ ולכן היא בגבול וקצבה לפי ערך השכל והב׳ היא בחי׳ אהבה רבה בלי גבול בחי׳ מאד
- Likkutei Torah, Yom Kippur 3, ¶18The Kohen Gadol in a person’s service is ahavah rabbah: a kohen is Chesed, love, and the Kohen Gadol is “abundant in kindness” (rav chesed). Aharon’s love is above the natural love that comes from “kindness to Avraham”; it is the inwardness of the heart.
כי כהן זהו בחי׳ חסד שהוא אהבה אבל כהן גדול היינו אהבה רבה שהוא בחי׳ ורב חסד
- Torah Ohr, Vayechi 5, ¶6Ahavas olam comes through a cause in the world and has a counterpart on the other side, so after prayer one can turn to worldly matters. Ahavah rabbah blazes on its own, from the spark of G‑dliness itself, and has no counterpart. Above, it corresponds to the Name Mah, G‑dliness in essence, as ahavas olam corresponds to Ban.
משא״כ בחי׳ אה״ר להיותה מניצוץ אלקות עצמו אין שם זלעו״ז
- Torah Ohr, Vayigash 2, ¶4The hidden love in every Jewish soul, when it comes out into revelation, is called ahavah rabbah and is far above ahavas olam, the love from contemplation. It is the “first light” stored away for the righteous (Yosef), taken from “abundant in kindness,” above intellect.
אבל אור קדמאה הוא בחי׳ אה״ר שלמעלה מהשכל ונלקחה מבחי׳ ורב חסד
Stated differently
What the love longs for: to be nullified and absorbed above in the Or Ein Sof, or that the Or Ein Sof be revealed below
האהבה רבה היא ליבטל וליכלל באור א״ס ב״ה ממש ולאשתאבא בגופא דמלכאAhavah rabbah is the wish to be nullified and included in the Or Ein Sof itself, absorbed in the body of the King.
שאהבה רבה הוא אהבה ותשוקה נפלאה. שיתגלה אור א״ס ב״ה למטהAhavah rabbah, which Aharon kindled in Knesses Yisrael, is a wondrous love and longing that the Or Ein Sof be revealed below.
Which clause of “You shall love” it is: “with all your might” or “with all your heart”
ובכל מאדך היא בחי׳ אהבה העולה על כולנה שהיא בחי׳ אהבה רבה במאד“With all your might” is the love above all others, ahavah rabbah without measure, which even the souls of the righteous cannot grasp; it is reached by baalei teshuvah.
נדרים סייג לפרישות מביא לידי קדושה הוא בחי׳ אה״ר בכל לבבךSeparation leads to holiness, which is ahavah rabbah, “with all your heart”; through setting one’s will aside one then comes to “with all your might,” a great love that no vessel can hold.
שהוא טרדת אה״ר זו עד שאין לו שום רצון אחר כלל) וזהו בכל לבבךThe love of a wife for her husband, like flashes of fire, with no other desire at all, is “with all your heart”; this ahavah rabbah is drawn through the Torah.
Whether ahavah rabbah is drawn through the Torah or through the mitzvos
ואהבה רבה זו הוא נמשך ע״י התורהThis ahavah rabbah is drawn through the Torah, the “wine of the Torah,” given in fire.
שע״י המצות נמשך בחי׳ גילוי רצון העליון בנפש ובחי׳ אהבה רבהThrough the mitzvos the revelation of the Supernal Will and ahavah rabbah are drawn into the soul. The revealed ahavah rabbah has two aspects: one drawn through the mitzvos, and love in delights, rooted in the inner Supernal Will and higher than ahavah rabbah, drawn through the Torah.
Whether it comes through contemplation or only as a gift from above, beyond reason and contemplation
שאה״ר זו דאהרן באה ג״כ ע״י אותה ההתבוננות עצמה רק כאשר ישים מרירות בנפשו על החשך המסתירAharon’s ahavah rabbah comes through the same contemplation, when one also sets bitterness in his soul over the darkness that conceals.
פנימית נקודת הלב היא בחי׳ אהבה רבה שלמעלה מהטעם והדעת המושג ובאה מלמעלה בבחינת מתנהThe inner point of the heart is ahavah rabbah, above reason and grasped knowledge, coming from above as a gift (the Name Mah); the outer heart is the love taken from daas and contemplation (Ban).
Who has it: present in every Jewish soul, or attained only by baalei teshuvah, beyond even the souls of the righteous
ובחי׳ אה״ר זו ישנה ג״כ בכל א׳The middos above intellect, called ahavah rabbah, are in every soul; below they are revealed in the middos of the heart.
אך הזוכה לאהבה רבה הזאת הם בעלי תשובהAhavah rabbah “with all your might” is not grasped even by the souls of the righteous, for the soul is a created vessel; those who merit it are baalei teshuvah.
Sefer HaErchim Chabad
אך אהבה רבה היא, האהבה מה שרוצה ליבטל וליכלל בעצמות אוא״ס ב״ה שלמעלה מבחי׳ זיו והארהBut ahavah rabbah is the love that wants to be nullified and included in the essence of the Or Ein Sof, which is above radiance and glow. (our translation)
Sefer HaErchim Chabad, vol. א, entry אהבת ה׳ — זוטא ורבה, col. תקיב · © Kehot Publication Society, quoted
Main sources
Likkutei Torah, Tazria 3, ¶2Likkutei Torah, Eikev 3, ¶3Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 2, ¶6Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 2, ¶9Likkutei Torah, Sukkos 3, ¶4Torah Ohr, Vayigash 2, ¶4Torah Ohr, Vayechi 5, ¶6Torah Ohr, Toldos 3, ¶24
Where it appears
In 201 paragraphs of 98 maamarim.
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 10 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 1 ¶9 ¶11 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Eikev 1 ¶1 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Eikev 2 ¶23 ¶24
- Likkutei Torah, Eikev 3 ¶3 ¶4 ¶5 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Savo 3 ¶11 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Korach 1 ¶24 ¶26 ¶32 ¶33 ¶39
- Likkutei Torah, Matos 1 ¶16 ¶18 ¶19
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 1 ¶16 ¶17
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 6 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 4 ¶7 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 7 ¶3 ¶5 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 9 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 5 ¶27
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 7 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Vayikra 5 ¶5 ¶8 ¶36
- Torah Ohr, Ki Sisa 2 ¶7 ¶8 ¶9 ¶10 ¶11
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 12 ¶17 ¶19 ¶22 ¶23 ¶24
- Torah Ohr, Toldos 3 ¶23 ¶24 ¶25 ¶26
- Torah Ohr, Vayechi 4 ¶2 ¶3 ¶9 ¶11 ¶12 ¶13 ¶14 ¶15 ¶16 ¶17
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 5 ¶29 ¶30
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 3 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 1 ¶25 ¶26 ¶28 ¶31 ¶35
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 29 ¶6
- Torah Ohr, Tetzaveh 3 ¶1 ¶2 ¶17
- Torah Ohr, Vayishlach 4 ¶4 ¶5 ¶6 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 10 ¶41
- Likkutei Torah, Eikev 4 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Emor 1 ¶47
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 6 ¶2 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Matos 3 ¶7 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Pekudei 2 ¶34 ¶44
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 19 ¶1 ¶3 ¶32
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 37 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Tazria 3 ¶2 ¶3 ¶4 ¶5 ¶6 ¶7 ¶9 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Yom Kippur 1 ¶3 ¶4
- Torah Ohr, Tetzaveh 2 ¶1 ¶10 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Haazinu 1 ¶19 ¶35
- Likkutei Torah, Vayikra 2 ¶12
- Torah Ohr, Beshalach 3 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 2 ¶21 ¶22
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 12 ¶18
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 1 ¶12 ¶14 ¶28
- Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 6 ¶25
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 2 ¶15 ¶16
- Torah Ohr, Toldos 2 ¶11 ¶20 ¶21 ¶22
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 4 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 3 ¶22
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 4 ¶7 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 10 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Matos 4 ¶1 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Metzora 1 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Pekudei 1 ¶52 ¶62
- Likkutei Torah, Pinchas 3 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 3 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 9 ¶1 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 4 ¶8 ¶17
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 20 ¶18 ¶19
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 10 ¶13
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 6 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 3 ¶17 ¶18
- Likkutei Torah, Sukkos 1 ¶3 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Sukkos 3 ¶4 ¶5 ¶7 ¶8 ¶9 ¶13 ¶14 ¶15 ¶18
- Torah Ohr, Vayigash 2 ¶4 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 28 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 9 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 4 ¶16
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 7 ¶7 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Shabbos Shuvah 3 ¶9 ¶33
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 7 ¶40
- Torah Ohr, Ki Sisa 1 ¶22
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 13 ¶20
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 5 ¶40
- Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 2 ¶3 ¶6 ¶8 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 13 ¶20
- Likkutei Torah, Vayikra 3 ¶11 ¶12
- Torah Ohr, Terumah 2 ¶6
- Torah Ohr, Vayakhel 1 ¶28 ¶29
- Torah Ohr, Vayechi 5 ¶2 ¶6 ¶7 ¶8 ¶11 ¶12 ¶13
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 9 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 16 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 4 ¶6
- Torah Ohr, Mishpatim 7 ¶17
- Torah Ohr, Terumah 1 ¶5
- Torah Ohr, Tetzaveh 4 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Bechukosai 2 ¶28
- Likkutei Torah, Korach 3 ¶1
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 6 ¶20
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 2 ¶34
- Likkutei Torah, Yom Kippur 3 ¶18
- Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 4 ¶9
- Torah Ohr, Noach 1 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Acharei 1 ¶23
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 14 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 3 ¶24
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 8 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 2 ¶3
- Torah Ohr, Vayishlach 5 ¶4
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.