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Asiyah

עשיה

The World of Asiyah (Action)

The lowest of the four worlds, corresponding to action: its ten Sefiros are still holy, but below them lies kelipas nogah; this physical world is Malchus of Asiyah, its lowest level.

The word עשיה also means doing, action (מעשה; עשייה גשמיות, as in “even Chochmah is like physical action before Him”), and is used relatively: Malchus is “Asiyah within Atzilus” (Balak 2:29), and Atzilus is called “Adam of Asiyah” relative to Adam Kadmon (Behar 3:10). The world is meant in עולם העשיה/העשייה, דעשיה, בעשיה and the abbreviation בי״ע.

Where it’s explained

  1. Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 5, ¶4“I created it, formed it, also made it” are Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah: thought, speech and action. “I also made it” is the world of action, this physical world; “also” adds a fourth level above all three, the Supernal Will drawn down by keeping the mitzvos in this world.אף עשיתיו הוא עולם המעשה העוה״ז הגשמי
  2. Torah Ohr, Lech Lecha 4, ¶5The partition between the ten Sefiros of Yetzirah and of Asiyah divides holy from holy, for the ten Sefiros of Asiyah are holy; below Asiyah is a further screen, kelipas nogah, dividing holy from mundane. On weekdays other lands are governed through Asiyah, the Land of Israel through Yetzirah.אך מעשייה ולמטה יש עוד מסך ופרסא הוא ק״נ והוא בחי׳ ערלה החופפת על הברית
  3. Likkutei Torah, Haazinu 3, ¶41The ofanim are in Asiyah, where “anger” (af) can draw nourishment: they are wholly holy, but stand in the world that is the source of evil’s branching out below. Malchus dwells in Asiyah, and through this descent rises higher, so the ofanim reach above the seraphim.היינו שעמידתם בעולם שהוא מקור ושרש להסתעפות הרע ממש למטה
  4. Likkutei Torah, Korach 1, ¶14Asiyah stands to Atzilus as the inanimate to the speaking being; so Malchus dwells in Asiyah and Chochmah in Atzilus. At Sinai, supernal Chochmah that shines in Atzilus was revealed in this world, a leap past the order of the chain.ערך העשיה לגבי אצילות כמו דומם לגבי מדבר ולכן מל׳ מקננא בעשי׳ וחכמה באצי׳
  5. Likkutei Torah, Balak 2, ¶29Malchus of Atzilus is “Asiyah within Atzilus.” The Supernal Keser is drawn specifically to Asiyah, because all 613 mitzvos can be kept only in Asiyah and the Supernal Will is chiefly revealed there, in deed; refining nogah in Asiyah draws it down.לכך נמשך הכ״ע לעשי׳ דוקא מכמה טעמים הא׳ הוא מפני שא״א שיתקיימו כל רמ״ח מ״ע ושס״ה ל״ת כ״א בעשי׳

Stated differently

Where Gan Eden HaTachton is: in Asiyah (“the beginning of Asiyah”), or in (Malchus of) Yetzirah

Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 4, ¶2אפי׳ רק בג״ע התחתון שהוא בעשייה ה״ז כענין האצילות שנמשך ומתלבש בפנימית העשייה

The radiance of the soul’s Torah and service, drawn from Atzilus, shines even in the lower Gan Eden, which is in Asiyah, like Atzilus clothed in the inwardness of Asiyah; the upper Gan Eden is from Beriah.

Likkutei Torah, Chukas 8, ¶3בג״ע העליון בעולם הבריאה וג״ע התחתון שבעולם העשיה

The mitzvos draw Or Ein Sof into the souls’ grasp and delight in the upper Gan Eden, in the world of Beriah, and the lower Gan Eden, in the world of Asiyah.

Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 3, ¶5וג״ע התחתון הוא הממוצע בין עולמות הרוחניים ובין עוה״ז ולכן נקרא תחלת מעשיך היינו תחלת עולם העשייה

The lower Gan Eden is the intermediary between the spiritual worlds and this world, so it is called “the beginning of Your works,” the beginning of the world of Asiyah.

Likkutei Torah, Chukas 9, ¶3שמל׳ דבריאה נעשית עתיק ומקור הנובע ליצי׳ ומל׳ דיצי׳ עתיק ומקור שממנו נובע המעין לעשי׳ לג״ע התחתון

The spring that waters the upper Gan Eden flows on: Malchus of Beriah becomes Atik and source for Yetzirah, and Malchus of Yetzirah the Atik and source from which the spring flows to Asiyah, to the lower Gan Eden.

Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 9, ¶1שג״ע התחתון הוא במל׳ דיצירה וג״ע העליון הוא במל׳ דבריאה וכמ״ש האריז״ל

Gan Eden is Malchus: the lower Gan Eden is in Malchus of Yetzirah and the upper in Malchus of Beriah, as the Arizal wrote.

Torah Ohr, Beshalach 6, ¶6ואף ג״ע העליון שבבריאה וג״ע התחתון שביצירה הכל הוא בבחי׳ גבול

Even the upper Gan Eden in Beriah and the lower Gan Eden in Yetzirah are limited, unlike Atzilus.

Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 36, ¶2כי הארץ הלזו הגשמי׳ הוא בחי׳ מל׳ דעשיה וג״ע תחתון היא מל׳ דיצירה וג״ע עליון מל׳ דבריאה

This physical earth is Malchus of Asiyah, the lower Gan Eden Malchus of Yetzirah, the upper Gan Eden Malchus of Beriah.

Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 5, ¶4בראתיו בחינת המחשבה ג״ע העליון. יצרתיו בחי׳ הדיבור וג״ע התחתון. אף עשיתיו הוא עולם המעשה העוה״ז הגשמי

“I created it” is thought, the upper Gan Eden; “I formed it” is speech and the lower Gan Eden; “I also made it” is the world of action, this physical world. Beriah is thought, Yetzirah speech.

Whether the ofanim are in Asiyah or in Yetzirah

Likkutei Torah, Haazinu 3, ¶41וכמ״ש האריז״ל שהאופנים הם בעשייה

The ofanim are in Asiyah, as the Arizal wrote; yet through their great noise they reach above the seraphim, since Malchus dwells in Asiyah.

Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 27, ¶2והנה בבריאה הם שרפים וביצירה חיות ובעשיי׳ אופנים

In Beriah are the seraphim, in Yetzirah the chayos, in Asiyah the ofanim.

Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 5, ¶19אבל החיות והאופנים שהם ביצירה ואין משיגים האור

The seraphim, in Beriah, grasp the light and say “Holy”; the chayos and ofanim, in Yetzirah, do not grasp it and rise with a great noise.

Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 5, ¶14והאופנים מיצירה. יוצר אור משפיעים למטה ואומרים ברוך כבוד

The seraphim are from Beriah (“creates darkness”) and say “Holy”; the ofanim are from Yetzirah (“forms light”), give influence downward and say “Blessed”; all this is named from below upward.

Which Sefiros are in Asiyah: Malchus (of Atzilus), or Netzach, Hod and Yesod

Likkutei Torah, Yom Kippur 3, ¶7בינה מקננא בכורסייא שהיא הבריאה וז״א ביצי׳ ומל׳ בעשי׳

Binah dwells in Beriah, Z”A in Yetzirah, Malchus in Asiyah.

Likkutei Torah, Korach 1, ¶14ולכן מל׳ מקננא בעשי׳ וחכמה באצי׳

Malchus dwells in Asiyah, Chochmah in Atzilus.

Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 29, ¶16חב״ד מתגלים בבריאה ושם בחי׳ שרפים וחג״ת ביצירה וזהו בחי׳ חיות ונה״י בעשייה

As head, body and legs: Chochmah, Binah and Daas in Beriah, Chesed, Gevurah and Tiferes in Yetzirah, Netzach, Hod and Yesod in Asiyah (the ofanim).

Main sources

Torah Ohr, Lech Lecha 4, ¶5Likkutei Torah, Haazinu 3, ¶41Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 5, ¶4Likkutei Torah, Balak 2, ¶29Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 36, ¶2Likkutei Torah, Korach 1, ¶14

Where it appears

In 736 paragraphs of 246 maamarim.

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.

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