Glossary · Torah Ohr · Likkutei Torah
Bechol me’odecha
בכל מאדך
“with all your might” (bechol me’odecha) · also: מאד, בכל נפשך
Love of G‑d without limit, too great for the heart to hold, encompassing the measured love “with all your soul.” It is “your” me’od: beyond one’s own vessel, each by his measure.
The word מאד is also the ordinary word “very” (טובה הארץ מאד מאד); it is the concept when the text says בכל מאדך, בחי׳ מאדך, or speaks of מאד as love “without limit” beyond the vessel.
Where it’s explained
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 38, ¶4“With all your soul” is the love bounded in the heart, a vessel produced by contemplating the Creator’s greatness; “with all your might” is boundless, the inner point of the heart’s will, encompassing it as a canopy (chuppah). Me’odecha is “your” me’od: it is encompassing only relative to the smallness of one’s vessel; for one whose vessel is wider it can be inward.
משא״כ אהבת ובכל מאדך היא בחינת האהבה שהיא גדולה מאד בלי גבול שאין ביכולתה להוגבל בלב כ״א היא בבחי׳ מקיף מלמעלה
- Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 10, ¶13One reaches it through accepting the yoke of Heaven, nullifying one’s will, refraining from the permitted and doing more than one’s habit; as a seed sprouts only after it rots, nothing passes from one yesh to another except by nullifying its being. “With all your soul” is love received in the mind; me’odecha has no vessel of its own, and its vessel is Malchus, the Oral Torah.
כשמבטל רצונו ואתכפיא סט״א אזי יוכל לבוא לבחי׳ ואהבת בכל מאדך בחי׳ אהבה גדולה שאינה יכולה להתקבל בכלי
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini 1, ¶1The second paragraph of the Shema is not yet called “doing the will of the Omnipresent,” because it lacks “with all your might.” Drawing down the revelation of sovev into memalei, which is what that phrase means, comes only through the boundless love of me’odecha.
והיינו לפי שלא נאמר בה בכל מאדך כמו בפ׳ שמע דהיינו שלהיות ההמשכה והגילוי מסוכ״ע בממכ״ע שזהו הנקרא עושין רש״מ. זהו דוקא ע״י בכל מאדך בלי גבול
- Torah Ohr, Vayeitzei 4, ¶6Me’odecha is “your” me’od, each according to his own measure; “very, very” (me’od me’od), said of Yaakov, is beyond every me’od, rising from level to level, and through it he drew down the Or Ein Sof into his own deeds.
כי בחי׳ ובכל מאדך כו׳ הוא בחי׳ מאד שלך כל חד לפום שיעורא דיליה משא״כ מאד סתם אבל מאד מאד הוא בחי׳ מאד לגבי כל הבחי׳ מאד
Stated differently
Which levels of the soul belong to “with all your soul” and which to “with all your might”: is Chayah in the first or the second?
נפשך כולל ד׳ בחי׳ נרנ״ח ובחי׳ בכל מאדך הוא בחי׳ יחידה“With all your soul” includes four levels, Nefesh, Ruach, Neshamah and Chayah (Chayah is Chochmah); “with all your might” is Yechidah alone, the simple will above Chochmah.
שבחי׳ בכל נפשך זהו בחי׳ נר״נ שהם שכל ומדות ובחי׳ בכל מאדך זהו בחי׳ רצון הנ״ל“With all your soul” is Nefesh, Ruach and Neshamah, intellect and middos; “with all your might” is the will above intellect, from Yechidah and Chayah, which encompass intellect and middos.
Whether “with all your might” is the ascent from below (returning light, mayin nukvin) or the boundless love that comes from above (mayin duchrin)
כן מתחלה צ״ל ההעלאה בבחי׳ בכל מאדך. ואז רוח אייתי רוח ואמשיך רוח גילוי אוא״ס ב״ה על ידי מעשה המצות“With all your might” is the dark light around the wick, the soul enclothed in the animal soul, returning light (or chozer); first there must be this ascent, and then the revelation of the Or Ein Sof is drawn down through doing the mitzvos.
ובכל מאודך היא בחי׳ אהבה עליונה בלי גבול בחי׳ מאד והן ענין בחי׳ מ״ן ומ״ד“With all your soul” is the small love, lifting one’s soul upward; “with all your might” is the supernal love without limit, the great love that comes from above in response to the arousal below. The two are mayin nukvin and mayin duchrin.
Main sources
Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 38, ¶4Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 10, ¶13Likkutei Torah, Reeh 6, ¶5Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 41, ¶8Likkutei Torah, Shelach 7, ¶3Likkutei Torah, Eikev 3, ¶3Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 4, ¶29Torah Ohr, Vayeitzei 4, ¶6
Where it appears
In 191 paragraphs of 102 maamarim.
- Likkutei Torah, Eikev 2 ¶23
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 4 ¶5 ¶6 ¶8 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Matos 1 ¶16 ¶19
- Likkutei Torah, Matos 2 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 3 ¶1 ¶5 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 3 ¶11 ¶19 ¶27
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 2 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 6 ¶5 ¶12 ¶13 ¶14 ¶21 ¶43
- Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 6 ¶3 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 3 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 4 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 7 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 8 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 22 ¶22 ¶33
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 32 ¶41 ¶42
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 33 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 37 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 38 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 41 ¶7 ¶8 ¶9 ¶10 ¶11 ¶15 ¶16 ¶19 ¶20 ¶21 ¶29
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini 1 ¶1
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 4 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 8 ¶6
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 1 ¶12
- Torah Ohr, Beshalach 1 ¶10 ¶14
- Torah Ohr, Ki Sisa 1 ¶19 ¶21
- Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 6 ¶24 ¶38 ¶39
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 2 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 5 ¶30
- Likkutei Torah, Eikev 3 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 8 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 1 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 17 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 29 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 39 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 42 ¶8 ¶9 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, V’Zos HaBerachah 6 ¶9
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 4 ¶18 ¶19 ¶20 ¶22 ¶28 ¶29 ¶48
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 6 ¶25
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 12 ¶18 ¶19 ¶21 ¶22 ¶23 ¶24 ¶39
- Likkutei Torah, Emor 1 ¶41 ¶47
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 6 ¶9 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 4 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 17 ¶13 ¶15 ¶17 ¶18 ¶19 ¶24
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 36 ¶2
- Torah Ohr, Beshalach 5 ¶9 ¶12
- Torah Ohr, Beshalach 6 ¶9
- Torah Ohr, Tetzaveh 2 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Bechukosai 3 ¶3 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 9 ¶21 ¶25 ¶26
- Likkutei Torah, Emor 2 ¶6 ¶42
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 12 ¶13 ¶14 ¶17
- Torah Ohr, Tetzaveh 1 ¶13 ¶20
- Torah Ohr, Toldos 2 ¶10 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 3 ¶20
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 3 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 7 ¶9 ¶12 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 4 ¶5 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 5 ¶11 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 5 ¶5 ¶23
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 16 ¶10 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 5 ¶28
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 20 ¶18
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 23 ¶15 ¶16 ¶17
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 10 ¶13 ¶14 ¶16
- Likkutei Torah, Vayikra 5 ¶5 ¶8
- Torah Ohr, Ki Sisa 2 ¶4
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 15 ¶36 ¶37
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 7 ¶29
- Torah Ohr, Noach 1 ¶5 ¶7 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 14 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Sukkos 3 ¶1 ¶2 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Bechukosai 2 ¶31 ¶32 ¶33
- Likkutei Torah, Matos 3 ¶20
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 1 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 1 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 9 ¶10 ¶12 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 12 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 9 ¶6
- Torah Ohr, Shemos 5 ¶3
- Torah Ohr, Vayechi 4 ¶10 ¶12 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Devarim 1 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 31 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini 2 ¶3 ¶15
- Torah Ohr, Noach 2 ¶1 ¶3 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 7 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, V’Zos HaBerachah 3 ¶24
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 10 ¶11 ¶15
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 16 ¶27
- Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 4 ¶23
- Torah Ohr, Vayeitzei 4 ¶5 ¶6
- Torah Ohr, Noach 3 ¶2 ¶7 ¶17
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 7 ¶41
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 1 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 6 ¶27
- Likkutei Torah, Vayikra 3 ¶13
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 9 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 14 ¶6
- Torah Ohr, Vayishlach 5 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 21 ¶21
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 8 ¶14
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 10 ¶10
- Torah Ohr, Shemos 7 ¶16
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.