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Glossary · Torah Ohr · Likkutei Torah

Birur

בירור

Refinement, sifting (birur) · also: בירורים

Sorting good from evil: separating the sparks that fell into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah in the breaking of the vessels, and raising them through Torah, prayer, eating and work. “Through Chochmah they are refined.”

The word בירור and לברר also mean clarifying a question or ascertaining a fact (as in a halachic or textual discussion); it is the concept when the text speaks of ניצוצים, רפ״ח, טוב מרע, פסולת, מ״ן, or בחכמה אתברירו.

Where it’s explained

  1. Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 5, ¶7Malchus descends into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, where evil is found in their garments, and separates good from evil: the evil falls away and the 288 sparks rise to be included in Atzilus. Because prayer is a time of birur, foreign thoughts press in then.ע״י ירידת המל׳ בבי״ע לברר מבררת ומפרדת הטוב מהרע ואז הרע נפרד ונופל למטה והרפ״ח ניצוצים מתעלים למעלה ליכלל באצי׳
  2. Likkutei Torah, Balak 2, ¶19The one who refines must first be refined himself. So the Name Mah, Tikkun, already refined of all, refines the Name Ban; “through Chochmah they are refined.” Likewise Keser is refined first, then refines Chochmah.והנה עיקר המברר אותם הוא שם מ״ה שהוא התיקון כי בחכמה אתברירו. והענין כי המברר צריך להיות נתברר תחלה
  3. Likkutei Torah, Tazria 4, ¶5All the labors (food, clothing, houses) are birur of the 288 sparks fallen into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, to be raised to Atzilus, the world already rectified without man. That is the work of weekdays; on Shabbos there is no birur or labor: the mayin duchrin of the Name Mah, which refines the mayin nukvin raised during the week, is drawn down in Atzilus.וכל בירור זה הוא מרפ״ח ניצוצין שנפלו בשבה״כ בבי״ע וצריך להעלותם מבי״ע לאצילות כי אצילות הוא עולם התיקון שכבר נתקן שלא ע״י האדם
  4. Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 39, ¶9Food, mixed with evil below, has its root in Tohu; when a person eats and refines it, the good rises to a level above Tikkun and gives him life. Until all the sparks are refined the supernal delight is not revealed; after it, Mocha Stima’ah will be revealed.אזי אחר הבירור הטוב מן המאכל אזי אדרבה הם מחיים את האדם ומוסיפין לו כח וחיות בנפש
  5. Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 2, ¶23There are two birurim. The first gathers the sparks as mayin nukvin into Malchus, bringing them only to bittul hayesh; the second, the main one, is by the mayin duchrin of Zeir Anpin, the light of the Name Mah, which brings them into true bittul (see bittul-hayesh).כי הבירור הראשון הי׳ רק שיהי׳ בהם בחי׳ בטול היש וזהו רחוק עדיין מאלהות מאד

Stated differently

Where birur takes place: only in Atzilus, or chiefly in Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, since no evil dwells in Atzilus

Torah Ohr, Chayei Sarah 3, ¶6כי אין שום בירור אלא באצי׳ כי היא בחי׳ חכמה דכללות ובחכמה אתברירו והבירור הוא ע״י זיווג

The mayin nukvin are raised level by level up to Malchus of Atzilus, for there is no birur at all except in Atzilus, which is the general Chochmah; birur is through a union, and there is no union to beget souls in Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah.

Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 8, ¶20כי עיקר בירור הרפ״ח ניצוצים הוא בבי״ע משא״כ באצילות לא יגורך רע כתיב ובירידתה לבריאה היא מבררת המ״ן

The main birur of the 288 sparks is in Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, while of Atzilus it says “evil shall not dwell with You”; Malchus refines the mayin nukvin by descending into Beriah, and through this the supernal union comes about.

Whether the main birur is through Torah study or at the time of prayer

Likkutei Torah, Reeh 8, ¶15אך עיקר הבירור הוא ע״י התורה וזהו ורב שלום

The Shema and the Amidah raise the sparks fallen into the seventy (the nations’ ministers), but the main birur is through Torah, which rules pure and impure, “for through Chochmah they are refined,” making unity from separation.

Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 5, ¶15ועיקר הבירור בשעת התפלה שאז עולה בבחי׳ מדבר וצמאון

As Malchus descends into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah to refine, the soul enclothed in the body and animal soul refines the animal soul, and the main birur is at the time of prayer, when it rises in thirst and outcry to be included in His light.

Main sources

Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 5, ¶7Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 5, ¶15Likkutei Torah, Balak 2, ¶19Likkutei Torah, Tazria 4, ¶5Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 8, ¶20Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 39, ¶9Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 2, ¶23Torah Ohr, Chayei Sarah 3, ¶6

Where it appears

In 461 paragraphs of 175 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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