Glossary · Torah Ohr · Likkutei Torah
Chomer vetzurah
חומר וצורה
Matter and form (chomer vetzurah)
Every created thing, even the heavens and the angels, has matter, the thing itself in general or still hidden, and form, its shape and revelation; so speech gives form to what was in thought.
Where it’s explained
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 15, ¶2All things have matter and form. Matter is what the thing is in general: that it is heaven or earth, sun or moon. Form is every shape and figure it has, the manner in which it was made, as the heavens and earth are spheres and the sun and moon shining orbs.
שהחומר הוא ענין הדבר ההוא בכללות דהיינו להיות שמים או ארץ או שמש וירח
- Torah Ohr, Shemos 8, ¶22Matter is the essence of the thing as it is: the level of Yaakov (yud-akev), the order of hishtalshelus of creation, something from nothing. Form is the revelation of the light: the level of Yisrael (li rosh), like a great torch that shines far. Fear of sin, iskafya, must come first for wisdom, the revelation, to endure.
שהחומר הוא עצם הדבר כמו שהוא הוא בחי׳ יעקב יו״ד עקב סדר השתלשלות הבריאה יש מאין
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 13, ¶9The souls arose in thought and are Beriah, something from nothing. The angels are Yetzirah, the level of speech: as speech is drawn from thought, something from something, what was hidden in thought now revealed. That is only matter and form: matter is the concealment, the potential (hyle); form is the revelation. Hence the name Yetzirah, “formation.”
ואינו רק בחינת חומר וצורה חומר הוא ההעלם כח היולי וצורה הוא הגילוי ולכן נקרא בשם יצירה
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 8, ¶15The form drawn on a vessel is not a separate thing: it reveals the raw vessel itself in a more fitting shape. So the Written Torah, Chochmah, called Adam of Yetzirah, is the revelation of the first matter, the hyle in which no revelation is grasped, called Adam of Beriah.
בבחי׳ גילוי אל החומר הראשון שהוא כח ההיולי שלא נתפס בו שום גילוי
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 1, ¶9Burnt wood leaves ash, its essence: the wood was earth with fire, air and water joined to it, and these pass off in smoke. The simple matter of the wood is the element earth; the other three are only its form. The maamar applies this to the animal soul’s desire, its simple matter, and the thoughts, words and deeds that clothe it, its form (Chukat 1:10, 1:12).
והחומר הפשוט של העץ הוא יסוד העפר וג׳ היסודות אר״מ הן רק הצורה של העץ
Stated differently
Whether matter is the core of a thing and form its garment, or matter the outer body and form its inner life
שהוא ענין עצם המדות דנה״ב דהיינו בחי׳ כח המתאוה עד״מ כנ״ל שהוא החומר הפשוט אבל הצורה והלבושים צואיםThe ash that remains is the essence of the animal soul’s middos, the power of desire, which is the simple matter; the form is the soiled garments of thought, speech and action it was clothed in, and these are to pass away entirely.
והחומר הוא בחי׳ מות לגבי הצורה שהוא רוח חיים שבוIn everything, even the heavens and the spheres, the matter is the aspect of death relative to the form, which is the spirit of life within it; so one is to choose life, the Life of all life.
רק בעשייה נמשך ע״י התלבשות בחיצונית הדבור שהוא חומר וגוף האותיותThe letters have matter and form, called inner and outer; the outer dimension of speech is the matter and body of the letters, through which speech is clothed in Asiyah, while the inner dimension is what shines in the higher worlds.
והם מורכבים ג״כ מגוף ונפש ונק׳ חומר וצורה כמו בנ״אThe angels too are composed of body and soul, called matter and form, as people are; only their body is more spiritual.
Main sources
Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 15, ¶2Torah Ohr, Shemos 8, ¶22Torah Ohr, Bereishis 8, ¶15Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 13, ¶9Likkutei Torah, Chukas 1, ¶9Likkutei Torah, Chukas 1, ¶12
Where it appears
In 15 paragraphs of 13 maamarim.
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 13 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, V’Zos HaBerachah 5 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 1 ¶9 ¶12
- Torah Ohr, Shemos 8 ¶22
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 7 ¶9
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 5 ¶6 ¶20
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 8 ¶15
- Torah Ohr, Shemos 7 ¶25
- Likkutei Torah, Acharei 1 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Haazinu 1 ¶11
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 15 ¶2
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 7 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 1 ¶2
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.