Glossary · Torah Ohr · Likkutei Torah
Eshes chayil ateres baalah
אשת חיל עטרת בעלה
A woman of valor, the crown of her husband (eshes chayil ateres baalah)
The verse (Proverbs 12:4) read of Malchus: now she receives from Z’eir Anpin, her “husband”; after all the refinements, in the Time to Come, she rises above him as his crown and becomes the giver.
Where it’s explained
- Torah Ohr, Vayigash 3, ¶6Now, in exile, Malchus receives her light through Z’eir Anpin, who himself receives from Imma. In the Time to Come the verse applies: Malchus will be the crown of Z’eir Anpin and rise above him, because their end is wedged in their beginning.
דכעת בגלות המל׳ מקבלת האור ע״י ז״א שהוא מקבל בעצמו מאימא
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 1, ¶7Now the bride is silent, since Malchus only receives, and she turns her face away as one ashamed to eat what another gives. After all the refinements she will rise, in returning light, as Keser, and be the giver; then “the voice of the bride” is heard and “My people will not be ashamed.”
אבל לעתיד שתתעלה המל׳ אחר כל הבירורים להיות א״ח עט״ב ולהיות בבחי׳ או״ח כתר מל׳ ותהיה היא המשפיע
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 11, ¶12The sparks that fell in the breaking came from the Name Sag, above the Name Mah (Z’eir Anpin), and fell into the Name Ban. As they are refined they return to their root in Sag, so when all refinements are complete Malchus (Ban) rises into Sag and crowns her husband, Mah.
תהיה המל׳ שהיא שם ב״ן עטרת בעלה שם מ״ה ע״י שתעלה בבחינת ס״ג
- Torah Ohr, Vayigash 1, ¶7She will crown Z’eir Anpin of Atzilus by virtue of her root, which arose first in the Primordial Thought: “the earth preceded the heavens.” So the Beis HaMikdash, a foretaste of the World to Come, was built chiefly of stones and earth, even its roof, with cedar beams only as supports.
והיינו מצד שרשה שעלתה במחשבה הקדומה תחלה ארץ קדמה לשמים
- Torah Ohr, Vaeira 5, ¶37Malchus is the Oral Torah, the “land,” which has come down into physical matters. Like a hand that picks up an object lying on the ground and can set it above the head, “I lifted up My hand” raises her above Chochmah Ila’ah, to be a crown to Z’eir Anpin.
להגביה אותה למעלה ראש מבחי׳ ח״ע כי היא בחי׳ אשת חיל עטרת בעלה
Stated differently
Which level is called “a woman of valor, the crown of her husband”: Binah, Malchus, or (in the soul’s service) simple faith
וע׳ בע״ח שער או״א פ״ב שהבינה נק׳ א״ח עטרת בעלהCiting Etz Chaim (Gate of Abba and Imma, ch. 2), Binah is called “a woman of valor, the crown of her husband” (in a passage on Binah’s broad contemplation and Chochmah’s bittul).
ולכן נק׳ המלכות א״ח עטרת בעלהMalchus is called “a woman of valor, the crown of her husband,” because the end of the deed was first in thought and their beginning is wedged in their end.
אשת חיל עטרת בעלה היא האמונה שמלא כה״כ אף בלי התבוננותThe woman of valor is the simple faith that G‑d fills all the earth, even without contemplation; her husband is the great love (ahavah rabbah) that follows contemplation. Because G‑d desired a dwelling below, simple faith becomes a crown on its head.
Whether Malchus is the crown of her husband only in the Time to Come or also at set times now
וכמ״ש אשת חיל עט״ב שתהי׳ עטרת לע״ל לז״א דאצילותShe will be a crown to Z’eir Anpin of Atzilus in the Time to Come.
ולכן יש עת שעלייתה למעלה יותר ממנו כמו בתפלת נעילה. ונק׳ אז עטרת בעלהBecause her root is taken from a higher source of its own, there is a time when she rises above him, as in the Neilah prayer, and then she is called the crown of her husband.
Whether in the Time to Come Malchus will be equal to Z’eir Anpin or above him
אז תהיה אשת חיל עט״ב והיה אור הלבנה כאור החמה שוים בקומתם משתמשים בכתר אחדThen she will be the crown of her husband: the moon’s light like the sun’s, equal in stature, sharing one crown, with no above and below at all.
שתהיה המל׳ עט״ב ז״א שתתעלה יותר למעלה הימנוMalchus will be the crown of Z’eir Anpin, rising higher, above him.
Main sources
Torah Ohr, Vayigash 1, ¶7Torah Ohr, Vayigash 3, ¶6Likkutei Torah, Tzav 1, ¶7Torah Ohr, Vaeira 5, ¶36Torah Ohr, Vaeira 5, ¶37Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 11, ¶12Likkutei Torah, Bechukosai 3, ¶2Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 39, ¶9
Where it appears
In 45 paragraphs of 35 maamarim.
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Savo 3 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Korach 1 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 33 ¶10
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 12 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 12 ¶3
- Torah Ohr, Terumah 3 ¶5
- Torah Ohr, Vayigash 1 ¶7
- Torah Ohr, Vayishlach 5 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 5 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 10 ¶6 ¶7 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 3 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Bechukosai 3 ¶2 ¶3 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 8 ¶20
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 20 ¶22
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 21 ¶23
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 1 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 39 ¶9
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 6 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 7 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Haazinu 3 ¶41
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Savo 1 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 2 ¶26
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 6 ¶6 ¶15
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 9 ¶8
- Torah Ohr, Va’eira 4 ¶25 ¶26
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 13 ¶20
- Torah Ohr, Noach 3 ¶17 ¶24
- Torah Ohr, Va’eira 5 ¶36 ¶37 ¶39 ¶44
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 7 ¶27
- Likkutei Torah, Bechukosai 6 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini 2 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 1 ¶7
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 11 ¶12
- Torah Ohr, Vayigash 3 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 7 ¶42
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.