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Gan Eden

גן עדן

The Garden of Eden (Gan Eden), upper and lower

Where souls delight in grasping G‑dliness, the radiance (ziv) of the Shechinah. The upper Gan Eden is in Beriah; the lower, beneath it, is placed in some maamarim in Yetzirah, in others in Asiyah.

The word Gan Eden is also the garden where Adam was placed (Bereishis 2). These maamarim read that verse about the souls’ Gan Eden too (“to work it”: the 248 positive mitzvos). “Eden” alone usually means a level above the garden (Chochmah, or Keser), and “the garden” it waters, Malchus.

Where it’s explained

  1. Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 9, ¶1Gan Eden is the souls’ comprehension of G‑dliness, sitting and delighting in the radiance of the Shechinah. It is Binah, but only as it passes through Malchus, so that created beings, souls and angels of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, can grasp it.כי הנה ענין הג״ע הוא בבחי׳ השגת אלקות יושבין ונהנין מזיו השכינה וזהו מבחי׳ בינה דוקא
  2. Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 41, ¶1In itself Gan Eden is only a radiance from His Malchus, since created souls cannot receive delight from Or Ein Sof itself. Souls that come down into this world and work “to work it” (the 248 positive mitzvos) add light there from His very Essence.כי ג״ע מצד עצמו הוא בחי׳ זיו השכינה
  3. Likkutei Torah, Chukas 8, ¶3Gan Eden is the souls’ delight in the radiance of the Shechinah as it comes into their grasp, worth all the sufferings of Gehinnom. This grasp comes about through the mitzvos, clothed in physical things, whose root is in the Supreme Will.כי ג״ע הוא תענוג הנשמות שנהנין מזיו השכינה שבא לכלל גילוי השגת הנפש המשגת באור א״ס ב״ה
  4. Likkutei Torah, Beshalach 1, ¶21The upper Gan Eden is far above the lower, separated by the River of Fire (Nehar Dinur), in which a soul immerses to forget the lower delight; and so ascent after ascent without end. All of it is a spreading of light from His Name.ג״ע העליון הוא תענוג עליון למעלה מעלה מג״ע התחתון עד שיש נהר דינור המפסיק ביניהם
  5. Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 12, ¶7The comprehension of Torah in the lower Gan Eden bears no comparison to that in the upper: it is like a parable compared with the thing it illustrates.ההשגות שבג״ע התחתון לגבי השגה שבג״ע העליון הוא רק כמו ערך המשל לגבי הנמשל

Stated differently

Where Gan Eden HaTachton (the lower Gan Eden) is: in (Malchus of) Yetzirah, or in Asiyah (“the beginning of the world of Asiyah”); wherever the upper Gan Eden is placed, it is in Beriah

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

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

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.

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 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 and 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. The same paragraph says Beriah is thought and Yetzirah speech.

Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 6, ¶30שבג׳ עולמות בי״ע יש בכלל ג׳ מדרגות הידועים והוא ג״ע העליון וג״ע התחתון ועוה״ז דעולם העשי׳

In the three worlds Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah there are, in general, three levels: the upper Gan Eden, the lower Gan Eden, and this world, of the world of Asiyah.

Likkutei Torah, Emor 1, ¶8בראתיו יצרתיו אף עשיתיו שהן ג׳ עולמות כללים (ובהם פרטים רבים) ג״ע העליון גן עדן התחתון ועוה״ז

“I created it, I formed it, I also made it” are three general worlds: the upper Gan Eden, the lower Gan Eden, and this world. The lower Gan Eden is like the body, where the middos dwell in the heart.

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 2, ¶4והנה תחלת מעשיך הוא גן עדן התחתון שהוא תחלת עולם העשיה

“The beginning of Your works” is the lower Gan Eden, the beginning of the world of Asiyah, the purpose for which man was created.

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, ¶3ומל׳ דיצי׳ עתיק ומקור שממנו נובע המעין לעשי׳ לג״ע התחתון

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

What the two Gan Edens are rooted in: both in Malchus (of Atzilus, as it becomes Atik of Beriah; of Beriah and of Yetzirah), or the lower in Malchus and the upper in Binah

Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 36, ¶2וג״ע עליון מל׳ דבריאה והכל רק בחי׳ מל׳ בלבד

The lower Gan Eden is Malchus of Yetzirah, the upper Malchus of Beriah: all of it is only Malchus; the righteous delight in the radiance of the Shechinah, and the Shechinah is Malchus.

Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 9, ¶1כי הנה ג״ע הוא בחי׳ מל׳

Gan Eden, upper and lower, is Malchus (of Beriah and of Yetzirah); it is Binah within Malchus, Binah as it passes through Malchus.

Likkutei Torah, Shelach 15, ¶2במל׳ דאצילות שנעשית עתיק לבריאה והוא בחי׳ שרש הג״ע העליון וג״ע התחתון

Offered as a suggestion (וי״ל, “one may say”): Malchus of Atzilus, which becomes Atik of Beriah, is the root of the upper and the lower Gan Eden alike. The same paragraph offers another reading, in which the root of the revelation in Gan Eden is Keser, as the root of the emanated (Ayin).

Likkutei Torah, Bechukosai 6, ¶5כי ג״ע התחתון שרשו ממל׳ וג״ע העליון שרשו מבינה

The “white field” and the “tree field” of the Mishnah are the lower and the upper Gan Eden: the lower is rooted in Malchus, the upper in Binah.

Torah Ohr, Yisro 9, ¶16וכשנמשך לבינה אזי מתגלה תענוג עוה״ב וג״ע אלא שג״ע העליון הוא מבינה דבינה

Gan Eden is from the light that fills the worlds; when it is drawn into Binah the delight of the World to Come and Gan Eden is revealed, and the upper Gan Eden is from Binah of Binah.

Where the Heavenly Academy (Mesivta deRakia) is: the upper Gan Eden (in Beriah), or Yetzirah

Likkutei Torah, Tazria 6, ¶7ולכן נק׳ ג״ע העליון מתיבתא דרקיע כי רקיע נק׳ בחי׳ בינה

The upper Gan Eden is called the Heavenly Academy, because “heaven” (rakia) is Binah of Atzilus, which shines in the upper Gan Eden.

Likkutei Torah, Tazria 6, ¶15ומתיבתא דרקיע הם הנשמות שבג״ע העליון אשר שם מאיר חב״ד דאצילות

The Heavenly Academy is the souls in the upper Gan Eden, where Chochmah, Binah and Daas of Atzilus shine.

Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 5, ¶4קא מיפלגי במתיבתא דרקיע כו׳ שהוא ג״ע העליון שנק׳ רקיע

The Heavenly Academy is the upper Gan Eden, which is called rakia.

Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 6, ¶10זהו לימוד במתיבתא דרקיעא ששם מושג מהות פנימית התורה כמו שהיא בכח״ב דבריאה

In the Heavenly Academy the essence of the inner Torah is grasped as it is in Keser, Chochmah and Binah of Beriah.

Likkutei Torah, Tazria 6, ¶32מתיבתא דקב״ה הוא בבריאה ששם ג״ע העליון ומתיבתא דרקיע הוא ביצירה

Citing the Ramaz: the Academy of the Holy One, blessed be He, is in Beriah, where the upper Gan Eden is, and the Heavenly Academy is in Yetzirah.

What “Eden”, from which the river goes out to water the garden, is: Chochmah of Atzilus, or the source of delights, Keser

Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 2, ¶6שהנהר הנמשך מעדן שהוא חכ׳ דאצילות בהיותה נמשכת והולכת דרך כל עולם האצי׳ עד הגן הוא בחי׳ מל׳ דאצילות

Eden is Chochmah of Atzilus; the river runs from it through all of Atzilus down to the garden, Malchus of Atzilus.

Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 4, ¶16ועדן הוא בחי׳ חכמה ושם מתגלה תענוג. אך עצמיות התענוג הוא עליון יותר

Eden, above Gan Eden, is Chochmah, where delight is revealed; the essence of delight, Or Ein Sof the source of delights, is higher still, and what shines in Eden is only its glow.

Torah Ohr, Shemos 1, ¶11כי עדן הוא בחינת מקור התענוגים. (וכמ״ש בפרדס בערכי הכינויים ערך עדן בשם התיקוני זוהר עדן עילאה הוא בחינת כתר עליון

Eden is the source of delights; as Pardes cites from the Tikkunei Zohar, the upper Eden is Keser Elyon. The river is the Torah, from Chochmah, through which the soul can receive it.

Where the souls of the Avos (and Moshe) are: in Atzilus, above the upper Gan Eden, or at the summit of the upper Gan Eden

Likkutei Torah, Pekudei 2, ¶14ולכן אפי׳ האבות שמדור שלהם הוא בעולם האצי׳ למעלה מבחי׳ ג״ע העליון

The abode of the Avos is in the world of Atzilus, above the upper Gan Eden (citing Tanya ch. 39); even they will be clothed in physical bodies at the resurrection.

Likkutei Torah, Shelach 16, ¶14שהרי אפילו הצדיקים הגדולים אברהם ומשה שהם ברום המעלות שבג״ע העליון יתלבשו בגופות

Even the great tzaddikim Avraham and Moshe, who are at the highest heights of the upper Gan Eden, will be clothed in bodies and rise at the resurrection.

Likkutei Torah, Shelach 14, ¶2שהנשמות היושבים בג״ע ומתענגים על ה׳ כמו נשמות האבות אברהם יצחק ויעקב משה ואהרן

Asks what reward there is in the resurrection for the souls who sit in Gan Eden and delight in G‑d, such as the souls of Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Moshe and Aharon.

Main sources

Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 9, ¶1Likkutei Torah, Chukas 8, ¶3Likkutei Torah, Chukas 9, ¶3Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 41, ¶1Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 4, ¶2Likkutei Torah, Tazria 6, ¶7Likkutei Torah, Beshalach 1, ¶21Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 5, ¶4

Where it appears

In 329 paragraphs of 160 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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