Glossary · Torah Ohr · Likkutei Torah
Ibbur and leidah
עיבור ולידה
Gestation and birth (ibbur and leidah)
Like a fetus with every limb but an unused head, eating what its mother eats, a level in ibbur is hidden and nullified within its source; leidah is its emergence into revelation.
The word In Torah Ohr the word is often spelled עבור, which is also the common word “for the sake of” (בעבור, בשביל), and עיבור also means intercalating the year. It is the concept when the text speaks of a fetus, בטן אימא, תלת גו תלת, לידה, יניקה, or אוכל ממה שאמו אוכלת.
Where it’s explained
- Torah Ohr, Vaeira 1, ¶4The analogy from the Sages: the fetus has all its limbs, but its head lies folded between its knees and does not think, and its food goes through the navel only to grow the body, not to the heart and brain. It has no breath of life until it comes out into the air of the world.
שיש להעובר כל חתוך האברי׳ ראש ועינים ואזנים כו׳ אלא שראשו מקופל ומונח בין ברכיו שאינו משמש כלום
- Torah Ohr, Vaeira 5, ¶13Above, ibbur is Zeir Anpin contained “three within three” in the womb of Imma (citing Pri Etz Chaim on Pesach); this is Mitzrayim, the narrow throat. In divine service it is one who grasps G‑d’s greatness and has love and awe hidden, but they do not come out revealed in the heart.
שזהו ענין העבור הוא שהגרון מפסיק בנתיים ואין המדות מתגלים בבחי׳ לידה וגילוי ממש בלב
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 11, ¶2In Atzilus the souls are G‑dliness itself; Malchus, the “lower mother,” conceals so that they can become separate beings. On Shemini Atzeres they are drawn into the womb of Nukva and stay seven months, eating what the mother eats, until their birth on the seventh day of Pesach, which needs a light from above the order of the worlds (the splitting of the sea).
בשמע״צ שאומרים מוריד הגשם נמשכים הנשמות ברחם הנוק׳ ושוהים שם ז׳ חדשים עד ז׳ של פסח זמן הלידה
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 2, ¶11Through the teshuvah of Yom Kippur the souls rise and unite with their source in the manner of ibbur, which is utter bittul; on Shemini Atzeres (“atzeres” as conception) this is firmly received, so they draw not only from the mother (Binah) but also from the father, Chochmah. The birth and revelation itself is on the seventh day of Pesach.
בבחינת עיבור כעובר בבטן האם אוכל ממה שאמו אוכלת וכו׳ ולא ממה שאמו אוכלת בלבד אלא גם ממה שאביו אוכל
- Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 2, ¶21The refined sparks rising as mayin nukvin are included in ibbur in the Yesod of Nukva: before, they were an entity able to give to another; now, in utter bittul, they are not an entity of their own and are “mute,” unable to give. The next paragraph adds a second ibbur after birth, a return to bittul in order to receive mochin degadlus.
כשנכלל בבחי׳ מ״ן שהוא בחי׳ בטול לאוא״ס ב״ה ודבוק בו בתכלית ה״ז בחי׳ עבור שאז אינו מהות בפ״ע רק אוכל ממה שאמו אוכלת
Stated differently
Whether the external forces draw nurture from the attributes while they are in ibbur, contained in Imma
Torah Ohr, Vaeira 5, ¶43
מפני שע״י הלידה שהוא בחי׳ גדלות אין יניקה לחיצונים. אבל מבחי׳ עבור וקטנות יש להם יניקה כמבואר במ״אThrough birth, which is gadlus, the external forces have no nurture, but from ibbur and katnus they do have nurture.
Likkutei Torah, Masei 3, ¶13
בהיותן כלולים ונעלמים בבחי׳ בינה ונק׳ חסדים המכוסים אז אין מהם יניקה לחיצוניםThe external forces draw only from attributes that have already come out of Binah as something of their own; while they are contained and hidden in Binah (the state Masei 3:10 calls ibbur in the womb of Imma) the externals have no nurture from them, for they draw only from yesh, not from ayin.
Main sources
Torah Ohr, Vaeira 1, ¶3Torah Ohr, Vaeira 1, ¶4Torah Ohr, Vaeira 5, ¶13Torah Ohr, Vaeira 5, ¶42Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 2, ¶21Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 2, ¶22Likkutei Torah, Tzav 11, ¶2Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 2, ¶11
Where it appears
In 246 paragraphs of 138 maamarim.
- Likkutei Torah, Bechukosai 5 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Emor 1 ¶29 ¶31
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 2 ¶29
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 1 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Pinchas 3 ¶22
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 1 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 8 ¶4 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 11 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 5 ¶20
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 33 ¶5 ¶7 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 41 ¶3 ¶23 ¶24
- Likkutei Torah, Tazria 4 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 6 ¶13 ¶14 ¶17 ¶20 ¶21 ¶24 ¶25 ¶26 ¶27 ¶28 ¶30
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 4 ¶3 ¶6 ¶13 ¶38 ¶52
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 7 ¶7
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 13 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 4 ¶9 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Korach 1 ¶19 ¶32 ¶37
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 3 ¶9 ¶10 ¶11 ¶12 ¶13 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 1 ¶32
- Likkutei Torah, Pinchas 2 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 3 ¶13 ¶21
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 1 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 5 ¶4 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 9 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 16 ¶11 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 24 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 11 ¶2
- Torah Ohr, Chayei Sarah 3 ¶7
- Torah Ohr, Lech Lecha 4 ¶2 ¶5
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 11 ¶7 ¶13 ¶18
- Torah Ohr, Vayishlach 4 ¶1
- Torah Ohr, Vayishlach 6 ¶7 ¶8 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, V’Zos HaBerachah 3 ¶10 ¶22 ¶31
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 5 ¶42
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 6 ¶6 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 5 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 6 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 5 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 6 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 36 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Yom Kippur 1 ¶4
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 2 ¶19 ¶20
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 8 ¶5 ¶6 ¶8 ¶9 ¶23
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 7 ¶25 ¶26
- Likkutei Torah, Vayikra 2 ¶22
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 20 ¶3 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 21 ¶2 ¶3 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Beshalach 1 ¶42 ¶43
- Likkutei Torah, Emor 2 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 37 ¶5
- Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 2 ¶20 ¶21 ¶22
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 5 ¶11 ¶28
- Likkutei Torah, Emor 5 ¶8 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 5 ¶3 ¶12 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Matos 2 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Pekudei 2 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Pinchas 4 ¶8 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 2 ¶9 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 7 ¶1 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 8 ¶13 ¶16
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 17 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 28 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 35 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 39 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 5 ¶4 ¶6
- Torah Ohr, Beshalach 1 ¶2
- Torah Ohr, Ki Sisa 1 ¶6
- Torah Ohr, Lech Lecha 1 ¶4
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 5 ¶22 ¶26
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 8 ¶17
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 10 ¶12
- Torah Ohr, Terumah 2 ¶3
- Torah Ohr, Toldos 1 ¶3
- Torah Ohr, Vayeitzei 2 ¶14 ¶18
- Torah Ohr, Vayeitzei 3 ¶2
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 7 ¶6 ¶40 ¶44
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 10 ¶29
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 5 ¶4 ¶11 ¶12 ¶16 ¶17
- Torah Ohr, Beshalach 4 ¶13 ¶14 ¶16
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 1 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Metzora 1 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Kedoshim 1 ¶20
- Torah Ohr, Va’eira 1 ¶3 ¶4 ¶6 ¶8 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Haazinu 1 ¶18
- Likkutei Torah, Haazinu 3 ¶4 ¶41 ¶43
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 27 ¶8 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Vayikra 5 ¶4
- Torah Ohr, Va’eira 4 ¶7 ¶9 ¶10 ¶11
- Torah Ohr, Va’eira 5 ¶7 ¶13 ¶14 ¶15 ¶16 ¶17 ¶18 ¶32 ¶42 ¶43
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 4 ¶1
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 2 ¶11 ¶15 ¶16 ¶28 ¶29 ¶32
- Likkutei Torah, Emor 6 ¶20 ¶21 ¶22 ¶28
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 9 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 3 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 32 ¶34
- Likkutei Torah, Tazria 6 ¶23 ¶24 ¶25 ¶26
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 8 ¶13 ¶19
- Torah Ohr, Shemos 1 ¶20
- Torah Ohr, Terumah 1 ¶6 ¶7
- Torah Ohr, Tetzaveh 2 ¶7
- Torah Ohr, Vayeira 1 ¶10
- Torah Ohr, Vayishlach 5 ¶19
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 3 ¶3 ¶4 ¶5
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 6 ¶21
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 18 ¶32
- Likkutei Torah, Haazinu 2 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Matos 1 ¶26
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 14 ¶5
- Torah Ohr, Bo 2 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 7 ¶12 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 2 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 3 ¶9
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 3 ¶6
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 7 ¶24
- Torah Ohr, Vayechi 5 ¶16 ¶17
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 13 ¶17
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 12 ¶16
- Likkutei Torah, Yom Kippur 2 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 8 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 19 ¶17
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 14 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 2 ¶30
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 6 ¶23
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 25 ¶11
- Torah Ohr, Noach 1 ¶3 ¶12
- Torah Ohr, Vayeira 2 ¶18
- Likkutei Torah, Emor 4 ¶20
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 8 ¶11 ¶16
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 12 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 6 ¶18
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 10 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 2 ¶18
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 12 ¶31
- Torah Ohr, Chayei Sarah 1 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 7 ¶9
- Torah Ohr, Vayechi 1 ¶1
- Torah Ohr, Shemos 7 ¶3
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.