Glossary · Torah Ohr · Likkutei Torah
Koach hamisaveh
כח המתאוה
The power of desire (koach hamisaveh)
The animal soul’s faculty of desire, not sinful in itself: rooted in the holy Chariot, it fell through sheviras hakeilim into cravings for this world, and can be turned to love of G‑d.
Where it’s explained
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 1, ¶11Clothed in an evil craving the will is complete evil, yet the faculty itself is no sin: it is only a power to desire, able to desire good as it now desires evil. In itself it is rooted in supernal holiness, the “face of the ox” in the Chariot; it fell in sheviras hakeilim. So in teshuvah it can turn to love of G‑d, while the evil deed itself can only be destroyed.
שהרי עצם מהותו הוא רק כח המתאוה והרי הוא יכול להיות כח המתאוה לטוב כמו שהוא עכשיו מתאוה לרע
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 1, ¶13As burning the red heifer leaves only its ashes, so iskafya burns away the filthy garments, the thought, speech and deed of the forbidden, and leaves the bare power of desire of the animal soul; this can then be turned from evil love to love of G‑d, “with both your inclinations” (with LT Chukat 1:12: the ashes are the simple matter of the animal soul’s middos).
ונשאר רק עצם כח המתאוה דנה״ב כאשר הוא בעצמותו ואינו מורכב ומלובש במודומ״ע דאיסור וזהו בחי׳ האפר
- Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 5, ¶18“He bears (nosei) iniquity”: the power of desire, and the thought clothed in the evil craving, is lifted to its root in supernal holiness, so that it too returns to love of G‑d. “He suppresses (kovesh) iniquity”: the deed itself cannot be included in holiness and is pressed down into the depths.
נושא עון היינו הכח המתאוה לתאוה רעה וכן המחשבה המלובשת בתאוה זו
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 1, ¶3The animal soul is from the element of fire, hewn from the Chariot’s “face of a lion, face of an ox”; after descending through the “dregs of the Ofanim,” its fire became the pleasures of this world and the power of desire. In prayer the fire above consumes this lower fire, so that one goes through worldly pleasures coolly and the desire itself burns to cleave to G‑d.
והכח המתאוה שהוא ג״כ בחי׳ חמימות האש וגם היצה״ר הוא אש זר דולק
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 12, ¶16Musk is an animal’s blood that becomes a fragrance; the blood is the vital soul, the desiring soul. When one turns his animal desires from the pleasures of this world so that all his wish and delight is in G‑d, bitterness becomes sweetness (iskafya and is’hapcha).
כי הדם הוא הנפש החיונית נפש המתאוה וכשמהפך תאוותיו הבהמיות מתענוגי עוה״ז להיות כל חפצו ותענוגיו בה׳
Stated differently
Where the power of desire is rooted
Likkutei Torah, Chukas 1, ¶11
כי באמת כח המתאוה שבנה״ב מצד עצמו שרשו ויסודתו בקדושה עליונה מבחי׳ פני שור שבמרכבהThe power of desire of the animal soul, in itself, is rooted in supernal holiness, the face of the ox in the Chariot, and fell through sheviras hakeilim (so too LT Rosh Hashanah 5:18; LT Ki Teitzei 1:3 and 1:11, the Chariot’s lion and ox, through the dregs of the Ofanim).
Likkutei Torah, Behar 1, ¶7
מלובשת ומוסתרת בכח המתאוה לדברים גשמיים מנפש החיונית ששרשה בחי׳ גסות הרוח משכא דחויאThe hidden love is clothed and hidden in the power of desire for physical things, from the vital soul whose root is haughtiness, “the snake’s skin,” which covers this love; a broken heart must remove it (cf. TO Megillat Esther 12:19: haughtiness is the root of all bad middos, desire among them).
Main sources
Likkutei Torah, Chukas 1, ¶11Likkutei Torah, Chukas 1, ¶12Likkutei Torah, Chukas 1, ¶13Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 5, ¶17Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 5, ¶18Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 1, ¶3Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 1, ¶11Likkutei Torah, Nasso 7, ¶11
Where it appears
In 182 paragraphs of 115 maamarim.
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 10 ¶17 ¶18 ¶21 ¶22 ¶33
- Likkutei Torah, Eikev 3 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Savo 3 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 3 ¶5 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 1 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Matos 1 ¶27
- Likkutei Torah, Matos 6 ¶3 ¶18
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 4 ¶22
- Likkutei Torah, Pinchas 3 ¶7 ¶10 ¶16
- Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 6 ¶6 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 7 ¶3 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 20 ¶1 ¶2 ¶18
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 23 ¶23
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 32 ¶4 ¶16 ¶27
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 1 ¶3 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 7 ¶1
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 8 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Vayikra 3 ¶7
- Torah Ohr, Beshalach 1 ¶10
- Torah Ohr, Ki Sisa 1 ¶8
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 1 ¶17
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 1 ¶3 ¶4 ¶10 ¶11 ¶12 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Acharei 3 ¶5 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Acharei 4 ¶14 ¶19
- Likkutei Torah, Emor 4 ¶18
- Likkutei Torah, Korach 1 ¶28 ¶29 ¶32
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 7 ¶7 ¶8 ¶10 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 2 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 1 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 24 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Sukkos 1 ¶5 ¶6 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 5 ¶30 ¶33 ¶36
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 9 ¶1
- Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 2 ¶33
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 5 ¶4 ¶23
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 13 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Vayikra 2 ¶10 ¶19
- Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 4 ¶7 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 2 ¶14 ¶20 ¶22 ¶27
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 29 ¶5
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 2 ¶2 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Shabbos Shuvah 1 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 1 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 7 ¶5 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Behar 1 ¶7 ¶26
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 1 ¶10 ¶11 ¶12 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Matos 4 ¶1
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 1 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 2 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 5 ¶17 ¶18 ¶21
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 5 ¶4 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 10 ¶4 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 17 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 5 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 26 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 30 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Tazria 3 ¶4 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 6 ¶18
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 7 ¶15
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 6 ¶4
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 12 ¶16 ¶19
- Torah Ohr, Shemos 2 ¶12 ¶13 ¶18
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 3 ¶3 ¶4 ¶6 ¶32
- Likkutei Torah, Kedoshim 1 ¶10 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Savo 1 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Sukkos 3 ¶2 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Metzora 1 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 3 ¶18
- Likkutei Torah, Pekudei 1 ¶1 ¶2 ¶33
- Torah Ohr, Parshas Zachor 1 ¶25 ¶33
- Torah Ohr, Va’eira 1 ¶8
- Torah Ohr, Vayechi 3 ¶17
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 5 ¶6 ¶21 ¶23
- Likkutei Torah, Behar 3 ¶1
- Likkutei Torah, Devarim 2 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 6 ¶26
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 11 ¶12
- Torah Ohr, Shemos 1 ¶22
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 5 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Devarim 1 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 2 ¶17
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 7 ¶1
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 42 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 11 ¶1
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 16 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Matos 3 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 5 ¶21
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 4 ¶6
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 15 ¶12 ¶16
- Torah Ohr, Shemos 7 ¶5 ¶16
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 1 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Savo 4 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 5 ¶9
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 8 ¶20
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 9 ¶8
- Torah Ohr, Vayakhel 2 ¶17
- Torah Ohr, Vayishlach 6 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 2 ¶5
- Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 4 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 2 ¶23 ¶24 ¶30
- Likkutei Torah, Bechukosai 5 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 4 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Matos 5 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 22 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 6 ¶35
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 1 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Pinchas 4 ¶23
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 2 ¶12
- Torah Ohr, Beshalach 5 ¶19
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 10 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 16 ¶11
- Torah Ohr, Mishpatim 7 ¶20
- Torah Ohr, Chayei Sarah 1 ¶5
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 7 ¶7 ¶14
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 1 ¶10 ¶15
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.