Glossary · Torah Ohr · Likkutei Torah
Koach hatzomeach
כח הצומח
The power of growth (koach hatzomeach)
The G‑dly power in the earth, from the utterance “Let the earth sprout,” that makes a rotted seed grow manifold. Its analogue: the supernal earth (Malchus, source of souls), where mitzvos, the seeds, are sown.
Where it’s explained
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 6, ¶9Fruit far finer than the seed grows chiefly from the power of growth placed in the earth since the six days of Creation by the utterance “Let the earth sprout.” It is a G‑dly power (Malchus of Malchus of Asiyah) that makes something from nothing; the seed is needed only as a vessel, since blessing rests only where there is a vessel. So too the mitzvos, sown in the supernal earth, where “their beginning is wedged in their end,” bring forth a revelation far above them.
עיקר הצמיחה הוא מכח הצומח שיש בארץ משי״ב והוא ממאמר תדשא הארץ דשא
- Likkutei Torah, Behar 1, ¶12The power of growth in the earth is general; the seed came from it and holds a particular power of growth in concealment. When the seed rots, that hidden power is nullified before the general one and becomes mayin nukvin to it, so that it brings forth fruit like the seed, with much increase.
כח הצומח המלובש בו בטל לגבי כח הצומח הכללי אשר בארץ ונעשה מ״נ אליו
- Torah Ohr, Shemos 8, ¶4Knesses Yisrael, the source of the souls of Israel, is called “land” because it has the power of growth. The power of growth has no form of any fruit; the seed has the fruit’s form in concealment, and through its union with the earth the power of growth clothes itself in it and brings forth its like.
דהנה כנס״י מקור נש״י נקרא׳ בשם ארץ שיש בה כח הצומח להצמיח כל פרי למינהו
- Likkutei Torah, Haazinu 3, ¶5In the person, the G‑dly soul is the seed and the animal soul is the earth that holds the power of growth; so almost all the mitzvos were given for the animal soul. The paragraph adds that this does not contradict calling Knesses Yisrael the “land of desire” where the mitzvos are sown, since that sowing happens while the G‑dly soul is clothed in the animal soul.
והזריעה היא בקרקע דוקא ששם הוא יש כח הצומח והיינו בחי׳ נפש הבהמית שבה הוא יש הכח להצמיח ישועות
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 7, ¶16The deeds of the mitzvos, clothed in physical things, are mayin nukvin to the root of the souls, the supernal earth, Malchus of Atzilus. It has the power to make them grow because Malchus is rooted in Keser, the source of delights, so each mitzvah brings forth a revelation of supernal delight.
הם בחי׳ העלאת מ״ן לשרש נש״י שהיא בחי׳ ארץ העליונה מל׳ דאצילות
Stated differently
Whether the different tastes of the fruits come from the power of growth or from the seed
וגם התחלקות טעמים שיש בין הפירות מתוקים או חמוצים כו׳ הכל הוא מכח הצומח הנ״לThe power of growth is spiritual and can make things grow without limit; even the differences of taste among fruits, sweet or sour, all come from it, by its blend of chassadim and gevuros. The seed is sown as mayin nukvin and a vessel, so that it grows after the pattern of that seed.
שעיקר טעם וריח ומראה של הפירות הצומחים נלקחו מן הגרעין הנזרע שהיו כלולים בו ממשThe seed holds the whole form and power of the fruit, condensed and hidden like mere wood. The power of growth brings it out from concealment into revelation and multiplies it, but the main taste, scent and appearance of the fruits were taken from the seed, in which they were actually included.
Whether the power of growth is itself the G‑dly power that creates from nothing, or comes from the supernal mazal while the fruit’s substance comes from Or Ein Sof
והוא כח אלקי ממש (בחי׳ מל׳ דמל׳ שבע״ס דעשייה כו׳) לחדש יש מאיןThe power of growth, from the utterance “Let the earth sprout,” is a truly G‑dly power, Malchus of Malchus of the ten Sefiros of Asiyah, that creates something from nothing.
וכמו בארץ הגשמית גילוי כח הצומח שהוא בחי׳ א״ס לברוא מאיןThe power of growth revealed in the physical earth is an aspect of Ein Sof, to create from nothing, citing Iggeres HaKodesh, “He and His life-forces.”
הנה כח הצומח הוא ממזל העליון אין לך עשב כו׳ אבל האתרוג עצמו שהוא עצמות היש וגסותו הוא נמשך מאור א״ס הסוכ״ע דוקאIn the esrog, the power of growth is from the supernal mazal (“there is no blade of grass”), while the esrog itself, the substance and coarseness of the yesh, is drawn from Or Ein Sof that is sovev specifically.
שהגידול של צמח האדמה מכח הצומח אשר בארץ הוא ע״י המזל. אבל התהוות צמח האדמה ועשב הגשמי ממש אינו ע״י המזל כללThe growing of plants from the power of growth in the earth is through the mazal (“there is no blade of grass below without a mazal above”); but the coming-into-being of the physical plant itself is not through the mazal at all, only the G‑dly power, Or Ein Sof that is sovev, before which spiritual and physical are alike.
Main sources
Likkutei Torah, Behar 1, ¶11Likkutei Torah, Behar 1, ¶12Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 6, ¶9Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 7, ¶14Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 14, ¶2Torah Ohr, Shemos 8, ¶4Torah Ohr, Shemos 9, ¶2Likkutei Torah, Haazinu 3, ¶5
Where it appears
In 74 paragraphs of 44 maamarim.
- Likkutei Torah, Bechukosai 6 ¶1
- Likkutei Torah, Eikev 3 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Pinchas 3 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 4 ¶2 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 8 ¶10
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 3 ¶19
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 9 ¶2 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Eikev 2 ¶9 ¶40
- Likkutei Torah, Haazinu 3 ¶4 ¶5 ¶18 ¶19 ¶22 ¶39 ¶43
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 6 ¶9 ¶11 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 7 ¶14 ¶15 ¶16
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 14 ¶2 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 1 ¶13
- Torah Ohr, Vayeitzei 2 ¶22
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 4 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Bechukosai 3 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Behar 1 ¶11 ¶12 ¶13 ¶14 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 6 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Pekudei 1 ¶45
- Likkutei Torah, Pinchas 4 ¶1
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 3 ¶2
- Torah Ohr, Beshalach 1 ¶2 ¶13
- Torah Ohr, Shemos 8 ¶4 ¶7 ¶9 ¶19
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 7 ¶17
- Torah Ohr, Shemos 9 ¶2 ¶3
- Torah Ohr, Vayakhel 2 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 4 ¶9
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 2 ¶13 ¶19
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 1 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 41 ¶23 ¶24 ¶27
- Torah Ohr, Mishpatim 4 ¶4
- Torah Ohr, Va’eira 5 ¶36
- Torah Ohr, Vayeira 1 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Savo 3 ¶3 ¶6
- Torah Ohr, Mishpatim 7 ¶2 ¶4 ¶18
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 5 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Kedoshim 1 ¶18
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 2 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Tazria 4 ¶4
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 14 ¶20
- Torah Ohr, Vayigash 2 ¶7
- Torah Ohr, Vayigash 1 ¶15
- Torah Ohr, Shemos 7 ¶9 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 7 ¶14
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.