Glossary · Torah Ohr · Likkutei Torah

Leah and Rachel

לאה ורחל

Leah and Rachel (the two feminine configurations)

The two feminine configurations (Nukva) of Z’eir Anpin: Leah, the letters of thought, the hidden world; Rachel, the letters of speech, the revealed world, Malchus of Atzilus, called the Community of Israel.

The word Leah and Rachel are also Yaakov’s wives in the narrative of Bereishis, and rachel is also the word for a ewe (Yeshayahu 53:7). When the maamar speaks of “the partzufim of Leah and Rachel” or “the judgments of Leah,” it means the two levels; the verses about the matriarchs are read as describing them.

Where it’s explained

Torah Ohr, Vayeitzei 3, ¶1Lavan’s two daughters are the letters of thought and of speech, the hidden and the revealed worlds. While the Temple stood, Rachel, speech, shone openly in the Land of Israel, with prophecy and the indwelling of the Shechinah; in exile Rachel is “like a ewe mute before her shearers,” while Leah, higher as thought is higher than speech, still shines there, but in a hidden way.הנה לאה ורחל הם אותיות המחשבה ואותיות הדבור. שהם עלמא דאתכסיא ועלמא דאתגליא
Torah Ohr, Vayeitzei 4, ¶9“The elder” (gedolah) is read as the great hei: Leah, rooted in the upper hei of the Name; Rachel is the small hei. They are called the upper and the lower Shechinah, the source of the souls of Atzilus; “Rachel came with her father’s flock” refers to the souls of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah.שם ה׳ גדולה לאה ששרשה מבחי׳ ה׳ עלאה דשם הוי״ה. ושם ה׳ קטנה רחל
Likkutei Torah, Emor 6, ¶16Both are called Nukva because letters are the last level; relative to Rachel, Leah is the hidden world, yet thought too is letters. Letters are divided by the five gevuros, so the Nukva is built from gevuros, and both need sweetening from Yaakov, Z’eir Anpin of Atzilus.רחל הוא אותיות הדבור ולאה היא אותיות המחשבה ולכן שניהם נק׳ נוקבא כי אותיות הוא הבחינה אחרונה
Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 25, ¶4Leah is the letters of thought, Malchus of Tevunah, the lowest level of Tevunah. Letters limit the intellect and hold no understanding of their own, so Leah is called judgments; deep study draws light from Yesod of Abba, bringing mochin into the letters and sweetening the judgments of Leah.כי לאה היא בחי׳ אותיות המחשבה מל׳ דתבונה תחתית המדרגה דתבונה
Likkutei Torah, Tzav 3, ¶1The Community of Israel is called Rachel: Malchus of Atzilus, which must descend into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah to give to created beings, “like a ewe silent before her shearers,” while yearning to rise and be absorbed in Or Ein Sof. She is the bride and Yaakov the groom; their union draws sovev into memalei.כנס״י נק׳ רחל והיא מלכות דאצילות המתלבשת בבי״ע כרחל לפני גוזזיה נאלמה

Main sources

Torah Ohr, Vayeitzei 3, ¶1 Torah Ohr, Vayeitzei 4, ¶9 Likkutei Torah, Emor 6, ¶16 Likkutei Torah, Metzora 1, ¶3 Likkutei Torah, Shelach 10, ¶9 Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 25, ¶4 Likkutei Torah, Tzav 3, ¶1

Where it appears

In 151 paragraphs of 94 maamarim.

Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 9 ¶11
Likkutei Torah, Behar 2 ¶9 ¶10 ¶22
Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 2 ¶9
Likkutei Torah, Korach 1 ¶20
Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 4 ¶9 ¶22 ¶33
Likkutei Torah, Pinchas 3 ¶18 ¶22 ¶24
Likkutei Torah, Shelach 8 ¶2
Likkutei Torah, Shabbos Shuvah 3 ¶28
Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 10 ¶13 ¶14
Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 23 ¶10
Likkutei Torah, Tzav 3 ¶1 ¶4
Likkutei Torah, Tzav 4 ¶3
Likkutei Torah, Tzav 5 ¶26 ¶31
Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 4 ¶6 ¶11 ¶13
Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 5 ¶18 ¶19 ¶21 ¶27
Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 6 ¶26 ¶27 ¶29 ¶30 ¶31 ¶37
Torah Ohr, Mishpatim 1 ¶3
Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 5 ¶4
Likkutei Torah, Devarim 1 ¶5 ¶6
Likkutei Torah, Emor 1 ¶9 ¶13
Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 7 ¶7
Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 1 ¶2
Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 5 ¶4 ¶21
Torah Ohr, Vayakhel 2 ¶5
Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 13 ¶18
Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 19 ¶17
Likkutei Torah, V’Zos HaBerachah 6 ¶15
Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 3 ¶4
Torah Ohr, Chayei Sarah 3 ¶7
Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 2 ¶7
Likkutei Torah, Ki Savo 4 ¶10
Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 6 ¶21
Torah Ohr, Vayeitzei 5 ¶9
Torah Ohr, Vayechi 2 ¶3
Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 5 ¶2 ¶11 ¶24
Likkutei Torah, Emor 6 ¶14 ¶15 ¶16 ¶17 ¶25 ¶27
Likkutei Torah, Matos 3 ¶1
Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 8 ¶20
Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 25 ¶2 ¶4 ¶6
Likkutei Torah, Masei 3 ¶3 ¶6
Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 21 ¶23
Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 3 ¶26
Likkutei Torah, Matos 7 ¶3
Likkutei Torah, Metzora 1 ¶3 ¶4 ¶5 ¶6 ¶20
Likkutei Torah, Pekudei 1 ¶38 ¶42
Likkutei Torah, Shelach 5 ¶3
Likkutei Torah, Shelach 10 ¶8 ¶9 ¶11
Likkutei Torah, Shelach 17 ¶9
Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 12 ¶10
Likkutei Torah, Sukkos 1 ¶12
Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 1 ¶25 ¶26
Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 7 ¶1 ¶2
Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 12 ¶16
Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 9 ¶3 ¶5
Torah Ohr, Vayeitzei 3 ¶1 ¶2
Torah Ohr, Vayeitzei 4 ¶1 ¶2 ¶4 ¶5 ¶9
Torah Ohr, Vayishlach 6 ¶12
Likkutei Torah, Nasso 2 ¶9 ¶10 ¶11 ¶20
Likkutei Torah, Nasso 5 ¶2
Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 2 ¶13
Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 5 ¶2
Likkutei Torah, Tazria 6 ¶17 ¶25
Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 4 ¶35
Likkutei Torah, Sukkos 3 ¶13
Torah Ohr, Bereishis 2 ¶3
Likkutei Torah, Pinchas 4 ¶2
Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 5 ¶22
Torah Ohr, Shemos 1 ¶21
Torah Ohr, Shemos 4 ¶1
Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 7 ¶9
Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 3 ¶9
Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 5 ¶9
Likkutei Torah, Shelach 2 ¶2 ¶21 ¶27
Torah Ohr, Yisro 10 ¶19
Likkutei Torah, Bechukosai 2 ¶6 ¶9
Likkutei Torah, Masei 2 ¶2 ¶4 ¶13
Likkutei Torah, Tazria 1 ¶1
Likkutei Torah, Balak 4 ¶5
Likkutei Torah, Chukas 7 ¶5
Torah Ohr, Lech Lecha 3 ¶1
Likkutei Torah, Ki Savo 2 ¶4
Torah Ohr, Va’eira 1 ¶5
Torah Ohr, Vayeira 2 ¶2
Likkutei Torah, Pekudei 2 ¶16
Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 2 ¶6
Likkutei Torah, Tzav 12 ¶20
Torah Ohr, Vayechi 4 ¶11
Torah Ohr, Bereishis 6 ¶5 ¶9
Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 7 ¶24
Torah Ohr, Mishpatim 6 ¶14
Torah Ohr, Noach 1 ¶3
Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 1 ¶20
Torah Ohr, Mishpatim 7 ¶11
Likkutei Torah, Tzav 7 ¶6

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.