Glossary · Torah Ohr · Likkutei Torah
Ratzo vashov
רצוא ושוב
Running and returning (ratzo vashov)
Running and returning, as in the angels: ratzo, the soul’s fiery yearning to leave its bounds and be absorbed in G‑d; shov, the return in awe and bittul, to make Him a dwelling below.
Where it’s explained
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 1, ¶7The angels run in flashes of fire to be absorbed in His light and return in awe, drawing back. A person should likewise run in love toward his root and return in awe, accepting the yoke of Heaven below so that He has a dwelling here.
רצוא ברשפי אש שלהבת מתלהטת להכלל באורו ית׳ ושוב ביראה שמחמת היראה הם חוזרים ונרתעים לאחוריהם
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 28, ¶3Ratzo alone, born of contemplating G‑d’s greatness, wants to be absorbed above and is not the purpose; the shov draws G‑dliness into this world through Torah study of worldly matters, charity, kindness, and prayer.
שוב לאחד להיות לו דירה בתחתונים להמשיך אלהות בזה העולם דוקא
- Likkutei Torah, Metzora 1, ¶18The ratzo is only a beginning that arouses the soul; the main service is the shov, drawing the light into the many vessels of the letters of Torah and the mitzvos.
שהרצוא אינו אלא התחלה לעורר הנפש אבל העיקר הוא ההמשכה בכלים רבים דאותיות התורה ובמצות
- Likkutei Torah, Reeh 8, ¶4Ratzo, the fiery love born of contemplation in Binah, comes from memalei, where up and down apply; shov, the bittul of Chochmah above that love, comes from sovev, where above and below are equal. In Shema and prayer the two alternate.
דבחי׳ הרצוא נמשך מבחי׳ ממכ״ע דמצד בחי׳ ממכ״ע שייך מעלה ומטה לכן יתכן בחי׳ רצוא ועלייה ממטה למעלה אבל שוב נמשך מצד בחי׳ סוכ״ע
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 11, ¶2Avraham’s “going and journeying” was ratzo vashov: light from sovev, above hishtalshelus, can be drawn and held by the soul only in the way of running and returning.
כי ההמשכה מבחי׳ זו שלמעלה מההשתלשלות א״א שיהיה נמשך כ״א בדרך רצוא ושוב
Stated differently
Which of the two is the bittul: shov from Chochmah with ratzo from Binah, or ratzo from Mah (bittul) with shov from Ban
שהרצוא נמשך מבחי׳ גבורו׳ דבינה והוא בחי׳ הדם והשוב נמשך מבחי׳ חכמה שהוא בחי׳ ביטול המלובש שםRatzo comes from the gevuros of Binah (the blood); shov comes from Chochmah, the bittul enclothed there.
הרצוא נמשך משם מ״ה בחי׳ ביטול ליבטל ולהכלל באור א״ס ממש והשוב נמשך מבחי׳ ב״ןRatzo comes from the Name Mah, bittul, to be nullified and included in the Or Ein Sof; shov comes from the Name Ban.
כי יעקב יש לו ב׳ בחי׳ רו״ש. שוב בבחי׳ י׳ עקב ורצוא בבחי׳ ביטול לגמריIn Yaakov, the shov is at the level of the yud and the heel (yud-akev); the ratzo is complete bittul.
Whether ratzo vashov is still yesh, with bittul above it, or the shov is itself the bittul above the love
שהאוי״ר ורצוא ושוב הם עדיין בחי׳ יש מי שאוהב כו׳ אבל הביטול הוא למעלה מזהLove, fear, and ratzo vashov are still yesh, someone who loves; bittul is above them.
שוב הוא בחי׳ ביטול במציאות מכל וכל שלמעלה מבחי׳ התפעלות האהבה ברשפי אשThe shov is complete bittul of existence, above the fiery love; it is the love (the ratzo) that is called yesh.
What the shov is: the bittul of Chochmah within Shema and prayer, or drawing the Or Ein Sof down through practical mitzvos
ובחי׳ היו״ד הוא בחי׳ החכמה כח מה שהוא בחי׳ השוב שאחרי הרצואThe shov is the yud, Chochmah, “the power of mah”; ratzo and shov together are the yud-hei of the soul in Shema and prayer, while the vav-hei comes mainly through Torah and mitzvos.
הרצוא הוא האהבה והשוב הוא המשכת אור א״ס ב״ה ע״י מצות מעשיותIn a person, the ratzo is the love and the shov is drawing down the Or Ein Sof through the practical mitzvos, the limbs of the King.
Main sources
Likkutei Torah, Reeh 8, ¶4Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 1, ¶7Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 28, ¶3Likkutei Torah, Metzora 1, ¶18Likkutei Torah, Nasso 1, ¶25Likkutei Torah, Pekudei 2, ¶29Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 11, ¶2
Where it appears
In 205 paragraphs of 80 maamarim.
- Likkutei Torah, Bechukosai 1 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Bechukosai 6 ¶1
- Likkutei Torah, Emor 3 ¶1 ¶6 ¶8 ¶13 ¶14 ¶20 ¶21
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 8 ¶4 ¶5 ¶20
- Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 6 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 4 ¶1 ¶3 ¶8 ¶9 ¶11 ¶12 ¶15 ¶17
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 1 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 28 ¶2 ¶3 ¶4 ¶7 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 37 ¶2 ¶3 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 1 ¶3
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 2 ¶3 ¶4 ¶5 ¶8 ¶9 ¶10 ¶11 ¶12 ¶13 ¶14 ¶15 ¶16 ¶17 ¶20 ¶21 ¶22 ¶23 ¶25 ¶26
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 3 ¶15 ¶16 ¶17 ¶21 ¶26
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 10 ¶2 ¶3 ¶4
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 11 ¶2 ¶10
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 14 ¶11
- Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 5 ¶21
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 1 ¶2 ¶3 ¶4 ¶7 ¶8 ¶9 ¶15 ¶16 ¶18 ¶20 ¶21
- Likkutei Torah, Korach 1 ¶40
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 8 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 16 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 21 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 41 ¶13 ¶14 ¶15 ¶17 ¶19 ¶20 ¶25 ¶28
- Torah Ohr, Vayishlach 4 ¶4 ¶5 ¶6 ¶7 ¶8 ¶9
- Torah Ohr, Vayishlach 5 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 6 ¶3 ¶4 ¶5 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Eikev 4 ¶1
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 1 ¶7 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 3 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 26 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 27 ¶3 ¶4 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Sukkos 3 ¶11 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Vayikra 2 ¶25 ¶28
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 7 ¶12 ¶15 ¶16
- Torah Ohr, Vayakhel 2 ¶16 ¶24
- Torah Ohr, Vayechi 2 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 2 ¶13 ¶22 ¶23 ¶40
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 2 ¶26 ¶32 ¶33
- Likkutei Torah, V’Zos HaBerachah 3 ¶30
- Torah Ohr, Mishpatim 6 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Pekudei 1 ¶55 ¶56 ¶57 ¶58 ¶59
- Torah Ohr, Tetzaveh 1 ¶20 ¶21 ¶25
- Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 3 ¶16 ¶18 ¶27
- Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 6 ¶33 ¶36 ¶42
- Likkutei Torah, Behar 2 ¶24
- Likkutei Torah, Emor 6 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Korach 2 ¶1
- Likkutei Torah, Matos 6 ¶15 ¶19
- Likkutei Torah, Metzora 1 ¶2 ¶3 ¶4 ¶5 ¶12 ¶13 ¶14 ¶15 ¶18
- Likkutei Torah, Pekudei 2 ¶29 ¶43
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 3 ¶10 ¶26
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 20 ¶30
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 13 ¶1
- Torah Ohr, Toldos 2 ¶22 ¶28
- Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 4 ¶43
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 9 ¶3
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 10 ¶3 ¶6 ¶7 ¶22 ¶24 ¶26
- Likkutei Torah, Yom Kippur 1 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 7 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 9 ¶1
- Likkutei Torah, Bechukosai 2 ¶35
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 10 ¶6 ¶7 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 2 ¶22
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 1 ¶23 ¶24 ¶25 ¶26
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 2 ¶10 ¶20 ¶21
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 9 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 5 ¶4 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 18 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 42 ¶10 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 12 ¶15
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 10 ¶8
- Torah Ohr, Beshalach 4 ¶1 ¶4 ¶8
- Torah Ohr, Bo 2 ¶2
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 8 ¶13
- Torah Ohr, Parshas Zachor 1 ¶4
- Torah Ohr, Shemos 5 ¶13
- Torah Ohr, Toldos 1 ¶1
- Torah Ohr, Va’eira 2 ¶23 ¶24 ¶26
- Torah Ohr, Vayechi 1 ¶7 ¶9
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 2 ¶10
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 4 ¶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.