Glossary · Torah Ohr · Likkutei Torah
Rei’ach
ריח
Scent (rei’ach) · also: ריח ניחוח
A small radiance from a thing, not its substance. Above, an encompassing light higher than taste (inner light), rooted in the “nose” above Chochmah; also the ascent from below, as in “a pleasing scent.”
The word ריח is first ordinary smell, the analogy itself. In “ריח ניחוח” of the offerings the text reads ריח as the ascent and ניחוח as the drawing down. Words such as ריחוק (distance) are unrelated.
Where it’s explained
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 2, ¶23Scent is a small radiance from the essence of a thing, not the substance of the apple itself. Garments are the mitzvos, makifim, the supernal will above Chochmah and comprehension; so “the scent of his garments” brought the blessing. Yericho, where the journeys ended, is rei’ach.
והנה בחי׳ ריח הוא בחי׳ הארה מועטת מעצמיות הדבר כמ״ש וריח אפך כתפוחים שהריח אינו ממהות התפוח עצמו
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 25, ¶8Taste comes only by chewing and uses up the food; scent arrives at once from a whole thing, which is not consumed and can be smelled again. So above: taste is in Chochmah, the beginning of Atzilus, where vessels limit the light; scent is above Atzilus, encompassing rather than inner, and so somewhat lasting.
דכמו עד״מ הריח הוא בחי׳ מקיף משא״כ הטעם הוא בחי׳ פנימי ולכן הריח הוא קצת בחי׳ נצחי שלא יפסק ויכלה
- Torah Ohr, Terumah 1, ¶14Scent is rooted high, a makif, above food: food is for the body, but the soul and not the body enjoys scent, for it is the supernal delight that is not grasped and enclothed in vessels. Scent comes specifically from something sharp, so the Torah study of a businessman, who must subdue himself, is “spiced wine.”
כי הריח שרשו ממקום גבוה שהוא בחי׳ מקיף והוא למעלה מבחינת מזון שהמזון הוא לגוף אבל הריח ארז״ל שהנשמה נהנית ממנו ולא הגוף
- Torah Ohr, Toldos 5, ¶10Scent restores the soul: intellect that had withdrawn, as in deep sleep, shines again, as a sleeper is woken by a scent. This is done by scent as returning light, from below upward; “the scent of his garments” is the raising of mayin nukvin that draws the makif, “the dew of heaven.”
והנה הריח משיב את הנפש דהיינו מה שהיה בתחלה בבחי׳ הסתלקות המוחין חוזר ומאיר
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 3, ¶26The Torah, from Chochmah and Binah, is inner food; the mitzvos are rooted in Keser, the 620 pillars of light, and their delight is not revealed inwardly into comprehension, only as a scent. So the mitzvos become garments, makifim, for the soul in Gan Eden: “the scent of his garments.”
שאין התענוג נמשך ומתגלה בבחי׳ פנימיות לתוך השגתו ממש רק כדוגמת הריח
Stated differently
Whose “nose” is the root of scent: Atik or Arich Anpin
משא״כ הריח הוא למעלה מאצילות חוטמא דעתיקTaste is in Chochmah, the beginning of Atzilus; scent is above Atzilus, the nose of Atik.
וענין הקטרת שהוא הריח שהוא עולה עד בחי׳ חוטמא דעתיקThe incense, which is scent, rises to the nose of Atik: a raising of mayin nukvin to the makif.
נמצא בחי׳ ריח הוא יותר גבוה מחו״ב כי שרש בחי׳ ריח הוא מבחי׳ חוטמא דא״א“Not by the sight of his eyes” (Chochmah) “nor the hearing of his ears” (Binah), but “he will smell”: scent is higher than Chochmah and Binah, rooted in the nose of Arich Anpin.
כך הארה זו מתפשטת מאור א״ס ב״ה ונקרא מדה זו אריך אנפין כמ״ש אאריך אפי ותהלתי אחטם לךThe radiance that spreads from Or Ein Sof is called Arich Anpin, the “nose”; G‑d is “the owner of the nose,” the essence and source of the radiance.
Whether scent is the ascent from below (returning light, mayin nukvin) or the radiance drawn down from above
והנה ריח הוא העלאת מ״ן שהוא בחי׳ אור חוזר. והוא מהגבורותScent is the raising of mayin nukvin, returning light, and comes from the gevuros: a sweet apple has no scent, only sour and sharp things, for mayin nukvin are refinements of sparks that fell in the shattering. So “a pleasing scent” is said only of the offerings, which raise the animal soul.
וזהו ענין ריח ניחוח להוי׳ ריח הוא העלאה ממטה למעלה וכמשל הריח שעולה ומשיב את הנפשRei’ach is ascent from below upward, like a scent that rises and restores the soul (the Shema); nichoach is the drawing down from above (the Amidah).
והארה והמשכה זו היא בחי׳ ריח כמ״ש והריחו ביראת ה׳ והוא למשל כמו שהריח אינו עצמיות הדבר אלא הארה והמשכה ממנוThe drawing of holiness to the soul through Torah and mitzvos, garments that let it be included in the One, is itself called scent: as scent is not the thing but a radiance drawn from it, so this radiance spreads from Or Ein Sof down to the place of limit.
Main sources
Likkutei Torah, Masei 2, ¶23Likkutei Torah, Masei 3, ¶24Likkutei Torah, Masei 3, ¶26Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 25, ¶8Likkutei Torah, Shelach 18, ¶7Torah Ohr, Terumah 1, ¶14Torah Ohr, Toldos 5, ¶9Torah Ohr, Toldos 5, ¶10
Where it appears
In 123 paragraphs of 77 maamarim.
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 3 ¶16 ¶17
- Likkutei Torah, Pinchas 1 ¶2 ¶16
- Likkutei Torah, Pinchas 2 ¶14 ¶16 ¶17
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 11 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 6 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Shabbos Shuvah 3 ¶11 ¶33
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 9 ¶1 ¶4 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini 1 ¶1
- Likkutei Torah, V’Zos HaBerachah 6 ¶3 ¶4 ¶9
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 11 ¶8
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 4 ¶42
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 9 ¶22 ¶24
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Savo 3 ¶13 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 2 ¶23 ¶24
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 3 ¶19 ¶20 ¶24 ¶25 ¶26
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 7 ¶14 ¶18
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 8 ¶2 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 8 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 17 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 8 ¶39
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 24 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 25 ¶7 ¶8 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 29 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Tazria 6 ¶22
- Torah Ohr, Terumah 1 ¶14
- Torah Ohr, Terumah 2 ¶8
- Torah Ohr, Toldos 5 ¶1 ¶8 ¶9 ¶10 ¶13 ¶14
- Torah Ohr, Vayishlach 1 ¶1
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 17 ¶20
- Likkutei Torah, Vayikra 2 ¶4
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 10 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Emor 6 ¶12 ¶13 ¶22
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 5 ¶16
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 2 ¶26 ¶28
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 7 ¶16
- Torah Ohr, Vayishlach 5 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 6 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Pinchas 3 ¶1 ¶20 ¶24
- Likkutei Torah, Behar 1 ¶12 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 9 ¶1
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 16 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 18 ¶7 ¶8 ¶11 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Shabbos Shuvah 1 ¶12 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 4 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 16 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 22 ¶3 ¶4 ¶21
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 9 ¶2
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 2 ¶17
- Likkutei Torah, Beshalach 1 ¶19
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 1 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 3 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 14 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 3 ¶2 ¶3 ¶7 ¶9 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, V’Zos HaBerachah 1 ¶7
- Torah Ohr, Shemos 9 ¶2 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 28 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 1 ¶29
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 5 ¶21
- Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 6 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 23 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Vayikra 3 ¶9
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 15 ¶14
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 16 ¶24
- Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 4 ¶9 ¶24 ¶27
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 10 ¶12 ¶19
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 41 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Savo 4 ¶6 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 26 ¶10
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 7 ¶23
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 6 ¶17
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 6 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 1 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 10 ¶12
- Torah Ohr, Vayeira 2 ¶18
- Likkutei Torah, Haazinu 3 ¶18
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 6 ¶6
- Torah Ohr, Va’eira 1 ¶12
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.