Glossary · Torah Ohr · Likkutei Torah
Reisha d’Lo Isyada
רישא דלא אתידע
The Unknowable Head (Reisha d’Lo Isyada, Radla)
The highest of Atik’s three heads: the lowest level of the Emanator, not counted among the Sefiros and unknown even to Arich Anpin; root of Daas, reached only by faith.
Where it’s explained
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 37, ¶5Citing Etz Chaim, the seven lower levels of Atik are clothed within Arich Anpin and can be known to us, but the upper three of Atik cannot be clothed in Arich Anpin. That is the “Head that is not known”: even Arich Anpin itself does not know it.
וזהו ענין רישא דלא אתיידע כי אפילו א״א עצמו לא ידע ליה
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 17, ¶1Radla stands above the Gulgalta of Arich Anpin and could not be clothed in it, but shows its light in the “air” there; from it comes the very hidden brain within Gulgalta, the inner Keser. Radla is the lowest level of the Emanator and is not counted among the Ten Sefiros.
כיון שהוא נמשך מבחי׳ רדל״א דאחזי נהורא בהאי אוירא ורדל״א הוא בחינה תחתונה שבמאציל שאינו במנין ע״ס
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 6, ¶24Citing Zohar HaRakia, Chochmah, Binah and Daas are rooted in the three heads of Atika Kadisha, and Daas in the highest head, Radla. So Daas draws from ayin itself, above the kav hamiddah, which comes from the hidden Chochmah.
דחב״ד שרשם מג׳ רישין דע״ק והדעת שרשו מראש העליון שהוא בחי׳ רדל״א
- Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 6, ¶28Keser, the source of Chochmah, is called “He”: its existence is known though not its essence. Radla is above even being a source for Chochmah, so even in Gan Eden it is grasped not by knowledge but only by faith; hence “not known.”
ולכן נק׳ דלא אתיידע פי׳ שהוא למעלה מבחי׳ הדעת ואינו מאיר כ״א בבחי׳ אמונה
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 17, ¶14The “higher wisdom that is above even Keser,” the hidden wisdom whose beginning lies in the first head of Atika Kadisha, is rooted in Radla itself, which is Malchus of Ein Sof, above the Gulgalta of Arich Anpin, the Keser; in the Arizal’s Kabbalah this is the source of the Torah.
שהיא שרש החכמה שברדל״א ממש שהוא מל׳ דא״ס שלמעלה מגלגלתא דא״א שהוא הכתר
Stated differently
Whether Radla is one of the levels of sovev kol almin, or an encompassing light above sovev
רדל״א היינו עתיק בחינה תחתונה שבמאציל וכתר עילאה היינו כתר דא״א סוכ״ע והיינו ב׳ בחי׳ הנ״ל דסוכ״עOf the three “Holy”s for the three heads of Atika Kadisha (Pri Etz Chaim): Radla is Atik, the lowest level of the Emanator, and the Supernal Keser is the Keser of Arich Anpin; these are the two levels of sovev kol almin.
ההארה מבחי׳ סוכ״ע א״ס ב״ה בהעולמות שהוא באה בבחינת העלם והסתרThe light of sovev kol almin comes into the worlds hidden, so they do not grasp the power that brings them into being; this is “Blessed is He who spoke and the world came to be,” which the Arizal’s kavanos assign to Radla.
אמנם יש עוד בחי׳ מקיף עליון יותר שלמעלה גם מבחי׳ סוכ״ע ונק׳ רישא דלא אתיידעSovev kol almin, the Keser that is the source of Chochmah, is known in its existence; there is a still higher encompassing light, above sovev too, called Radla. The next paragraph adds that in the Time to Come it will be drawn down to become sovev.
Whether Radla is clothed in what is below it
פי׳ כי סוף התלבשות רדל״א הוא בחכמה דאצילותCiting Etz Chaim (gates 47 and 2) and Tanya ch. 35 (note), the clothing of Radla ends in the Chochmah of Atzilus; Radla is drawn from Malchus of Adam Kadmon and is an “utterance.”
אך ג״ר דעתיק א״א שיתלבשו תוך א״אCiting Etz Chaim (Sha’ar Arich Anpin), the upper three levels of Atik cannot be clothed within Arich Anpin; that is why it is called the Head that is not known.
Whether Radla is Malchus of Ein Sof itself, or is drawn from Malchus of Adam Kadmon
שהיא שרש החכמה שברדל״א ממש שהוא מל׳ דא״ס שלמעלה מגלגלתא דא״א שהוא הכתרRadla itself is Malchus of Ein Sof, above the Gulgalta of Arich Anpin, which is Keser; the root of the “higher wisdom above even Keser” is there.
והנה רדל״א שנמשך ממל׳ דא״ק זהו בחי׳ מאמרRadla is drawn from Malchus of Adam Kadmon and is an “utterance” (citing Pri Etz Chaim on “Blessed is He who spoke”); its clothing ends in the Chochmah of Atzilus.
Main sources
Likkutei Torah, Shelach 17, ¶1Likkutei Torah, Shelach 17, ¶2Likkutei Torah, Shelach 17, ¶14Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 6, ¶28Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 6, ¶29Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 37, ¶5Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 16, ¶2Likkutei Torah, Nasso 6, ¶24
Where it appears
In 20 paragraphs of 16 maamarim.
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 9 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 3 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 32 ¶38
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 41 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 6 ¶28 ¶29
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 8 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 17 ¶1 ¶2 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 37 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 6 ¶24
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 20 ¶20
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 2 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Pekudei 2 ¶22
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 7 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 7 ¶29
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 16 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Yom Kippur 3 ¶30 ¶31
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.