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Sovev kol almin

סובב כל עלמין

The light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin)

G‑d’s light that is not clothed in the worlds: equal in all worlds, above and below, unchanged by them, it gives them life as an encompassing light. Its partner, memalei, is clothed within each world.

The word סובב means “surrounds”; whether that means above and outside the worlds or present in them without being clothed is stated differently (see the differences). On its own, סובב can also name the encompassing level of one world (סובב דבריאה, LT Vaetchanan 6:25).

Where it’s explained

  1. Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 4, ¶2Sets out the pair: memalei is the life-force clothed in each world by its level; sovev is the light above hishtalshelus and enclothement, of which it says “I, Havayah, have not changed.” On Rosh Hashanah, “make Me King over you” draws new light from sovev into memalei.אבל בחי׳ סוכ״ע הוא האור והחיות שלמעלה מהשתלשלות והתלבשות בעולמות
  2. Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 4, ¶5Sovev does not mean above the worlds: G‑d is within them too, yet not grasped by place, so He is the same on earth below as in heaven above. Knowledge and feeling belong to memalei; sovev is held by faith.ואין הפי׳ סוכ״ע שהוא מלמעלה מן העולמות אלא הוא נמצא בתוך העולמות ג״כ ואעפ״כ הוא בבחי׳ סוכ״ע
  3. Likkutei Torah, Vezos Haberachah 6, ¶4Memalei is the inner life-force, “the power of the Maker in the made”; sovev only surrounds. The main life-force and the main coming-into-being are from sovev, the Keser. Food is rooted in memalei, clothing in sovev.ובחי׳ סוכ״ע הוא שאינו מתלבש בתוך עלמין כלל בבחינת פנימי רק סובב ומקיף עליהם
  4. Torah Ohr, Vayakhel 2, ¶8Sovev is G‑d’s exaltation over the worlds, which gives them life from without, like a king raised above his people; memalei is the life clothed within them, from the word of G‑d. His essence is far above sovev.דבחי׳ סוכ״ע זהו המשכה מא״ס ב״ה שנמשך להיות מתנשא על העלמין
  5. Likkutei Torah, Pinchas 1, ¶6Citing Tanya ch. 48: sovev is hidden and unlimited, memalei is revealed but through many contractions. The revelation of Gan Eden is memalei; Torah and mitzvos in this world draw sovev itself upon the soul.דסוכ״ע הוא בחינת העלם והסתר וממכ״ע הוא בחינת גילוי רק שהוא בצמצומים רבים ועצומים ובחי׳ גבול

Stated differently

Whether sovev itself is within the category of worlds (gedar almin)

Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 4, ¶5ואתה הוא קודם שנברא העולם כו׳ שאינו בגדר עלמין כלל

Of sovev it is written “I have not changed”; it is not within the category of worlds at all, and is grasped only by faith.

Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 2, ¶5וסובב כל עלמין היינו שהוא לבדו ית׳ כמו קודם שנברא העולם כו׳ ואינו בגדר עלמין כלל

Sovev means that He is alone as before the world was created, not within the category of worlds; hishtalshelus does not apply before Him.

Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 4, ¶8מאחר שהוא בחי׳ סובב ומקיף לעלמין א״כ הוא בגדר בחי׳ עלמין

Because sovev surrounds the worlds and gives them life, it is within the category of worlds, like the heavens around the earth; His essence is removed even from shining as sovev.

Likkutei Torah, Masei 5, ¶11שאפילו בחי׳ סוכ״ע זהו בגדר עלמין

Even sovev is within the category of worlds, unlike His essence, which is not at all.

Whether sovev surrounds the worlds from outside and above, or is within them too, only not grasped

Torah Ohr, Vayakhel 2, ¶8כ״א הוא כמו ענין הארה מבחוץ ובדרך מקיף

His exaltation over the worlds gives them life not as a drawing within them but like a glow from outside, in the manner of a makif; this is sovev.

Likkutei Torah, Reeh 3, ¶4אלא שהוא סובב ומקיף מבחוץ ואינו נכנס בפנימית

Arich Anpin, the root of the emanated, has some relation to the worlds and is sovev, but it surrounds and encompasses from outside and does not enter within.

Likkutei Torah, Yom Kippur 2, ¶7והב׳ הוא חיות הסובב ומקיף עליו מלמעלה ששורה עליו ואינו נתפס בו

Each creature’s second life-force surrounds it from above, resting on it without being grasped, like the Shechinah resting on ten; it is drawn from sovev.

Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 4, ¶5ואין הפי׳ סוכ״ע שהוא מלמעלה מן העולמות אלא הוא נמצא בתוך העולמות ג״כ

Sovev does not mean above the worlds: He is within them too, yet not grasped by place, the same on earth below as in heaven above.

Likkutei Torah, Behar 2, ¶16ואין פי׳ סובב שמקיף מלמעלה כי לית אתר פנוי מיניה רק שאינו מושג ונתפס

Sovev does not mean surrounding from above, for no place is empty of Him; it means that it is not grasped, unlike a soul clothed in a body.

Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 3, ¶9שאין הפי׳ סוכ״ע שסובב ומקיף מלמעלה אלא שחיות המתפשט היא מבחינת סובב שאינו בבחי׳ גילוי אלא בבחי׳ העלם

Sovev does not mean surrounding from above: the life that spreads to all worlds equally, even to coarse matter, is from sovev, hidden and not revealed.

Whether His Malchus, “Your kingship is a kingship of all worlds,” is sovev or memalei

Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 4, ¶2אבל עצמותו ית׳ מופלא ומרומם מהם ונק׳ סוכ״ע

The worlds live only from His Malchus, His being called King and exalted over them, and that is memalei; His essence, exalted above them, is called sovev.

Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 5, ¶32ממלא כל עלמין הוא מבחי׳ מלכותך מלכות כל עולמים

Memalei is from “Your kingship is a kingship of all worlds,” the Name and the light; the Ein Sof Himself, holy and set apart, is sovev.

Torah Ohr, Vayakhel 2, ¶8וזהו הנק׳ סוכ״ע והוא בחי׳ מלכותך מכ״ע

His exaltation as King over the worlds, giving life from without, is sovev and is “Your kingship is a kingship of all worlds”; memalei is the life within them from the word of G‑d; His essence is above sovev.

Whether sovev is one and the same for all worlds, or each world has its own sovev

Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 3, ¶3שהרי סוכ״ע מקיף את כל הד׳ עולמות בשוה

Sovev surrounds all four worlds equally, so its light cannot be said to shine more in physical things than in Chochmah.

Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 6, ¶3בבחי׳ סוכ״ע אין שום שינוי קודם הבריאה ולאחר הבריאה בכל עולמות עליונים ותחתונים בשוה

In sovev nothing changes from before creation to after, and it is equal in all worlds, upper and lower, like a circle.

Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 6, ¶25ודרך כלל זהו מבחי׳ סובב בכל עולם לפי ערכו באצי׳ מבחי׳ סובב דאצי׳ ובבריאה מבחי׳ סובב וכתר דבריאה

There is a sovev in each world according to its level: in Atzilus the sovev of Atzilus, in Beriah the sovev and Keser of Beriah.

Likkutei Torah, Yom Kippur 3, ¶9כי עתיק דבריאה זהו סובב דבריאה

Malchus of Atzilus, which becomes Atik of Beriah, is the sovev of Beriah, above the memalei of Beriah.

Whether Chochmah (the Yud of Havayah) is where memalei begins, with sovev the Keser above it, or is itself called sovev

Likkutei Torah, Korach 1, ¶7וראשית הגילוי בחכמה כו׳ ונק׳ ממכ״ע שמאיר בכל עולם לפי ערכו

The kav is drawn to shine as inner light, its revelation beginning in Chochmah, and this is called memalei; sovev is the Or Ein Sof that surrounds all worlds equally and surrounds the kav.

Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 6, ¶27וגילוי זה הוא מבחי׳ ממכ״ע שמקורו מבחי׳ ח״ע אבל מבחי׳ כתר שלמעלה מהחכמה שהוא בחי׳ סוכ״ע

The revelation in Gan Eden is from memalei, whose source is Chochmah Ila’ah; Keser, above Chochmah, is sovev and does not shine there revealed until the Resurrection.

Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 4, ¶8בשם הוי׳ שבבחי׳ השתלשלות שהוא ג״כ בחי׳ ממלא כנ״ל יו״ד בחכמה

The Name Havayah within hishtalshelus, its Yud in Chochmah, is also memalei; the shofar draws from sovev, the supernal will, to fill its blemishes.

Likkutei Torah, Balak 5, ¶12כי שם הוי׳ יו״ד חכמה כו׳ ונק׳ סוכ״ע

The Name Havayah, its Yud being Chochmah, is called sovev; at the splitting of the sea the revelation was from far above sovev, from His essence.

Likkutei Torah, Yom Kippur 3, ¶8היינו בחכמה עילאה דאצילות ונק׳ סוכ״ע שאינה מתלבשת בבי״ע

Chochmah Ila’ah of Atzilus is called sovev because it does not clothe itself in Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah; Atzilus relative to them is called sovev.

Main sources

Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 4, ¶2Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 4, ¶8Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 4, ¶5Likkutei Torah, Yom Kippur 2, ¶7Likkutei Torah, Vezos Haberachah 6, ¶4Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 2, ¶5Likkutei Torah, Behar 2, ¶16Torah Ohr, Vayakhel 2, ¶8

Where it appears

In 671 paragraphs of 220 maamarim.

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.

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