Glossary · Torah Ohr · Likkutei Torah
Taryach amudei or
תר״ך עמודי אור
The 620 pillars of light (taryach amudei or)
The 613 Torah mitzvos and seven Rabbinic mitzvos, numbering 620 (the value of Keser): rooted in Keser, the Supernal Will, they reach down like pillars joining roof to ground, drawing supernal delight into physical deeds.
Where it’s explained
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 17, ¶4The pillar runs from the roof to the ground and holds the roof up by standing on firm ground. So the mitzvos come down from the supernal delight and are lowered into physical deeds (wool tzitzis); because “their end is wedged in their beginning,” they can hold and receive the supernal delight.
והרצון הוא תר״ך מצות תרי״ג דאורייתא עם ז׳ דרבנן שנקרא תר״ך עמודי אור פי׳ כמו העמוד שנמשך מן הגג לארץ והוא מחזיק הגג
- Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 6, ¶12The pillars are drawn from Keser Elyon, sovev, which joins Ein Sof to the emanated. Keser has an upper level, where Or Ein Sof shines, and a lower one that shines into Chochmah and Binah; the 310 worlds of the World to Come are only the lower half of the 620, so they cannot receive the essence of the mitzvah.
דתרי״ג מצות דאורייתא עם ז׳ מצות דרבנן הם תר״ך עמודי אור הנמשכים מכתר עליון שהוא בחי׳ סוכ״ע
- Torah Ohr, Noach 3, ¶21620 is the value of כתר. As a pillar reaches from above to below, the mitzvos come from Gulgalta, Keser, the intermediary between the Emanator and the emanated; through them one draws His essence, as one embraces a person through his body.
כי תרי״ג מצות דאורייתא וז׳ מצות דרבנן הם תר״ך עמודי אור גימט׳ כתר
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 9, ¶17The pillars are in Keser, sovev, which will be revealed at the Resurrection, where soul and body are equal. The Keser is made from mitzvos clothed in physical action, as a king’s crown is made of stones, the silent (domem) level.
כי תר״ך מצות הם תר״ך עמודי אור שבכתר שהוא סוכ״ע והכתר נעשה ממצות המלובשים בעשייה גשמיית דוקא
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 19, ¶4Torah issues from Chochmah, but the mitzvos are rooted in Keser Elyon, which holds the 620 pillars (citing Pardes 8:3); Keser is far above Chochmah. The inner root of the Torah is the hidden Chochmah of Arich Anpin.
המצות שרשם מבחינת כתר עליון וכנודע שלכן הם תרי״ג מצות ועם ז׳ מצות דרבנן הם תר״ך אותיות כתר שיש בו תר״ך עמודי אור
Stated differently
Whether what the 620 pillars draw stays within the Keser that is sovev, or reaches above sovev too
והנה בבחי׳ כתר שע״י נשמע הם ג״כ תר״ך עמודי אור הנמשכים ע״י המצותOf two crowns, sovev and what is above sovev, the 620 pillars drawn by the mitzvos are in the Keser of “we will hear,” from which come the 310 worlds; the Keser of “we will do,” from Malchus of Ein Sof itself, is drawn by accepting the yoke of Heaven.
וכ״ז נמשך ע״י מעשה המצות שהם תרי״ג מצות דאורייתא וז׳ דרבנן הם תר״ך עמודי אור שהם ב׳ פעמים יש“Ga’oh ga’oh” twice means sovev and what is far above sovev; all of this is drawn through doing the mitzvos, the 620 pillars, which are “twice yesh.”
Whether the pillars descend from Keser, far above Chochmah, or from Keser and Chochmah of Tikkun
המצות שרשם מבחינת כתר עליון וכנודע שלכן הם תרי״ג מצות ועם ז׳ מצות דרבנן הם תר״ך אותיות כתר שיש בו תר״ך עמודי אורTorah issues from Chochmah, but the mitzvos are rooted in Keser Elyon, which holds the 620 pillars, and Keser is far above Chochmah.
והגם שהמצות נק׳ תר״ך עמודי אור כמו שהעמודים נמשכים מן הגג לארץ כך הם המשכות מלמעלה למטה מכתר וחכמה דתיקוןThe mitzvos, the 620 pillars, are drawn from above to below from Keser and Chochmah of Tikkun; the main drawing comes by raising mayin nukvin, since the mitzvos are sparks of Keser and Chochmah of Tohu, above the world of Tikkun.
Main sources
Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 6, ¶12Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 6, ¶14Likkutei Torah, Shelach 17, ¶4Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 1, ¶9Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 6, ¶4Torah Ohr, Noach 3, ¶21Torah Ohr, Yisro 9, ¶17
Where it appears
In 75 paragraphs of 62 maamarim.
- Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 6 ¶12 ¶13 ¶14 ¶24
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 4 ¶16
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 6 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 15 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 1 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 35 ¶2
- Torah Ohr, Shemos 9 ¶5 ¶6
- Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 5 ¶12 ¶16
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 9 ¶17
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 19 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 2 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 3 ¶26
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 2 ¶38
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 9 ¶9
- Torah Ohr, Vayakhel 1 ¶20
- Likkutei Torah, Behar 2 ¶30
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 6 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 2 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 13 ¶20 ¶22
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 1 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 20 ¶13 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 9 ¶16
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 10 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 7 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 17 ¶4 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 7 ¶7
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 1 ¶27
- Likkutei Torah, Matos 6 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Pekudei 2 ¶20 ¶40
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 9 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Acharei 1 ¶29
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 7 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 20 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Bechukosai 3 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 5 ¶19
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 7 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 3 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 4 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 14 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 19 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 21 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Sukkos 4 ¶8 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 4 ¶9
- Torah Ohr, Lech Lecha 1 ¶11
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 9 ¶6
- Torah Ohr, Toldos 3 ¶24
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 21 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Bechukosai 2 ¶24 ¶34
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 10 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 34 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 7 ¶30
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 11 ¶1
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 2 ¶15
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 16 ¶21
- Torah Ohr, Noach 3 ¶21
- Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 4 ¶30
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 4 ¶10
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 5 ¶10
- Torah Ohr, Shemos 8 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 14 ¶10
- Torah Ohr, Beshalach 6 ¶14
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 4 ¶8 ¶11 ¶27
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.