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Yaakov and Yisrael

יעקב וישראל

Yaakov and Yisrael (the two names as levels) · also: יו״ד עקב

Two names for levels of the soul and above: Yaakov (yud–akev), Chochmah drawn down to the “heel,” the servant who toils; Yisrael (li rosh, “a head for Me”), the son, above body and intellect.

The word Yaakov is also the patriarch and Yisrael the Jewish people. The text means the levels where it says בחי׳ יעקב or בחי׳ ישראל, pairs them, or reads the names as יו״ד עקב and לי ראש.

Where it’s explained

  1. Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 6, ¶3As G‑dliness has sovev and memalei, the soul has two levels, Yaakov and Yisrael. Yaakov, yud–akev, is Chochmah, the intellect that grasps G‑dliness, and what gives life to the body is only the soul’s heel. Yisrael, li rosh, is the soul above body and intellect, the yechidah, one with G‑d and never separated, present even in the least of Jews; kares applies only to Yaakov.בחי׳ יעקב יו״ד עקב הוא חכמה דהיינו השכל מה שהוא משיג אלהות ומה שמאיר ומחיה את הגוף ברמ״ח אברי׳ הוא רק עקב מן הנשמה
  2. Torah Ohr, Shemos 1, ¶23Above, the essence of Chochmah Ila’ah before it enclothes in any worlds, even the hidden ones, is called Yisrael, li rosh. Its extension into the worlds, which are only “heels” relative to it, is Yaakov, yud–akev: the yud (Chochmah) drawn into the letters of thought and speech.והנה עצם ח״ע קודם התלבשותה בבחי׳ עלמין דהיינו קודם התלבשותה גם בעלמין סתימין נק׳ ישראל לי ראש
  3. Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 1, ¶16Yaakov is yud–akev: the yud, the beginning of thought, drawn down to the heel and foot, which is speech. Every higher level also has a head and a foot, and Yaakov is yud–akev in each world according to its rank, the bar that runs from end to end.שהיו״ד שהוא תחלת המחשבה ביו״ד נברא עוה״ב הוא נמשך לבחי׳ עקב ורגל שהוא בחי׳ הדבור
  4. Likkutei Torah, Balak 3, ¶1Yaakov and Yisrael are two levels above and two kinds of service in a person: Yaakov is the servant (“Yaakov My servant”) and Yisrael is the son (“My firstborn son, Yisrael”). The maamar goes on to tie Yaakov to the toil of the weekday and Yisrael to Shabbos.שהם ג״כ ב׳ בחינות שונות בעבודת ה׳ באדם בחי׳ עבד ובחינת בן
  5. Likkutei Torah, Shabbos Shuvah 1, ¶1Yaakov is the lower unity (yichuda tataah): the yud of Chochmah and bittul drawn into the heel, while a person is still at war subduing and transforming, with the Name Elokim dominant and Havayah drawn into it. Yisrael is when Havayah has already prevailed over Elokim, above the tzimtzum.אבל ישראל כי שרית עם אלקים שכבר גבר שם הוי׳ על שם אלקים

Stated differently

Whether Yisrael is the soul while it is still at war with the animal soul, or the level where that war is already won (Yaakov being the one at war)

Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 4, ¶1שעתה דוקא בזמן הזה שהרע מעורב בטוב נקרא׳ הנשמה בשם ישראל שצריכה להשתרר ולנצח את נפש הבהמית

The divine soul descended to fight the animal soul and transform it, and so is called Yisrael, “you have striven with Elokim,” yashar Kel, Kel meaning strength and rule. Now, while evil is mixed with good, the soul bears this name.

Likkutei Torah, Shabbos Shuvah 1, ¶1והיינו כשעדיין האדם בבחינת מלחמה באתכפיא ואתהפכא זו

Yaakov is the state of one still at war in subduing and transforming, with Elokim dominant; Yisrael is when Havayah has already prevailed over Elokim.

Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 2, ¶16שבבחי׳ יעקב שיש בבחי׳ זו מלחמה צריך להתגבר על המונע

In Yaakov there is battle, sometimes won and sometimes lost, so there is judgment over it; in Yisrael, li rosh, the son, judgment is mercy.

Whether the soul will still be called Yisrael in the Time to Come

Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 4, ¶1ולא יהיה הרע כלל ולא תצטרך ללחום עוד ולא יקרא בשם ישראל

In the Time to Come, when the spirit of impurity is removed, there will be no evil and no more need to fight, and the soul will no longer be called Yisrael.

Likkutei Torah, Shelach 17, ¶6אכן עלייה השנית שיהיה לעתיד היינו בגלגלתא ומו״ס דא״א וזהו לי ראש ממש

“Not Yaakov but Yisrael shall be your name”: through the soul’s descent and bittul it rises to Yisrael, li rosh. The second ascent, in the Time to Come, is to the Gulgalta and Mocha Stima’ah of Arich Anpin, li rosh in full, which may be Yisrael Saba.

Which level above is called Yisrael

Likkutei Torah, Balak 4, ¶11דיעקב הוא למטה מבחי׳ ישראל שהוא ז״א

Yisrael is Z’eir Anpin, and Yaakov is below it (though Yaakov has a superior quality of its own).

Torah Ohr, Shemos 1, ¶23והנה עצם ח״ע קודם התלבשותה בבחי׳ עלמין דהיינו קודם התלבשותה גם בעלמין סתימין נק׳ ישראל לי ראש

Yisrael is the essence of Chochmah Ila’ah before it enclothes in any worlds; Yaakov is its extension into the worlds.

Likkutei Torah, Shelach 17, ¶6וזהו פי׳ לי ראש שהם בבחי׳ ומדרגה עליונה זו דבחינת גלגלתא ומו״ס דא״א ממש שלמעלה מעלה מבחינת ז״א

Li rosh is the Gulgalta and Mocha Stima’ah of Arich Anpin, far above Z’eir Anpin; Z’eir Anpin is also called li rosh, as “Yisrael Zuta.”

Main sources

Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 6, ¶3Torah Ohr, Shemos 1, ¶23Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 1, ¶16Likkutei Torah, Balak 3, ¶1Likkutei Torah, Shabbos Shuvah 1, ¶1Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 4, ¶1Likkutei Torah, Shelach 17, ¶6

Where it appears

In 194 paragraphs of 91 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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