Glossary · Torah Ohr · Likkutei Torah
Adam Kadmon
אדם קדמון
Primordial Man (Adam Kadmon)
The general Keser of all the worlds, above Atzilus: the Supernal Will that the ten Sefiros come to be, including them all. Relative to the Emanator it is only “Adam of Beriah.”
Where it’s explained
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 8, ¶7Following Etz Chaim and Shaarei Kedushah, Adam Kadmon is the Keser that includes all the worlds, Atzilus through Malchus of Asiyah. It includes all ten Sefiros because it is the Supernal Will that they come to be, and once it arose in His will they came to be at once. In 8:5 it is called the tip of the yud of the Name Havayah.
א״ק שהוא הכתר היינו רצון עליון מה שעלה ברצונו להוות ע״ס
- Likkutei Torah, Tazria 4, ¶6Circumcision, given on the eighth day, is drawn from above Atzilus: the root of tikkun is the Yesod of Adam Kadmon, source of the light of the Name Mah that comes from Adam Kadmon’s forehead, far above the Mah of Atzilus. Adam Kadmon is before Atzilus, and even Atzilus, which is Chochmah, bears no comparison to it; in general Atzilus is Chochmah and Adam Kadmon is Keser.
ונק׳ אדם קדמון לכל הקדומים, שהוא לפני האצי׳ עד שאין ערוך אליו אפי׳ בחי׳ אצי׳ שהיא בחי׳ חכמה
- Likkutei Torah, Behar 3, ¶7Atzilus, with its divided vessels and measured attributes, is called Adam of Asiyah; Akudim, ten Sefiros bound in one vessel, Adam of Yetzirah. Adam Kadmon is above even Akudim, yet as the source of the ten Sefiros, from which Atzilus will come, it is called Adam of Beriah: relative to the Emanator it too is something from nothing.
אבל א״ק הוא למעלה מזה אלא אעפ״כ הרי הוא מקור לע״ס וסוף כל סוף יתהוה ממנו בחי׳ אצילות לכן נקרא אדם דבריאה
- Likkutei Torah, Behar 3, ¶23Adam Kadmon, and even the Chochmah above it, came into being from the reshimu (residual impression) left after the tzimtzum and the withdrawal of the light. On Shabbos Adam Kadmon ascends into the Or Ein Sof, so that what withdrew into concealment shines in it openly.
שהתהוות א״ק ואפילו בחי׳ חכמה שלמעלה מא״ק הוא מן הרשימו שנשאר אחר הצמצום והסתלקות האור
- Torah Ohr, Mishpatim 6, ¶3The partzufim of the circles and the line (igulim and yosher) end before the parsa between Atzilus and Beriah, but the Netzach, Hod and Yesod of Adam Kadmon break through it and end in Asiyah. For Adam Kadmon is the primordial thought “I shall reign,” which held the whole purpose of the chain of descent down to the end of Asiyah; hence even the lowest Jew can give his life to sanctify G‑d’s Name.
כי ענין א״ק הוא בחי׳ מחשבה אנא אמלוך שבמחה״ק ההיא היה כל תכלית סדר השתלשלות עד סוף עשייה
Stated differently
Whether Adam Kadmon is the will itself that the ten Sefiros come to be, or the “will for the will,” above the will from which the worlds were created
ובחי׳ רצון העליון זה של א״ס ב״ה להיות התהוות ע״ס נקרא א״קOr Ein Sof could have brought forth endless Sefiros; only ten came to be because so it arose in His will. That Supernal Will, that there be ten Sefiros, is called Adam Kadmon.
כי בריאת העולמות הוא מפני שכשעלה ברצונו כו׳ אבל להיות רצון לרצון דלאו מכל מדות כו׳ הוא מבחי׳ רעוא דכל רעוין ונק׳ אדם קדמוןThe worlds were created because “it arose in His will”; but that there be a will for that will comes from the source of all wills (raava dechol raavin), which is called Adam Kadmon, before Atzilus.
Discussed by
The Mitteler Rebbe · Ner Mitzvah veTorah Or, p. 245 (page unconfirmed)
The Mitteler Rebbe calls the ten sefiros of Adam Kadmon ‘will for the will’, the hidden source of each revealed will of Atzilus, sets them apart from the kav, the primordial simple will itself that produces every such will, and derives from this why Adam Kadmon is called ‘Adam of Beriah’.
וכ״ז דוגמא להבין בבחי׳ ע״ס דא״ק שכללותם ענין רצון לרצון לבד שהרי הן בחי׳ ההעלם דע״ס דאצי׳ שבגלוי
Further in Chassidus
The Tzemach Tzedek · Derech Mitzvosecha, p. 18–19
In the mitzvah of milah, the Tzemach Tzedek defines Adam Kadmon as the ‘will of all wills’, the general will that all four worlds come to be, hidden and included together before the particular wills (the Keser of each world), and explains why, though only ‘Adam of Beriah’ before Him, it shines equally through Atzilus and Asiyah as a makif.וביאור זה הנה פי׳ ענין אדם קדמון הוא הנק׳ רעוא דכל רעוין באד״ר ובל׳ הע״ח כשעלה ברצונו הפשוט
The Rebbe Rashab · Sefer HaMaamarim 5657, p. לד
The Rashab resolves the name’s apparent contradiction (‘adam’ new, ‘kadmon’ not): Adam Kadmon is the primordial thought that sees all worlds at a single glance, newly come to be, yet included, hidden, in the Or Ein Sof who thought it.לכן נק׳ אדם קדמון להורות שהוא בחי׳ התהוות ראשונה והיינו בחי׳ אדם כמו שכלול באוא״ס קדמון לכל הקדומין בהעלם במחשבתו ית׳
The Rebbe Rayatz · Kuntres Limud HaChassidus, p. 4
The Rebbe Rayatz explains the name from the order of the soul’s powers, with will ‘prior to all’ as their cause, so that Adam Kadmon is the first partzuf after the tzimtzum, while noting that ‘kadmon’ in its true sense applies only to the Essence.ובזה יובן הלשון אדם קדמון שהוא הפרצוף הראשון שהאצילו המאציל העליון ב״ה אחר הצמצום
Short quotes, © their publishers; each page opened by a second AI reader.
Sefer HaErchim Chabad
התואר אדם קדמון מורה על בחי׳ רצון ומחשבה הקדומה על כל העולמות שעלה במחשבתו ית׳, והוא כתר הכללי של כל ההשתלשלותThe title Adam Kadmon denotes the primordial will and thought concerning all the worlds that arose in His thought; it is the general Keser of the whole chain of descent (hishtalshelus). (our translation)
Sefer HaErchim Chabad, vol. א, entry אדם קדמון (רצון הכללי — שאחר הצמצום — לכל העולמות), col. קעג · © Kehot Publication Society, quoted
Main sources
Likkutei Torah, Masei 8, ¶5Likkutei Torah, Masei 8, ¶6Likkutei Torah, Masei 8, ¶7Likkutei Torah, Tazria 4, ¶6Likkutei Torah, Behar 3, ¶7Likkutei Torah, Behar 3, ¶23Likkutei Torah, Masei 8, ¶9Torah Ohr, Mishpatim 6, ¶3
Where it appears
In 13 paragraphs of 8 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.