Glossary · Torah Ohr · Likkutei Torah
Ahavah mesuteres
אהבה מסותרת
The hidden love (ahavah mesuteres) · also: אהבה הטבעית
The natural love for G‑d hidden in every Jewish soul, a part of G‑d above; rooted above intellect, it is not made by contemplation, only brought into the open, and is ready for mesirus nefesh.
Where it’s explained
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 5, ¶14Contemplation of G‑d’s greatness does not create love from nothing; it causes the love already in a person’s nature, from above daas, to come into the heart. The soul, a part of G‑d above, by nature does not want to be parted from His unity and can give its life for His Name. This love is “black fire,” hidden and clothed in the animal soul, which cannot touch it; even in sinners it remains whole.
אלא ההתבוננות הוא הגורם להיות נמשך מבחינת אהבה המסותרת שישנה בטבע האדם מבחי׳ שלמעלה מן הדעת
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 26, ¶11“My sister” is the natural love hidden in the heart and G‑dly soul of Israel. It is natural because of the soul’s source, a part of G‑d above, like the love of brother and sister that comes from their birth. “Open for Me”: it must be opened and released from the prison of the body and the animal soul through the will of the heart.
אחותי היא האהבה הטבעית המסותרת בלב כ״י ובנפשם האלקי׳ שטבע זו היא מחמת מקור חוצבה ושרשה
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 6, ¶2The tip of the yud alludes to Keser, the hidden love in every Jewish heart. Because it is taken from a very high place, the Malchus of Ein Sof, beyond grasp, it is in every Jew, even one who cannot understand much with his mind; it reaches Ein Sof only by hint, through the will of the heart.
הנה קוצו של יו״ד רומז לכתר שהוא אהבה מסותרת שבלב כל ישראל
- Torah Ohr, Shemos 5, ¶4This love and mesirus nefesh is in every Jew in potential, but concealed. It is the “secret” in “wine enters, the secret comes out”: when the wine of the Torah, the keeping of Torah and mitzvos, enters the soul, the hidden love is revealed in the heart.
והנה אהבה ומס״נ זו יש בכל א׳ מישראל בכח אלא שהיא בבחי׳ העלם והסתר
- Torah Ohr, Vayigash 2, ¶7The hidden love coming into the open is like aftergrowth (sefichim) that the earth brings forth from what was already sown: not a new creation, as the love born of contemplation (ahavas olam) is, yet its root is higher.
הגם שאינו התהוות חדשה כמו האהבה הנולדה מההתבוננות עכ״ז שרשה גבוה יותר
Stated differently
Where the hidden love is rooted: in Chochmah Ila’ah, or in Keser and the Malchus of Ein Sof, above Chochmah
שאהבה המסותרת היא מבחי׳ ח״ע כמ״ש בבינונים פי״ח והתגלותה ע״י בינה התבוננותThe hidden love is from Chochmah Ila’ah (citing Tanya ch. 18) and is revealed through Binah, contemplation; “Who revealed this secret to My children” refers to it.
שהיא נלקחה ממקום גבוה מאד נעלה לכך הוא בכל ישראל שהוא ממל׳ דא״סIt is Keser, the tip of the yud, taken from the Malchus of Ein Sof, which is beyond grasp.
ולכן מתגלה בשבת בחי׳ אהבה מסותרת שהיא מבחי׳ זו למעלה מבחי׳ חכמה ובחי׳ טעמיםThe hidden love is a love and will above Chochmah and reasons, like the Supernal Will enclothed in the mitzvos; therefore it is revealed on Shabbos.
What brings the hidden love out into the open
ובכדי שתהיה בבחי׳ גילוי הלב לצאת מההעלם אל הגילוי הוא ע״י התבוננות באור א״ס ב״ה ממשIt comes out into the heart through contemplation of the Or Ein Sof itself, as in the order of the morning prayers.
וכדי להוציאה מההעלם אל הגלוי הוא ע״י בחינת יינה של תורה דוקאIt is brought out specifically through the wine of the Torah, the keeping of Torah and mitzvos.
כי יציאת האהבה מסותרת הנ״ל מהעלם לגילוי אינו אלא ע״י גילוי והמשכה מלמעלה למטה מקודם לכל נפשIt comes out only through a revelation drawn from above to every soul beforehand, like rain that brings out the growth hidden in the earth; this is the “embrace of the right hand” of Sukkos, revealed inwardly on Shemini Atzeres.
Discussed by
The Rebbe · Likkutei Sichos vol. 15, p. 404
Right after saying the hidden love surfaces as if by itself, the Rebbe adds from Torah Ohr (‘nichnas yayin yatza sod’) that its actual revelation comes through contemplation, the ‘wine of Torah’, and through learning pnimiyus haTorah.
אבער דער גילוי בפועל פון דער אהבה מסותרת איז ע״י התבוננות
Whether the natural hidden love is ahavah rabbah, or the outer love of the heart below ahavah rabbah
ואה״ר היא אהבה המסותרתAhavah rabbah is the hidden love; ahavas olam is the love taken from the worlds, through contemplating how He creates and gives them life.
כך צריך כל אחד בתפלתו לעורר את האהבה הטבעית בלבו שהוא בחינת חיצוניות שבלב בלבדIn prayer each person must arouse the natural love, the inheritance from Chesed of Avraham, which is only the outer heart (the outer altar); the inner altar, the inner heart, is ahavah rabbah.
מענין אה״ר דאהרן שהוא למעלה מבחי׳ אהבה הטבעית שמבחי׳ חסד לאברהםThe ahavah rabbah of Aharon, the Kohen Gadol, is above the natural love that comes from Chesed of Avraham.
Further in Chassidus
The Tzemach Tzedek · Or HaTorah, Shir HaShirim vol. 1, p. ק
The Tzemach Tzedek explains that contemplation does not create love from nothing; it draws out the hidden love already in the soul’s nature, above da’as, from a part of G‑d that by nature does not want to be separated and can give itself up for kiddush Hashem.אלא ההתבוננות הוא הגורם להיות נמשך מבחי׳ אהבה המסותרת שישנה בטבע האדם מבחי׳ שלמעלה מן הדעת
The Tzemach Tzedek · Or HaTorah, Shir HaShirim vol. 1, p. סה
Sets the hidden love against the love won by contemplation: coming from above, it is not called service and belongs only to the divine soul, while contemplated love also turns the animal soul; yet the hidden love has the advantage that it is never interrupted.אך אהבה מסותרת כיון שעיקרה מלמעלה אינה נק׳ עבודה ושייך רק לנה״א אבל פולחנא דרחימותא היינו האהבה שע״י ההתבוננות
The Rebbe · Likkutei Sichos vol. 15, p. 403
On Torah Ohr’s explanation of ‘Vayelaket Yosef’, the Rebbe compares contemplated love to grain that grows from new sowing and the hidden love to aftergrowth from an earlier sowing, planted in every Jew by Yosef and rooted above hishtalshelus.משא״כ דער גילוי פון די אהבה מסותרת איז בדוגמת הספיחים -- זי קומט ווי פון זיך אליין
Short quotes, © their publishers; each page opened by a second AI reader.
Sefer HaErchim Chabad
בכל אחד מישראל, מסותרת בלבו אהבה טבעית לה׳. ובה — ב׳ מדריגות כללים: א. אהבה טבעית, שלמעלה מטעם דשכל גלוי. (והיא האהבה דבחי׳ ”חי׳”, כדלהלן סעיף ג׳). ב. אהבה טבעית בלי שום טעם כלל, גם לא טעם כמוסIn every one of Israel a natural love for G‑d is hidden in his heart. It has two general levels: a natural love above the reason of revealed intellect (the love of the level of Chayah), and a natural love with no reason at all, not even a hidden one. (our translation)
Sefer HaErchim Chabad, vol. א, entry אהבת ה׳ — אהבה מסותרת, col. שמח · © Kehot Publication Society, quoted
Main sources
Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 5, ¶14Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 26, ¶11Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 6, ¶2Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 9, ¶2Torah Ohr, Shemos 5, ¶4Torah Ohr, Shemos 5, ¶7Torah Ohr, Vayigash 2, ¶7
Where it appears
In 92 paragraphs of 62 maamarim.
- Likkutei Torah, Bechukosai 1 ¶12 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 3 ¶16 ¶24
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 2 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 1 ¶7 ¶8 ¶11 ¶19
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 9 ¶1 ¶2 ¶3 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 22 ¶24
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 4 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Yom Kippur 2 ¶8
- Torah Ohr, Vayechi 4 ¶3 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Matos 1 ¶16
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 40 ¶1
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 1 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 16 ¶11 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 5 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 6 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 27 ¶1 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 36 ¶2 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 37 ¶2 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 1 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Yom Kippur 1 ¶3 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Vayikra 2 ¶15 ¶20
- Torah Ohr, Tetzaveh 2 ¶5 ¶23
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Savo 3 ¶1
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 5 ¶12 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 2 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 15 ¶17 ¶21
- Likkutei Torah, Behar 1 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 8 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 5 ¶14 ¶15 ¶21
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 26 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, V’Zos HaBerachah 4 ¶8 ¶11
- Torah Ohr, Mishpatim 5 ¶13 ¶23
- Torah Ohr, Parshas Zachor 1 ¶22
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 7 ¶2
- Torah Ohr, Vayigash 2 ¶3 ¶4 ¶7 ¶8
- Torah Ohr, Beshalach 4 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 20 ¶24 ¶26
- Likkutei Torah, Bechukosai 5 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 10 ¶4 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 15 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Vayikra 5 ¶4
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 8 ¶4
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 12 ¶21
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 3 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 23 ¶21
- Torah Ohr, Shemos 5 ¶4 ¶5 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Bechukosai 2 ¶34
- Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 7 ¶1
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 4 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 1 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 6 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Sukkos 1 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Yom Kippur 3 ¶18
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 10 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 3 ¶22
- Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 6 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 12 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 4 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Matos 3 ¶4
- Torah Ohr, Mishpatim 6 ¶2
- Torah Ohr, Va’eira 1 ¶6
- Torah Ohr, Vayechi 3 ¶6 ¶7
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.