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Ahavah rabbah

אהבה רבה

Great love (ahavah rabbah)

Great love: a love above reason and without limit, for G‑d Himself and not His radiance alone; higher than ahavas olam, the love bounded by intellect. Aharon the Kohen Gadol draws it into Israel.

The word Ahavah Rabbah is also the name of the blessing before the morning Shema (“With great love You have loved us”); where the text speaks of that blessing or quotes it, it means the prayer, not this level of love.

Where it’s explained

  1. Likkutei Torah, Tazria 3, ¶2When Knesses Yisrael “sows first” and the arousal from above follows, a “male” love is born: “Whom have I in heaven… and with You I desire nothing,” not even what is with You, the delight of the souls in Gan Eden, which is only radiance. It wants to be nullified in the Or Ein Sof itself, like a candle in a torch. It is called male, a strong daas that chooses the essential.האהבה רבה היא ליבטל וליכלל באור א״ס ב״ה ממש ולאשתאבא בגופא דמלכא שלמעלה מעלה מבחי׳ זיו והארה
  2. Likkutei Torah, Eikev 3, ¶3There are two loves: one below the contemplating intellect and therefore limited by it, and ahavah rabbah, without limit. It comes from above in response to the arousal from below, and is called “silver” (kesef) from “you longed” (nichsof nichsafta).הא׳ היא אהבה שלמטה מן השכל המתבונן כו׳ ולכן היא בגבול וקצבה לפי ערך השכל והב׳ היא בחי׳ אהבה רבה בלי גבול בחי׳ מאד
  3. Likkutei Torah, Yom Kippur 3, ¶18The Kohen Gadol in a person’s service is ahavah rabbah: a kohen is Chesed, love, and the Kohen Gadol is “abundant in kindness” (rav chesed). Aharon’s love is above the natural love that comes from “kindness to Avraham”; it is the inwardness of the heart.כי כהן זהו בחי׳ חסד שהוא אהבה אבל כהן גדול היינו אהבה רבה שהוא בחי׳ ורב חסד
  4. Torah Ohr, Vayechi 5, ¶6Ahavas olam comes through a cause in the world and has a counterpart on the other side, so after prayer one can turn to worldly matters. Ahavah rabbah blazes on its own, from the spark of G‑dliness itself, and has no counterpart. Above, it corresponds to the Name Mah, G‑dliness in essence, as ahavas olam corresponds to Ban.משא״כ בחי׳ אה״ר להיותה מניצוץ אלקות עצמו אין שם זלעו״ז
  5. Torah Ohr, Vayigash 2, ¶4The hidden love in every Jewish soul, when it comes out into revelation, is called ahavah rabbah and is far above ahavas olam, the love from contemplation. It is the “first light” stored away for the righteous (Yosef), taken from “abundant in kindness,” above intellect.אבל אור קדמאה הוא בחי׳ אה״ר שלמעלה מהשכל ונלקחה מבחי׳ ורב חסד

Stated differently

What the love longs for: to be nullified and absorbed above in the Or Ein Sof, or that the Or Ein Sof be revealed below

Likkutei Torah, Tazria 3, ¶2האהבה רבה היא ליבטל וליכלל באור א״ס ב״ה ממש ולאשתאבא בגופא דמלכא

Ahavah rabbah is the wish to be nullified and included in the Or Ein Sof itself, absorbed in the body of the King.

Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 2, ¶6שאהבה רבה הוא אהבה ותשוקה נפלאה. שיתגלה אור א״ס ב״ה למטה

Ahavah rabbah, which Aharon kindled in Knesses Yisrael, is a wondrous love and longing that the Or Ein Sof be revealed below.

Which clause of “You shall love” it is: “with all your might” or “with all your heart”

Likkutei Torah, Sukkos 3, ¶4ובכל מאדך היא בחי׳ אהבה העולה על כולנה שהיא בחי׳ אהבה רבה במאד

“With all your might” is the love above all others, ahavah rabbah without measure, which even the souls of the righteous cannot grasp; it is reached by baalei teshuvah.

Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 10, ¶13נדרים סייג לפרישות מביא לידי קדושה הוא בחי׳ אה״ר בכל לבבך

Separation leads to holiness, which is ahavah rabbah, “with all your heart”; through setting one’s will aside one then comes to “with all your might,” a great love that no vessel can hold.

Likkutei Torah, Matos 3, ¶7שהוא טרדת אה״ר זו עד שאין לו שום רצון אחר כלל) וזהו בכל לבבך

The love of a wife for her husband, like flashes of fire, with no other desire at all, is “with all your heart”; this ahavah rabbah is drawn through the Torah.

Whether ahavah rabbah is drawn through the Torah or through the mitzvos

Likkutei Torah, Matos 3, ¶7ואהבה רבה זו הוא נמשך ע״י התורה

This ahavah rabbah is drawn through the Torah, the “wine of the Torah,” given in fire.

Likkutei Torah, Balak 1, ¶28שע״י המצות נמשך בחי׳ גילוי רצון העליון בנפש ובחי׳ אהבה רבה

Through the mitzvos the revelation of the Supernal Will and ahavah rabbah are drawn into the soul. The revealed ahavah rabbah has two aspects: one drawn through the mitzvos, and love in delights, rooted in the inner Supernal Will and higher than ahavah rabbah, drawn through the Torah.

Discussed by

  • The Rebbe Maharash · Toras Shmuel, 5632 vol. 2, p. תקכה

    In a gloss the Rebbe Maharash sets side by side the teaching that the mitzvos draw ahavah rabbah into the soul (‘holy garments for Aharon’) and the one that it comes through the Torah (‘an ignoramus cannot be pious’), and notes that mitzvos bring ratzo and shov.

    ובמ״א נת׳ שע״י המצות נמשך גלוי אה״ר זו בנפש, וזהו ועשית בגדי קדש לאהרן כו׳, ובד״ה האזינו השמים הראשון פי׳ שזהו ע״י התורה

Whether it comes through contemplation or only as a gift from above, beyond reason and contemplation

Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 2, ¶9שאה״ר זו דאהרן באה ג״כ ע״י אותה ההתבוננות עצמה רק כאשר ישים מרירות בנפשו על החשך המסתיר

Aharon’s ahavah rabbah comes through the same contemplation, when one also sets bitterness in his soul over the darkness that conceals.

Likkutei Torah, Vayikra 3, ¶12פנימית נקודת הלב היא בחי׳ אהבה רבה שלמעלה מהטעם והדעת המושג ובאה מלמעלה בבחינת מתנה

The inner point of the heart is ahavah rabbah, above reason and grasped knowledge, coming from above as a gift (the Name Mah); the outer heart is the love taken from daas and contemplation (Ban).

Discussed by

  • The Tzemach Tzedek · Or HaTorah, Devarim vol. 5, p. ב׳צג

    The Tzemach Tzedek holds that ahavah rabbah is above contemplation and comes from above, yet only after the arousal from below of ahavas olam, which contemplation produces.

    שהיא באה מלמעלה כי אחר אתעדל״ת באהבת עולם נעשה אתעדל״ע באהבה רבה זאת והוא בחי׳ אור מקיף

Who has it: present in every Jewish soul, or attained only by baalei teshuvah, beyond even the souls of the righteous

Torah Ohr, Toldos 3, ¶24ובחי׳ אה״ר זו ישנה ג״כ בכל א׳

The middos above intellect, called ahavah rabbah, are in every soul; below they are revealed in the middos of the heart.

Likkutei Torah, Sukkos 3, ¶4אך הזוכה לאהבה רבה הזאת הם בעלי תשובה

Ahavah rabbah “with all your might” is not grasped even by the souls of the righteous, for the soul is a created vessel; those who merit it are baalei teshuvah.

Discussed by

  • The Rebbe · Sefer HaMaamarim (bilti muga) 5726, p. קפד

    The Rebbe ties this love to baalei teshuvah, since the righteous love within vessels, and on the next page (קפה) says that leaving one’s limits (‘going out of Egypt’) brings it to everyone by his level, down to the lowest.

    שהאהבה דבכל מאדך, למעלה ממדידה והגבלה, שייכת לבעלי תשובה דוקא, לפי שאצלם ישנו הענין דיתרון האור מן החושך

Further in Chassidus

  1. The Tzemach Tzedek · Or HaTorah, Devarim vol. 5, p. ב׳צג

    The Tzemach Tzedek pairs the two loves with memalei and sovev: ahavas olam is born of contemplating the worlds’ nullity, while ahavah rabbah is above contemplation and limit, a makif, as the mitzvos (garments) are above the Torah (food).ואמנם בחי׳ אהבה רבה היינו אהבה שלמעלה מבחי׳ ההתבוננות כי הוא אהבה שלמעלה מן הטעם והדעת, והוא ואהבת בכל מאדך בלי גבול

  2. The Rebbe Rashab · Sefer HaMaamarim 5668, p. שב

    In a Yiddish talk the Rebbe Rashab places ahavah rabbah in the bond between the soul’s essence and G‑d’s essence, which is why every Jew has it, while ahavas olam, Avraham’s level, belongs to those who serve, and adds that this love often fails to reach conduct.װאָרום די מדרי׳ פון אהבה רבה איז מצד התקשרות עצם הנשמה אין עצמות א״ס ב״ה

  3. The Rebbe · Sefer HaMaamarim (bilti muga) 5723, p. פג

    The Rebbe contrasts the two loves: ahavas olam only softens the evil ‘like wax before fire’, while ahavah rabbah, present in every Jew as a hidden love, is the goal of service.אהבת עולם היא האהבה שבאה ע״י ההתבוננות בגדולתו ית׳ בבריאת העולם. ואהבה רבה היא האהבה שלמעלה מטעם ודעת בלי שום התבוננות

Short quotes, © their publishers; each page opened by a second AI reader.

Sefer HaErchim Chabad

אך אהבה רבה היא, האהבה מה שרוצה ליבטל וליכלל בעצמות אוא״ס ב״ה שלמעלה מבחי׳ זיו והארה

But ahavah rabbah is the love that wants to be nullified and included in the essence of the Or Ein Sof, which is above radiance and glow. (our translation)

Sefer HaErchim Chabad, vol. א, entry אהבת ה׳ — זוטא ורבה, col. תקיב · © Kehot Publication Society, quoted

Main sources

Likkutei Torah, Tazria 3, ¶2Likkutei Torah, Eikev 3, ¶3Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 2, ¶6Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 2, ¶9Likkutei Torah, Sukkos 3, ¶4Torah Ohr, Vayigash 2, ¶4Torah Ohr, Vayechi 5, ¶6Torah Ohr, Toldos 3, ¶24

Where it appears

In 201 paragraphs of 98 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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