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Chitzoniyus

חיצוניות

The outer dimension (chitzoniyus)

The outer dimension of a level: the part that goes out to give to others, as against pnimiyus, which cleaves to the source. Only the outer descends, becoming the inner of the level below.

The word The word also means simply “outer” or “outside” (חצר החיצונה, the outer court). As a term it names the outer of a pair and is always relative to a pnimiyus of the same level. Do not confuse it with החיצונים, “the outer ones,” a name for the kelipos (as in יניקת החיצונים).

Where it’s explained

  1. Likkutei Torah, Shelach 6, ¶4The outer dimension of anything is its flow outward to another: the life the soul gives the body, the leave one angel gives the next. The whole chain of descent runs through the outer: the outer of the higher becomes the inner of the lower, while the inner of the higher does not descend.וחיצונית הוא בחינת השפעת שפעו לחוץ
  2. Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 31, ¶1Each Sefirah has an outer: in Chochmah, the light of the idea as clothed in thought and speech; in the middos, the feeling as clothed in words that explain it to another. From Chochmah only its outer is drawn down into Binah and the rest of hishtalshelus.ויש בה חיצוניות והוא הארת השכל במלובש במו״ד
  3. Likkutei Torah, Sukkos 4, ¶4G‑d’s outer dimension, the outer of His Malchus, brings all creatures from nothing into being and gives them life. In this, the next paragraph explains, nothing separates or hides Him; sin conceals only the inner dimension.חיצוניות הוא שמהווה כל הנבראים מאין ליש ומחיה את כולם שהוא מבחי׳ חיצוניות מלכותו ית׳
  4. Torah Ohr, Lech Lecha 4, ¶2The soul’s powers of nourishing, digesting and expelling are its outer powers; they spread out in sleep, when the intellect withdraws. So above: at night the inner light of Malchus to Gan Eden withdraws and only its outer flow goes to Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah.וכח הזן והמעכל והדוחה וכה״ג הם כחות חיצוניות ותחתוניות שבנפש
  5. Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 4, ¶49The shepherds (like Moshe) are from the inner and give from the inner; the princes (like Eliyahu) are from the outer, but the outer of a higher world. They are like the leaves of a precious tree, which rank above common fruit though they have no taste.אמנם בזאת יתרון מעלת נס״א שנשמתם הם מבחי׳ עולם העליון יותר מנשמות הרועים אלא שהם מבחי׳ חיצוניות של העליון

Stated differently

Whether sovev and the makifim belong to the outer dimension or to the inner

Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 29, ¶6לפי שבחי׳ החיצוניות שרשו מבחי׳ המקיפים

Raising mayin nukvin of the outer, by deeds, draws from the makifim, the mazalos of Arich Anpin, because the outer is rooted in the makifim; raising of the inner, in prayer, draws from the or pnimi, lower in rank but revealed within the vessel.

Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 2, ¶8וא״ש מ״ש שבחיצוניות הכתר הוא גלוי אוא״ס הסוכ״ע משא״כ במו״ס שהוא בחי׳ פנימיות הכתר אין בו גלוי בחי׳ סוכ״ע

Or Ein Sof as sovev is revealed in the outer of Keser, the root of the mitzvos, and not in Mocha Stima’ah, its inner, the root of the Torah.

Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 4, ¶8שהוא נקרא פניך דהיינו שהוא בחי׳ פנימית אלקותו ית׳ דהיינו בחי׳ סובב

The higher will, called “Your face,” is the inner of His G‑dliness, which is sovev; every shofar reveals this inner dimension.

Discussed by

  • The Tzemach Tzedek · Or HaTorah, Vayikra vol. 2, p. תריט

    The Tzemach Tzedek places the encompassing light in the outer side of the vessels, explaining that the outer’s root is higher than the inner, while adding that the inner light is what shines in revelation.

    וכן הוא ג״כ בחי׳ חיצוניות הכלים ששרשן גבוהים מפנימי׳ הכלים שהאו״פ מאיר בפנימי׳ והאו״מ מאיר מבחוץ בחיצוניות הכלים

Whether the angels come from the outer dimension

Torah Ohr, Bereishis 3, ¶19כנודע שהמלאכים הם מחיצוניות העולמות והנשמות הן מבחי׳ פנימיות

In every world the angels are from the outer of the worlds and the souls from the inner.

Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 31, ¶2ושרש נשמות מלאכי׳ הוא מבחי׳ חיצוניות

The angels, born of a spiritual union in the order of hishtalshelus, are from the outer of Chochmah only; therefore they cannot beget, while the souls, from its inner, can.

Torah Ohr, Vayakhel 2, ¶3וכך יש מלאכים מבחי׳ פנימיות מיכאל וגבריאל אש ומים שהם מדות שבלב

As the intellect clothed in the middos of the heart is a more inward revelation than in the hands, which are the outer of the middos, so there are angels from the inner: Michael and Gavriel, fire and water, the middos of the heart.

Discussed by

  • The Rebbe · Toras Menachem, Hisvaaduyos 5721 vol. 3, p. 46

    The Rebbe gives both versions of the angels’ root side by side: from the vessels as against souls from the lights, or from the outer of the vessels as against souls from the inner of the vessels.

    שהמלאכים שרשם מהכלים והנשמות שרשם מהאורות, או ששרש המלאכים מחיצוניות הכלים, ושרש הנשמות מפנימיות הכלים

Whether Gulgalta, the outer of Keser, is above Mocha Stima’ah, its inner

Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 19, ¶12אע״ג דגלגלתא גבוה ממו״ס שהרי הוא בחינת כתר דאריך

Gulgalta is higher than Mocha Stima’ah, being the Keser of Arich Anpin; because it is outer it can descend and be revealed below without a garment. The higher a level, the lower it can descend, through its outer.

Likkutei Torah, Shelach 17, ¶1אבל מו״ס שהיא פנימית הכתר היא למעלה לגמרי מבחי׳ גלגלתא שהיא חיצוניות שלו

Mocha Stima’ah, the inner of Keser, holds the delight that is Ein Sof itself and is entirely above Gulgalta, its outer, the will. It cites the explanation on Yavi’u Levush Malchus, that Gulgalta is the higher, and holds there is no contradiction: Etz Chaim has both accounts, and within Gulgalta is a very hidden brain, the inner of Keser within Keser, of which Gulgalta is the outer.

Discussed by

  • The Tzemach Tzedek · Or HaTorah, Megillas Esther, p. צז

    The Tzemach Tzedek argues that Gulgalta, though outer, is the outer of a level above Mocha Stima’ah, raises the Alter Rebbe’s derushim that put the inner of Keser above the ten sefiros, and reconciles them from Etz Chaim.

    ואע״פ שבכמה דרושים מרבינו נ״ע מבואר דפנימית הכתר הוא למעלה מהע״ס וחיצונית הכתר הוא בכלל ע״ס

Further in Chassidus

  1. The Tzemach Tzedek · Or HaTorah, Megillas Esther, p. צז

    The Tzemach Tzedek states the rule that the outer dimension can descend and be revealed further than the inner, so the outer of a very high level reaches lower than the inner of a lesser one.והענין כי ידוע בע״ח הכלל שבחי׳ החיצוניות יוכל לירד ולהתגלות יותר מבחי׳ הפנימית

  2. The Tzemach Tzedek · Or HaTorah, Vayikra vol. 3, p. תתיט (page unconfirmed)

    Opening the Alter Rebbe’s derush of Vayishlach 5562, the Tzemach Tzedek grades giving into inner, outer, and outer-of-outer, with examples from the body (hair as mere surplus, a thrown stone as the outer of one’s strength).שיש כמה מיני חלוקים דההשפעות יש השפעה מבחי׳ פנימית ויש השפעה מבחי׳ חיצוניות ויש מבחי׳ חיצוניות דחיצוניות

  3. The Rebbe · Sefer HaMaamarim (bilti muga) 5716, p. קסו

    The Rebbe shows that outer and inner are relative, each power outer to the one above it, and explains why thought, speech and action are outer: they are garments one can put on and take off, unlike intellect and emotion.וטעם הדבר לפי שמחדומ״ע הם לבושים בלבד, כלבוש תחליפם, שיכול לפושטם וללובשם

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

Main sources

Likkutei Torah, Shelach 6, ¶4Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 31, ¶1Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 31, ¶2Likkutei Torah, Sukkos 4, ¶4Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 4, ¶5Torah Ohr, Lech Lecha 4, ¶2Torah Ohr, Vaeira 5, ¶17Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 4, ¶49

Where it appears

In 328 paragraphs of 165 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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