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Mayin nukvin and mayin duchrin

מיין נוקבין ומיין דוכרין (מ״ן ומ״ד)

The “feminine waters” and the “masculine waters” (mayin nukvin and mayin duchrin)

Mayin nukvin (“feminine waters”): the sparks and longing raised from below through prayer and mitzvos. Mayin duchrin (“masculine waters”): the flow from above, from Chochmah, that answers and refines them.

Where it’s explained

  1. Likkutei Torah, Chukas 9, ¶2Citing Etz Chaim: the mayin nukvin of Nukva are the sparks of the world of Tohu sunk in the kelipos, which our prayer and mitzvos refine, take out and raise. Their root is Chochmah (and Keser) of Tohu, higher at its root than Chochmah and Binah of Tikkun; this is the “well of living waters.”שהמ״ן דנוק׳ הוא מהזמ״ל דתוהו מה שנטבע בקליפות ולא נתברר עדיין וע״י תפלתנו וע״י המצות מבררין ומוציאין משם הניצוצים ומעלים אותן בבחי׳ מ״ן
  2. Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 8, ¶19Explains why the supernal union is described as the union of male and female: the female too gives seed (“the woman seeds first”), and the child comes mainly from it, though it can take form only through the male’s seed. Above, the mayin duchrin are Chochmah Ila’ah with Or Ein Sof in it; the mayin nukvin are the sparks refined when a person prays with love and awe by the strength of food he ate, and through the wool of tzitzis and the parchment of tefillin.והנה למעלה ביחוד העליון הוא ג״כ בחינת מ״ן ומ״ד עם היות שבחינת המ״ד הוא המשכת חכמה עילאה שבתוכה מלובש אור א״ס ב״ה
  3. Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 2, ¶23The raised sparks, though already included in Malchus, need a second refinement by the mayin duchrin of Z’eir Anpin, and this is the union of Z’eir Anpin and Nukva. The first refinement gives only bittul hayesh; only the light of the Name Mah of Atzilus brings them to true bittul in G‑dliness.שהמ״ן אע״פ שכבר נכלל בבחי׳ מל׳ עדיין הוא צריך בירור שני ע״י המ״ד
  4. Likkutei Torah, Nasso 6, ¶4The completion of the refinement comes only when the mayin duchrin are drawn onto the mayin nukvin (“one into one”). In the service of G‑d, raising mayin nukvin in prayer with self-sacrifice is the yearning for G‑dliness to be revealed; drawing mayin duchrin is the actual revelation.העלאת מ״ן בתפלה במס״נ הוא ענין התשוקה שיהיה גילוי אלקות
  5. Likkutei Torah, Chukas 9, ¶8The souls are formed from mayin nukvin and mayin duchrin, mainly from the mayin nukvin, which are holy souls sunk in the kelipos; they must first be refined a second time by the mayin duchrin (Mah, “through Chochmah they were refined”), yet the soul’s essence is from the mayin nukvin, rooted in Tohu above Tikkun.שהוא מבחי׳ חכמה וכתר דתהו שלמעלה מחכמה וכתר דתיקון שהוא בחי׳ המ״ד

Stated differently

How high the raising of mayin nukvin reaches, and from where it can draw mayin duchrin

Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 10, ¶6שאין העלאת מ״ן של התחתונים מגיע רק עד המל׳

The raising of mayin nukvin by those below reaches only Malchus; the drawing-down from above, of the Or Ein Sof that is far higher, comes of itself.

Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 27, ¶5איך יכול העלאת מ״ן לעורר משם מ״ד רק ההמשכה משם הוא בא מעצמו

The arousal from below reaches only Chochmah, the start of hishtalshelus; raising mayin nukvin cannot arouse mayin duchrin from Keser, which is beyond it; that drawing comes of itself, though only after everything below is complete.

Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 29, ¶5ונעשה מהם העלאת מ״ן למעלה להמשיך עי״ז מ״ד מבחי׳ מזלות דא״א

Through refining the body and keeping the mitzvos, the raising of mayin nukvin draws mayin duchrin from the mazalos of Arich Anpin.

Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 3, ¶2שממשיכים גילוי שם הוי׳ למטה דהיינו מלמעלה מהשתלשלות והיינו על ידי אתעדל״ת בירורי רפ״ח ניצוצין בתפלה שהוא בחי׳ העלאת מ״ן

Raising mayin nukvin, refining the 288 sparks in prayer and through the deed of the mitzvos, draws the revelation of the Name Havayah from above hishtalshelus, and mayin duchrin from their root in Chochmah Stima’ah; yet the union of mayin nukvin and mayin duchrin itself is only in Atzilus, and above it the union is by “gazing” alone.

Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 17, ¶19זהו העלאת מ״ן לעורר ולהמשיך ג״כ מבחינת כתר עליון דאור ישר אור חדש מהמאציל א״ס ב״ה

The raising of mayin nukvin of “with all your might” (bechol me’odecha), which is Keser of the returning light, arouses and draws even from Keser Elyon of the direct light, a new light from the Emanator.

Discussed by

  • The Tzemach Tzedek · Or HaTorah, Devarim vol. 5 (Haazinu), p. ב׳קמג

    Says the raising of mayin nukvin reaches only the two mazalos (the root of the refinements), not the encompassing light above them, which nonetheless comes to rest of itself after the refinements.

    שהם המ״ן ומ״ד שאינם שייכים רק בבחי׳ הא״פ אבל באו״מ אין שייך בחי׳ בירורים כלל לכן אין מגיע לשם ההעלאת מ״ן

Whether keeping the mitzvos is a raising of mayin nukvin or a drawing of mayin duchrin

Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 29, ¶5והמצות הן העלאת מ״ן בחיצוניות

Prayer (love, awe and bittul) is the inner raising of mayin nukvin; the mitzvos, deeds that refine the body, are the outer raising of mayin nukvin.

Likkutei Torah, Nasso 6, ¶4אמנם המשכת מ״ד הוא מה שנמשך בחי׳ זה הגילוי והיינו ע״י תורה ומצות

Raising mayin nukvin is prayer with self-sacrifice, the yearning for revelation; the drawing of mayin duchrin, the revelation itself, comes through Torah and mitzvos.

Discussed by

  • The Tzemach Tzedek · Or HaTorah, Bamidbar vol. 3 (Chukas-Balak), p. תתנג

    Weighs both sides: the mitzvos raise mayin nukvin outwardly (prayer inwardly), yet their special merit is the drawing of Or Ein Sof, and each of the two has both aspects.

    ואע״ג שבאמת הרי בתומ״צ יש ג״כ העלאת מ״ן וכן בתפלה ודאי יש ג״כ המשכת מ״ד

  • The Tzemach Tzedek · Or HaTorah, Bamidbar vol. 6 (Masei), p. א׳תתקע

    Divides a single mitzvah into three stages (the blessing as arousal from above, the deed as raising mayin nukvin, ‘ve-tzivanu’ as the drawing of mayin duchrin).

    והעשייה של המצוה זהו העלאת רפ״ח ניצוצי׳ בבחי׳ מ״ן, ועי״ז נמשך מ״ד מלמעלה ע״י המצוה ונעשה יחוד זו״ג

Further in Chassidus

  1. The Tzemach Tzedek · Maamarei Admur HaTzemach Tzedek, Hanachos 5614-5615, p. ד

    Explains the order (first the raising, then the drawing) and uses it to reconcile why Malchus is sometimes called the refiner of the 288 sparks and sometimes Chochmah.דהנה יש שני בחי׳ מ״ן ומ״ד, בתחלה העלאת מ״ן ואח״כ המשכת המ״ד וכמ״כ יובן למעלה שבתחילה העלאת מ״ן בלילה

  2. The Tzemach Tzedek · Sefer HaLikkutim, letter Beis (entry Be’er), p. יד

    Explains why the drawing is called ‘masculine’ (it flows from above to below), and ties the pair to Torah Ohr Beshalach on masculine letters of Torah and feminine letters of prayer.שבחי׳ מים דוכרין זהו ההמשכה הבא מלמעלה ממל׳ דא״ס הנק׳ כח אדני שבחי׳ המשכה זו נקרא בשם מים דוכרין לפי שנמשכים מלמעלה למטה

  3. The Rebbe · Maamarim, Hagahos veHaaros Ketzaros al Sefer HaTanya (Likkutei Amarim ch. 10), p. פד

    The Rebbe’s short definition: mayin nukvin is the arousal of the recipient toward the giver, mayin duchrin the giver’s answering flow, citing Torah Ohr, end of the maamar Vayakhel.אתדל״ת מהמקבל אל המשפיע, ועי״ז נמשך אתדל״ע מהמשפיע - נקרא מיין נוקבין (אתדל״ת מהמקבל, נוקבא) ומיין דוכרין (אתדל״ע מהמשפיע, דכר)

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

Main sources

Likkutei Torah, Chukas 9, ¶2Likkutei Torah, Chukas 9, ¶8Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 8, ¶19Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 29, ¶5Likkutei Torah, Nasso 6, ¶4Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 2, ¶23Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 10, ¶6Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 3, ¶2

Where it appears

In 285 paragraphs of 131 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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