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Glossary · Torah Ohr · Likkutei Torah

Mochin

מוחין

The intellect (mochin) · also: מוחין דאבא, מוחין דאמא

The intellect, Chochmah, Binah and Daas, as the “brains” of a level; chiefly the light of Abba and Imma clothed in Z’eir Anpin, the middos, by which they grow.

The word מוחין (sing. מוח) is also the physical brain, which the texts use as the analogy (the three cavities of the skull, the hair drawing from the brain); “מותרי מוחין” are the brain’s surplus, the hairs.

Where it’s explained

  1. Torah Ohr, Tetzaveh 4, ¶2The Zohar’s three cavities of the skull are the three mochin, Chochmah, Binah and Daas; on each part of the physical brain rests the light of the intellect that belongs to it, and so above in Z’eir Anpin. Chochmah and Binah are in front and Daas behind, between them, binding inwardly what Chochmah and Binah have concluded.הנה תלת חללין דגלגלתא (הנזכר בזוהר ואתחנן דף רס״ב א׳) הן תלת מוחין חב״ד
  2. Likkutei Torah, Beshalach 1, ¶42In the order of the chain of worlds, the Netzach, Hod and Yesod of the higher become the mochin of the lower. The constant union of Abba and Imma keeps this order and only renews the old mochin; prayer, like the power of procreation, which is above that order, draws wholly new mochin.הנה בחי׳ נה״י שבעליון נעשים מוחין לתחתון כמו נה״י דאו״א מוחין לז״א ונה״י דז״א מוחין לנוק׳
  3. Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 25, ¶2Z’eir Anpin, the middos that conduct the worlds, has the mochin of Abba and Imma clothed in it, and they stay hidden there; even within the middos they shine only through the Netzach, Hod and Yesod of Abba and Imma, which are garments for them. What reaches Z’eir Anpin from them is only a radiance and a point.ובו מלובש המוחין דאו״א והמוחין המלובשים בו הוא בחינת עלמא דאתכסיא
  4. Likkutei Torah, Korach 2, ¶1The mochin of Abba are the grasp of bittul in Chochmah, a cool, higher awe, the awe of shame; the mochin of Imma are understanding of His greatness, from which fiery love is born. Prayer needs both: the ratzo of love from the mochin of Imma, then the shov from the mochin of Abba.מוחין דאבא הוא בחינת השגת הביטול בבחי׳ חכמה
  5. Torah Ohr, Vaeira 5, ¶8The Yesod of Imma ends at the chest of Z’eir Anpin: from the true Chochmah, Binah and Daas in the head come the mochin of the middos in the heart, the upper third of each middah. That upper third is itself a middah, called mochin only relative to the middos.שמחב״ד האמתיים שהן המוחין שבראש נמשך להיות מוחין ובחי׳ חב״ד למדות שבלב

Stated differently

Whether the “milk” that grows Z’eir Anpin is mochin of gadlus (maturity) or the mochin of yenikah (nursing), given while the middos are still in katnus; and whether it is the milk of Imma (Binah) or the mochin of Abba clothed in those of Imma

Likkutei Torah, Shelach 2, ¶20ושניהם הן בחי׳ מוחין דגדלות חלב הוא בחי׳ מוחין דגדלות דחסדים

Milk and honey are both mochin of gadlus: milk is the mature mochin of the chassadim, flowing from Binah to grow the limbs of Z’eir Anpin, and honey the mature mochin of the gevuros; mochin of katnus are the opposite, concealment and contraction.

Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 21, ¶8והנה ספה״ע הוא בחי׳ מוחין דיניקה ועד״מ החלב מגדל אברי הולד כך המדות הם בבחי׳ קטנות

The counting of the Omer is the mochin of yenikah: as milk grows a child’s limbs, the middos are still in katnus, as they were in Tohu, and the milk grows them.

Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 25, ¶11חלבי מוחין דאבא המלובשי׳ במוחין דאימא (כעין מ״ש במ״א בפי׳ מקרא קדש) והיינו מוחין ליניקה לגדל הולד

“My milk” is the mochin of Abba clothed in the mochin of Imma, mochin for nursing, which come after the stages of pregnancy and birth: the middos of Z’eir Anpin receive from Chochmah and Binah and grow into ten Sefiros.

Further in Chassidus

  1. The Tzemach Tzedek · Biurei HaZohar (Tzemach Tzedek) vol. 2, p. תתקצה

    The Tzemach Tzedek explains the mochin of Abba and Imma clothed in Z’eir Anpin through the stages of gestation, nursing and full mochin: nursing mochin, from Imma, only grow the middos, while mature mochin, chiefly from Abba, change the middos into intellect, as in iskafya versus is’hapcha.ובחי׳ יניקה היינו הגדלת המדות ע״י השכל כמש״ש גבי באל שדי כו׳, ועי׳ מזה בד״ה באתי לגני גבי שתיתי ייני עם חלבי

  2. The Tzemach Tzedek · Or HaTorah, Devarim vol. 1, p. כא

    Citing Basi LeGani on Torah study drawing mochin into Z’eir Anpin, the Tzemach Tzedek defines nursing and mature mochin, reads ‘milk and honey’ as the two, and notes that both shine only through the middos, unlike the mochin of Abba and Imma that shine on their own at Rosh Chodesh.אשר מוחין דיניקה הוא השכל של המדה ומוחין דגדלות הוא שממשיכים בהמדות מוחין עליונים יותר מה שאינו שייך כ״כ לטעם של המדה

  3. The Rebbe · Sefer HaMaamarim (bilti muga, new ed.) 5722, p. שח

    The Rebbe translates nursing and mature mochin into a person’s service (the mind ruling the heart versus transforming it, as with Avraham at the Akeidah) and ties them to the middos being included in Binah or in Chochmah.מוחין דיניקה היינו שהשכל פועל הגדלת המדות, שיהיו המדות ע״פ השכל, ובמילא יוכל לכוף טבע המדות

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

Main sources

Torah Ohr, Tetzaveh 4, ¶2Likkutei Torah, Beshalach 1, ¶42Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 25, ¶2Likkutei Torah, Korach 2, ¶1Likkutei Torah, Korach 2, ¶2Likkutei Torah, Tzav 6, ¶11Torah Ohr, Vaeira 5, ¶8Likkutei Torah, Shelach 2, ¶20

Where it appears

In 467 paragraphs of 186 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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