Glossary · Torah Ohr · Likkutei Torah
Or chozer
אור חוזר
Returning light (or chozer) · also: אור ישר ואור חוזר
Light that rises from below upward, set off by a barrier or concealment at the end of a descent, as against the direct light that descends; in it the lowest is highest, Malchus becomes Keser.
Where it’s explained
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 9, ¶3Sefer HaBahir says there are ten Sefiros from above to below and from below to above; the Etz Chaim calls them the ten of direct light (or yashar) and the ten of returning light, and in the ten of returning light Malchus is Keser.
שהם בחי׳ ע״ס דאור ישר וע״ס דאור חוזר ושבע״ס דאור חוזר המל׳ היא הכתר
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 17, ¶13The parsa that divides at the end of Atzilus makes the lights break through and rise as returning light, so that Keser, Chochmah and Binah come to be below. In a person this is “with all your might” (bechol me’odecha), a love without limit, of the level of Ein Sof.
והיינו ע״י הפרסא המפסקת בסיום האצילות בוקעים האורות ועולים בבחינת אור חוזר ונעשה כח״ב למטה
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 1, ¶8In direct light whatever is higher is superior; in returning light whatever is lower is superior. This is “their beginning is wedged in their end”: the foot is called head, and Israel, the “feet,” are called “first” (reishis).
אור ישר נקרא מלמעלה למטה כל מה שלמעלה הוא העליון ואור חוזר ממטה למעלה כל מה שלמטה הוא העליון
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 6, ¶6Havayah draws down from above; Malchus, the Name Elokim, contracts and conceals the light so that it spreads no further, and from that concealment the returning light arises and climbs higher than the source of the spreading light, as a mirror’s backing makes light return. So too the soul’s descent into the concealing body is for the sake of rising again.
ומחמת צמצום והעלם זה נעשה אור חוזר שהוא חוזר ועולה למעלה מעלה יותר מכפי ערך כח מקור ההארה המתפשטת
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 12, ¶24In the soul: the G‑dly soul’s love before it entered the body was limited, like a wick; refining the animal soul, from kelipas nogah, turns its “oil” into the light of ahavah rabbah “with all your might” (teshuvah with greater strength). This love is called returning light, and through it the Or Ein Sof is then drawn down from above.
לכן נק׳ אה״ר זו בשם או״ח שהוא אור הנמשך מהבירור דק״נ
Stated differently
In the time of exile, whether the way up is the returning light born of concealment, or whether the main service now is drawing G‑dliness down
שישים אל לבו איך שההסתר הוא כדי להיות בחינת אור חוזר שנמשך דוקא מחמת ההסתר כו׳ שבחינת אור חוזר הוא תוקף האהבה יותר מבבחי׳ קומי לךIn exile Knesses Yisrael cannot rise to her root by “arise, go” (kumi lach); the counsel is to take to heart that the concealment is there to bring about returning light, which comes only from concealment and is a stronger love, as baalei teshuvah stand where the perfectly righteous cannot; through it the drawing down by the Torah then comes from a higher level.
ועכשיו בזה״ג שעדיין לא נתברר כל בחי׳ ק״נ עיקר העבודה היא דוקא בהמשכות אלקות ולכן השוב צ״ל יותר מהרצואEvery raising of mayin nukvin is through the gevuros of returning light (as a baal teshuvah’s cry), while Avraham draws down in direct light; now, in exile, with kelipas nogah not yet fully refined, the main service is drawing G‑dliness down, so the return (shov) must exceed the running (ratzo).
Discussed by
The Rebbe · Toras Menachem 5724 vol. 2, p. 442
The Rebbe explains that the usual order is or yashar first and then the rise of or chozer, but in exile the service starts in darkness, with or chozer, and rises from it to or yashar.
ואילו אצל ר׳ זירא היתה העלי׳ מתלמוד בבלי (אור חוזר, עבודת בעלי תשובה) לתלמוד ירושלמי (אור ישר, עבודת הצדיקים), כי, ר׳ זירא הי׳ בזמן הגלות
Further in Chassidus
The Mitteler Rebbe · Biurei HaZohar (the Mitteler Rebbe), p. 302
The Mitteler Rebbe defines or chozer as the reverse of or yashar: the bounded rises world by world to be included in the unbounded, growing wider and closer to Or Ein Sof the further it rises, where or yashar shrinks as it descends.אבל הנה בחינת אור חוזר הוא בהיפוך מבחינת אור ישר זה, והענין הוא שבחינת שפע אלקות הנמצא ממנו מציאות בעל גבול הוא בחינת אור חוזר …
The Tzemach Tzedek · Or HaTorah, Shir HaShirim vol. 1, p. עז
Citing Torah Ohr, the Tzemach Tzedek explains that or chozer is produced by the very barrier that blocks the light, like a mirror’s silver backing, and applies it to the ‘bechol me’odecha’ that rises out of concealment.ומזה יבא לבחי׳ אור חוזר דבכל מאדך כמו המראה והשפיגל שדוקא מחמת הציפוי המעכב את הראי׳ נעשה אור חוזר
The Rebbe · Likkutei Sichos vol. 7, p. 200
The Rebbe sets or yashar (the tzaddikim drawing down) against or chozer (the ba’alei teshuvah rising from below): or yashar is higher in revelation, but only or chozer reaches the Essence, and in the future both will be joined.אין דעם ענין פון גילויים איז אור ישר העכער, אָבער לאידך גיסא, איז פאַראַן די מעלה פון אור חוזר אַז דוקא דורך דעם נעמט מען …
Short quotes, © their publishers; each page opened by a second AI reader.
Main sources
Likkutei Torah, Chukas 9, ¶3Likkutei Torah, Chukas 9, ¶5Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 17, ¶13Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 17, ¶16Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 5, ¶15Torah Ohr, Bereishis 1, ¶8Torah Ohr, Bereishis 6, ¶6Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 12, ¶24
Where it appears
In 60 paragraphs of 33 maamarim.
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 9 ¶3 ¶5 ¶13 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 16 ¶16
- Torah Ohr, Mishpatim 4 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Acharei 4 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 7 ¶22 ¶23 ¶24 ¶25 ¶47
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 12 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 1 ¶11
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 1 ¶8
- Torah Ohr, Beshalach 8 ¶36
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 17 ¶13 ¶15 ¶16 ¶19 ¶20 ¶23 ¶24
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 4 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 2 ¶12 ¶13 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 6 ¶26
- Likkutei Torah, V’Zos HaBerachah 3 ¶30
- Torah Ohr, Toldos 5 ¶9
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 6 ¶5 ¶6 ¶7 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 39 ¶9
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 12 ¶19 ¶24
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 4 ¶14 ¶15 ¶16 ¶18 ¶19 ¶27 ¶29
- Likkutei Torah, Beshalach 1 ¶45
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 13 ¶20
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 6 ¶23
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 8 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 15 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 14 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini 2 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 5 ¶14 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 1 ¶6 ¶7
- Torah Ohr, Vayeira 1 ¶26
- Torah Ohr, Vayeira 2 ¶18
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 21 ¶21
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 8 ¶14
- Torah Ohr, Vayakhel 1 ¶54
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.