Glossary · Torah Ohr · Likkutei Torah
Their beginning is wedged in their end
נעוץ תחלתן בסופן
Their beginning is wedged in their end (na’utz techilasan besofan)
Sefer Yetzirah’s principle that the highest is bound to the lowest: what is higher in essence vests itself in what is lower, so Keser shines in Malchus and the highest light in physical deed.
Where it’s explained
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 2, ¶24Whatever is higher in essence is enclothed specifically in what is lowest, because the end of the deed rose first in thought. So a concept too deep for words can still be conveyed by a physical gesture or hint (“a hint suffices for the wise”).
שכל דבר שהוא גבוה ומרומם יותר בעצם יתלבש דוקא בדבר היותר נמוך
- Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 9, ¶3Because the beginning is wedged in the end, the light of Keser shines in Malchus more than in all the Ten Sefiros, giving it the power to bring Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah into being from nothing. So the mitzvos, “the King’s commands” in Malchus, are rooted in Keser: the 620 “pillars of light” join roof and floor.
והנה לפי שנעוץ תחלתן בסופן דוקא ע״כ הארת הכתר מאיר במל׳ יותר מבכל הע״ס
- Likkutei Torah, Reeh 7, ¶17The beginning is chiefly revealed in the end, not in the higher places: after the first creation from nothing, the whole chain of levels is something from something, and the power to make something from nothing shows only in this lowest physical earth, which makes things grow.
והיינו ענין נעוץ תחלתן בסופן כי עיקר גילוי תחלתן הוא בסופן דייקא
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 2, ¶9Teshuvah from the depths of the heart has the power to draw the thirteen attributes of mercy that wipe away sin: rising from below, the end is wedged in the beginning, and through that the drawing from above, the beginning wedged in the end. The revelation of “Anochi” is in this world of deed, “today.”
שע״י התשובה שממטה למעלה הרי נעוץ סופן בתחלתן ועי״ז נמשך בחי׳ מלמעלה למטה הוא בחי׳ נעוץ תחלתן בסופן
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 4, ¶9The human soul, the “speaking” level and the highest of all (the yud of Havayah and its tip), is enclothed specifically in the inanimate and not in the vegetative, which is far from the speaking level: it vests itself in the lower hei, the source of the inanimate.
אלא בבחינת ה׳ תתאה שהוא מקור בחינת דומם הוא מתלבש כי נעוץ תחלתן בסופן דוקא
Stated differently
Whether the mitzvos of deed (“the end of the deed was first in thought”) are “their end wedged in their beginning” or “their beginning wedged in their end”
ובחי׳ המצות הם סופן בתחלתן כי סוף מעשה במחשבה תחלהThe mitzvos are “their end in their beginning,” for the end of the deed was first in thought; in this respect deed is greater, while in the respect of “their beginning in their end” Torah study is greater.
והיינו משום דנעוץ סופן בתחלתן וע״י קיום המעשה יכולים להמשיך ממקור התענוגיםThe 620 mitzvos are pillars of light joining above and below because their end is wedged in their beginning; by the deed one draws from the source of delights, which is not revealed in Chochmah.
והטעם הוא משום דסוף מעשה עלה במחשבה תחלה וכמאמר נעוץ תחלתן בסופןThe highest is drawn through deed because the end of the deed rose first in thought, as in “their beginning is wedged in their end.”
והכח הזה במצות מעשיות דוקא כי נעוץ תחלתן בסופןThe power to draw sovev kol almin, which is not enclothed in vessels, is in the mitzvos of deed specifically, for their beginning is wedged in their end.
Discussed by
The Rebbe · Sefer HaMaamarim Melukat vol. 5, p. ריב
The Rebbe holds that deed bears both directions (its root in pleasure, pleasure shown in it), and sets ‘the end of the deed’, the result a person’s act brings about, above both.
וענין סוף מעשה במחשבה תחלה הוא למעלה מענין נעוץ תחלתן בסופן וסופן בתחלתן
Whether the Torah is “their beginning wedged in their end” or “their end wedged in their beginning”
ולזה נמשלה התורה למים שיורדין ממקום גבוה למקום נמוך וזהו נעוץ תחלתן בסופןThe Torah is likened to water that descends from a high place to a low one; this is “their beginning is wedged in their end” (while the mitzvos are “their end in their beginning”).
כמו כן התורה נעוץ סופן בתחלתן סוף מעשה במחשבה תחילהThe Torah, poured from vessel to vessel down into physical matters and more fragrant the lower it comes, is “their end wedged in their beginning, the end of the deed first in thought”; through it the souls in Gan Eden rise.
Further in Chassidus
The Tzemach Tzedek · Derech Mitzvosecha (section Maamarei HaTzemach Tzedek, Biur Veshavsah), p. קעא
The Tzemach Tzedek states it as a general rule of everything emanated, with no true head or end because their source, Or Ein Sof, has none; this explains why the one sifted can stand higher than the one sifting (eishes chayil ateres ba’alah) and why vessels are rooted above lights.לפי שכלל גדול הוא בכל מה שהאציל ית׳ שנעוץ תחלתן בסופן וסופן בתחלתן פי׳ מבלי שימצא ראש וסוף בנאצלים
The Rebbe · Sefer HaMaamarim Melukat vol. 5, p. ריב
The Rebbe applies the principle to the soul’s powers: deed, the last power, is rooted in pleasure, the first, and pleasure is revealed only in deed; and he places ‘the end of the deed was first in thought’ higher still.ונעוץ סופן בתחלתן ותחלתן בסופן, דשורש המעשה הוא בהתענוג, שהוא התחילה, סיבת הרצון ושאר הכחות. וכן נעוץ תחלתן בסופן, שגילוי התענוג הוא בהמעשה דוקא
Short quotes, © their publishers; each page opened by a second AI reader.
Main sources
Likkutei Torah, Shelach 2, ¶24Likkutei Torah, Shelach 2, ¶25Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 9, ¶3Likkutei Torah, Reeh 7, ¶17Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 31, ¶2Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 2, ¶9Torah Ohr, Bereishis 1, ¶8Torah Ohr, Shemos 3, ¶7
Where it appears
In 102 paragraphs of 76 maamarim.
- Likkutei Torah, Bechukosai 6 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Eikev 2 ¶29
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 1 ¶2 ¶17
- Likkutei Torah, Pinchas 1 ¶8 ¶9 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 7 ¶17 ¶46
- Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 1 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 4 ¶1
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 22 ¶28
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini 2 ¶16
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 7 ¶33 ¶38
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 4 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 5 ¶16 ¶17 ¶18 ¶20
- Likkutei Torah, Yom Kippur 2 ¶8 ¶10
- Torah Ohr, Vayakhel 2 ¶1
- Torah Ohr, Vayechi 1 ¶12
- Torah Ohr, Vayeitzei 1 ¶16
- Torah Ohr, Vayeitzei 2 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Korach 1 ¶32
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 3 ¶21
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 5 ¶25
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 9 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, V’Zos HaBerachah 2 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, V’Zos HaBerachah 6 ¶15
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 1 ¶8
- Torah Ohr, Shemos 3 ¶7 ¶8 ¶9 ¶10 ¶13 ¶16
- Torah Ohr, Terumah 1 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 8 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Haazinu 3 ¶39
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 1 ¶12 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 3 ¶5
- Torah Ohr, Vayechi 2 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 6 ¶13 ¶26
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 2 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 7 ¶15 ¶16 ¶25
- Likkutei Torah, Sukkos 1 ¶15
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 3 ¶27
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 16 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 17 ¶4 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 32 ¶44
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 34 ¶5
- Torah Ohr, Chayei Sarah 2 ¶14
- Torah Ohr, Shemos 8 ¶7
- Torah Ohr, Vayeitzei 3 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 2 ¶12 ¶27
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 3 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 3 ¶20
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 6 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 31 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 9 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 2 ¶24 ¶25 ¶26
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 11 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 2 ¶5 ¶14
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 4 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 19 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Pinchas 4 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 14 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 3 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 13 ¶20
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 6 ¶33
- Likkutei Torah, Vayikra 5 ¶23
- Torah Ohr, Va’eira 5 ¶36
- Torah Ohr, Vayishlach 6 ¶14
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 8 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Pekudei 2 ¶20
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 5 ¶21 ¶23
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 4 ¶6
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 10 ¶18
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 12 ¶14 ¶28
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 13 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 14 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 1 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 2 ¶30
- Torah Ohr, Noach 2 ¶5 ¶7
- Torah Ohr, Va’eira 4 ¶25
- Torah Ohr, Mishpatim 6 ¶9
- Torah Ohr, Vayigash 3 ¶6
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.