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Yetzirah

יצירה

The World of Yetzirah (Formation)

The world of formation, between Beriah and Asiyah: like speech, it reveals what was hidden in Beriah (something from something, not new creation); the middos of Atzilus shine there; the world of the angels.

The word יצירה also means forming in general (the forming of an embryo, יצירת הולד; Sefer Yetzirah), and is used relatively: within Atzilus, Z”A is “Yetzirah of Atzilus” (Balak 2:29). The world is meant in עולם היצירה, דיצירה, ביצירה and the abbreviation בי״ע.

Where it’s explained

  1. Likkutei Torah, Haazinu 2, ¶11Of thought, speech and action, speech is Yetzirah: like form, which only reveals the matter and is not new at its root; thought, Beriah, is something from nothing.ודבור הוא בחי׳ יצירה כמו הצורה שהיא גילוי החומר בלבד ולא חידוש מעיקרו
  2. Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 13, ¶9“I formed it” is the world of the angels, who are speech (“by the word of G‑d the heavens were made”); speech is not something from nothing but something from something: what was hidden in thought is revealed, as matter and form. The souls, which rose in thought, are Beriah.יצרתיו הוא עולם המלאכים שהמה בחי׳ יצירה כי המה בחינת דיבור
  3. Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 33, ¶7The six (middos) of Atzilus dwell in Yetzirah and can come down and be clothed, so the receiver grasps kindness as it is, though limited; therefore Yetzirah is called “light” (“Who forms light”) while Beriah is “darkness.”יצירה ששם מקננין ו״ק דאצילות שהם מדותיו יתברך יכולין לירד ולהתלבש
  4. Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 5, ¶19Beriah is called the hidden worlds and Yetzirah the revealed world, as thought and speech; so Yetzirah is called “lower waters” relative to Beriah.בריאה נק׳ עלמין סתימין ויצירה הוא עלמא דאתגלייא כמשל המחשבה והדבור
  5. Torah Ohr, Lech Lecha 4, ¶5On weekdays the Land of Israel is governed through Yetzirah and other lands through Asiyah; the partition between the ten Sefiros of Yetzirah and of Asiyah divides holy from holy. On Shabbos the light of Atzilus shines through Beriah alone, without the partitions between Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah.שבא״י ההנהגה ע״י יצירה ובח״ל ע״י עשייה

Stated differently

Where Gan Eden HaTachton is: in (Malchus of) Yetzirah, or in Asiyah (“the beginning of Asiyah”)

Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 9, ¶1שג״ע התחתון הוא במל׳ דיצירה וג״ע העליון הוא במל׳ דבריאה וכמ״ש האריז״ל

Gan Eden is Malchus: the lower Gan Eden is in Malchus of Yetzirah and the upper in Malchus of Beriah, as the Arizal wrote.

Torah Ohr, Beshalach 6, ¶6ואף ג״ע העליון שבבריאה וג״ע התחתון שביצירה הכל הוא בבחי׳ גבול

Even the upper Gan Eden in Beriah and the lower Gan Eden in Yetzirah are limited, unlike Atzilus.

Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 36, ¶2כי הארץ הלזו הגשמי׳ הוא בחי׳ מל׳ דעשיה וג״ע תחתון היא מל׳ דיצירה וג״ע עליון מל׳ דבריאה

This physical earth is Malchus of Asiyah, the lower Gan Eden Malchus of Yetzirah, the upper Gan Eden Malchus of Beriah.

Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 5, ¶4בראתיו בחינת המחשבה ג״ע העליון. יצרתיו בחי׳ הדיבור וג״ע התחתון. אף עשיתיו הוא עולם המעשה העוה״ז הגשמי

“I created it” is thought, the upper Gan Eden; “I formed it” is speech and the lower Gan Eden; “I also made it” is the world of action, this physical world. Beriah is thought, Yetzirah speech.

Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 4, ¶2אפי׳ רק בג״ע התחתון שהוא בעשייה ה״ז כענין האצילות שנמשך ומתלבש בפנימית העשייה

The radiance of the soul’s Torah and service, drawn from Atzilus, shines even in the lower Gan Eden, which is in Asiyah, like Atzilus clothed in the inwardness of Asiyah; the upper Gan Eden is from Beriah.

Likkutei Torah, Chukas 8, ¶3בג״ע העליון בעולם הבריאה וג״ע התחתון שבעולם העשיה

The mitzvos draw Or Ein Sof into the souls’ grasp and delight in the upper Gan Eden, in the world of Beriah, and the lower Gan Eden, in the world of Asiyah.

Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 3, ¶5וג״ע התחתון הוא הממוצע בין עולמות הרוחניים ובין עוה״ז ולכן נקרא תחלת מעשיך היינו תחלת עולם העשייה

The lower Gan Eden is the intermediary between the spiritual worlds and this world, so it is called “the beginning of Your works,” the beginning of the world of Asiyah.

Likkutei Torah, Chukas 9, ¶3שמל׳ דבריאה נעשית עתיק ומקור הנובע ליצי׳ ומל׳ דיצי׳ עתיק ומקור שממנו נובע המעין לעשי׳ לג״ע התחתון

The spring that waters the upper Gan Eden flows on: Malchus of Beriah becomes Atik and source for Yetzirah, and Malchus of Yetzirah the Atik and source from which the spring flows to Asiyah, to the lower Gan Eden.

Discussed by

  • The Tzemach Tzedek · Or HaTorah, Shir HaShirim vol. 2, p. תשעט

    Glossing a maamar that places the two Gardens of Eden in ‘Beriah and Yetzirah’, the Tzemach Tzedek brings Rabbi Chaim Vital (via the Mikdash Melech) that they are in Beriah and Asiyah, and Likkutei Torah’s ‘the beginning of Your works’, and suggests the text should read ‘Beriah and Asiyah’.

    ומ״ש שג״ע התחתון הוא בעשיה, כן מבואר בלקו״ת בד״ה ביום השמע״צ כנישין בפי׳ זה היום תחלת מעשיך

Whether the ofanim are in Yetzirah or in Asiyah

Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 5, ¶19אבל החיות והאופנים שהם ביצירה ואין משיגים האור

The seraphim, in Beriah, grasp the light and say “Holy”; the chayos and ofanim, in Yetzirah, do not grasp it and rise with a great noise.

Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 5, ¶14והאופנים מיצירה. יוצר אור משפיעים למטה ואומרים ברוך כבוד

The seraphim are from Beriah (“creates darkness”) and say “Holy”; the ofanim are from Yetzirah (“forms light”), give influence downward and say “Blessed”; all this is named from below upward.

Likkutei Torah, Haazinu 3, ¶41וכמ״ש האריז״ל שהאופנים הם בעשייה

The ofanim are in Asiyah, as the Arizal wrote; yet through their great noise they reach above the seraphim, since Malchus dwells in Asiyah.

Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 27, ¶2והנה בבריאה הם שרפים וביצירה חיות ובעשיי׳ אופנים

In Beriah are the seraphim, in Yetzirah the chayos, in Asiyah the ofanim.

Whether the chayos are in Yetzirah or in Beriah

Likkutei Torah, Haazinu 3, ¶43אבל האופנים שהם בעשייה ואפילו החיות שהם ביצירה

The ofanim in Asiyah, and even the chayos in Yetzirah, receive from Beriah only something from something.

Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 5, ¶19מזיעתן של חיות שהם בבריא׳ ומשם יורד ליצירה ועשיה

The river of fire comes from the sweat of the chayos, who are in Beriah, and descends from there to Yetzirah and Asiyah.

Which Sefiros are in Yetzirah: Z”A, the six middos of Atzilus, or Chesed, Gevurah and Tiferes (with Netzach, Hod and Yesod in Asiyah)

Likkutei Torah, Yom Kippur 3, ¶7בינה מקננא בכורסייא שהיא הבריאה וז״א ביצי׳ ומל׳ בעשי׳

Binah dwells in Beriah, Z”A in Yetzirah, Malchus in Asiyah.

Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 29, ¶16חב״ד מתגלים בבריאה ושם בחי׳ שרפים וחג״ת ביצירה וזהו בחי׳ חיות ונה״י בעשייה

As head, body and legs: Chochmah, Binah and Daas in Beriah, Chesed, Gevurah and Tiferes in Yetzirah (the chayos), Netzach, Hod and Yesod in Asiyah.

Further in Chassidus

  1. The Tzemach Tzedek · Or HaTorah, Vayikra vol. 2, p. תרצב

    The Tzemach Tzedek explains why the light is more hidden in Yetzirah than in Beriah: Beriah sees itself come into being from nothing, while Yetzirah is something from something; only the six middos dwell there, so the chayos and ofanim do not grasp what the seraphim grasp.וע״כ הוא בטל לגבי האין מאחר שרואה שמתהווה יש מאין משא״כ יצירה הוא יש מיש מהבריאה ע״כ שם מוסתר האור יותר מאד

  2. The Rebbe Rashab · Sefer HaMaamarim, Yom Tov shel Rosh Hashanah 5666, p. פה

    On ‘beraASIV yetzarTIV’, the Rebbe Rashab defines yetzirah as bringing out what is already there, like shaping a form in metal, and compares the step from Beriah to Yetzirah to that from thought to speech and from Chochmah to Binah.ויצירה הוא מהעלם אל הגילוי לבד, וכמו שמציירין צורה בגולם חומר מתכות וכה״ג, שאין כל חדש בציור זה

  3. The Rebbe · Sefer HaMaamarim (bilti muga) 5727, p. נב

    The Rebbe sets Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah against thought, speech and action, garments separate from the soul, and explains that Yetzirah, the world of the angels, is like speech, revealed to another, which is why it is called ‘light’ and the angels’ song is open.ועולם היצירה שהוא עולם המלאכים הוא בחי׳ הדיבור. ולכן כתיב יוצר אור ובורא חושך, שעולם היצירה נקרא בשם אור ועולם הבריאה נקרא בשם חושך

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

Main sources

Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 33, ¶7Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 13, ¶9Likkutei Torah, Haazinu 2, ¶11Likkutei Torah, Haazinu 3, ¶43Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 5, ¶19Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 5, ¶4Torah Ohr, Lech Lecha 4, ¶5

Where it appears

In 557 paragraphs of 203 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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