Glossary · Torah Ohr · Likkutei Torah
Yichuda tata’ah
יחודא תתאה
The lower unity (yichuda tata’ah)
The unity seen from below: through the Name Elokim the world exists as a “something” (yesh), and that yesh bows before G‑d (bittul hayesh). It receives from the higher unity, which through it rests below.
Where it’s explained
- Likkutei Torah, Reeh 5, ¶1The lower unity is through the Name Elokim, which separates to make a yesh so that the yesh be nullified; its bittul is that of creatures who exist and bow (“Modim,” bittul hayesh), unlike the higher unity’s “You alone are Havayah.” Only when there is the lower unity does the higher rest and become revealed below (“one into one”).
והב׳ ביטול יחו״ת אתה עשית את השמים שמי השמים וצבא השמים לך משתחוים
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 18, ¶6“Baruch Shem” is the lower unity: once Malchus has brought about a physical yesh from nothing, that yesh must be nullified and included in the Or Ein Sof, by turning the eyes from evil and doing good beyond one’s nature. It is the “left arm,” gevuros, while the higher unity is the right; together the two hands lift up to the supernal Kodesh.
יהיה בבחינת ביטול היש שיהא היש בטל ונכלל גם כן באור א״ס ב״ה
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 3, ¶7“A G‑d of knowledges (de’os)”: the two unities are two views. The higher, from above to below, sees all as nothing before Him and the true yesh above; the lower is the reverse, yesh from nothing, where what is below is the yesh.
ויחו״ת הוא בהפך היינו יש מאין שלמטה היש
- Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 5, ¶12Malchus, the source of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, is the lower unity, while Da’as is the higher. The higher is drawn into the lower as truth into faith (emunah): Yehoshua, the face of the moon, receives from Moshe, the sun, through Hod (acknowledgment).
ומל׳ היא יחו״ת מקור דבי״ע שיהי׳ יש מאין שלמטה היש
- Likkutei Torah, Shabbos Shuvah 1, ¶1In the soul, the lower unity is “Yaakov”: a person still at war with himself, subduing and transforming the other side, in whom Elokim and contraction prevail, yet who draws in the yud of Chochmah (Havayah interleaved in Elokim and Adnus). “Yisrael” is when Havayah has prevailed over Elokim.
שאז מדת אלקים וצמצום להיות עלמא דפרודא היא הגוברת בו והיא עיקרית בנפש האדם אלא שממשיך בחינת יו״ד
Stated differently
Where the mitzvos stand: in the lower unity (with Torah study in the higher), as what draws the higher unity down, or beyond the unities altogether
כ״ז הוא בחינת יחודא תתאה במעשה המצות להמשיך רצון העליון בבחינת מספרDoing the mitzvos, drawing the supernal will in a “numbered” way, is the lower unity; Torah study, beyond number, is the higher unity.
להיות ביטול ויחוד אמיתי בבחי׳ יחודא עילאה ביטול במציאות ממש ונעשה ונמשך בחי׳ זו ע״י המשכת המצות לבחי׳ ארץThe true unity of the higher unity, nullification of existence itself, is brought about and drawn down through the mitzvos drawing into “the land.”
בשכמל״ו יחודא תתאה וזהו הכל בחי׳ יחוד היינו כשנמשך למטה והיו לאחדים משא״כ מעשה המצותThe unities of the Shema (Abba and Imma, Z’eir Anpin and Nukva, and “Baruch Shem” as the lower unity) are unity as it is drawn down; the deed of the mitzvos is different, drawing from Anochi, which is Keser.
Whether the yesh of the lower unity is only how the world appears, or itself one of two G‑dly views
דמותנו הוא בחי׳ יחו״ת שהוא בחי׳ דמות ומראה שנדמה ונראה לנו ארץ ושמים וכל הברואים בבחי׳ יש ודבר“Our likeness” is the lower unity: a likeness and appearance in which heaven, earth and creatures seem to us a yesh; in truth “I, Havayah, have not changed,” all is truly as nothing before Him, and the world only appears to the eyes of flesh as a thing of its own.
ושתיהם הם כחות אלהות יחודא תתאה בשם אלקים המצמצם ומפריד להיות עלמא דפרודא“A G‑d of knowledges”: the higher unity (from above, all is as nothing) and the lower (from below, yesh from nothing) are both G‑dly powers; the lower is the Name Elokim, which contracts and separates to make a world of separateness, so that the yesh be nullified.
Discussed by
The Rebbe · Sefer HaMaamarim (bilti muga) 5711–5712, p. שלח
The Rebbe raises both sides: within the lower knowledge the yesh is not ultimately true, yet the lower knowledge is itself true because memalei is G‑dliness, like the Torah given within hishtalshelus, though not true in the way the higher knowledge is.
שבדעת תחתון הן האין והן היש אינם באמת. והנה, עם היות שגם דעת תחתון הוא אמת, והיינו לפי שגם אור הממלא הוא אלקות
Whether memale kol almin is the lower unity, into which sovev flows, or, as the revelation of sovev, belongs to the higher unity
בחי׳ יחו״ע ביחו״ת להיות השפעה מבחי׳ סוכ״ע לבחי׳ ממכ״עAll of Torah and mitzvos are the higher unity within the lower: a flow from sovev kol almin to memale kol almin.
ההמשכה מבחינת שמים יחו״ע סוכ״ע בארץ יחו״תEarth is the lower unity, receiving through the covenant (bris) from heaven, the higher unity, sovev kol almin.
והוי׳ אחד הוא כשבא לגילוי בבחי׳ ממכ״ע והיינו בחי׳ יחו״ע כי בשכמל״ו הוא בחי׳ יחו״ת“Havayah echad,” when sovev comes to revelation as memale kol almin, is the higher unity; “Baruch Shem” is the lower unity.
Further in Chassidus
The Tzemach Tzedek · Or HaTorah, Bereishis vol. 7, p. תתתכט, א
The Tzemach Tzedek ties the lower unity of Baruch Shem to the lower knowledge drawn down through Yesod, which knows creation as something from nothing, a yesh that is nullified, as against the higher knowledge before which all is as nothing.והיסוד ממשיך דעת תחתון המתפשט במדות וע״כ נק׳ דך כי דעת זה הוא הדעת בבחי׳ מאין ליש וזהו יחודא תתאה שהוא יש ובטל
The Rebbe · Sefer HaMaamarim (bilti muga) 5715, p. כב
The Rebbe defines the service of the lower unity as coming from the lower knowledge, recognizing G‑dliness as it is clothed in the worlds, while the higher unity comes from knowing G‑dliness that transcends them.שהוא ההכרה בהאלקות המתלבש בהעולמות, איך שהוא ממלא כל עלמין וסובב כל עלמין, כולל גם בחי׳ הסובב כמו שנמשך בממלא, נעשית העבודה דיחודא תתאה
The Rebbe · Sefer HaMaamarim (bilti muga) 5722, p. רמד
The Rebbe links the lower unity to the lower Havayah (‘bringing into being’) and states that it exists only through the higher unity, whose light in it is now hidden, until the two are joined in the future.והגם שישנה המשכת יחו״ע ביחו״ת, וכידוע שהקיום דיחודא תתאה הוא ע״י יחו״ע דוקא, אבל מ״מ פסיק טעמא בינייהו, שהארת יחו״ע הוא בהעלם
Short quotes, © their publishers; each page opened by a second AI reader.
Main sources
Likkutei Torah, Reeh 5, ¶1Likkutei Torah, Reeh 4, ¶15Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 18, ¶6Likkutei Torah, Eikev 2, ¶9Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 5, ¶12Likkutei Torah, Shabbos Shuvah 1, ¶1Torah Ohr, Yisro 3, ¶7Torah Ohr, Tetzaveh 1, ¶19
Where it appears
In 92 paragraphs of 57 maamarim.
- Likkutei Torah, Eikev 2 ¶7 ¶9 ¶13 ¶18 ¶19 ¶21 ¶29
- Likkutei Torah, Pinchas 1 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Pinchas 3 ¶22 ¶24
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 5 ¶1 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Shabbos Shuvah 3 ¶22 ¶28
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 18 ¶5 ¶6 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 22 ¶16 ¶23 ¶27
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 4 ¶9
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 6 ¶13 ¶22
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 8 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 3 ¶2 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 6 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 11 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 1 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Vayikra 2 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 6 ¶6 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 7 ¶36
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 5 ¶25
- Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 2 ¶25 ¶27
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 1 ¶28
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 2 ¶17 ¶31
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 7 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 6 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Eikev 3 ¶10 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Emor 1 ¶39
- Likkutei Torah, Emor 2 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Haazinu 3 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 2 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 3 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 5 ¶18
- Likkutei Torah, Pekudei 1 ¶55
- Likkutei Torah, Pekudei 2 ¶33
- Likkutei Torah, Pinchas 4 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 4 ¶15 ¶16 ¶17
- Likkutei Torah, Shabbos Shuvah 1 ¶1 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Shabbos Shuvah 2 ¶2 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 8 ¶6 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 1 ¶2 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 21 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 23 ¶24
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 5 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 5 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 12 ¶3 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Vayikra 5 ¶52
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 8 ¶27 ¶28
- Torah Ohr, Shemos 1 ¶29
- Torah Ohr, Tetzaveh 1 ¶19 ¶20
- Torah Ohr, Toldos 2 ¶10 ¶11 ¶31
- Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 1 ¶22
- Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 3 ¶3
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 2 ¶16 ¶17 ¶18 ¶24 ¶25
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 3 ¶7 ¶8
- Torah Ohr, Noach 3 ¶22
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 4 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Savo 3 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 12 ¶17
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 14 ¶14
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.