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Z’eir Anpin

זעיר אנפין

Z’eir Anpin (the Small Countenance: the middos of Atzilus)

The partzuf of the six middos of Atzilus (Chesed to Yesod), born from Imma and filled out by the mochin of Abba and Imma; Nukva’s masculine partner, through which the light reaches her.

Where it’s explained

  1. Torah Ohr, Shemos 1, ¶40Z’eir Anpin is the six extremities (vav ketzavos) of Atzilus, Chesed through Yesod. Middos alone differ greatly from middos lit by intellect: when the mochin of Abba and Imma are clothed in it, it is called Yisrael, yet only Yisrael Zuta, intellect drawn into middos, as against Yisrael Sava, the intellect itself.הגם שז״א היינו ו״ק דאצי׳ חג״ת נה״י. אך כשהמוחין דאו״א נתלבשו בו נק׳ ישראל לי ראש
  2. Torah Ohr, Yisro 3, ¶3Z’eir Anpin grows in stages, gestation (ibbur), nursing (yenikah) and mochin: in gestation it is three within three, in nursing it grows to six extremities, each comprising six. Its 248 limbs are the root of the 248 positive mitzvos.ואח״כ בחי׳ יניקה הוא שמתגדל ז״א בבחי׳ ו״ק וכל א׳ כלול מששה מספר ל״ו
  3. Torah Ohr, Vaeira 5, ¶17The birth of the middos called Z’eir Anpin is their emerging from the womb of Imma into revelation. Only then does the building of the partzuf of Malchus, the Nukva, begin: her outer side from behind Z’eir Anpin, her inner side from its inner side.שהלידה הוא כשיוצא ז״א מבטן אימא לידי גלוי
  4. Likkutei Torah, Pekudei 2, ¶24In the first verse of the Shema the union is of Abba and Imma, in the bittul of Chochmah, where love is not yet felt; once the light is drawn into Z’eir Anpin, love applies. “And you shall love” is the six middos of Z’eir Anpin, the first of them love, and it is the union of Z’eir Anpin and Nukva.אלה ו׳ מדות דז״א וראשיתם האהבה כו׳ והוא יחוד זו״נ
  5. Torah Ohr, Terumah 3, ¶4Z’eir Anpin is the end point of the descent of Or Ein Sof, so that it may then shine to Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah through the Nukva, their source in Atzilus. The two cherubs are these two ends; the mochin of Abba and Imma reach the Nukva’s head through Z’eir Anpin, her husband, only in passing.שהז״א הוא תכלית ירידת אוא״ס מלמעלה למטה בכדי להאיר אח״כ לבי״ע ע״י הנוק׳

Stated differently

Whether Z’eir Anpin is itself the source of the worlds Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, or the end of the higher levels, with the Nukva as their source

Torah Ohr, Vayechi 5, ¶15וז״א הוא מקור לעלמין דבי״ע שלכך ז״א נק׳ עולם כמ״ש עולם חסד יבנה

Arich Anpin, Keser, is the lowest level of the Emanator, while Z’eir Anpin is the source of the worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah; for this reason Z’eir Anpin is called “world” (olam), as in “the world is built by kindness.”

Likkutei Torah, Emor 2, ¶27וזהו צמצום גדול יותר מהמשכת הכתר לז״א שאינו עדיין מקור דבי״ע ממש

Drawing Keser into the Nukva, Malchus of Atzilus, the source of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, is a greater contraction than drawing Keser into Z’eir Anpin, which is not yet actually the source of those worlds.

Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 41, ¶14כי ז״א הוא סוף עולמות הא״ס כמ״ש בענין הכרובים

Z’eir Anpin is the end of the worlds of Ein Sof, through which light is drawn from Arich and Atik up to Ein Sof, while the Nukva is the root of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, called “body”; a soul born of their union has both aspects.

Discussed by

  • The Tzemach Tzedek · Or HaTorah, Shemos vol. 4 (Mishpatim), p. א׳שט

    The Tzemach Tzedek calls Z’eir Anpin both the intermediary that brings the light down to the very lowest and the last of all the levels of the light, and adds that only through its contraction can it, as the groom, give to the Nukva, the world of speech.

    בחי׳ הממוצע להוריד אור א״ס למטה מטה ביותר הוא הנק׳ בחי׳ ז״א דאצי׳ כי נחשב לבחי׳ אחרונה סוף כל המדרגות באא״ס

  • The Rebbe · Sefer HaMaamarim (bilti muga) 5727, p. קעז

    The Rebbe calls Z’eir Anpin the end of the worlds of the Infinite and, in the same line, says the purpose of creating the worlds is carried out through it.

    וזהו שבחי׳ ז״א הוא סוף עולמות הא״ס, כי, תכלית ענין הבריאה (עולמות) הוא כדי שידעו כחותיו ופעולותיו, וענין זה נעשה ע״י ז״א

Further in Chassidus

  1. The Tzemach Tzedek · Or HaTorah, Shemos vol. 4 (Mishpatim), p. א׳שט

    The Tzemach Tzedek explains the name through the analogy of a map: the middos of Atzilus hold everything of the infinite light, but in a small, measured form that recipients can receive.וזהו ג״כ הטעם שנק׳ בשם זעיר אנפין כמו עד״מ ציור שאדם מצייר עיר גדולה מאד או ציור המפה

  2. The Tzemach Tzedek · Derech Mitzvosecha (Mitzvas Tefillin), p. 36 (page unconfirmed)

    On how Z’eir Anpin comes into being, the Tzemach Tzedek shows that the middos are born from and grow with the intellect, yet their first root is above intellect, in will and delight.כדי שיובן עד״מ למעלה במדותיו ית׳ הנק׳ זעיר אנפין, כי הנה לכאורה אנו רואים שחיות המדות הוא מהשכל שהשכל הוא המוליד אותם

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

    The Rebbe reads both words of the name: Anpin is the inward face, and Zeir means it comes in measure and limit, which is why revelation to a recipient begins with Z’eir Anpin and not with Arich or Chochmah and Binah.וזעיר אנפין היינו שענין הפנים והפנימיות הוא באופן של מדידה והגבלה, שלכן הרי זה באופן שיכול לבוא אצל המקבל בבחי׳ גילוי

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

Main sources

Torah Ohr, Shemos 1, ¶40Torah Ohr, Yisro 3, ¶3Torah Ohr, Vaeira 5, ¶17Likkutei Torah, Pekudei 2, ¶24Torah Ohr, Terumah 3, ¶4Likkutei Torah, Nasso 2, ¶29Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 41, ¶14

Where it appears

In 624 paragraphs of 183 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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