Ratzon (רצון) — Will

Core definition

Ratzon is the faculty of will — in the soul, "the nefesh's turning and drawing": the nefesh itself drawn to the thing it sees and wants. Though will is called a "power," it is not like the other powers: the middos are "powers pertaining to another," coming "in separation from the nefesh," uniting with it but "not in literal union"; whereas ratzon is the nefesh itself in motion — "the splendor spreading from the nefesh's light and life" [15966/maamar_023 :: עב׳ 63–64]. Seichel (intellect), too, unites literally with the nefesh ("nefesh hamaskeles"), but only ratzon is the nefesh's own turning [15966/maamar_023 :: עב׳ 63–74].

Above, ratzon is the root of everything. The Ohr Ein Sof's Malchus-aspect — in its generality — "is the ratzon aspect of 'I shall rule'" (ana emloch) [31668/maamar_001 :: עב׳ 88]. The world's creation itself was "in inner ratzon" — the great circle before the kav, "the world on its fullness was created," the Ohr Ein Sof's surrounding revelation, which is ratzon [15966/maamar_024 :: Summary].

How the Rebbeim develop it

Will and intellect. Ratzon clothes itself in seichel: "from the ratzon's hislabshus in the seichel — this hislabshus effecting that the seichel finds a seichel's svara" — the intellect produces reasons for the will. Yet "also after the reason and svara found in the seichel — the ratzon remaining in its self essence: that it wants." The intellect clarifies and explains, but "the ratzon remaining in its former essence: that it is ratzon" — will is never grasped or exhausted by its reasons [15966/maamar_023 :: עב׳ 82–91]. The world's error is to think the neshamah is seichel; in truth seichel is only a power "found in the nefesh, not the nefesh's essence," while ratzon is the nefesh's light itself spreading outward [15966/maamar_023 :: עב׳ 63–64].

The two levels of "I shall rule." Within the ratzon of "ana emloch" — Malchus of Ein Sof — there are two aspects: "the first is as it comes in revealed ratzon; and this ratzon too is in the aspect of Ohr Ein Sof before the tzimtzum" — a light-aspect that already has connection to the worlds; "the second aspect and level... is this ratzon as it is in concealment within His essence, not yet having come in revealed ratzon" [31670/maamar_001 :: עמוד ו]. Before the tzimtzum the worlds can receive nothing and no loftiness applies, yet within the Ohr Ein Sof itself there is already the ratzon-to-kingship [31668/maamar_001 :: Section summary — siman 1].

The three levels of the kingship-ratzon. The Rosh Hashanah maamar unfolds the earthly parable of crowning: "there are three levels in the kingship-ratzon — first: the revealed ratzon; second: the ratzon aroused through the crowning's bitul; and third: the absolute ratzon in His essence's essence." The absolute ratzon is the prior decision in the king's soul to be a king — decided but concealed, "not called a king yet." When the people crown him, their bitul arouses him "in ratzon to rule" — he is already called a king, though not yet ruling. When he sits on the throne and conducts the country — the revealed ratzon — he is "a ruling king" [31668/maamar_001 :: עב׳ 210–233; Page summary — printed page 2]. From this parable is understood the supernal "I shall rule": the concealed absolute will in the Essence, the aroused will of the coronation, and the revealed will of rule [31668/maamar_001 :: עב׳ 235–237].

Rosh Hashanah and the renewal of will. On Rosh Hashanah "the innerness of the ohr and chayus of the aspect of Malchus — i.e., the aspect of the ratzon (will) for kingship — ascends and departs," then is drawn anew: the day's renewal is "the ratzon to kingship, which draws vitality to the whole year" — the Malchus ascends into Malchus of Ein Sof, into His very essence, the "melech yachid" of the prayers [31670/maamar_001 :: עמוד ו; 31668/maamar_001 :: Page summary — printed page 1]. True kingship over a nation requires relation to worlds, which exists only after the tzimtzum — the pre-tzimtzum exaltedness is too removed to be "a king over a nation"; our avodah — "say before Me malchiyos" — arouses the ratzon [31670/maamar_001 :: Summary (p. 6); 31668/maamar_001 :: Page summary — printed page 1].

Key distinctions

Ratzon vs. middos. The middos are powers that pertain to another — they come in separation from the nefesh; ratzon is the nefesh itself drawn to what it sees [15966/maamar_023 :: עב׳ 63–64].

Ratzon vs. seichel. Seichel unites with the nefesh literally, yet ratzon remains "in its former essence: that it is ratzon" — reasons clarify the will but never replace or grasp it [15966/maamar_023 :: עב׳ 86–91].

Revealed vs. concealed ratzon. The revealed ratzon — even pre-tzimtzum — is a light with connection to worlds; the ratzon in concealment in His essence has no connection at all — the absolute, decided will [31670/maamar_001 :: עמוד ו; 31668/maamar_001 :: Section summary — siman 1].

Ratzon in Tohu vs. Tikun. Ratzon is the light of the great circle before the kav — Tohu's abundance. Tohu is ratzu (running) without shov; Tikun's ratzon reaches the shov — "the requested: the shov" — deveikus whose purpose is life [15966/maamar_024 :: Summary].

Related concepts

Sources