Binah from Hebrew בינה means “understanding”, is the sephira that is located at the first level below Keter, in front of Chokhmah and directly above Geburah, and to reach it four paths are indicated: from Keter, from Chokhmah, from Gevurah and Tiphereth.
According to the Bahir: “treasure of wisdom, carved by the Spirit of GOD. This teaches that GOD has engraved all the letters of the Torah, carving them with the Spirit, throwing its forms into them”.
Binah is the “intuitive understanding”, or “contemplation”. It is compared to a “palace of mirrors” that reflects Chokhmah’s pure point of light, wisdom, increasing and multiplying it in an infinite variety of ways. In this sense, it is called the “quarry”, because it is dug by the light of wisdom. It is the womb, which gives form to the Spirit of GOD. On the psychological level, Binah is the “elaborated wisdom”, also known as deductive reasoning. Is davar mitoch davar, that is, the understanding of an idea from another idea. While Chokhmah is the intellect that does not emanate from the rational process (it is inspired or taught), Binah is the rational process that is innate in the person who works to fully develop an idea.
Binah belongs to the left side of the tree, and therefore she is a female sephira as Bahir says: “Because you will call her mother’s understanding”. The classical Hebrew texts state that Binah yeterah natun l’nashim (“an extra measure of Binah has been given to women”).
- Attribute:
WISDOM – - Biblical characters associated:
• ADAM – - Associated body part:
LEFT BRAIN HEMISPHERE ARM – The element associated with this sephira is the left hemisphere of the brain.
The Divine Attribute for those who acquire Binah is:
- Complete repentance :
• In the medieval text the Tomer Devorah, Moses ben Jacob Cordovero clarifying the ethical qualities associated with each sefira to be sought to replicate, associates with Binah the attribute of complete repentance. “Just as Binah softens all severities and neutralizes their harshness, each person should repent and correct all his own faults.”
- Tiphareth (through 70 – ayin – ע )
- Geburah (through 90 – tsadi – צ )
- Chokmah (through 200 – resh – ר )
- Kether (through 400 – tav – ת )