In this chapter, the Rebbe Rashab continues the explanation of the terms havein beChochmah (“understand through wisdom”) and chacham beBinah (“become wise through understanding”) begun in the previous chapters, explaining that they represent the inclusion of Binah within Chochmah and Chochmah within Binah, respectively.
Although these Sefiros are fundamentally different from each other, the incorporation of one within the other enables each one to go beyond its natural tendency. The inclusion of Binah within Chochmah enables Chochmah to go beyond its natural tendency for abstraction and allow for a concept’s development and comprehension through the power of Binah. The inclusion of Chochmah within Binah enables a person to go beyond the perception of a concept in all its particulars and see it in the abstract, perceiving how all its details can be crystallized into one concentrated point that reflects the essence of the idea.
וְזֶהוּ הָבֵן בְּחָכְמָה וַחֲכַם בְּבִינָה,
On this basis, we can understand the meaning of havein beChochmah (“understand through wisdom”) and chacham beBinah (“become wise through understanding”).
דְּהָבֵן בְּחָכְמָה הוּא עִנְיַן הִתְכַּלְלוּת הַבִּינָה בְּחָכְמָה
Havein beChochmah refers to the inclusion of Binah within Chochmah.
וְהוּא שֶׁיֵּשׁ בְּחָכְמָה כֹּחַ הַבִּינָה לָבוֹא לִידֵי הַשָּׂגָה וַהֲבָנָה.
This inclusion endows Chochmah with the power of Binah, enabling the abstract point of Chochmah to be developed through comprehension and understanding.
דַּהֲגַם שֶׁבְּעֶצֶם הוּא בִּבְחִינַת הַבִּיטּוּל וְהֶעְדֵּר הַהִתְפַּשְּׁטוּת,
True, the essential nature of Chochmah is bittul and a lack of expansion and development.
וְזֶהוּ מַה שֶּׁהִיא בִּבְחִינַת נְקֻדָּה א' לְבָד כוּ',
This is why it is only a single point.
וּמִכָּל מָקוֹם תָּבוֹא לִידֵי הַהִתְפַּשְּׁטוּת הַהַשָּׂגָה בְּבִינָה כוּ'.
Nevertheless, because Chochmah includes Binah, Chochmah also allows for the possibility thatthe abstract point of the concept be expanded, developed, and understood through Binah.
Were there not to be an inclusion of Binah within Chochmah, a concept perceived by Chochmah would never be able to be developed beyond the abstract. It would remain a mere seminal point. It is the inclusion of Binah within Chochmah, havein beChochmah in the terminology of Sefer Yetzirah, that endows Chochmah with the tendency to take a concept beyond its abstract core, thus enabling it to be developed by Binah.
Having explained the expression havein beChochmah, the Rebbe Rashab proceeds to explain the expression chacham beBinah.
וַחֲכַם בְּבִינָה הוּא הִתְכַּלְלוּת הַחָכְמָה בְּבִינָה,
Chacham beBinah refers to the inclusion of Chochmah within Binah.
וְהוּא הֲגַם שֶׁבִּינָה הִיא בִּבְחִינַת הִתְפַּשְּׁטוּת בְּרִיבּוּי פְּרָטִים וְרִיבּוּי הֶסְבֵּרִים כוּ',
Even though the nature of Binah is expansion and amplification, developing a concept to the extent that it can be grasped through a multitude of details and explanations,
מִכָּל מָקוֹם יֵשׁ בָּהּ כֹּחַ הַחָכְמָה לַעֲשׂוֹת מִיֵּשׁ אַיִן
nevertheless, it possesses the power of Chochmah that endows it with the potential to transform yesh into ayin.
In this context, yesh refers to the comprehension of the specific details of a concept. When a person grasps a concept in its details, he feels “I have it.” The concept thus becomes a yesh, a defined something.
Ayin refers to the abstract conception of the idea. As the Rebbe Rashab proceeds to explain, chacham beBinah, the inclusion of Chochmah within Binah, enables a person to appreciate an abstract conception of the concept as it arises from all its details. After seeing the entire picture with all its components, he gains an insight into its fundamental motivating point.
וְהוּא שֶׁכָּל הַהַשָּׂגָה נִכְלֶלֶת אַחַר כָּךְ בִּנְקֻדָּה א'
The result of the entire process of logical understanding becomes crystalized into a single point,
וְהִיא נְקֻדַּת הַתַּמְצִית מִכָּל הַהַשָּׂגָה כוּ'
the nekudas hatamtzis, the core point in which his entire comprehension is concentrated.1
וְהוּא שְׁלִילַת כָּל הַפְּרָטִים וְהַהֶסְבֵּרִים
The person looks beyond2 all the individual details and explanations,
כִּי אִם תּוֹפֵס עֶצֶם הָעִנְיָן הַשִּׂכְלִי
and, instead, grasps the essential concept,
וְהוּא עֶצֶם הַמּוּשְׂכָּל (בִּנְקֻדָּה א')
the essence of the idea (in the abstract, as it is crystalized and concentrated into a single point).
כְּמוֹ שֶׁהֵבִין אוֹתוֹ מִתּוֹךְ רִיבּוּי הַפְּרָטִים וְהַהֶסְבֵּרִים כוּ'
This comes as a result of the process of understanding it from the many details and explanations,
וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב מִזֶּה בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר.
As is discussed regarding this matter in another source.1
Thus, chacham beBinah, the inclusion of Chochmah within Binah, endows a person with the potential to see how all the particular details of a concept jell together and are concentrated within a single abstract point.
Thus, the point of Chochmah represents the concept before it is analyzed, while the point within Binah comes as the result of the analytical process.
The Rebbe Rashab now returns to explaining the concept begun in ch. 23 — that the form of the letter yud reflects the function of the Sefirah of Chochmah. He shows how there are three aspects to the form of the letter yud and explains how they correspond to three dimensions of the functioning of Chochmah.
וְזֶהוּ מַה שֶּׁבְּיוּ"ד יֵשׁ בּוֹ ב' קוֹצִין וְעֶצֶם הַיּוּ"ד,
It has been previously mentioned that the yud is comprised of two protrusions and the body of the yud itself.
דְּהַקּוֹץ הַתַּחְתּוֹן הוּא עִנְיַן הָבֵן בְּחָכְמָה
The lower protrusion represents havein beChochmah,3
שֶׁהוּא הַנְּטִיָּה אֶל הַבִּינָה כוּ'.
i.e., the tendency of Chochmah towards Binah.
וּבְדֶרֶךְ כְּלָל הוּא בְּחִינַת כֶּתֶר-חָכְמָה-בִּיב' קוֹצִין וְעֶצֶם הַיּוּ"ד כֶּתֶר-חָכְמָה-בִּינָה דְחָכְמָה.
Generally speaking, the three levels of the yud refer to the levels of Kesser, Chochmah and Binah, as they are included within Chochmah.
As explained in Tanya,4 each one of the Ten Sefiros includes all the ten. Thus, it is appropriate to speak of Kesser, Chochmah and Binah within Chochmah. The inclusion of Kesser (— rather than Daas —) as one of the Ten Sefiros is discussed at length in Kabbalah5 and Chassidus.6
דְּהַקּוֹץ הָעֶלְיוֹן הוּא בְּחִינַת כֶּתֶר שֶׁבְּחָכְמָה
The upper protrusion represents the Kesser of Chochmah.
וְהִיא הַנְקֻדָּה שֶׁבְּלִי תְּמוּנַת אוֹת כְּלָל כוּ' כְּנִזְכָּר לְעֵיל.
The upper protrusion represents the Kesser of Chochmah.
וְעֶצֶם הַיּוּ"ד הַיְנוּ בְּחִינַת הָרוֹחַב שֶׁבּוֹ הוּא בְּחִינַת חָכְמָה שֶׁבְּחָכְמָה
The body of the yud, its wide portion, represents the level of “Chochmah within Chochmah,”
וְהַיְנוּ נְקוּדַּת הַחָכְמָה כְּמוֹ שֶׁבָּא לִכְלַל שֵׂכֶל גָּלוּי עַל כָּל פָּנִים בְּצִיּוּר מוּגְבָּל כוּ'.
i.e., the point of Chochmah as it is contained within revealed intellect, in a form that is somewhat defined.
וְהַקּוֹץ הַתַּחְתּוֹן הוּא בִּינָה שֶׁבְּחָכְמָה
The lower protrusion is the “Binah of Chochmah,”
וְהוּא הַכֹּחַ לְהָבִיא נְקוּדַּת הַחָכְמָה לִידֵי הִתְפַּשְּׁטוּת בְּבִינָה בְּהַשָּׂגָה וַהֲבָנָה כוּ'.
i.e., the power to conduct the point of Chochmah to an expanded and amplified state within Binah, enabling its comprehension and understanding.
Having explained that the three aspects of the form of the yud correspond to three dimensions within Chochmah, in the lines that follow in the parentheses, the Rebbe Rashab proceeds to explain that the attribute of chacham beBinah, the inclusion of Chochmah in Binah is also reflected in the form of the letter hei, which is identified with the Sefirah of Binah.
(וְעִנְיַן וַחֲכַם בְּבִינָה יֵשׁ לוֹמַר שֶׁהוּא הַיּוּ"ד שֶׁבְּאוֹת ה' בְּרַגְלָהּ הַשְּׂמָאלִי שֶׁבּוֹ
(It could be said that chacham beBinah is represented by the yud7 which forms the left leg of the letter hei.
דְּיֵשׁ לוֹמַר בְּדֶרֶךְ אֶפְשָׁר שֶׁהוּא נְקֻדָּה הַתַּמְצִית שֶׁבָּא לְאַחַר הָאוֹרֶךְ וְרוֹחַב כוּ'.
This could be understood as representing the concentrated core point that follows one’s understanding of a concept in its length and breadth, which are represented by the vertical line on the right side of the letter hei and the horizontal line that forms its roof.
גַּם יֵשׁ לוֹמַר דְּבִתְמוּנַת אוֹת הֵ"א דְּשֵׁם הוי'
Alternatively, it is also possible to say8 that when writing the form of the hei of G‑d’s name Havayah,
צְרִיכִים לַעֲשׂוֹת תְּחִלָּה יוּ"ד וְאַחַר כָּךְ לְהַמְשִׁיךְ הַגָּג כוּ'.
one must first write a yud and then extend it to form the “roof” of the letter hei.
אֶפְשָׁר שֶׁהַיּוּ"ד שֶׁבִּתְחִלָּה זֶהוּ בְּחִינַת וַחֲכַם בְּבִינָה כוּ'.)
It is possible that this yud at the beginning of the letter hei represents chacham beBinah.)
קִצּוּר.
Summary:
הָבֵן בְּחָכְמָה נְטִיַּת הַחָכְמָה לָבוֹא בְּהַשָּׂגָה,
Havein beChochmah is the tendency of Chochmah to enable a concept to be developed and comprehended with thorough and amplified understanding.
חֲכַם בְּבִינָה נְטִיַּת הַבִּינָה לְהִכָּלֵל בִּנְקוּדַּת הַתַּמְצִית.
Chacham beBinah is the tendency of Binah to be crystalized in the abstract nekudas hatamtzis, the concentrated core point of the idea.
ב' קוֹצִין וְעֶצֶם הַיּוּ"ד כֶּתֶר-חָכְמָה-בִּינָה דְחָכְמָה.
The two protrusions and the body of the yud represent respectively the levels of Kesser, Chochmah, and Binah as they exist within Chochmah.
(וַחֲכַם בְּבִינָה בְּצוּרַת הַהֵ"א.)
(Just as the tendency of havein beChochmah finds expression in the actual form of the letter yud, i.e., in its lower point, the tendency of chacham beBinah finds expression in the actual form of the hei, either in the yud that represents the beginning of the “roof” of the hei or in its left foot.
