Binah (Kabbalah)

Binah, (meaning "Understanding"; בינה), in the Kabbalah of Judaism, is the second intellectual Sephirah on the tree of life. It sits on the level below Keter (in the formulations that include that Sephirah), across from Chokmah and directly above Gevurah. It is usually given four paths: to Keter, Chockmah, Gevurah, and Tiphereth (some Kabbalists place a path from Binah to Chesed as well.) In an anthropomorphic visualization, it may be alternatively related to the "left eye", "left hemisphere" of "the brain" or the "heart."

Binah is "processed wisdom," also known as deductive reasoning. It is "davar mitoch davar" -- understanding one idea from another idea. While Chockmah is intellect that does not emanate from the rational process; it is either inspired or taught. Binah is the rational process that is innate in the person which works to develop an idea fully.

Binah is associated with the feminine. This feminine association is not just used amongst the modern movements. “For you shall call Understanding a Mother.” This point was reflected in the Jewish Kabbalistic work Bahir. Classical Jewish texts state "Binah yeterah natun l'nashim" ("an extra measure of Binah was given to women").

In its fully articulated form, binah possesses two partzufim: the higher of these is referred to as Imma Ila'ah ("the higher mother"), whereas the lower is referred to as Tevunah ("comprehension"). These two partzufim are referred to jointly as Imma ("the mother").

Non-Jewish associations

In Western occultism, Binah is seen to take the raw force of Chokhmah, and to channel it into the various forms of creation. For example, in a car, you have the fuel and an engine. While Chokmah is the fuel, pure energy, Binah is the engine, pure inert mechanism. Either one without the other is useless.

In its role as the ultimate Object, as opposed to Chokmah as the Subject, its role is similar to the role of Shakti in Indian mysticism. It is feminine, because it literally gives birth to the whole of creation, providing the supernal womb, with Chokmah providing the raw energy.

The name of God associated with Binah is Jehovah Elohim, the archangel that presides over it is Tzaphkiel, the order of angels that resides in it are the Aralim ( the Thrones ) and the planet associated with it is Saturn.

The aspect or attribute of being associated with the feminine, is why Binah is often associated with various occult things that reflect the females. It is related to the Yoni, and to the womb. It is related to the priestess card in the occult tarot (according to Arthur Edward Waite's "Pictorial Key to the Tarot") and "Liber 777" associating it with Isis, Cybele, Demeter, Rhea, Woman, The Virgin Mary, Juno, Hecate, Yoni, The Three Threes of the Tarot, etc. etc. etc.

Occultists have tried to compare the sephirah with the Chakras of Indian mysticism, and one such comparison is in comparing both Binah and Chokmah with the Ajna chakra, which is where both Shiva and Shakti are united.

For its negative opposite on the Tree of Death, it has Sathariel.

In the correlation of Binah with Shakti and Chokmah with Shiva, Shakti is the animating life force whereas Shiva is dead, a corpse, without her energy.

Appearance

In Namco's game Tales of the Abyss, there is a town called St. Binah with a big tree in its centre. Legend says that this tree grew up when every plant in the town was dead, returning them to life.

References

Jewish

*"Bahir", translated by Aryeh Kaplan (1995). Aronson. (ISBN 1-56821-383-2)
* [http://www.chabad.org/library/article.asp?AID=6237 Lessons in Tanya]
* [http://www.aish.com/spirituality/kabbala101/Kabbala_8_Binah_-_Processing_Wisdom.asp Kabbalah 101: Binah]

Non-Jewish

* "777", Aleister Crowley (1955). Red Wheel/Weiser. (ISBN 0-87728-670-1)
*"The Mystical Kabbalah", Dion Fortune (1935). Weiser Books. (ISBN 1-57863-150-5)

External links

* [http://inner.org/sefirot/sefbinah.htm Basics in Kabbalah, The Ten Sefirot: Binah] (inner.org)