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 Chockmah 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." The tree of life. ... Judaism is the religious culture of the Jewish people. ... This article is about the religious attributes. ... The tree of life. ... Keter (Hebrew: crown) in the Kabbalah of Judaism, is the topmost of the Sephirot, or Tree of Life. ... Chokhma in the Kabbalah of Judaism is the second sephira of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. ... Gevurah Also known as Geburah, and Din is the fifth Sefirot of the Tree of life (Kabbalah). ... Tiphereth (Glory; תיפארת) or Tifereth, Tipheret, Tiferet, or rahamin (mercy in Hebrew in the Kabbalah of Judaism is the sixth Sephirah on the tree of life. ... Chesed (Mercy; חסד) is the fourth Sephirah on the tree of life in the Kabbalah of Judaism. ... This dog has been dressed in human accessories for humorous effect. ... An eye is an organ that detects light. ... The term hemisphere is used in three different meanings: one-half of the Earth (or other planetary or stellar body; see also New World and Old World) Eastern Hemisphere and Western Hemisphere. ... In the anatomy of animals, the brain, or encephalon, is the supervisory center of the nervous system. ... The heart and lungs (from an older edition of Grays Anatomy) The heart (Latin cor) is a hollow, muscular organ that pumps blood through the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions. ...

Binah is often defined as the ability to understand one thing from within another. Binah is also associated with the feminine. The word feminine can refer to: the property of being biologically female femininity, a traditionally female gender role the feminine grammatical gender This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

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"). The Bahir (Hebrew for Illumination) is a pseudonymous mystical work attributed to Nehunya ben ha-Kanah, a first century rabbinic sage, and a contemporary of Johanan ben Zakkai (first century), because it begins with the words, R. Nehunya ben ha-Kanah said. It was first published in the 12th century...

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

The aspect or attribute of being associated with the feminine, is why Binah is often associated with various occult things that reflect the females. For example, the priestess card in the tarot (according to Arthur Edward Waite's "Pictorial Key to the Tarot") and 777 associating it with Isis, Cybele, Demeter, Rhea, Woman, The Virgin Mary, Juno, Hecate, Yoni, The Three Threes of the Tarot, etc. etc. etc. As discussed in more detail below, the Tarot is a deck of 78 cards, consisting of: the major arcana, consisting of 21 trump cards and the Fool card; the minor arcana consisting of 56 cards: ten cards numbered from Ace to 10 in four different suits; traditionally batons, cups, swords... Arthur Edward Waite (October 2, 1857 _ May 19, 1942) was an occultist and co-creator of the Rider-Waite Tarot deck. ... Events Huai Tsu got drunk and created the Running Grass (also known as the Startled Snake Slithering Through Grass in Fury of Whirlwind and Driving Rain) style of Chinese Writing. ... // Isis in Egypt Early Isis Isis (Greek corruption; the Egyptian is Aset) was originally a goddess from Nubia, and was adopted into Egyptian belief very early. ... Statue of Cybele in a chariot drawn by lions, in the Plaza de Cibeles, Madrid Originally a Phrygian goddess, Cybele (Greek Κυβέλη, sometimes given the etymology she of the hair if her name is Greek, not Phrygian, but more widely considered of Luwian origin, from Kubaba) (Roman equivalent: Magna Mater or... Dêmêtêr (or Demetra) (DEH-MEH-ter) (mother-goddess or perhaps distribution-mother) is the Greek goddess of agriculture, the pure nourisher of youth and the green earth, the health-giving cycle of life and death, and preserver of marriage and the sacred law. ... Rhea (she who flows) was the Titaness daughter of Uranus and of Gaia. ... Image of a woman on the Pioneer plaque sent to outer space. ... Gabriel delivering the Annunciation to Mary. ... Juno can refer to: Juno, the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Hera A guardian spirit for Roman women (equivalent of the male Genius) Jupiter IRBM rocket (Juno II) the Jupiter-C IRBM rocket (Juno or Juno I) the Juno Awards, a Canadian music award festival Juno Beach, one of... In later Greek mythology, Hecate (or Hekate; Greek Ἑκάτη Hekátē) was scarcely more than the goddess of witchcraft and sorcery. ... The word yoni is the Sanskrit word for female reproductive organ. ...

External link

• Basics in Kabbalah, The Ten Sefirot: Binah (inner.org)

• 50 Gates of Understanding The sources of this most basic of Kabbalistic concepts and its 8 different manifestations in the Kabbalah of the Arizal. (inner.org)

References

Jewish

• Bahir, translated by Aryeh Kaplan (1995). Aronson. (ISBN 1-56821-383-2)

Aryeh Kaplan (1934 - 1983) was a noted rabbi and author, who had a background in both physics and Judaism. ... 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Non-Jewish

• 777, Aleister Crowley (1955). Red Wheel/Weiser. (ISBN 0-87728-670-1)