Understanding

Binah means understanding, and in Jewish thought it represents a specific type of wisdom: the ability to analyze, distinguish, and draw conclusions. While chochmah is the initial flash of insight, binah is the process of working out what that insight means — turning raw perception into structured knowledge. The Talmud says: 'Who is wise? One who learns from every person' (chochmah) and 'Who has understanding? One who can derive one thing from another' (binah). In Kabbalistic tradition, binah is the third sefirah (divine emanation), often associated with the feminine aspect of the divine and called 'Ima Ila'ah' (the Supernal Mother). While chochmah is a seed of potential, binah is the womb where that potential develops into something real and comprehensible. This maternal metaphor emphasizes that understanding requires patience, nurturing, and the willingness to carry ideas to full term. The daily prayer for wisdom in the Amidah asks God: 'Grant us chochmah, binah, and da'at' — wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. These three form a cognitive trilogy: chochmah perceives, binah processes, and da'at integrates. Together, they represent the full spectrum of human intellectual and spiritual capacity. The Hebrew root bet-yod-nun (ב-י-נ) also gives us the word 'bein' (between), suggesting that binah involves seeing the spaces between things — the distinctions, relationships, and patterns that connect or separate ideas. In modern Hebrew, binah appears in the phrase 'binah melachutit' (artificial intelligence), connecting the ancient concept of understanding to the most cutting-edge technology of our era.