To Understand Kabbalistic/Chassidic Meditation

To Understand Kabbalistic/Chassidic Meditation.

Based on the explanation, by Rabbi Hillel of Paritch (?-1864), of Chapter One of "Shaar HaYichud" - (The Gate of Divine Unity).

By the second Rebbe of Chabad, Rabbi DovBer (1773-1827).

This webpage, is based on a translation/explanation, by Rabbi Betzalel Malamud of the above work,
which can be found at the webpage: http://www.geocities.com/kabbalahonline/shaar03.html
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Part 1
Chassidic meditation ("Hisboninos"), is the use of the mind, through the study of Chassidic teachings ("Chassidus"), to serve G-d; and to bring Him into revelation, in the world.

Through unifying Him with His Holy Name(s), knowing Him through His works; and loving Him, through an intellectual understanding, of His greatness.

We will explain the nature of this type of meditation, how it works, and what it is, that we will meditate upon.
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Hisboninos in general, is the process of understanding: a thing, an idea, an insight, etc. But in particular, it is the process of understanding, a subject thoroughly and truthfully.

The subject in our case, is G-d's attribute of Wisdom, ("Chachma" - the flash of Divine insight).

To achieve this goal, we first have to understand the various levels within the human mind, and how they function.
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At first glance, it's not really understood, why the way to bring a true love and fear of G-d into our heart, is through hisboninos; which is more precisely, the process of analytical understanding and intellectualization.

At first we might think, that a detailed understanding and intellectualization, is much lower level, than the flash of G-dly wisdom. Which proceeds after its initial revelation, to descend into our intellect, to be understood in its details by the power of Understanding ("Bina").

Bina is the faculty, which grasps the flash of Chachma, in order to examine and analyze it from every angle, until it is understood [thoroughly and truthfully].

To summarize this question:
Why is the exercise of Chassidic meditation called "Hisboninos," whose root word is Bina? Why is the "lower" level of Bina (the "dry" understanding of particular details), considered the main thing?

Remember, the details of Bina are first emanated by the original Divine revelation, which is the higher level of Chachma, (the flash of G-dly wisdom).

The thing which flashes into the faculty of Chachma, is called a Pure Intellect ("Sechel"). It is the idea, that lights up in the brain, before it takes on letters of explanation.

This is the actual flash of insight, which arouses the power of Understanding (Bina), to understand the Sechel.

In other words, the Sechel is the thing, that is understood by the power of Understanding (Bina). The understanding of a concept, is obviously on a lower level, than the pure concept itself.

So why then, is it the G-dly objective, to unify G-d's Name(s) in terms of Bina (Understanding)?
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For example, this was given as a commandment to the Jewish People in the verse, "Hear Israel, the L-rd our G-d, the L-rd is One." (Deut. 6:4).

Now "hearing" connotes understanding, because just as the ear has the ability to separate sounds, in order to understand a spoken message; so too does the "ear" of the mind, which is the faculty of Understanding (Bina).

Bina has the ability, to understand a flash of insight, by separating the interlocked and condensed concepts, that the flash contains; and projecting its message into many particular explanations.
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To answer this question, we first have to explain in more depth the three levels of the mind: Chachma (Wisdom), Bina (Understanding) and Daas (Knowledge).

These three levels are referred to in Chassidic philosophy by the acronym Cha'Ba'D, or "Chabad."

(Hence, Chabad Chassidus, is the branch of Chassidus, whose objective is, to accomplish this spiritual goal.)

1. CHOCMAH
The first revelation of Divine Intellect to human intellect, is Chachma (Wisdom) - the flash of realization, the "seeing" of the idea, etc.

Our created intellect receives this as a general principle, without its being clothed in letters of thought at all.

Thus, Chachma is called, the level of the "seeing" of the mind, in that it flashes into the mind, without letters of explanation.

(We might think of this as the "light bulb," which suddenly lights up, above the head of the person.)

For example, consider a person, who sees a beautiful building. He "feels" immediately in his mind, that the building is beautiful, but the reason for its beauty, is not grasped yet by the faculty of the mind, which understands reasons.

So even though he feels the building's essential beauty in his mind, he hasn't yet brought it down to the level, of putting it into letters of explanation.

Therefore, he is not yet able to explain to another person (or himself), why the building is beautiful.

2. BINA
Continuing the above example, the person may then proceed to use the second power of his mind, called Understanding, or Bina; to understand the quality of the building's beauty, with all of its details: the perfect color combinations, the exquisite materials, etc.

So now that his original realization of the building's beauty is grasped in his mind, through these letters of explanation, he will be able to explain his feeling to another.

Because the letters produced in the faculty of Bina, can be drawn downm to become revealed through speech.

On the other hand, Chocmah is "higher" (more abstract) than the level of letters, so it can't be revealed through speech.

Now this example of Chachma and Bina, within a person who sees a beautiful building teaches us, how these powers work in the created realm of physicality.

Chachma and Bina also exist in the realms of "Yes and No", "Love and Fear", "Kindness and Strictness", etc.

These are examples of the realm of Emotions ("Middos," which also means "measurements").

(Note: according to Kabalah, Chachma leans towards the emotion of Kindness, or "Chesed"; and Bina leans toward the emotion Strictness, or "Gevurah.")
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An example can be taken from the case of the great talmudic sage Rav.

Once in a dispute with his colleagues, he cannot be moved from his opinion, even though his opponents refute him with their logical contradictions.

He does not answer them. He couldn't answer them, because his correct concept was still at the level of Chachma - a flash of lofty insight, which he could not bring down, into the lower level of letters of explanation (Bina).

However, the Sage Rabba, was subsequently able to enclothe the concept into letters of understanding, so he was able to explain the reason for the original ruling of Rav.
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Thus far, we have explained the faculties of Chachma and Bina, in the realm of physicality (the example of the beautiful building).

And in the realm of "Measurement" (for example, as in the "measurement" of what is allowable according to the Divine commandments - do we relate to a particular thing or action, with restriction or lenience?).

Now in general, we refer to these two faculties as the Intellect, as it is for its own sake. In the realm of worldly science, this could be likened to pure disciplines such as science, math, psychology, philosophy, etc.

But now we are focusing on G-d's Divine Wisdom, and an understanding of it (its conceptually measured characteristics); so it can be understood in letters, to the extent that one can explain it, to another person.

3. DAAS
The third power of the intellect, is Daas, which is translated as Knowledge.

This is not a detached intellectual knowledge, but a knowledge that comes about through an attachment or bonding, to the thing that is being considered.

(Hebrew uses Daas, to refer to the ultimate physical attachment, as in "Adam knew Eve").

Daas is only, the connecting and bonding with the object of the understanding; through focusing on the explanation, in the letters of thought.

Or it can be the connecting and bonding of the mind, with the Sechel itself, which is at a higher (more abstract) level, as will be explained.
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To understand the power of Daas, consider two students of equal intellectual ability. One attaches his mind, and bonds with the Sechel he heard from his teacher. He therefore reaches a thorough understanding of it; therefore, he can speak on the topic at length, and in detail.

The second student heard the same teaching, and he also understood it; but he does not tie his mind to the Sechel. No matter how well he understands it for himself, he doesn't concentrate his thoughts on the matter; so he can only give over a superficial explanation, to someone else.

This is because, he hasn't engaged the power of Daas in his mind. This can only be done, with a strong concentration of the mind, on the Sechel, or the explanation of it.
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However, the spiritual source of Daas (which has the power to connect the mind to the emotions) is much, much higher, than Chachma and Bina.

There are actually two levels of Daas:
(a) the Higher Daas (b) the Lower Daas.

The Lower Daas, is lower than Chachma and Bina. It is the dynamic, of bonding one's mind, to an explanation of a thing, that is already understood in detail.

For example, one binds his mind to the letters of explanation, of the beauty of a thing, in order to ingest it.

Through this, will be produced the Boundaries of the Understanding (the Middos of Bina); which in turn produce the resulting feelings (e.g., love or fear), as they are revealed in the heart.

The Higher Daas has many levels, one higher than the other. The first (lowest level) of the Higher Daas, is the level at which it is able to unify Chachma to Bina. So this is intermediate between those two powers, (higher than Bina and lower than Chachma).

The idea already has flashed into one's mind, but it's not settled in the mind yet, because it hasn't been explained in letters of thought.

So one binds the mind, with a strong bond to the Sechel, focusing and concentrating on it.

Since the desire is, to clothe the sechel in letters of thought, the mind will be aroused to produce the explanation(s) at the level of Bina.