Braita

Braita is a term for halachot (Jewish laws) that were taught by the Tannaim but were not established by Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi in the Mishnah.

The Difference Between Braita and Mishnah

The Midrash states: "And eighty concubines, these are the braitot." In Chassidut, it is explained that the term "concubine" indicates an external illumination, because the purpose of the Braita is to explain the Mishnah in greater detail so that it can be understood even by students who are not so advanced. For great scholars, the Mishnah alone is sufficient, as all the detailed laws of the Braita are actually hinted at in the Mishnah, as Ilfa said, "Is there anything in a Braita that I cannot derive from the Mishnah?". Only Ilfa, who was a great scholar (and whose name testifies to this, meaning "I will teach you wisdom"), could understand the cryptic content of the Mishnah with just a hint. But other students cannot understand what is said in the Mishnah at all without the Braita, and certainly in later generations when hearts have diminished, it became necessary to explain the Mishnah in the Gemara with greater detail.

This matter is comparable to the transmission from a teacher to a student. For the student to understand, the teacher must devise strategies on how to influence him so that he can receive the knowledge. The teacher needs to speak slowly according to the student's understanding, and to abbreviate and conceal the depth of the concept until the recipient can contain the influence. This is the meaning of "Braita," which means "outside," because in this way the influence is to another who is "outside the body."

For this reason, the revelation of the Infinite Light is not as great in the laws of the Braita as in the Mishnah, which is a revelation of the actual Infinite Light. But in the Braita, the light is somewhat concealed, as in the parable mentioned, where the influence on the recipient must come through concealment and hiding.

Precisely for this reason, there is a certain revelation in the Mishnah more than in the Braita. The reasons for the laws of the Mishnah are more revealed and explained than the reasons for the laws in the Braitot. For example, the law in the Mishnah that a sukkah higher than twenty cubits is invalid - the reason for this Mishnah is well explained in the Gemara. In contrast, the sukkah of "GaNBaCh" and "RaKBaSh" are more obscure laws, and it is difficult to find the reason for this law.

For this reason, the Mishnah is called "queen" and the Braita "concubine," like the parable of a king with a queen who live together constantly, whereas with his concubine he goes to her privately and not openly, and the union is not constant but occasional. Similarly, in the Mishnah, the Infinite Light shines in a revealed manner and constantly, as it is known that the revelation of the Infinite Light is in Chochmah which is the aspect of the Mishnah, therefore the Mishnah is called "queen." But in the Braita, which is the aspect of influence "outside the body," there is not so much revelation, only through concealment and clothing and privacy, therefore it is called "concubines" where the union is private and occasional.

The Superiority of the Braita Over the Mishnah

The Mishnah is called a city and the Braita is the aspect of a field, meaning "outside" the city. From an external perspective, it seems that the city is more important, as it contains the dwellings of the city's people. But when looking from an internal perspective, the field is the main thing, because that's where life comes from; that's where grain and fruits grow. Thus, the Braita gives life to the Mishnah and explains the law in more detail about how to perform it, while those who teach solely from the Mishnah are called "destroyers of the world," since the Mishnah does not detail all the laws sufficiently.

In Sefirot

It is explained in the Zohar Pekudei (258a) that the Braitot are called "the curves of your thighs," meaning that the Mishnayot are from the aspect of Chesed-Gevurah-Tiferet, which is the aspect of the body, and the Braita is the matter of "outside the body," namely the aspect of Netzach-Hod-Yesod, but they are the upper section of Netzach-Hod-Yesod.