Editing Sefiras HaDaas

'''Sefiras HaDaas''' is the third of the Ten Sefiros and the last of the three Sefiros belonging to the intellectual realm (Sefiros of Chochma, Bina, and Daas). The role of Sefiras HaDaas is to receive the complete intellectual product from Sefiras HaBina and bridge the gap between the intellectual world (Mochin) and the emotional world (Middos), so that the appropriate emotion will be awakened from the intellectual conclusion.

The parallel of Sefiras HaDaas in the human soul is the power of Daas that influences one's emotions and actions. The ability to grasp an abstract concept of the spiritual Sefiras HaDaas is achieved through analyzing the power of Daas in the human soul and projecting its characteristics, after abstraction, to the spiritual Sefiros.

The Ten Sefiros, in their classic division, are presented in a pyramid of three triangles: the intellectual triangle (upper - parallel to the human brain), the emotional triangle (middle - parallel to the heart and chest area), and the practical triangle (lower - parallel to the groin and legs area). Sefiras HaDaas is located in the center of the upper triangle, parallel to the brain stem and cerebrospinal fluid, to which characteristics parallel to Sefiras HaDaas are attributed.

== Its Nature ==
Sefiras HaDaas's role is to connect and bridge the gap between the world of intellect (Sefiros of Chochma and Bina) and the world of emotion (Sefiros of Chesed, Gevura, and Tiferes). The operation of Sefiras HaDaas is through contemplation and review of the conclusions received from Sefiras HaBina. Sefiras HaDaas does not add intellectual content but only deepens the personal connection to the idea and links it to the emotional world that will act according to the intellect. This is comparable to a person's knowledge of their soul's existence, despite never having seen it. Similarly, Sefiras HaDaas's role is to verify the intellectual conclusions through personal experience.

The meaning of the word Daas is like in the verse "And Adam knew Chava his wife," meaning he connected and bonded with her. Similarly, the purpose of Sefiras HaDaas is to connect between intellect and emotion until the birth of Middos.

== Daas in Relation to Other Sefiros ==
Daas in the system of Sefiros connects between the Mochin (Chochma and Bina) and the Midos. Meaning, through Daas, the Midos are influenced by the Mochin. Because of this, some of its qualities are connected to Mochin, and some are connected to Midos. It is what gives strength both to the intellectual understanding in the mind and to the feeling that follows in the heart.

== Daas in Relation to Chochma and Bina ==
After an idea is well understood with all its intellectual details in the mind of Chochma and Bina, it passes to Daas which adds recognition, feeling, and identification with the idea. From this stem several differences between Chochma and Bina versus Daas, and several matters that Daas specifically adds:

== Hiskashrus (Connection) ==
When the intellectual concept is in Chochma and Bina, even when a person understands it thoroughly, they still don't feel a connection and identification with the matter. When the concept reaches the mind of Daas, they feel and recognize well that the matter is indeed so (and this is the reason why emotion awakens from Daas, as will be explained).

== Hachra'ah (Decision) ==
When the intellectual concept is in Chochma and Bina, it is still not decisive, and can be changed through arguments in different directions - which is actually the whole purpose of intellectual discussion and pilpul, to sway the intellect from side to side, and to seek for each argument a counter-argument. Even when there is a tendency in Chochma and Bina toward a certain argument, it isn't a clear and decisive ruling as one of the sides, but only a strengthening of one side over the other. However, when the matter reaches the mind of Daas and there is clear recognition of the matter, then arguments back and forth are not relevant, and the decision is crushing so that no room remains for discussion.

This is the reason why the mind of Daas includes Chesed and Gevurah, and therefore it is divided into two - Chesed and Gevurah: When the reasoning is still in Chochma and Bina, Chochma and Bina tend either to Chesed or to Gevurah, but they cannot include both. Only Daas, which decides, includes both sides equally and through both reaches a decision.

The power that Daas has to decide in a matter where in Chochma and Bina there were still tendencies in different directions - stems from the fact that Daas has a higher and deeper root than Chochma and Bina. Daas is rooted in Ratzon, which is deeper than intellect, and from it comes the power to divide the Midos into Chesed and Gevurah and to decide between them (and in Kabbalistic terms - an illumination is drawn in Daas from the Sefira of Kesser, "Kotzei D'Sa'arei D'Arich Anpin").

== Havdala (Separation) ==
From the power of decisive ruling that exists in Daas, also branches the power to make Havdala and to separate absolutely between good and evil. Chazal established that the power to separate depends on Daas: "If there is no Daas, from where is Havdala?" When the concept is still in Chochma and Bina, one cannot completely separate between good and evil, and can only make a Havchana that still requires additional consideration (as in the text of the blessing "Who gives the rooster Bina to distinguish," from which it implies that the power to distinguish depends on Bina). But the absolute decision, the separation between good and evil after clear free choice, depends specifically on Daas.

== Whether One Can Teach Another Person ==
An additional difference bound up with the previous differences is - that Chochma and Bina can be taught to a person who lacks them; both to make a person wise in general and expand their intellectual vessels, and in a particular point, to teach them a specific reasoning. In contrast, Daas cannot be taught to another person who has no Daas - since Daas is not a particular reasoning of how to understand the matter, but rather recognition and feeling of the essence of the matter, and this cannot be received from another person.

== Da'at in Relation to Middot ==
Da'at is the root from which middot are born and gives them their existence. It's important to note that the birth of middot from Da'at is not part of the essence of Da'at (which is inherently an intellectual power, as mentioned above), but rather a natural result of it.

== Root of the Middot ("The Key that Contains Six") ==
Da'at is called in the Zohar "maftecha d'kalil shit" [the key that contains six], meaning it opens and enables the existence of the six middot that follow it. The reason for this: First, the concept of Da'at is a person's self-awareness; therefore, since one cares about oneself, one naturally loves good and hates evil (as we see, when a person is preoccupied and less self-aware, they care less about other things they usually love or hate). Similarly, the concept of Da'at is connection and recognition of the essence of a matter; therefore, since one feels the matter thoroughly, feeling naturally awakens toward it.

This is the reason for the connection between Da'at and rachamim (which is why both rachamim and Da'at belong to the same kav), since a person who has Da'at and recognizes and feels another's lowliness naturally awakens with rachamim for them; in contrast, a cruel person, despite intellectually understanding another's pain well, lacks the feeling of the essence of the matter.

Chassidus explains that the connection between Da'at and middot is a natural result - when one feels the essence of a matter, the appropriate feeling awakens within them automatically, without need for additional action. From this we learn that the main effort should be invested in yegiat hamoach - to engrave the matter well in one's mind until reaching feeling of its essence, and the proper middot will awaken automatically; rather than starting directly with work on the middot themselves.

== Existence of the Middot ==
The birth of middot needs to come after Da'at, as mentioned above, since only then is their existence guaranteed. Da'at gives the middot strength and force. When a person generates middot only because they reached a conclusion in their intellect (Chochma and Binah) that these are appropriate middot, but without connecting with their Da'at and feeling that indeed the matter is so - the feeling in their heart is artificial and not authentic, in the words of the Alter Rebbe "false imaginations"; and therefore can change easily (this is the nature of a fickle person, who lacks stable Da'at). Only a feeling born of Da'at, absolute recognition and feeling in a matter, is stable and authentic.

== Inner Dimension of the Middot ==
The middot themselves are not objective, and in every middah - even good ones - personal inclinations may be mixed in. When the middot are based on Da'at, Da'at reveals the inner dimension of the middot - the middot as they are in their purity, without mixture of foreign inclinations.

== Seeking Mussar in Everything ==
Since Da'at naturally generates middot, therefore one who learns something and uses the power of Da'at naturally seeks in every matter - even theoretical intellectual matters - mussar that they can learn from this and fix their nefesh. This is the meaning of the verse "without Da'at the nefesh is not good" - that when a person lacks Da'at, they do not fix their nefesh.

Da'at is sometimes included as part of the middot, and for example in the worlds, Da'at is part of the world of Yetzirah, as one of the middot, and not in the world of Beriah like Binah.

== Daat Elyon and Daat Tachton ==
The sefirah of Daat is divided into Daat Elyon (Upper Daat) and Daat Tachton (Lower Daat). Daat Elyon connects Chochmah and Binah. Daat Tachton connects Chochmah and Binah with the middot (emotional attributes).

== Which Completes the Count of Ten Sefirot - Daat or Keter? ==
In Kabbalah literature, it's common to count the ten sefirot without the sefirah of Daat, with Keter appearing in its place. The explanation for this is that "when Keter is counted, Daat is not counted, and when Daat is counted, Keter is not counted."

The Chassidic explanation for distinguishing between these two counting methods (whether Keter or Daat is counted) is that the inner dimension of Keter is beyond any connection to the sefirot, but the external dimension of Keter has a connection to the sefirot. Therefore, when the sefirot are counted in their external aspect, Keter is also counted, but when the sefirot are counted in their internal aspect, Keter is not counted with them, and then Daat is counted in its place. Daat's ability to complete the count of sefirot when counted internally is because the nature of Daat is also internal.

== Those Who Lack Daat ==

==== Women ====
Chazal said "women's daat is light" - meaning that the dominant force in them is only the mind of Chochmah and Binah, not the mind of Daat. In other places, it is explained that the middot in women are drawn only from the sefirah of Binah, which is in the left line - the line of gevurot (5 gevurot of Ima), and not from the sefirah of Chochmah, which is in the right line - the line of chassadim (5 gevurot of Abba). Therefore, the power of Daat is weak in women, as Daat is the power to include two contradicting lines of chesed and gevurah. This is also the reason why women are more easily persuaded from yes to no and vice versa, because they have only one line, without the inclusion that comes from Daat. However, this doesn't mean that women have no Daat at all, rather their Daat is just "light" - meaning, in their Daat the gevurot are primarily felt and not the chassadim, and it isn't strong enough to include both chesed and gevurah together, therefore it isn't completely stable.

In avodat Hashem, there are two types of service - "when man seeds first, a female is born" and "when woman seeds first, a male is born": When the service is done through the power of influence from above, "itaruta d'leila" first, the result is an unstable avodat Hashem in the manner of a "female" whose daat is light, without the permanence that comes through Daat; but when the service is done through one's own power, "itaruta d'letata" first, one reaches an avodat Hashem of a "male", meaning stable and eternal service through the power of Daat.

==== Child ====
A child lacks Daas (higher consciousness/understanding), and therefore is not obligated in mitzvos and is not subject to punishment. The explanation for this is, as we see tangibly, that although a child can be sharp, knowledgeable and erudite, they cannot properly recognize and feel the true essence of matters.

==== Animal ====
An animal lacks Daas - meaning that although it sees and hears, and even has a certain understanding through its power of imagination, it cannot recognize and feel matters in their true essence.

Similarly, the lower neshamos (of the worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah) are called "animal seed," because their grasp of Elokus is only through Chochma and Binah without Daas - meaning without true and stable feeling of Elokus. Therefore these neshamos need Moshe Rabbeinu who said "I will give grass in your field for your animal," meaning his role is to influence Daas in Elokus even to neshamos that are considered animal seed on their own.

However, in relation to Hashem as He truly is, even those high neshamos that have Daas in Elokus, and even the level of Daas Elyon (which is higher than Daas Tachton of the world of Atzilus) - they are all considered like animals without Daas before Him. About this the verse states "I was as animals with You" in plural form (referring to both types: both those considered like animals because they have no Daas at all, and those with Daas Elyon who are considered like animals only in relation to Hashem).

==== Klipos ====
It is stated in the Zohar: "The other god is castrated and does not produce fruits," meaning that in Klipos there is no power of reproduction. It is explained in Kabbalah that the main power of reproduction comes from the brain of Daas (as the verse states "And Adam knew Chava") - when the understanding does not remain only in the brain of Chochma and Binah, but penetrates through Daas, emotions are born from this. Therefore, since the Klipos draw only from the brain of Chochma and Binah without Daas - they do not produce fruits. It is explained that if the Klipos had the power of reproduction, they would destroy the entire world.

This can be seen tangibly in the animal soul within a person, whose root is from the Klipos: Although a person can understand matters of Elokus that are well-grasped in their Chochma and Binah, nevertheless, these things do not affect them to recognize and feel that the matter is indeed so, in a way that would give birth to love and fear in the heart.

It should be noted that the lack of Daas in Klipos is only regarding Daas in Elokus, but Daas in worldly matters - they do not lack at all (and on the contrary, it is explained that the main sin of the Tree of Knowledge is negative Daas - "self-awareness" - which is the root that gives place for evil). As we see tangibly that regarding the very existence of worldly matters, even the intellect of the animal soul has recognition and feeling, but regarding the Divine force in the world and matters above intellect - although these too are seen and understood by human intellect, there is no recognition and feeling of them.

==== Lazy Person ====
A person who is negligent in fulfilling mitzvos and does not utilize their power of Daas to learn, contemplate and understand is considered a person without Daas. There is a halachic prohibition for those around them to have mercy on them, unlike other types of people without Daas who should be shown mercy because they do not have free choice and ability to act with the power of Daas.

== See Also ==

* Kedushas HaBayis HaYehudi