Chochmah : Wisdom

This is the last outpost of human consciousness; I've always found it interesting that Wisdom is found at the head of the masculine/active column on the tree of life.

Chochmah, "wisdom," is the "input" into the mind. It is the information we have been taught, or more so, the flash of inspiration -- when an idea pops into our head. The Tanya -- a Chassidic/Kabbalistic work describes chochmah as consisting of two Hebrew words: koach mah, meaning "potential." For chochmah is pure potential. It is an idea waiting to be developed.

Besides unlimited potential, chochmah has one other important characteristic -- it comes from "nowhere." Let us explain this.

The verse (in Job 28:12) states: V'chochmah me'ayin timatze?

This means that it is not possible to intellectually inquire above the level of chochmah. God's activities may be researched, inquired, thought about and analyzed up to a certain point. Past this point intellectual understanding is impossible because higher aspects of God's providence simply do not come through intellectual channels

The "wisdom" of chochmah also implies the ability to look deeply at some aspect of reality and abstract its conceptual essence till one succeeds in uncovering its underlying axiomatic truth. These seeds of truth can then be conveyed to the companion power of binah for the sake of intellectual analysis and development.

Chochmah is the primary ("beginning") force in the creative process, as it is said: "You have made them all with chochmah." The first word of the Torah, Breishit, "In the beginning (God created the heavens and the earth)," is translated as "With chochmah (God created...)."