“And Yaakov lived ….” (Bereshit, 47:28) It is written in the tractate Avot (Ch. 3, Mishna 17), “if there is no understanding [Binah], then there is no knowledge [Da’at].” “Understanding” means the principles of words of Torah, meaning the reasons for things, as in the phrase often found, “this is the principle,” and by means of this principle man may know several details. “Knowledge”42Da’at, which is more than knowledge; rather a kind of consciousness that enables the intellect to synthesize conflicting information. is the details. This is the meaning of “if there is no understanding then there is no knowledge,” for if a man does not know the general principle that is the reason for the matter, then he cannot understand the detail, for from one detail is known the next detail. The converse is also true, for if there is no knowledge then there is no understanding. For if one can say that he knows a principle, but does not need to know its resulting details, on this it says, “if there is no knowledge.” Meaning, if the details are not organized for you, then you will not be able to truly know the root of the principle, so how will you be able to branch out from there? This is the meaning of “and he lived,” meaning the root of life, which is the principle of everything; and “Yaakov” means knowledge [Da’at] which is the detail, for Yaakov represents Zeir Anpin.43Zeir Anpin represents the “miniature presence,” and is one of the Divine personae in the kabbalah. In other words, (Yaakov is) how God watches, or rather, is intimately involved, in every detail necessary for every matter, even the smallest of the small.
וַיְחִי יַעֲקֹב. אִיתָא בְּמַסֶּכֶת אָבוֹת [פ"ג, מי"ז] אִם אֵין בִּינָה אֵין דַּעַת. בִּינָה הַיְינוּ הַכְּלָלִים שֶׁל ד"ת, הַיְינוּ טַעֲמֵי הַדְּבָרִים כְּמוֹ שֶׁנִּמְצָא כַּמָּה פְּעָמִים זֶה הַכְּלָל וְע"י הַכְּלָל יִוָּדַע לָאָדָם כַּמָּה פְּרָטִים, וְדַעַת הַיְינוּ הַפְּרָטִים. וְזֶה פֵּי' אִם אֵין בִּינָה אֵין דַּעַת הַיְינוּ אִם אֵין הָאָדָם יוֹדֵעַ הַכְּלָל שֶׁהוּא טַעַם הַדָּבָר אֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לָדַעַת הַפְּרָט, כִּי מִפְּרָט אֶחָד לֹא יִוָּדַע פְּרָט הַשֵּׁנִי. וְכֵן לְהֵפֶךְ, אִם אֵין דַּעַת אֵין בִּינָה הַיְינוּ אִם תִּמְצָא לֵאמֹר אֵדַע הַכְּלָל וְלֹא אֶצְטָרֵךְ לִלְמוֹד הַפְּרָט, ע"ז אָמְרוּ אִם אֵין דַּעַת הַיְינוּ שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיוּ מְסוּדָּרִים אֶצְלְךָ הַפְּרָטִים, לֹא תֵּדַע שׁוֹרֶשׁ הַכְּלָל לַאֲמִיתּוֹ אֵיךְ יוּכַל לְהִסְתַּעֵף. וְזֶהוּ "וַיְחִי" הַיְינוּ שׁוֹרֶשׁ הַחַיִּים וְהוּא הַכְּלָל שֶׁל כָּל דָּבָר, וְיַעֲקֹב הַיְינוּ דַּעַת הוּא הַפְּרָט, כִּי יַעֲקֹב מְכוּנֶּה נֶגֶד זְעֵיר אַנְפִּין הַיְינוּ שֶׁהַש"י מַשְׁגִּיחַ עַל כָּל פְּרָט עַל כָּל דְּבָרִים הַנִּצְרָכִים לוֹ, אֲפִילּוּ קָטָן שֶׁבַּקְּטַנִּים.
“And Yaakov lived ….” (Bereshit, 47:28)
It is written in the tractate Avot (Ch. 3, Mishna 17), “if there is no understanding [Binah], then there is no knowledge [Da’at].” “Understanding” means the principles of words of Torah, meaning the reasons for things, as in the phrase often found, “this is the principle,” and by means of this principle man may know several details. “Knowledge”42Da’at, which is more than knowledge; rather a kind of consciousness that enables the intellect to synthesize conflicting information. is the details. This is the meaning of “if there is no understanding then there is no knowledge,” for if a man does not know the general principle that is the reason for the matter, then he cannot understand the detail, for from one detail is known the next detail. The converse is also true, for if there is no knowledge then there is no understanding. For if one can say that he knows a principle, but does not need to know its resulting details, on this it says, “if there is no knowledge.” Meaning, if the details are not organized for you, then you will not be able to truly know the root of the principle, so how will you be able to branch out from there? This is the meaning of “and he lived,” meaning the root of life, which is the principle of everything; and “Yaakov” means knowledge [Da’at] which is the detail, for Yaakov represents Zeir Anpin.43Zeir Anpin represents the “miniature presence,” and is one of the Divine personae in the kabbalah. In other words, (Yaakov is) how God watches, or rather, is intimately involved, in every detail necessary for every matter, even the smallest of the small.