Chokhmah
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''Chokmah'' ( Hebrew: חָכְמָה ) is the Biblical Hebrew word rendered as "
wisdom Wisdom, sapience, or sagacity is the ability to contemplate and act using knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense and insight. Wisdom is associated with attributes such as unbiased judgment, compassion, experiential self-knowle ...
" in English Bible versions (
LXX The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond th ...
'' sophia'', Vulgate ').'' Strong's Concordance'
H2451
"from H2449 ָכַם ''chakam'' "wise" wisdom (in a good sense):—skilful, wisdom, wisely, wit." "The KJV translates Strong's H2451 in the following manner: wisdom (145x), wisely (2x), skilful man (1x), wits (1x)."
The word occurs 149 times in the Masoretic Text of the
Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' It is cognate with the Arabic word for "wisdom", ''
ḥikma ''Hikmah'' (also ''Hikmat'', ar, حكمة, ', literally wisdom, philosophy; rationale, underlying reason, from Semitic root ) is a concept in Islamic philosophy and law. Mulla Sadra defined ''hikmah'' as "coming to know the essence of beings ...
'' ( Semitic root ). Adjectival "wise" is used as a honorific, as in ''
Talmid Chacham ''Talmid Chakham'' is an honorific title which is given to a man who is well versed in Jewish law, i. e., a Torah scholar. Originally he, תלמיד חכמים ''Talmid Chakhamim'', lit., "student of sages", pl. תלמידי חכמים ''talmid ...
'' (lit. "student of a sage") for a
Torah scholar ''Talmid Chakham'' is an honorific title which is given to a man who is well versed in Jewish law, i. e., a Torah scholar. Originally he, תלמיד חכמים ''Talmid Chakhamim'', lit., "student of sages", pl. תלמידי חכמים ''talmid ...
, or ''
hakham Bashi ''Haham Bashi'' (chachampasēs) which is explained as "μεγάλος ραβίνος" or "Grand Rabbi". * Persian: khākhāmbāšīgarī is used in the Persian version of the Ottoman Constitution of 1876. Strauss stated that there was a possibil ...
'' for a chief rabbi. The Talmud ( Shabbat 31a) describes knowledge of the Talmudic order of
Kodshim 150px, Pidyon haben Kodashim ( he, קדשים, "Holy Things") is the fifth of the six orders, or major divisions, of the Mishnah, Tosefta and the Talmud, and deals largely with the services within the Temple in Jerusalem, its maintenance and de ...
as a high level of wisdom, ''chokhmah''. In the Kabbalah, ''Chokhmah'' is the uppermost of the
sephirot Sefirot (; he, סְפִירוֹת, translit=Səfīrōt, Tiberian: '), meaning '' emanations'', are the 10 attributes/emanations in Kabbalah, through which Ein Sof (The Infinite) reveals itself and continuously creates both the physical realm an ...
of the right line (''kav yamin'', the "Pillar of Mercy") in the Tree of Life. It is to the bottom right of Keter, with Binah across from it. Under it are the ''sephirot'' of Chesed and
Netzach Netzach ( he, נֶצַח ''Neṣaḥ'', in pausa: נֵצַח ''Nēṣaḥ'', lit. 'eminence, everlastingness, perpetuity') is the seventh of the ten Sefirot in the Jewish mystical system of Kabbalah. It is located beneath Chesed ('loving-kindn ...
. It commonly has four paths going to Keter, Binah, Tifereth, and Chesed (Some kabbalists such as Rabbi Isaac Luria also attributed a path between Chokhmah and
Gevurah Gevurah or Geburah ( he, גְּבוּרָה, Gəvūrā}, Tiberian: ''Găḇūrā,'' lit. 'strength'), is the fifth '' sephirah'' in the kabbalistic tree of life, and it is the second of the emotive attributes of the ''sephirot''. It sits below ...
).


Hebrew Bible

Proverbs personifies Divine Wisdom, which existed before the world was made, revealed God, and acted as God's agent in creation ( cf. 3:19; ; ). Wisdom dwelt with God (; cf. ; ) and being the exclusive property of God was as such inaccessible to human beings (). It was God who "found" wisdom () and gave her to
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
: "He hath found out all the way of knowledge, and hath given it unto Jacob his servant, and to Israel his beloved. Afterward did he shew himself upon earth, and conversed with men." (; ). As a female figure (Sir. 1:15; Wis. 7:12), wisdom addressed human beings (Prov. 1:20–33; 8:1–9:6) inviting to her feast those who are not yet wise (Prov. 9:1-6). Wisdom 7:22b-8:1 is a famous passage describing Divine Wisdom, including the passage: "For she is the breath of the power of God, and a pure influence flowing from the glory of the Almighty: therefore can no defiled thing fall into her. For she is the brightness of the everlasting light, the unspotted mirror of the power of God, and the image of his goodness. And being but one, she can do all things: and remaining in herself, she maketh all things new: and in all ages entering into holy souls, she maketh them friends of God, and prophets." (). Solomon, as the archetypal wise person, fell in love with Wisdom: "I loved her, and sought her out from my youth, I desired to make her my spouse, and I was a lover of her beauty." ().


Kabbalah

According to the Bahir: "The second (utterance) is
wisdom Wisdom, sapience, or sagacity is the ability to contemplate and act using knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense and insight. Wisdom is associated with attributes such as unbiased judgment, compassion, experiential self-knowle ...
, as is written: 'Y-H-W-H acquired me at the beginning of His way, before His deeds of old' (Prov 8:22). And there is no 'beginning' but wisdom." Chokhmah, the second of the ten sefirot, is the first power of conscious intellect within Creation, and the first point of 'real' existence, since Keter represents emptiness. According to the book of Job, "Wisdom comes from nothingness". This point is both infinitely small, and yet encompasses the whole of being, but it remains incomprehensible until it is given shape and form in Binah. The name of God associated with Chokhmah is Yah. Its associated opposing
qliphah In the Zohar, Lurianic Kabbalah and Hermetic Qabalah, the ''qliphoth/qlippoth/qlifot'' or ''kelipot'' ( ''qəlīpōṯ'', originally Aramaic language, Aramaic: ''qəlīpīn'', plural of ''qəlīpā''; literally "peels", "shells", or "husks"), ...
is Ghagiel. Chokhmah appears in the configuration of the ''sefirot'' at the top of the right axis, and corresponds in the ''tzelem Elokim'' ("the Divine image") to the left eye, or right hemisphere of the brain. In its fully articulated form, Chokhmah possesses two ''partzufim'' ("faces" or "features"): the higher of these is referred to as ''Abba Ila'ah'' ("the higher father"), whereas the lower is referred to as Yisrael Saba ("Israel, the Elder"). These two ''partzufim'' are referred to jointly as ''Abba'' ("father"). Chokhmah is associated in the soul with the power of intuitive insight, flashing lightning-like across consciousness. The ''partzuf'' of ''Abba Ila'ah'' is associated with the power to spontaneously extract such insight from the superconscious realm, whereas the ''partzuf'' of ''Yisrael Saba'' is associated with the power to subsequently direct it into consciousness. The "wisdom" of Chokhmah 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. Chokhmah is the primary ("beginning") force in the creative process, Creativity, as it is said: "You have made them all with Chokhmah." (Psalms 104:24) The first word of the Torah in Genesis, ''Breishit'' means "In the beginning (God created the heavens and the earth)", is translated (Targum Yonatan) as "With Chokhmah (God created…)." Chokhmah is also called Fear, 'because it has no measure of boundary, and therefore the mind does not have the power to grasp it'. The book of Job states 'Behold the fear of God is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding' (Job 28:28). In the array of sefirot in three columns (''gimel kavim''), Chokmah is situated at the top of the right column, and corresponds to the right hemisphere of the
brain A brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as vision. It is the most complex organ in a ve ...
. There are several aspects of Chokhmah: The word Chokhmah itself may be broken into two words -- ''koach'' ("potential") and ''ma'' ("what is"). Thus, Chokhmah means "the potential of what is", or, "the potential to be." This aspect of Chokhmah describes the state of Chokhmah in relation to the sefira of Keter. As Chokhmah emanates from Keter, the first dawning of the "Infinite Light", it "appears" in an obscure and undefined state that is a virtual non-being. Thus the verse states, "and Chokhmah emerges from nothingness" (Job 28:12, see Zohar II, 121a, Zohar III, 290a, commentaries). The light of the Ein Sof becomes unified in the world of ''
Atziluth Atziluth or Atzilut (also ''Olam Atsiluth'', עוֹלָם אֲצִילוּת, literally "the World of Emanation") is the highest of four worlds in which exists the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. It is also known as "near to God."MEIJERS, L. D., and J. ...
'' through clothing itself first in the sefira of Chokhmah. In the soul, Chokhmah is associated with the power of intuitive insight. In the Zohar Chokhmah is the primordial point which shines forth from the will of God and thus, is the starting point of Creation. All things are still undifferentiated at this point and only become intelligible at Binah.


Modern occultism

According to the
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn ( la, Ordo Hermeticus Aurorae Aureae), more commonly the Golden Dawn (), was a secret society devoted to the study and practice of occult Hermeticism and metaphysics during the late 19th and early 20th ...
, the name of God associated with Chokmah is Jehovah, the
archangel Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the hierarchy of angels. The word ''archangel'' itself is usually associated with the Abrahamic religions, but beings that are very similar to archangels are found in a number of other relig ...
that presides over it is Raziel, the order of angels that reside in it are the
Ophanim The ophanim (Hebrew: ''ʿōp̄annīm'', "wheels"; singular: ''ʿōp̄ān'', “Ofan”), alternatively spelled ''auphanim'' or ''ofanim'', and also called ''galgalim'' (Hebrew: ''galgallīm'', "spheres", "wheels", "whirlwinds"; singular: ''gal ...
(the wheels), the Heaven of
Assiah Assiah (also 'Asiya'MEIJERS, L. D., and J. TENNEKES. “SPIRIT AND MATTER IN THE COSMOLOGY OF CHASSIDIC JUDAISM.” Symbolic Anthropology in the Netherlands, edited by P.E. DE JOSSELIN DE JONG and ERIK SCHWIMMER, vol. 95, Brill, 1982, pp. 200–21 ...
associated with it is called Mazloth, implying the fulfillment of destiny, and the mundane chakra associated with it is the
Zodiac The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north or south (as measured in celestial latitude) of the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. The pat ...
. In
Aleister Crowley Aleister Crowley (; born Edward Alexander Crowley; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the pr ...
's '' Liber 777'', Chokhma is represented as The Four twos of the Tarot, Illuminating, Thoth,
Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...
,
Joy The word joy refers to the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune, and is typically associated with feelings of intense, long lasting happiness. Dictionary definitions Dictionary definitions of joy typically include a sense of ...
, Odin,
Uranus Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. Its name is a reference to the Greek god of the sky, Uranus ( Caelus), who, according to Greek mythology, was the great-grandfather of Ares (Mars), grandfather of Zeus (Jupiter) and father of ...
,
Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretism, syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded ...
,
God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...
the Father,
Man A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromo ...
, Amaranth, Lingam, Hashish, Phosphorus,
Musk Musk ( Persian: مشک, ''Mushk'') is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial sub ...
, and Yang (not a complete list).


See also

*
Sophia (wisdom) Sophia ( grc-koi, σοφία ''sophía'' "wisdom") is a central idea in Hellenistic philosophy and religion, Platonism, Gnosticism and Christian theology. Originally carrying a meaning of "cleverness, skill", the later meaning of the term, ...
*
Holy Wisdom Holy Wisdom (Greek: , la, Sancta Sapientia, russian: Святая София Премудрость Божия, translit=Svyataya Sofiya Premudrost' Bozhiya "Holy Sophia, Divine Wisdom") is a concept in Christian theology. Christian theology ...
*
Hikmah ''Hikmah'' (also ''Hikmat'', ar, حكمة, ', literally wisdom, philosophy; rationale, underlying reason, from Semitic root ) is a concept in Islamic philosophy and law. Mulla Sadra defined ''hikmah'' as "coming to know the essence of beings ...
* Hakham * Chabad-Lubavitch (acronym ''ChaBaD'' חבד for ''Chokhmah'' + Binah +
Da'at In the branch of Jewish mysticism known as Kabbalah, Daʻat or Da'ath (, in pausa: ', ) is the location (the mystical state) where all ten ''sefirot'' in the Tree of Life are united as one. In Daʻat, all ''sefirot'' exist in their perfecte ...
. *
Tales of the Abyss is an action role-playing game developed by Namco Tales Studio as the eighth main title in their '' Tales'' series in celebration of the series' 10th anniversary. Originally released for the PlayStation 2, the game was published by Namco in Japan ...


References


Citations


General sources


Jewish

* Samuel, Gabriella (2007)
''The Kabbalah Handbook: A Concise Encyclopedia of Terms and Concepts in Jewish Mysticism''
New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin. . . * ''Bahir'', translated by
Aryeh Kaplan Aryeh Moshe Eliyahu Kaplan ( he, אריה משה אליהו קפלן; October 23, 1934 – January 28, 1983) was an American Orthodox rabbi, author, and translator, best known for his Living Torah edition of the Torah. He became well known as ...
(1995). Aronson. .
Lessons in Tanya

Kabbalah 101: Chochmah

Dr. Rabbi-Cohen Shalomim (2005). Developing & Establishing Effective Leadership
.


Non-Jewish

*
Aleister Crowley Aleister Crowley (; born Edward Alexander Crowley; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the pr ...
(1955). ''777''. Red Wheel/Weiser. . *
Dion Fortune Dion Fortune (born Violet Mary Firth, 6 December 1890 – 6 January 1946) was a British occultist, ceremonial magician, novelist and author. She was a co-founder of the Fraternity of the Inner Light, an occult organisation that promoted ph ...
(1935). ''The Mystical Kabbalah''. Weiser Books. {{ISBN, 1-57863-150-5. Kabbalistic words and phrases Sephirot Wisdom