Returning to his original point, that every Jew has a soul which stems from the holy Sefirot, and that ultimately each soul is animated by the light of the Ein Sof by way of the soul’s faculty of wisdom (Chochmah), the Alter Rebbe now goes on to explain why it is Chochmah that is the original recipient of the light of the Ein Sof. The explanation is based on a discussion of the nature of the soul’s faculty of wisdom, which now follows:

הנה החכמה היא מקור השכל וההבנה

Now Chochmah which, as explained in ch. 3, is the initial flash of intellect, the nebulous, seminal glimmer of an idea, is the source of intelligence and comprehension which first begin to emerge in the faculty of Binah, for, as explained there, Binah represents the ability to grasp an idea in all its details and ramifications;

והיא למעלה מהבינה, שהוא הבנת השכל והשגתו

it is higher than Binah, which is the faculty of understanding an idea and grasping it.

והחכמה היא למעלה מההבנה וההשגה, והיא מקור להן

So that in its relation to the soul’s lower faculties, this single level of Chochmah comprises two opposite aspects: On one hand Chochmah is above comprehension and understanding — thus it transcends the lower faculties of the soul, and it is this aspect of Chochmah which enables it to be the recipient of the light of the Ein Sof, as will soon be explained; while on the other hand Chochmah is the source of intelligence and comprehension and is thus connected to the lower faculties.

It is this latter aspect of Chochmah which enables it to suffuse the entire soul (as stated earlier), and, in its active state, to affect even one’s thought, speech and action (which are even lower than the soul’s lowest faculties, being merely the “garments”, the organs of expression, for the soul), as will be stated further, in ch. 19.

וזהו לשון חכמה כ״ח מ״ה, שהוא מה שאינו מושג ומובן ואינו נתפס בהשגה עדיין

The etymological composition of the word Chochmah indicates this dual nature. Chochmah contains two words: כ׳׳ח מ׳׳ה — “the faculty of the unknown.” (Literally, מה means “What?” — as one would ask of something he cannot comprehend, “What is it?”) Hence, while it is an intellectual faculty (and thus related to the other, lower faculties, yet it is a faculty which cannot as yet be comprehended or grasped by the intellect, and is therefore also above and beyond the others.12

ולכן מתלבש בה אור אין סוף ברוך הוא, דלית מחשבה תפיסא ביה כלל

For this reason, the light of the Ein Sof, blessed be He, who can in no way be comprehended by any thought, is vested in Chochmah.

Those faculties whose functions are intelligence and comprehension cannot serve as receptacles for the light of the Ein Sof, for knowledge cannot grasp the unknowable. Only Chochmah, which itself is higher than comprehension, can receive this light.

ולכן כל ישראל אפילו הנשים ועמי הארץ הם מאמינים בה׳, שהאמונה היא למעלה מן הדעת וההשגה

Hence all Jews, even the women and the illiterate, who have no knowledge of G‑d’s greatness, believe in G‑d, since faith is beyond understanding and comprehension; i.e., faith represents the ability to grasp that which the intellect cannot.

כי פתי יאמין לכל דבר, וערום יבין וגו׳

For, as Scripture states:13 “The fool believes everything, but the clever man understands.”

That is, the fool, lacking understanding, grasps every subject through the medium of faith, while the clever man’s grasp is based on reason. However, this derogation of the fool for approaching every idea with faith, can apply only where the subject of his belief is within the grasp of reason. In this case, the basis for his faith is his own lack of understanding, and he is therefore called a fool. When dealing with G‑dliness, however, which is essentially beyond comprehension, there is no other approach, as the Alter Rebbe goes on to say:

ולגבי הקב״ה, שהוא למעלה מן השכל והדעת, ולית מחשבה תפיסא ביה כלל, הכל כפתיים אצלו יתברך

In relation to the Almighty, Who is beyond intelligence and knowledge, and Who can in no way be comprehended by any thought — all men are like fools before Him, and they can therefore grasp Him only through faith.

כדכתיב: ואני בער ולא אדע, בהמות הייתי עמך, ואני תמיד עמך וגו׳

As it is written,14 “I am foolish and ignorant, I am as a beast before You — and I am constantly with You…,”

כלומר שבזה שאני בער ובהמות, אני תמיד עמך

meaning that “because I approach You as a fool and a beast — i.e., through the irrational power of faith — precisely therefore and thereby am I constantly with You.”