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Hasagah

השגה

Comprehension (hasagah)

Comprehension: grasping what a thing is, as one holds it. G‑d’s essence is beyond it; creatures know only that He is (Daas) or what He is not; souls in Gan Eden grasp His ziv.

The word השיג also means to reach or attain in general (the hand’s reach, השגת יד; reaching a level). It means comprehension where it stands with הבנה, שכל, דעת or ידיעה, or in השגת המהות / השגת המציאות.

Where it’s explained

  1. Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 6, ¶6Hasagah without qualification means grasping the essence of a thing, as one holds a thing in his hand (“tefisa”). Of the essence of Or Ein Sof there is no hasagah, only grasp of His existence; “no thought can grasp Him” means His essence, while Daas, knowing and feeling that He is, creatures can attain.וזהו פי׳ השגה סתם שמשיג מהות הדבר
  2. Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 6, ¶27There are three levels in man: sight, grasp of the essence; Daas, knowing and feeling the existence, not the essence; and faith, believing with a whole heart without such feeling. Above, Chochmah is grasped in Gan Eden; sovev kol almin is known there only by its existence, and will be revealed in the Time to Come.האחד היא בחי׳ ראייה והשגת המהות. הב׳ בחי׳ הדעת הוא ידיעת והרגשת המציאות ולא השגת המהות
  3. Likkutei Torah, Pekudei 2, ¶8Since G‑d is above grasp, terms like able, wise and willing do not describe His essence; they only negate their opposites. Knowledge by negation is still a revelation, and can grow without end. The union of Abba and Imma gives grasp of this kind; Binah grasps the essence, but only of the ziv drawn in the order of hishtalshelus.ונמצא לא יודיעו תוארים אלו ידיעת מהותו רק יודיעו מה שאנו שוללים ממנו
  4. Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 4, ¶2In Gan Eden the souls delight in grasping some glow of the ziv, a light of Ein Sof without limit; so though there are in general two Gan Edens, in detail the grasps are endless. To rise to a higher one the soul first passes the river of fire, which erases its earlier grasps, as nothing beside the higher.כי אין מספר להשגות אור וזיו אשר היא הארה מאור א״ס ב״ה
  5. Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 6, ¶33Studying Torah is grasping the very essence of His will and wisdom, more than knowing their existence, because they are clothed in physical matters; as they are above, no thought grasps them at all.השגת ולימוד התורה הוא השגת מהות רצונו וחכמתו ית׳ ממש שלמעלה מידיעת המציאות בלבד

Stated differently

Whether Chochmah (sight) is itself grasp of the essence, or above grasp, which begins only in Binah

Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 6, ¶20איננה השגת המהות כמו בחי׳ ראיה שהיא בחי׳ החכמה

The feeling of Daas is not grasp of the essence, as sight is, which is Chochmah; it is knowing from afar, only the back of Chochmah. The inner Chochmah is sight, and so the prophets’ grasp is called seeing.

Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 6, ¶27ובג״ע היא בבחי׳ גילוי ההשגה לכל חד לפום שיעורא דילהי בבחינת השגת המהות ממש

Chochmah is called “You” (Atah) because it is the beginning of revelation: in Gan Eden it is grasped openly, by each according to his measure, as a grasp of the essence itself, in this ziv.

Likkutei Torah, Tazria 6, ¶7משא״כ בחי׳ חכמה הוא עדיין למעלה מההשגה

Only after the light is drawn into Binah and grasp can it shine for the souls in Gan Eden; Chochmah is still above grasp.

Likkutei Torah, Pekudei 2, ¶8וע״י הכתר הוא שורה ומתלבש בבחי׳ חכמה שהוא ג״כ למעלה מהשכל המושג ומובן

Through Keser, Or Ein Sof rests in Chochmah, which is also above intellect that is grasped and understood; Binah is understanding and grasp of the essence, but only of the ziv.

Torah Ohr, Vaeira 5, ¶26משא״כ בחי׳ חכמה שלמעלה מההשגה אינה מתגלית ממש תוך האותיות רק ע״ד לחכימא ברמיזא

Grasp and understanding are revealed in letters, so the broader the grasp the more letters (the Oral Torah, from Imma, which is grasp); Chochmah, which is above grasp, is not truly revealed in letters, only by hint.

Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 3, ¶2השגה וגילוי זה נק׳ בחי׳ ראיה שהוא למעלה מבחי׳ תבונה והשגה ממש

The Arizal’s grasp of secrets in two hours, more than could be expounded in eighty years, is called sight, which is above understanding and grasp proper; sight is Chochmah, and is like a makif. In Gan Eden too there is grasp proper and what is above grasp.

Main sources

Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 6, ¶5Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 6, ¶6Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 6, ¶20Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 6, ¶27Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 6, ¶33Likkutei Torah, Pekudei 2, ¶8Likkutei Torah, Tazria 6, ¶7Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 4, ¶2

Where it appears

In 427 paragraphs of 189 maamarim.

Written with AI from the paragraphs of Torah Ohr and Likkutei Torah, each entry checked by a second AI reader and every Hebrew quote checked by code; not yet reviewed by a person. Our English: CC BY-NC 4.0.

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