What Chochmah means
Chochmah is Hebrew for “wisdom.” In Kabbalah it is the second of the ten sefirot, the divine attributes through which the infinite is said to relate to the world. It is often described as the first flash of insight, a point of pure potential from which understanding then develops. The full set is covered in The Ten Sefirot Explained.
How to pronounce it
The word is spelled in several ways in English: Chochmah, Chokhmah, Chokmah, Hokhmah. The initial sound is the guttural Hebrew chet, similar to the “ch” in Scottish “loch.” A common rendering is roughly “KHOKH-mah,” with stress on the first syllable. Many English speakers say “HOKE-mah,” which is widely understood.
Wisdom in the Bible
The Hebrew Bible speaks often of chochmah. In the Book of Proverbs, wisdom is personified and said to have been present at creation (Proverbs 8). Hebrew understanding of wisdom is practical as well as intellectual: it includes skill, moral discernment and “the fear of the Lord” (Proverbs 9:10). Kabbalists read such passages as pointing to the sefirah Chochmah.
Chochmah in the Tree of Life
On the standard diagram, Chochmah sits at the top right, with Binah at the top left and Keter above them in the center. A traditional pairing treats Chochmah as the “father” principle and Binah as the “mother” principle: Chochmah is the seed idea, Binah is where it is developed and given shape. The Hebrew word Binah is usually translated “understanding.”
The supernal triad
The three highest sefirot are often grouped together as a triad:
- Keter (Crown): will or the highest aspect, closest to Ein Sof.
- Chochmah (Wisdom).
- Binah (Understanding).
Some systems also place Daat (Knowledge) in this area, either as a connecting point or as a replacement for Keter in certain counts, which is why you may see different tallies of the sefirot. In Hasidic thought, Chochmah, Binah and Daat form the “intellect” triad known by the acronym Chabad, which is the origin of the name of the Chabad movement.
Is it a trinity?
Searches for “Kabbalah trinity” usually come from people comparing Kabbalah with Christian doctrine. The comparison needs care. The Christian Trinity teaches three persons in one God. Mainstream Judaism rejects the Trinity as incompatible with its understanding of God’s absolute unity. Kabbalah’s triads are groupings of attributes of one God, not three persons. Some Christian Kabbalists in the Renaissance did try to find the Trinity in Kabbalah, and some modern writers still make that argument, but Jewish Kabbalists do not accept this reading. Which Christian groups reject the Trinity is a separate question, since many denominations accept it and a smaller number (for example, Unitarians and Jehovah’s Witnesses) do not.
Does Kabbalah believe in God?
Yes. Kabbalah is centered on God, though its language about God is highly symbolic. The infinite is beyond description, and the sefirot are the tools used to speak about divine action. See Kabbalah Explained for an overview. Whether all Jews accept this tradition is a different matter; see Is Kabbalah accepted by all Jews?