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I found in the gloss on Tanya, Iggeret HaKodesh, Epistle 12:

"When Chesed does not insist (so to speak) on an unlimited revelation of kindness (but is satisfied to reveal the G‑dly illumination in a finite manner), and Gevurah insists only on witholding the revelation from those who are unworthy of receiving it (but does not insist on blocking the revelation altogether, even from the worthy — then the mediating attribute of mercy, which leans toward kindness, declares that while a particular recipient may not be strictly worthy of the kindness to be shown, he is at least worthy of being granted it out of compassion."

As is known, all the sefirot in the yosher structure manifest on three columns. The right kav is chesed, the left is din, and the middle is rachamim.

I did some research and found in Tomer Deborah, p. 9 I believe, that rachamim leans toward chesed. Some more research yielded that keter also inclines towards the right with yesod and malchut to the left or din. Reishit Chochmah, based on the five chassadim and gevurot.

However, I can't find any source which side daat leans toward. Does the two sides lean equally both ways like the two sides of tiferet for the Kohen and the Levi?

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  • I don't think the comment of the Baal Ha'tanya is al pi peshat.
    – pcoz
    Commented Sep 12, 2021 at 22:43

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Daat is part of the Kav Ha'emtzai (Kav Harachamim) which represents the perfect harmony of the extremes of Chessed and Din. Daat is therefore the culmination and outcome of Chochmah and Binah, in humans it represents the conclusive knowledge (Daat) we can recall and convey after we have encountered a fact (Chochmah) and logically understood it (Binah). We see therefore that the nature of Daat is not to lean towards a particular side, rather it is an offspring of both.

See Ramcha"l in Klach Pischei Chochmah, Petach 124, Rash"i Genesis 18,19, Pardes Rimonim 3,8, Eitz Chayim 22,1.

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In the 86 page Mystical Concepts In Chassidism - an introduction to Kabbalistic concepts and Doctrines in Igeret Hakodesh by Rabbi Jacob Emmanuel Schochet, in Ch. III Section 2, he brings that there are different systems of organizing the Sefiros. To quote:

In some schemes Keter is omitted from the order of the ten Sefirot(see infra, this chapter, note 38) -- for reasons to be explained further on; these schemes take Chochmah as the first of the ten and insert Da'at(Knowledge) as a sefira after Binah.

When mixing and matching commentaries, it is important to keep this in mind. As you can see in this common place diagram(I think from the Ba'al Shem Tov school of thought), Da'as is in the same Kav as Tif'eres(a.k.a Rachamim) and Yisod:Sefiros diagram These are all middos of emotion and blending of the previous two extremes.

This is the model I have always seen (in many places), but Rabbi Schochet's comments may imply otherwise in the framework of other models.

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Daat doesn't lean; it's not a sefirah.

(There are) ten and not eleven; ten and not nine. -- Sefer Yetzirah

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    That's not necessarily because daat is not included but because if you are including it you can't also include Keter, and visa versa
    – Rabbi Kaii
    Commented Mar 7, 2023 at 21:14
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    This is incorrect
    – Dude
    Commented Mar 8, 2023 at 15:52

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