Part I; Likkutei Amarim, Chapter 3
The whole chapterאוְהִנֵּה, כָּל בְּחִינָה וּמַדְרֵגָה מִשָּׁלֹשׁ אֵלּוּ: נֶפֶשׁ רוּחַ וּנְשָׁמָה – כְּלוּלָה מֵעֶשֶׂר בְּחִינוֹת, כְּנֶגֶד עֶשֶׂר סְפִירוֹת עֶלְיוֹנוֹת שֶׁנִּשְׁתַּלְשְׁלוּ מֵהֶן, הַנֶּחְלָקוֹת לִשְׁתַּיִם, שֶׁהֵן: שָׁלֹשׁ אִמּוֹת וְשֶׁבַע כְּפוּלוֹת; פֵּירוּשׁ, חָכְמָה בִּינָה וָדַעַת, וְשִׁבְעַת יְמֵי הַבִּנְיָן: חֶסֶד גְּבוּרָה תִּפְאֶרֶת כוּ׳.
1Now, each distinction and grade of the three—nefesh, ruach, and neshamah—consists of1 ten faculties, corresponding to the supernal ten sefirot (Divine manifestations),2 from which they have descended, which are subdivided into two, namely, the three “mothers” and the seven “multiples,” namely, chochmah (wisdom), binah (understanding), and daat (knowledge); and the “seven days of Creation”: chesed (kindness), gevurah (power), tiferet (beauty), and so on.3
בוְכָךְ בְּנֶפֶשׁ הָאָדָם, שֶׁנֶּחְלֶקֶת לִשְׁתַּיִם: שֵׂכֶל וּמִדּוֹת.
2Similarly is it with the human soul, which is divided in two—sechel (intellect) and middot (emotional attributes).
גהַשֵּׂכֶל כּוֹלֵל: חָכְמָה בִּינָה וָדַעַת, וְהַמִּדּוֹת הֵן: אַהֲבַת ה׳ וּפַחְדּוֹ וְיִרְאָתוֹ וּלְפָאֲרוֹ כוּ׳.
3The intellect includes chochmah, binah, and daat (chabad), while the middot are love of G–d, dread and awe of Him, glorification of Him, and so forth.
דוְחָכְמָה־בִּינָה־דַּעַת נִקְרְאוּ אִמּוֹת וּמָקוֹר לַמִּדּוֹת, כִּי הַמִּדּוֹת הֵן תּוֹלְדוֹת חָכְמָה־בִּינָה־דַּעַת:
4Chabad [the intellectual faculties] are called “mothers” and source of the middot, for the latter are “offspring” of the former.
הוּּבֵיאוּר הָעִנְיָן, כִּי הִנֵּה הַשֵּׂכֶל שֶׁבַּנֶּפֶשׁ הַמַּשְׂכֶּלֶת, שֶׁהוּא הַמַּשְׂכִּיל כָּל דָּבָר – נִקְרָא בְּשֵׁם ״חָכְמָה״, ״כֹּ״חַ מָ״ה״.
5The explanation of the matter is as follows: The intellect of the rational soul, which is the faculty that conceives any thing, is given the appellation of chochmah—כ“ח מ“ה—the “potentiality” of “what is.”4
ווּכְשֶׁמּוֹצִיא כֹּחוֹ אֶל הַפּוֹעַל, שֶׁמִּתְבּוֹנֵן בְּשִׂכְלוֹ לְהָבִין דָּבָר לַאֲשׁוּרוֹ וּלְעָמְקוֹ, מִתּוֹךְ אֵיזֶה דְּבַר חָכְמָה הַמּוּשְׂכָּל בְּשִׂכְלוֹ – נִקְרָא ״בִּינָה״.
6When one brings forth this power from the potential into the actual, that is, when [a person] cogitates with his intellect in order to understand a thing truly and profoundly as it evolves from the concept which he has conceived in his intellect, this is called binah.
זוְהֵן הֵם ״אָב״ וָ״אֵם״ הַמּוֹלִידוֹת אַהֲבַת ה׳ וְיִרְאָתוֹ וּפַחְדּוֹ.
7These [chochmah and binah] are the very “father” and “mother” which give birth to love of G–d, and awe and dread of Him.
Kehot Publication Society (English Translation)