Daat

Daat, also transliterated da'at, is a Hebrew term meaning knowledge or awareness (from the root YD-ʾT). In Jewish thought, it denotes a crucial and sometimes elusive cognitive/intellectual faculty. While the word appears in Biblical and Rabbinic Hebrew with broad meanings of knowledge and perception, it has a specialized role in mysticism and philosophy.

In Kabbalah and related mystical traditions, da'at is a central but often debated concept. In some systems it is counted as one of the ten sefirot, while in others it is treated as an eleventh or hidden dimension that serves as an interface between the higher and lower sefirot. Da'at is associated with consciousness, the integration of intellect and perception, and the ability to unify different divine attributes so that knowledge becomes perception and action. It is sometimes described as the moment of cognition that makes experience coherent, rather than a standalone attribute like chesed (lovingkindness) or gevurah (judgment).

Symbolically, da'at is linked to unity and the gathering of disparate qualities into a cohesive whole. In certain teachings it is connected to memory and covenant, and in some meditative or ethical contexts it functions as the channel through which insight is communicated or enacted. Because of its nuanced status, da'at is treated differently across traditions: some regard it as a distinct sefirah, others as a hidden or transitional state that underpins the flow of knowledge through the Tree of Life.

In modern scholarship, da'at is studied as part of Jewish mysticism and philosophy, illustrating how knowledge, perception, and unity are conceived within the framework of the sefirot and their ethical and metaphysical implications.