Chochma-Wisdom is the soul-power of intellect that is the source of understanding, but before it comes into full comprehension. For example, when someone has a new insight, that initial flash of insight is from Chochma. When that insight is developed, it is through Bina. The pleasure of the initial flash of insight is fleeting, since the idea hasn’t been processed yet. The true lasting enjoyment of the idea is only experienced when it is fully developed in Bina.
Because Chochma is called “Eden” (subtle pleasure) and there is no [full] revelation of Atik there, even though the word עדן-Eden means a type of pleasure, but the pleasure in the initial flash of Chochma is not fully revealed, only a fleeting glimpse of it. Or it is a more subtle type of pleasure, but not fully felt or experienced until it is expressed in Binah. Because Atik is the source of all Pleasure, and Pleasure is above Chochma.
And that idea which is still in Chochmah itself, which is still only a condensed point, does not become revealed except by way of Bina - which is known as “A conceptual point in a context of understanding,” (see Zohar I, 6a) or “The female aspect, [Binah], which encompasses the male aspect, [Chochma],” (see Yirmiyah 31:21).
Just as the male’s input is received and becomes encompassed in the female, developing into a person over nine months, so too the flash of insight or knowledge from Chochma is developed in Bina into a full comprehension. This ability of Bina to develop a concept enjoy it fully is because it receives the illumination from Atik.
In other words, not only does Binah-Understanding reveals Atik-Pleasure through developing a concept, it already had a connection to Atik before it even started. The level of Atik-Transcendant Power of Pleasure is actually the driving power behind Binah, enabling it take a concept and develop it. We see that Binah actually has a deeper connection to the highest soul power of Pleasure, even more than Chochma. This is why it has the power to develop a concept, which Chochma cannot do. This is because it receives from a deeper level of the soul than Chochma. Similarly, in Atzilus, the fact that Bina is able to reveal Hashem’s Wisdom in full understanding that can be given over to the lower levels is because it has a deeper connection to Atik than Chochma. Because it receives the power from Atik, it is able to develop knowledge of Hashem and bring it down in a way that Chochma cannot.
