Secrets of the Hebrew Letters

Letters represent the desires, properties, and thoughts that, in man’s opinion, are suitable for the attainment of the spiritual, the Creator, and His Providence. Man skips from one thought to another: one moment he thinks that it is possible to attain the Upper Worlds with one property, next he believes he can enter the spiritual realms by mastering another. Then, he begins to stubbornly observe all the commandments and pray zealously, or disregards all the actions and plunges into contemplation and reading. Sometimes he craves only knowledge, and sometimes only faith, right down to fanaticism.

Just as there are two extremes in our world—knowledge and faith, in the spiritual world, as man now consciously ascends the spiritual ladder to the Creator, there is spiritual work in the attainment of knowledge and faith. Hence, Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag’s commentary on The Zohar is entitled The Sulam (The Ladder).

Each of the twenty-two Hebrew letters represents a certain property. At times it seems that the property of the letter Tav is suitable for the attainment of the spiritual; at times one believes that some other letter is more appropriate. This occurs because in the process of one’s spiritual ascent, one begins to increasingly understand the true Goal of creation and the Creator, which is exactly what is demanded of him.

Thus, he continues to sort through it all, until his search yields the truth: Only with the help of the letter Bet, which stands at the beginning of the word Berachah (blessing)—contact with the Creator—only with the help of this force can one achieve the goal.

Therefore, The Zohar tells us how the letters—properties, forces, and desires— come to the Creator. By offering up his prayer, man asks for some property that seems like a real goal to him. And each letter tries to prove that it is best suited for the attainment of the sensation of the Creator and merging with Him. But the Creator shows that the best and the only letter is Bet, as only it can help man to establish contact with Him. This is why the Torah begins with this letter.