Hebrew Word and meaning Chabad

The tenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet
Rabbi Aaron L. Raskin

Art by Sefira Lightstone
Yud (י) is the 10th letter of the Hebrew alphabet
Numerical value: 10
Sound: "Y"
Meaning: 1. Jew 2. hand (of G-d) 3. continuity—Yehudah

Story
As a young pupil, the Chassidic master Reb Yisrael of Ruzhin (1796-1850) was instructed by his teacher to pronounce G-d’s name whenever he saw two dots next to each other.1 Now, at the end of a verse in the Torah, there are also two dots: one above the other. That evening at home, the young Reb Yisrael began to read, and every time he reached the end of a verse he uttered G-d’s name. His father repri­manded him: “What’s going on here?! Who taught you that?!” The boy responded, “My teacher did. He taught me that whenever I see two dots together, I should pronounce G-d’s name. So that’s what I’m doing.”

Reb Yisrael’s father explained to his son: “The dot, the yud , represents a Jew. When one Jew is beside another, when one Jew respects the other, then G-d dwells in their presence. Their alliance becomes G-d’s name. But when one Jew is on top of the other, when one Jew thinks he’s better or smarter than the next, or disrespects his neighbor, then that’s the end of the passage. It creates a separation in the relation between a Jew and G-d.

Design
Yud is the 10th letter of the aleph-bet and also the smallest.

On the simplest level, the design of the yud is a point: a dot which represents G-d’s essential power; the one G-d Who is indivisible. Furthermore, the yud looks like a flame that soars ever higher, representing the soul of a Jew yearning to unite with G-d.2

Additionally, the yud represents the method by which blessings descend from G-d to His people. The letter yud when spelled out is י-ו-ד. The yud represents a seminal drop, the concentrated power of G-d. The vav represents a descent, for its form is that of a chute—and through this the bless­ings of G-d travel downward to our world. The dalet , having height and width, represents the physical world, signifying how G-d’s blessings are manifest in every aspect of nature. This teaches us that G-d’s blessings don’t only reside in heaven. They flow down to this corporeal world and endow us with physical health, sus10ance and success.

Perhaps this is why the first word of each of the three pas­sages of the Priestly Blessing begins with the yud : 3

יברכך ה' וישמרך—May G-d bless you and guard you.

יאר ה' פניו אליך ויחנך—May G-d shine His coun10ance upon you and be gracious to you.

ישא ה' פניו אליך וישם לך שלום—May G-d turn His coun10ance toward you and grant you peace.

Furthermore, every letter of the aleph-bet begins with the yud , a point. This illustrates the inherent spirituality of every letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and that the Torah and G-d’s teachings are all for the sake of the Yid , the Jew.

Gematria
The numeric equivalent of the yud is 10. Up until now, we’ve been discussing the single integers of the aleph-bet . Now we enter the realm of two-digit numbers. After the yud , each let­ter’s gematria increases by 10 instead of one. Yud is 10, kaf is 20, lamed is 30, mem 40, and so on. In Judaism, the number 10 is quite significant. Throughout the teachings of Torah, Talmud, Kabbalah and Chassidism, the number 10 is a fundamental building block for every aspect of Creation.

First, there are the 10 Utterances of Speech through which G-d created the world. Next come the 10 generations from Adam to Noah, and the 10 generations from Noah to Abraham. There were 10 plagues that G-d brought upon the Egyptian people, and 10 miracles that He performed for His people to save them from those plagues. G-d challenged the Jewish people with 10 tests in the desert. And, of course, G-d gave us the 10 Commandments.4

The fact that 10 represents sanctity and holiness is another reason for the importance of the yud . The Talmud tells us5 that when 10 Jews assemble, G-d dwells in their presence. The Tanya6 gives an example of just how powerful that congrega­tion is. It states that if an angel were to fly above the room in which 10 Jews were gathered—even if there were no words of Torah exchanged between them—the angel would be burnt out of existence from the holy light radiating from their com­bined energy. This is the power of 10 souls. And when these 10 souls are gathered together for Torah study and prayer, how much mightier is their force!

How do we know about the sanctity of 10? From the story of the Spies. Moses sent 12 spies to scout the land of Canaan (the Land of Israel) ahead of their arrival. Two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, delivered a positive report: “If G-d desires it … we shall surely ascend and conquer it.”7 The other 10 reported negatively: “We cannot go up against those people … It is a land that devours its inhabitants.”8 G-d responded, “How much longer must I remain amongst this evil congregation ( eidah )?”9 referring obviously to these 10 men.

From here we learn that a congregation (an eidah ) refers to a group of 10, a minyan, a quorum. A number of important questions logically follow. Why is the concept of 10 men constituting a minyan based on the fact that there were 10 evil spies return­ing from the Land of Israel? How do we ultimately say that 10 traitors represent proof that G-d can only dwell among a com­munity of at least 10, and that the Shechinah (a manifestation of G-dliness) can exist only in such a gathering?

In examining the treason of the Spies, we come to realize that, in essence, they weren’t such grave sinners. The Spies were the heads the 12 Tribes. They were holy people.10 When Moses sent them into the Land of Israel, they saw a beautiful land, rich soil, a wonderful climate, and large, succulent fruits. Upon their return, they said to Moses, “It is a land that devours its inhabitants”—meaning—“It’s not that we couldn’t conquer Canaan’s inhabitants physically, but if we reside in this materialistic environment, there is no way we will be able to maintain our current spiritual level. We will be swallowed up by materialism.”

G-d chose us to study His holy Torah. He chose us to be a light unto all the nations of the world. How could the Jewish people accomplish this if, by living in Israel, by indulging in this physical wonderland, they would forget their re­sponsibilities? Instead of studying and praying all day, they would be working the soil. They would be reaping delicious produce. And they would forget all about why they ultimately came. In the desert, the Jewish people were essentially provided for. They had manna from Heaven to eat. They had water from the Well of Miriam to drink. Their clothes were washed and maintained by the Clouds of Glory. So what did they do all day? They learned Torah. They discussed its instructions and delved into its secrets.

In Maimonides’ Introduction to the Mishnah , he discusses how the Oral Law was imparted to the people. Each time G-d gave a law to Moses, Moses taught it four times: first to Aaron, then to Aaron’s sons, then to the 70 elders, and then to the Jewish people. After all this, the nation divided into small groups and discussed the particular law, analyzing it over and over again until they were utterly clear about every one of its aspects. This was the daily routine of the Jewish people in the desert.

Moses’ spies were great Torah scholars and holy Jews. They said, “Look, if we go into the Land of Israel, we’re not going to have time to sit around and discuss all the minute details of halachah . We won’t have the opportunity to analyze the law in depth or pass it on scrupulously to our children. For this rea­son, Israel is a land that will eat up its inhabitants. The Jewish people will become immersed in the physical rather than the spiritual.” The Spies therefore told Moses, “We don’t want to go.” Obviously this was a sin, but why was it a sin for which they were mortally punished? Because G-d’s original and fun­damental intention in bringing us into the world was not to eschew physicality, but to transform the physical into the spiritual. That is the ultimate goal of the Jewish nation.

So the incident of the Spies represents a rather unique para­dox. The Spies sinned because they didn’t follow G-d’s objective in conquering the land. On the other hand, they had a valid point. They knew of the temptations that awaited the Jewish people.

Now imagine this scenario. A mother wakes up her eight-year-old son for school and he says, “No! I don’t want to go and I’m not going to go!” How does the mother respond? Does she say, “Get up! You’re going to school whether you like it or not”—or—“Oh, you don’t want to go to school? No problem. But you’ll have to stay in bed for the next forty years!” Obvi­ously she’ll tell him to go to school.

Similarly, when the Spies said, “We don’t want to go into the land,” why didn’t G-d just ignore them and demand that they go in anyway?

Because they weren’t ready. There was much more studying to be done. 11

Now if only we would all be on the Spies’ level—committed to learning Torah and striving to be spiritual and connected to G-d every minute of the day! In their own way, the Spies wanted the era of Moshiach to begin at that very moment.12 But the time simply wasn’t right. First, the Jewish people had to enter the Land. They had to work it and bring its fruits up to G-d, exemplifying how everything in this physical world is linked to the spiritual. Then, and only then—in that era and our own—would we be fit for the coming of Moshiach. This is the richness of the passage from which we derive the concept of a minyan . To this very day, any time 10 Jews gather for any reason it creates a quorum of holiness.

Meaning
The meaning of yud is a Yid —a Jew. The yud can also repre­sent a yad —a hand, which is an allusion to G-d, for we say that G-d took us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.

How do we differentiate between the yud that represents G-d and the yud that alludes to humankind? We see many times in our prayerbooks that the name of G-d is composed of two consecu­tive, adjacent yuds. The two yuds constitute a vital force in two of G-d’s names: The first name of G-d, the Tetragrammaton, is spelled י-ה-ו-ה— yud - hei - vav - hei . The Tetragrammaton represents G-d as He is be­yond nature. The second name of G-d is A-donai —which is א-ד-נ-י— alef-dalet-nun -yud . It signifies how G-d, the Master of the Universe, manifests Himself in nature. The yud at the begin­ning of the Tetragrammaton and the yud at the end of A-donai come together—a yud followed by another yud —to represent a fusion of these two expressions of G-dliness.13 This fusion is an affirmation of the fact that while we live in a physical world of “natural” order, G-d is truly the one and only creator of nature.

The yud is also the first letter in the two names for a Jew. The first name is ישראל ( Yisrael ). Jews are called B’nei Yisrael —the Children of Israel. Yisrael means both לי ראש14—“I am the head,”15 and שר א-ל—“minister of G-d.”16 The terminology “minis­ter of G-d” represents the spiritual aspect of a Jew when he prays, studies Torah, performs acts of loving-kindness and all the other mitzvot .

The second name the Jewish nation is B’nei Yaakov —the children of Jacob. Yaakov is a phonetic fusion of the letter yud and the word akeiv . Yud represents G-d. Akeiv means “heel,” the lowest part of a person. The heel is what we use to tread upon the earth. Therefore, the mission of a Jew is to go forth into the depths of the materialistic world and infuse it with the yud of G-d—G-dliness. This isn’t true only with regard to the Land of Israel or the synagogue. It refers to every place a Jew’s foot lands. We must journey from Shabbat into the weekday and from prayer into business with the same intention, with the same passion to fulfill and complete G-d’s creation.

We’ve just said that there are two names for a Jew. But from where does the word “Jew” ( Yehudi in Hebrew) actually derive? We don’t even see the term Yehudi in our texts until the Book of Esther, the scroll we read on Purim.

In the Book of Esther, Mordechai refuses to bow down to the wicked Haman “A man, a Jew ( ish Yehudi ), was in Shushan the capital, and his name was Mordechai.”17 The Talmud 18 observes that Mordechai didn’t come from the tribe of Judah (Yehudah). ,he belonged to the tribe of Benjamin. He should thus have been called “Mordechai the Benjaminite ( Yemini ).” The Talmud proceeds to state that anyone who denies idolatry and thereby acknowledges G-d is called a Yehudi —Yehudah, or the Jew.

It is interesting to note that the letter yud , when placed at the beginning of a word, represents constancy. This concept is illustrated in the verse in Job19: “So did Job do ( yaaseh ) all of his days.” The verb asah (עשה), “to do,” would typically refer to a one-time accomplishment. Here, however, a yud precedes it—יעשה. The yud empowers asa with continuity. Job offered burnt offerings for his children not just this one time, but every year at that time—all of his days.

The same concept holds true with G-d’s name. The name of G-d is spelled yud - hei - vav - hei . The word hoveh ( hei, vav, hei )means “the present.” G-d continuously creates the world—right now, even as you read this. The yud in front of hoveh reminds us that Creation was not a singular occurrence. G-d is forming the world anew every moment.20

The word Yehudah (i.e., Yehudi )—the Jew—also begins with a yud . The Alter Rebbe explains21 that Yehudah means “praise” and “acknowledgment” (etymologically, it stems from the word hod , to praise). A Jew, by nature, praises G-d. But this isn’t merely enacted once or twice in a lifetime, or even once or twice a day. Praise is expressed every moment of our earthly existence. This is the yud that is placed before the root word hod , “to praise.” It represents a Jew’s continuous, innate desire to praise G-d. Of course, some days that desire can be concealed and we may be unaware of it. But that can never obscure a Jew’s perpetual, unyielding connection to G-d.

In light of this fact, we may re-examine one of the darkest periods of Jewish history. Hitler—may his name be erased—forced all Jews to wear a yellow star with the word “Jude” (i.e., Yehudi ) on it. In retrospect, we can say that Hitler’s attempt to extinguish the Jewish spark actually served to re-ignite and distinguish it. Wearing the star meant that even in the most harrowing times, the Jewish people would never stop loving and praising G-d. Yehudah— to praise G-d constantly —was emblazoned on our very being.

Yud . G-d’s indivisible power. His hand. His name. A corridor to a heightened level of connection and understanding—forever embedded in our Jewish name and our inherent desire to praise Him.

Video
FOOTNOTES
1. Two “dots” or yuds , writ10 Yud-Yud , represent two of G-d’s holy names. See section on “Meaning” in this chapter.
2. Tanya, beginning of ch. 19.
3. Zohar III, 290b.
4. Ethics of the Fathers ch. 5.
5. Megillah 23b.
6. Tanya, Iggeret HaKodesh , ch. 23.
7. Numbers 14:8; 13:30.
8. Numbers 13:31-32.
9. Numbers 14:27.
10. Likkutei T orah , beginning of Shelach ; Likkutei Sichot , vol. 4, p. 1042; vol. 33, p. 86.
11. Likkutei Sichot , vol. 33, p. 87.
12. See Sefer Hasichot 5749, vol. 2, p. 548, fn. 79; p. 549, fn. 87.
13. Sefer Hasichot 5749, vol. 2, p. 668 (a talk by the Rebbe in regard to the shloshim of Rabbi Jacob J. Hecht, o.b.m.).
14. Derived by switching the letters of the word Yisrael .
15. Torah Ohr , p. 50a, explained there to mean a person’s G-dly soul.
16. Likkutei Torah , Devarim , p. 32b.
17. Esther 2:5.
18. Megillah 13a.
19. Job 1:5.
20. Tanya, Shaar Hayichud Veha’emunah , ch. 4.
21. Torah Ohr , p. 45a.


Rabbi Aaron L. Raskin More by this author
Rabbi Aaron L. Raskin is the official Chabad emissary to downtown Brooklyn, rabbi of Congregation B’nai Avraham in Brooklyn Heights, New York and Dean of Brooklyn Heights Jewish Academy. He is the author of the books, “Thank You God for Making Me a Woman", "Letters of Light", "By Divine Design", and "Guardian of Israel", and the co-author of "The Rabbi & The CEO".

By the Grace of G‑d
6 Tishrei, 5785

Dear Friend,

It’s all up to you now.

As we approach the awesome day of Yom Kippur, your role is more crucial than ever.

Yesterday, much of the world recalled the immense shock and searing pain we experienced last year, when so many of our brothers and sisters were so brutally and cruelly wrested from our midst.

So many additional pure souls have since heroically sacrificed their lives to protect us, hostages still endure unfathomable torture, and staggering numbers of families are still uprooted and overturned. Around the world, haters have raised their ugly voices and fists to intimidate us.

In the face of this unimaginable tragedy, we’ve put away petty differences and discovered a remarkable unity. We’ve come to appreciate more than ever how each of us counts, how we each have so much to contribute. We’ve come to recognize what’s truly important and enduring. We’ve taken note of G-d’s immense miracles. And we’ve acted on a deep yearning to reconnect with our innermost selves, to be more G-dly.

We’ve learned about the power of standing as one — and the difference even one person can make in this world.

We’ve all come to appreciate what the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, spent a lifetime teaching us about unity. About G-d. About Israel. And about the immense potential inside each one of us!

You are everything to G-d. And you are everything to all of us across the globe.

And everything about the awesome day of Yom Kippur points to each one of us:

In times of old, one High Priest, serving one G‑d, on behalf of His one people, in His one Temple, on His one holiest day, sought G‑d's atonement for the entire world.

Similarly, one person anywhere in this world, with one turn of his or her personal page, doing one good deed, or even making one good resolution — can change the course of the entire world for the good!

This means:

YOU hold the key to the world's future!

Your good deed, your cry from the depths of your soul, your care for another, can penetrate the Gates of Heaven and call forth a loving response from our One and Only Father in Heaven.

PLEASE DONATE NOW
Jewish wisdom teaches us that a crucial component of our service to G‑d — even more so nowadays than in times of old! — is to give generously of our earnings to charity, especially during this time of year.

Why?

Because we work hard to earn a living. And we each pour our time, our energy — our very souls! — into that work. So when we contribute from those very earnings to charity, we are sharing our own toil; we are giving away a part of our very own soul and self, to others!

We are also…

demonstrating our appreciation that G‑d entrusted us to act on His behalf to distribute His resources; and
modeling how the Heavenly Court should treat us!
In preparation for Yom Kippur, when we pray that G‑d blesses us with all things good, that He protects our brothers and sisters in our Holy Land and removes their widespread pain and suffering, let us demonstrate our faith and connection by giving freely and generously to charity. G-d is relying on each one of us, individually!

Certainly, He will reciprocate in kind.

After all, He entrusted the entire world to each of us.

In this spirit, it would be extremely meaningful to people all over the world if you could take two minutes now to donate generously to Chabad.org's vital work:

Chabad.org/Help

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(And please remember Chabad.org in your will.)

Your partnership is vital to ensure our financial stability — and the life-saving services we offer — for the coming year.

To provide these services we must reach our Yom Kippur campaign goal of 18,000 generous giving partners. We already stand at 8,391 partners, thank G-d. Will you please join them? Remember: Every individual act counts immensely!

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May you experience Yom Kippur in the deepest, holiest way. May the merit of your unique good deeds shield Israel and the entire world. And may you and each of your loved ones, along with the entire world, be sealed in the Book of Life for a good, healthy and sweet year!

On behalf of the Chabad.org team,


Rabbi Zalman Shmotkin
Executive Director

P.S. Yom Kippur contains endless entry points to connect to G‑d. To help enrich your holiest-day experience, I invite you to check out the Yom Kippur website. And enjoy a classic Yom Kippur teaching from the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory here.

Today, 6 Tishrei (Oct. 8), marks the 60th yahrtzeit (anniversary of passing) of the Rebbe's mother, Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson, of righteous memory. To learn about this extraordinary woman's very challenging yet deeply impactful life, click here. To light Shabbat candles in her memory this coming joint Shabbat and Yom Kippur eve — and start off the year with a monumental mitzvah, or to do something else special in her memory, check out these resources.

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Kaf (Chaf)
The eleventh letter of the Hebrew alphabet
Rabbi Aaron L. Raskin

Kaf is the eleventh letter of the Hebrew alphabet
Numerical value: 20
Sound: "K" with a dagesh (dot) and "KH" without a dagesh
Meaning: Palm, spoon, crown

Story
A king once traveled to a great forest. He penetrated so deeply into the forest that he got lost and could not find the way home. In the depths of the woods he met simple peas­ants and asked them to lead him out of the forest, but they were unable to help him, for they had never heard of the great highway that led to the royal palace.

The king then found a wise and understanding man, and requested his aid. The sage discerned immediately that this was the king and his heart stirred within him. In his wisdom, he immediately led the king to the correct path, guided him to his royal palace and aided him until the king was finally restored his true honor and seated on his majestic throne. The rescuer, of course, found great favor with the king.

Time passed and the wise man acted improperly, angering the king. The king ordered that he be tried for violating the royal law. The man knew that he would be dealt with very severely. In great anxiety, he fell before the king and implored that he be granted one plea: before the trial and the subsequent judgment, he wished to be garbed in the very same clothing he had worn when the king first encountered him in the forest. The king, too, was to don the original clothing he had been wearing then.

The king acceded to this request. When the forest encoun­ter was re-enacted by their dressing in the original garments, the king vividly remembered the life-saving kindness of his rescuer. Great mercy was aroused within him as he recol­lected how he had been restored to the royal throne. With compassion and mercy, the king magnanimously forgave his rescuer and restored him to his place of high honor.

This story, told by Reb Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev,1 is an analogy of the relationship between G-d and the Jewish people. Before the great revelation at Sinai, G-d went from nation to nation and offered them the Torah, but they declined it. We, the Jewish people, accepted the Torah with gladness and joy, affirming that “We will do and we will hear,”2 accepting the Torah even prior to hearing its specific teachings. We declared our loyalty to G-d, “accepting the yoke of the Heavenly kingdom,” proclaimed G-d’s majesty as King over us, and affirmed that we would fulfill His commands and be loyal to His holy Torah.

Throughout our history, the Jewish people have sinned and rebelled against G-d... and every Rosh Hashanah we blow the shofar, reminiscent of the shofar that blew at Mount Sinai when we received the Torah. This reminds us of our vow to submit to G-d’s sovereignty and evokes our thoughts of repentance. Through the shofar blowing, G-d remembers our original acceptance of the Torah when we made Him our King. He thus forgives us for all our sins and inscribes us immediately to the Book of Life for a good life, etc.3 The kaf, the representation of Kesser, the crown of the King, reminds us that our intention in performing mitzvos must focus on our submission to G-d’s will.4

Design
The eleventh letter of the alef-beis is the kaf.5

The design of the kaf can perhaps be described as a pipe bent in two places. The concept of bending oneself represents sub­mission to a greater force and entity—the King of all kings, A-lmighty G-d.

Gematria
The gematria of kaf is twenty. Twenty can be divided into ten and ten. The first ten represents the Ten Utterances with which G-d created the world. The second ten represents the Ten Com­mandments.6 Together, they become a kaf. In Numbers7 it states: “Ten-ten is the kaf.”8

If you take the word עשרים (esrim, the word “twenty” in Hebrew) and add up its letters, you arrive at 620: ayin=70, shin=300, reish=200, yud=10, mem=40. 620 is also the gematria of the word כתר, kesser: kaf=20, tav=400, reish=200. Kesser means crown, the ornament placed on the head of a king. Kesser also reminds us of the 620 letters in the Ten Command­ments. G-d crowned the Jewish nation by giving them the Torah. And it became the Jews’ raison d’êtreto follow the 613 commandments and the 7 Rabbinic laws9—which together total 620. Significantly, the first letter of kesser is kaf.10

In Kabbalah, the Sefirah (or faculty) of Kesser represents a level that is beyond intellect. The crown is placed atop the head. Of course, our head is the vessel that carries the brain, the seat of intellect and thought. But the crown rests above the head, beyond thought. What can be greater than intellect? Desire. In Hebrew, this is called ratzon. Desire is a mighty force, inviting us to explore possibilities that rationality would show to be wrong or difficult.

Say, for example, you’d like to become successful in a certain occupation. Even though you may have failed every class in school, you can persevere and succeed if you have the will and desire. Why? Because you want to. The power, the crown, of desire is so potent that it has the ability to transcend and actu­ally transform your intellect.

In turn, there’s another concept that even transcends desire, and that is pleasure (tainug). If a person derives pleasure from something he will automatically gravitate toward it. As a result he will mobilize his intellect and devise a strategy to attain it. That’s why kesser is represented by the letter kaf—twenty—to teach us that there are two levels, or faculties, within the crown: desire and pleasure, with each faculty containing ten aspects. These aspects are also known as the ten holy Sefiros (spheres),11 the ten building blocks of Creation. Three of the ten levels reside in the dimension of the intellect—Wisdom, Understanding, and Knowledge—and seven occupy the dimension of the emotions—Love, Fear, Mercy, Victory, Praise (Acknowledgment), Foundation (Bonding), and Sovereignty (Speech). The two faculties of the crown of kaf—pleasure and desire—twice encompass the three levels of intellect and seven levels of emotion for a total of twenty levels.

It states in the Talmud12 that the crown of Torah is halachah—law. Why is it specifically law (i.e., those things that we should and shouldn’t do) that is considered the crown of Torah? For the answer we can look to the reason G-d gave us the Torah. We did not receive the Torah to have some nice stories to entertain ourselves with, to read to our kids as a bedtime story, or to analyze in a literature class. On the contrary, the purpose of Torah is that we carry out His law, i.e., that we fulfill G-d’s desire and in so doing give Him pleasure.

It therefore states in the Talmud: “Great is the study of Torah, for it brings to action.”13 Like the crown, Torah’s ultimate purpose is to go beyond the head, beyond the intellect, and propel us to act in accordance with G-d’s will, thus refining us as people and completing G-d’s purpose in Creation.

Meaning
One of the meanings of the letter kaf is “spoon.” The root of the word “spoon” is kafaf—to bend. As we discussed earlier, the kaf is a letter that is bent. It represents the aspect of submitting oneself to a greater power.

This notion of submission—and humility—can be seen clearly in the difference between the words anochi and ani. Both mean “I.” When a person walks around all day and says, “I, I, I,” he has a problem with egotism. How does one over­come this self-inflation? By adding a kaf to the אני (ani), the I, and transforming it into the אנכי (anochi). When the “I” submits to G-d, when it recognizes and bends to the higher power through the kaf, it is no longer the egotistical I. Rather, אנכי (anochi) is the “I” that serves as a channel to do G-d’s will.14

There are actually two kafs. There’s the bent kaf (כ), and the straight, or final, kaf (ך). What’s the difference?

We explained previously that Kesser, the king’s crown, is comprised of two levels: pleasure and desire. It has also been described as representing the internal and external aspects of the king. In this case, internal refers to the king’s relation to himself, while external is his relationship to the world, his kingdom. Regarding the king’s internal aspect—he doesn’t necessarily want to be king, to be under the thumb of the ceaseless demands of his position. He wants to live within the boundaries of his own will, the internal world of study, erudi­tion, spirituality, and family. This is the meaning of the passage15 “From his shoulders up he was taller than the rest of his people,” that is, secluded from the people.

The king’s crown, however, also demands the straight kaf, which unfurls to reach down to his subjects; the external level of the king’s existence. He’s required to interact, to be responsi­ble and benevolent to his kingdom.

The bent kaf therefore represents the introverted or inverted king—who remains isolated within his internalized world. The straight kaf (similar to the vav) represents the king who descends from his high level and reaches down to others in order to communicate with and rule his people.

Interestingly enough, we observe that when you affix the straight kaf as the suffix to a word, it adds the word “you” to the root. As it says:16 “I will exalt You (ארוממך) my G-d the King.” When you speak directly to a person, you say “you”: lecha, לך, or becha, בך—spelled with a straight kaf: The final kaf thus literally unfolds to include the person to whom you are speaking. It represents the fact that the king has appeared to us and we are able to speak to him face to face.

The letter kaf. To bend oneself. To submit to the crown—the King, G-d, the ruler of the universe.

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FOOTNOTES
1. (1740-1809) A disciple of the Maggid of Mezritch and a contemporary of the Alter Rebbe. See Kedushas Levi, Discourse on Rosh Hashanah, p. 96. Also see Likkutei Sichos, vol. 34, p. 184.
2. Exodus 24:7.
3. Tanya, ch. 4.
4. Ibid., Iggeres HaKodesh, Epistle 29.
5. The kaf is sometimes pronounced chaf, depending primarily on its placement within a word.
6. Zohar III, 11b.
7. 7:86.
8. Literally “weighing ten [shekels] apiece.”
9. The seven statutes of Rabbinic law are: lighting the Shabbos and Holiday candles, reading the Megillah on Purim, lighting Chanukah candles, washing one’s hands before partaking of bread, the blessings before eating, the eruv, and the recitation of Hallel on holidays.
10. Shabbos 104a.
11. Tanya, chs. 3, 5; Iggeres HaKodesh, Epistle 15.
12. Megillah 28b. Also see Tanya, Iggeres HaKodesh, Epistle 29.
13. Kiddushin 40b.
14. Sefer HaMaamarim 5703, p. 197.
15. I Samuel 9:2.
16. Psalms 145:1.


Rabbi Aaron L. Raskin More by this author
Rabbi Aaron L. Raskin is the official Chabad emissary to downtown Brooklyn, rabbi of Congregation B’nai Avraham in Brooklyn Heights, New York and Dean of Brooklyn Heights Jewish Academy. He is the author of the books, “Thank You God for Making Me a Woman", "Letters of Light", "By Divine Design", and "Guardian of Israel", and the co-author of "The Rabbi & The CEO".


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