Unpacking the Meaning of the Hebrew Letter 'B'

As we know, every letter in the holy language has significance, and the combination of these letters forms the meaning of a word. Previously, we discussed the letter Aleph; now let's move on to Bet.

Our sages teach that the first mention of a letter in the Torah represents its meaning. The first two words in the Torah begin with Bet, although in the first word, 'B'reishit,' the Bet is not part of the root. It's used as a prefix. Therefore, the correct word is 'Bara,' linking the letter Bet to creation.

In the Gemara, tractate Shabbat, Bet is defined as 'Binah,' or understanding. Creation in the physical world parallels Binah in the realm of thought. Creation results from the wisdom and words of the Creator, while Binah is the wisdom that Hashem planted in humans to derive one thing from another. From one insight, a person conceives another—a new idea is born.

Thus, numerically, Bet signifies the second stage. Aleph is the original, the Creator, and Bet is the second entity.

Interestingly, the understanding derived from an idea isn't the creation of something new. The idea was included in the first thing. Binah is the human capacity to define and reveal it, to give it shape. Likewise, creation by Hashem doesn't genuinely bring something new into the world; Hashem limits Himself to reveal His will in a way that appears as creation, yet everything is already within the Creator.

The letter's name, 'Bayit,' means a house. It signifies the definition and boundary of a place, creating an 'inside.' Reality within the world redefined as something personal and unique to me and my family—a unit after the whole world. An inner world.

A 'Bayit' also signifies completeness. Marriage is considered building a house. In the Shabbat prohibitions, building and dismantling relate only to a house, not vessels. This reality, that a house can be built, allows for completeness—completeness of a lifestyle conducted in the house, as a family. A 'Bayit' is a unit of completeness that enables multiplication. One is alone; a house symbolizes abundance.

Rabbi Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin (Oz Letzadik, Yud Tet) explains that even the form of the letter Bet expresses its meaning, being comprised of three lines. The top line symbolizes the primary force, the true power; the middle line represents the expression of this primary force into a second power, depicted by a vertical line, indicating the second isn't really power but included within the first, showing the influence from the upper power downward; the third line symbolizes the influential power existing in the second, as the primary force transmits influence to create a third power. Like a seed, from which a tree—a second force—is born, the tree itself contains seeds capable of forming another tree. Thus, even though the third force is essentially from the first, within the second force lies an aspect of the first.

Therefore, the meaning of Bet is 'inside,' as in Egypt, in a house.

Any birth of a new entity, bearing its own inner world, is symbolized by Bet. Thus, the words son and daughter are the realization of the father’s creative power. The Malbim (Isaiah, chapter 5, verse 6) explains that the son continues and inherits the father's power. When a son is born, he belongs to his paternal family. Hence, the letter Nun is added, meaning continuation of the same action, while the daughter, though related to her father, doesn't inherit him if there is a son. Her children don't belong to her father's family but her husband's. Thus, she is assigned the letter Tav, symbolizing the end and conclusion of a process. This explains the verse referring to a field that can't be cultivated as 'Bat'ah.

According to these explanations, we can also understand the word Av, since the essence of a father is to possess the primary power (Aleph) to create a secondary power (Bet). Similarly, the word Evan (stone) conveys its significance as building material for a house; hence, the inherent power to create a house is attributed to it. Thus, it rightfully bears the letter Aleph, symbolizing the power to create—'Ban,' meaning build, a house. Conversely, the word Levenah (brick) lacks an Aleph because it isn't naturally a building material; only through human preparation and correction does it become fit for construction. Therefore, it is denoted by the letter Lamed, meaning 'for a purpose,' indicating that this brick serves the purpose of creating a structure.