The Mystical Significance of the Hebrew Letter Hei

Our sages explain the verse "Trust in Hashem forever, for in Y-H, Hashem is the Rock of Ages," interpreting "Y-H" as referring to the letters Yud and Hei. The future world was created with Yud, and this world with Hei (Menachot 29b). Therefore, the meaning of the letter Hei is the existence of the physical world, represented by the word "haya," to be. The name for Hashem represents that Hashem is the source of existence. The first word in the Torah beginning with Hei is "Hee" (she), which also signifies existence and being.

This world, which appears so tangible to us, is an expression of the abstract ideas of the true and spiritual world. It is a special creation that reveals reality to our eyes. Impurity is an idea, and its presence in this world, like a pig, is a manifestation of the power of impurity, a general and spiritual matter. On one hand, this manifestation is partial. In this world, everything is hidden and partial; we do not see the full expression of spirituality, neither holiness nor impurity. On the other hand, this partialness allows us to understand and grasp. The existence of this world is an adaptation of the greater and broader reality to our small human eyes. Hashem extends to us an adapted picture of reality.

Therefore, the letter Hei also expresses the power of birth. Just as Hashem created a world, He gives us the power to bring forth and establish offspring. The Torah also describes the creation of the world in a manner similar to the genealogy of human beings: "These are the generations of the heavens and the earth." The holy Alshich explains that Abram and Sarai were barren, and Hashem added the letter Hei to each of them, Abraham and Sarah, so they would have the power of birth. He similarly explains the verse at the beginning of the Book of Samuel: "The name of one was Hannah and the name of the other Peninnah." Peninnah was "the other" because she had children. Hannah was "one," not "the one," because at that time she was barren.

In the order of the letters Aleph through Hei is the order of physical reality: the Creator, the Kabbalah, growth, giving, and birthing. The numerical value of Hei is five because the letter before it, Dalet, represents growth to the four cardinal directions, in terms of separation, while Hei is the concentration of reality around one point, a point linking the material and the Creator of the world. The birth of a baby is material growth, but this growth is centered around the union of body and spirit, which provides us the power to create and bring forth life. Thus, the entire world is composed of the four corners of the earth, but at its center is a force connecting to the Creator who fashioned this world.

The pronouncement of the letter Hei differs from other letters in that it is voiced solely through breath. The breath sounds "Hei"; it requires no intervention of gums, teeth, tongue, etc., because breath is the center of our physical existence.

Since Hei symbolizes existence, it also denotes "the" definite article, the existing matter. "The sun" is the existing sun, not a theoretical, imaginary sun, and when existence is doubted, Hei appears in a question mark sense - "Is it indeed so?", "Is Saul among the prophets?"

Hei also symbolizes the feminine. With its aid, "yeled" becomes "yalda" and "ish" becomes "isha," for Hei is the power of birth, which distinguishes the female.

Mountain denotes birth and becoming, pregnancy. Mountains are like the becoming and birth of additional land, resembling pregnancy: the earth expands, and more land is born. However, the combination H-R can also come in a negative sense: harag (killing) is the nullification of becoming, and destruction is the annulment of the order's existence.

Hei also serves in the sense of unveiling reality and witnessing it. Combined with the letter Reish, which symbolizes light, arise these uses: zohar (radiance), bahir (brilliant), tahor (pure), nahir (luminous) (and thus "tunnel," a passage with light at its end), as well as tzohar, which is light bursting through (hence: "noon," doubling the word tzohar as light abounds at this time. And similarly "yitzhar," oil, termed so as it is meant for illumination, or because it brightens the face).

In roots ending with two Alephs, the letter Aleph serves in the sense of concealment, as in the root "kaheh," denoting darkness and dimming, as well as in roots like "taheh" or "baheh," indicating amazement and wonder, which is a loss of intellectual vision.