Exploring the Mystical Meaning of the Hebrew Letter Yud

The Talmud in Tractate Menachot (29b) explains the significance of the letter Yud as symbolizing the World to Come. The Talmud in Tractate Shabbat also discusses the closeness of the letters Yud and Kaf: "Hashem gives you an inheritance and crowns you in the World to Come," meaning, the letter Yud depicts the inheritance offered by Hashem in the World to Come. In the written Torah, the first word beginning with Yud is "day," as we say in the hymn "Draw near the day which is neither day nor night." Exile is considered darkness and night, while redemption and the World to Come are referred to as day, shining with precious light. When the moon's blemish is healed, "the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun," bringing only light and day, without darkness or night.

We know that everything occurring in this world originates from events taking place in the true world. With our physical senses, we perceive only nature: a leaf falls, the wind blows. Yet natural occurrences gather into events, behind which stands the hand of providence, the hand of Hashem. The spiritual world, also known as the World to Come (since we arrive there after death), expresses itself in our world as the reaching hand of Hashem, as witnessed, for instance, during the Exodus from Egypt when Hashem led us with a strong hand and outstretched arm. Each small revelation of Hashem's hand is referred to as "the finger of God." Hence, the name of the letter Yud. The hand signifies control. When an army conquers a target, they announce "The target is in our hands." When Hashem promises someone victory, He says "I will give it into your hand," and we say to Hashem "I am in Your hand," "In Your hand are power and might." The hand symbolizes the one who controls, and in his hand is the power to determine what will happen.

Indeed, the letter Yud complements the meaning of the letter Aleph. Aleph expresses Hashem as the primary force, the source of reality, while Yud expresses the hand of Hashem in the world. After all the stages of creation and nourishment, represented by the letters between Aleph and Yud, the series of the first ten letters concludes with the reality of Hashem's hand managing the world.

The meaning of the Name of Hashem is the connection between this world and the World to Come, which is the essence of Hashem's name. The letter Hey represents this world, the letter Yud—the World to Come, and the letter Vav—the power of connection. Hashem is the link between worlds.

The proximity between the letters Tet and Yud is beautifully explained, as the letter Tet symbolizes the good that one aspires to, or more accurately—should aspire to, overcoming bodily desires, and the Yud is the goal, the World to Come, spirituality revealed in the world. The Tet should be close to the Yud.

The Maharal (Netivot Olam B') elucidates that the shape of the letter Yud is a point, for the definition of a point is a mark with no area at all. Any ink spot, even the smallest, is a point. No matter how much we reduce it—it remains a point; it requires no area. This is a symbol of true, spiritual reality, which exists necessarily, unrelated to boundaries and measures. The concept of "point" essentially states "there is something there."

The numerical value of the letter Yud is ten. This number aptly describes the World to Come, as the number ten expresses the completion of all components of a process, achievable only when creation reaches its ultimate purpose—the World to Come. Similarly, the act of creation itself was accomplished through a process composed of ten utterances, as in any process, like the influence from the World to Come upon this world, where the abundance must pass through ten Sefirot, which are ten stages standing between this world and the World to Come. Remarkably, even the hand in the human body, known to be in control and influential like the World to Come, contains ten fingers.

When the letter Yud is added at the beginning of a verb, it transforms the verb into future tense, as with the verb: "breaks" which becomes "will break," and so forth. This aligns with the World to Come, as its name implies—it is not present here and we do not see it except in the future. Therefore, it expresses the action in an abstract form, namely in the future. The Vav is the power of knowledge, transforming from past to future and from future to past, but the Yud points forward to the World to Come, converting only to the future.

There is an additional use of the letter Yud, when added to the end of a noun, it links the object to the speaker, as in the words: my book, my table. This arises from the significance of the letter Yud as expressing control, as linking the object to the speaker indicates control over the item, as if saying "the book in my hand"—which is under my control.