The Hidden Meaning of the Hebrew Letter Tzadi

Biblical Insights

The name of the letter Tzadi comes from the word 'side'. A 'side' is a partial thing that is not complete on its own, but together with its opposite, forms a whole, with each side revealing a different aspect of the complete thing. Therefore, we call each direction of space a 'side', because every spatial dimension consists of two opposing directions.

The word 'side' is also used to describe the capture of an animal, because the act of capturing involves dividing an area into two parts: a small, enclosed section where the animal is, and a larger, open section. Thus, surrounding an area with a partition is related to the meaning of the letter Tzadi, as every partition has two sides, which together make up the complete area. This explains the connection of the letter Dalet to the name Tzadi, because this letter expresses the measure, which allows the division of one thing into two parts.

The concept of 'form' is also made up of the letter Tzadi, because the raw material, when lacking any form, contains within it all the possible forms that can be made from it. Thus, giving form is the delimiting and restricting (Tzadi) of the raw material (Reish) into a form where only some of its properties can be expressed.

To what can this be compared? To a large block of material that holds within it all the forms of the sculptures that can be carved from it. However, once a single form is sculpted, only one side of the fundamental material, which contained all types of forms, is expressed. This is also true for atoms, which are known to contain the properties of all types of substances in the world, and when arranged in a certain form, only some of their properties are expressed.

We also find a similar meaning in the word 'shadow', except the shadow is creating a form (Tzadi) by negation (Lamed) of light, as the shadow is merely a projection of the true form.

Now we can understand why the first word in the Torah that starts with the letter Tzadi is: 'in our image', since the concept of man being created in the image of G-d implies that man's form is like G-d's form. Although certainly Hashem has no physical form that can be expressed in material, there is a form (Tzadi) that is a projection (Lamed) of the spiritual essence (Mem) onto physical reality.

The inclination in man's heart is also referred to in this language because man holds the potential to be in G-d's image, or to be like a beast, G-d forbid, and the inclination shapes his form for better or for worse. The word 'righteousness' is also derived from 'side' because righteousness is the spiritual form a person must create within themselves, seeing that a person living according to the principles of righteousness knows that something that is not just must not be done, has no spiritual energy, and cannot be done at all. Thus, life is limited (Tzadi) according to the measure (Dalet) of righteousness.

It's now evident why the Talmud in Tractate Shabbat describes the letter Tzadi with the word 'righteous', because a righteous person shapes their form according to the form and limitation of righteousness.

Besides the meaning of the letter Tzadi explained thus far—expressing contraction and the creation of a partial entity—the letter Tzadi also signifies one side overcoming the other and breaking into its territory, which is a merging of the two sides, completely opposite the first meaning.

The pronunciation of the letter Tzadi is made by contracting the tongue to the lips and passing air through a small hole from one side to the other. This corresponds exactly to the meaning of the letter Tzadi.

The letter Tzadi expresses delimitation and contraction in the following words: siege; pressure—which is an attempt to delineate and shrink the other side more; narrow—which is the result of pressure and contraction; trouble—which is a burden pressing on the soul; and even desire—which is a force that pushes a person, meaning it presses on them. From this meaning, the letter Tzadi also appears in the words: store and preserve, which mean keeping from external eruption.

The meaning of bursting the boundary and moving to the other side is found in the words: burst; to sprout; shoot—a growth breaking from the roots into the open ground; strife—a state where two people stand on either side of a barricade, attempting to overpower one another; fighters—who are the people in strife; victory—success of one of the fighters; fringe—which extends and dangles outside the border of the garment; sparkle—something that breaks into our consciousness from afar due to its spark; peep—something outside our domain that is nonetheless visible to us, as though it breaks into our domain, like "peeking from the crevices" (Song of Songs 2:9); and hinge, which allows a door to swing and break from side to side.

The root 'pour' does not express mere pouring, but the pouring of a liquid, which is something without form, into a vessel or structure that gives it shape. This meaning is especially evident when Torah speaks of pouring metals, where the goal is to cause the metal to harden in that form.

A mocker is called such because mockery and laughter's essence is to scatter a person's thoughts, to examine everything lightly, and not to allow concentration on one point to grasp its depth (hence laughter is today called entertainment, meaning dispersion in Aramaic). The meaning of the word is the negation (Lamed) of contraction and concentration (Tzadi) (therefore it is said "do not reprove a scornful man" because the mocker will certainly not accept your reproof, and instead, will despise you, for his flaw is not in a touching or faulty measure he possesses, but his entire essence is to be light and not accept moral discipline).