The Letters of the Torah: A Soul to the Body

Understanding this great foundation, that every letter contains active illuminations and higher secrets, through whose combinations the world was created, allows us to comprehend the words of the Sages regarding Bezalel, who was chosen by Hashem to build the Tabernacle, where His presence would dwell. The language of the Talmud goes like this: “Bezalel knew how to combine the letters with which heaven and earth were created. It is written here [about Bezalel]: 'And Hashem filled him with the spirit of Hashem, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge.' And it is written there [regarding the creation of the world]: 'With wisdom, Hashem founded the earth; He set the heavens in understanding.' And it is written: 'With His knowledge, the depths were broken up.'”

This also explains the Sages' words about one of the names of the wisest man, King Solomon, all of whose names express his great essence. Regarding the verse in the Book of Proverbs: "The saying of the man to Ithiel," the Midrash states: "The saying of the man - in whom the Holy Spirit dwelled. To Ithiel - who understood the letters of Hashem." Thus, Solomon's greatness was expressed in his understanding of the divine letters in their profound depth.

With this, we can understand the verse affirming the names Adam gave to all living creatures: "And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name." It does not say 'that will be its name' in the future tense, as at the beginning of the verse, 'And whatever he called,' which is in future tense. But rather "that was its name," signifying its true essence from the start. For Adam had the wisdom to understand the spiritual roots of each living being according to its appearance, the sound of its voice, and its behavior. From this understanding, he knew how to select the specific letters that brought each creature into being and named it accordingly. This explains the confirmation found in the verse: "that was its name!" meaning it was truly its essential name according to its higher root (see later at the end of the chapter "The Name of Man" ~ an explanation of the names of animals in the holy language according to the simple interpretation).

Thus, the holy Hebrew letters, and the words composed of them creating the original Hebrew language, are an integral part of the nature of creation. For they are the spiritual building blocks of nature.

Furthermore, it is to be added that the four elements from which all creation is composed– fire, air, water, and earth– have their roots in the letters. And someone proficient in them can discern the nature of a person according to the letters of their name and may act for good or ill. Here is a summary of the words of the "Midrash Talpiyot" on this matter:

Every person has a different character from another and different traits, and without knowing the person, it is difficult to truly discern their nature. Rabbi Meir, who examined names, did not only examine according to the meaning of the name but also according to what is hidden in its letters. For each letter is based on one of the four elements, and this is their order:

Aleph, Hei, Tet, Mem, Pei, Shin, Nun – all these letters are based on the element of fire.

Gimel, Zayin, Samekh, Kaf, Kuf, Kaf Sofit, Tzadi Sofit – all these letters are based on the element of air.

Dalet, Chet, Lamed, Ayin, Reish, Mem – all these letters are based on the element of water.

Bet, Vav, Yud, Nun, Tzadi, Taf, Fei Sofit – all these letters are based on the element of earth.

And every letter of each of these elements has **kaf-chet** [twenty-eight] grades, one above the other, and the lowest of them is higher than the highest of the subsequent letter (for example, the lowest grade of fire of the letter Aleph is higher than the highest grade of fire of the letter Hei). This is called the weight of the letters.

And those proficient in this wisdom know, according to the letters of a person's name and the arrangement of their position in the name, and the combination of the power of each letter with the power of the other letters - which elements prevail in that person. Thus, we understand the great wisdom of the first man, whom the Holy One praised before the angels for names he called to all creations because he understood each creature, what its root and trait were, and therefore he named it according to what suited it.

And the one who is corrected in his actions, according to this wisdom of the secret of the letters, can heal the sick. Such as mentioned in the Talmud, that Rabbi Yochanan healed Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba after he said to him, "Give me your hand." He gave him his hand and raised him. And how could simply giving a hand heal a sick person and lift him from his bed when he could not get up due to his illness? Rather, it is explained in the sacred Zohar (Parashat Beshalach) that the name **Yil-kei** comes from the verse "And onward, etc.". When he saw that this patient's element of water and earth had overcome him and the fire element in him had dimmed (for in the dead, there is no life at all, and he is cold for he has only water and earth, and the fire and air have departed from his body), he reversed the order of the letters of the name **Yil-kei**, and brought the letter Hei (whose element is fire) before the letters Yud and Lamed (whose elements are water and earth). When he said to him, "Give me your hand," he held his hand and intended with this name. And the patient also intended this name, thus increasing the power of fire in the patient's body until he stood on his feet and was healed. This is hinted at in the initials "Give me your hand," which are the initials of this name. The explanation in the Talmud is that even though he raised a sick person, when he himself was sick, he could not raise himself, for a prisoner cannot release himself from prison. This is because another needs to come and intend the name with all the proper intentions and parts and insert this power into the patient, and the patient supports him somewhat in his intention as well, and then it benefits him to raise him.

Thus, the letters of the Torah – for all creations – are like a soul to the body, to move and animate it. And with these letters, a son of a prop or an informed scholar, proficient in them, can create a man or an animal from virgin soil. And the rule is that in every word, parts of the foundational letters of the Name of Hashem, such as the Tetragrammaton or Elokim or Adonai, etc., will be found. And those knowledgeable in this wisdom direct with this name, and when they utter the word from their mouths, they strengthen some letters over others, and reality changes. As with Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa who said the words: "He who said to oil that it should burn, should say to vinegar that it should burn," and so it was. In this way, all the miracles performed by those perfect in their service occur because Hashem is elevated and magnified when the righteous recognize His holy names. This wisdom is very deep and requires very fine understanding to know and recall well the parts of the foundational letters and their gradations and powers so as not to err in them.

In light of this, the seemingly puzzling story related by the Sages will be understood, that Abraham our Forefather was hidden in his childhood without speaking to anyone until the age of thirteen, due to King Nimrod's desire to kill him, and when he emerged, he spoke fluent Hebrew. Also, several books write under the name of Rambam that if a child remains alone and grows without hearing spoken language (or the growlings of animals), he is destined to speak Hebrew on his own. This is because the very ability to speak is a wondrous thing emanating from the spiritual soul. Naturally, it connects to this language which is part of the spiritual nature engraved in creation. Rabbi Yaakov Emden wrote in his book "Tower of Strength": "And they said that if a child grows and does not hear other languages, he will begin to speak Hebrew on his own, without teaching, [because] it is the language naturally embedded in him". However, it is possible that this does not refer to every child but to a wise child whose soul is hewn from a high source. Additionally, there is a circulating story, with an unknown source, about James IV of Scotland, who conducted such an experiment with twins placed on a deserted island with a mute person assigned to care for them. When they grew up, they began speaking among each other in syllables that eventually formed into Hebrew words. A similar story is told about Frederick II, King of Sicily, who conducted an identical experiment in the thirteenth century, with the same results.

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