Unique Letters: The Secrets of the Torah

In the book "Hattemunah" attributed to the Tanna Rabbi Nechonia ben HaKana, it is stated that the Torah was written in a high and sublime language, with mystical, divine letters whose meanings even angels cannot comprehend. Hashem explained them to Moshe Rabbeinu, and revealed to him all their secrets. Moshe then hinted at them in the crowns of the Torah letters, in large and small letters, broken and curved, entwined and straight, read in different ways. All these styles of writing are sublime indications that have no language for description, nor a way to detail them, hence they are hinted at in this manner. Sometimes, strange words appear that seem not to fit; these are ways to conceal secrets and hidden clues. If one understands some of them, such as large letters like the Aleph ('א') of 'Anochi' and 'Ashrecha Yisrael,' the small Aleph of 'Vayikra,' the hanging and tilted Chet ('ח') of 'Veachara Af,' the entwined Pe ('פ') of 'Pen Tepateh,' the closed portion 'Vayechi Yaakov,' the large Bet ('ב') of 'Bereishit,' the Nun ('נ') of 'Mishpatam,' and the secret of the reversed Nuns. This is a summary of his words.

Most of the secrets of these letters have been forgotten over the course of the exile. Rabbeinu Abraham, son of the Rambam, wrote in his responses: "The letters with their unusual shapes, the hanging, the pointed, the large and small, and their readings not as written, do they have a reason or not? Answer: These are things passed down by tradition, and their secrets are unknown to us, and we do not know their true reasons." The Chida in his book "Yosef Ometz" wrote that his grandfather Mahar'a Azulai saw an ancient handwritten book called "Maaseh Oreg," where "the strange and entwined letters, their shape, secrets, and reasons were recorded." He added that Rabbeinu Ephraim gave reasons for these changes according to the secrets.

In the explanation on the book "Hattemunah," it is explained according to the straightforward meaning, that where the legs of the Chet ('ח') are curved, such as in the verse "Vachara Ap," it comes to teach about the ways of divine management during wrath and hints at the condition of the Shechinah's legs, which at that time are not stable as mentioned: "And His feet shall stand that day on the Mount of Olives," but are distant from each other as swaying, offering no protection to the people of Israel. He further clarified other occurrences of large, entwined, and connected letters, closed portions, and more, according to the straightforward and secret meanings. Also, Rabbi Yeshaya Batsheri, one of the scholars from Yemen about three hundred years ago, wrote explanations on several special letters in his book "Chavatzelet Hasharon." His words are cited in the "Torah Shleimah."

The foundation explanation for these special letters is that within every letter written in its usual form, lies its spiritual root capable of producing positive or negative actions. The choice of how to activate and use each root is in human hands. However, letters appearing in the Torah differently than their usual form signal a significant change in the letter's function at that location, unlike usual places according to its form. For example, the Chet ('ח') in "Al Gachoncha Telech" written about the serpent's punishment hints at the sin ('ח') with the left-hand tool ('ז') of judgment (Gevurah), which is the leg of the Chet ('ח'), changed from a stable leg to a serpentine coil descending downward (unlike similar Chet elsewhere in the Torah where the coil appears above the letter's head). It indicates the result of the serpent's sin, where the attribute of judgment ('שמאל') struck it ('ז') to punish by cutting its legs (legs of the Chet, indicating a living being standing on two legs) and to crawl coiled on its belly. Additionally, it descends spiritually forever in the manner of "Her feet go down to death," hinted at by the descending leg of the Kuf ('ק') explained in the chapter on the letter Kuf. Certainly, this explanation is only superficial of what is hinted at by the coil of the letter Chet in this word.

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These special letters were also mentioned by the Ramban in his introduction to his commentary on the Torah. He wrote that forty-nine out of fifty gates of understanding given to Moses are all written in the Torah either directly, hinted, in words or numerology, or in the shape of the letters: in their normative writing or changed forms such as curved or entwined letters, or in the crowns of the letters, etc. These hints cannot be discerned by themselves but from mouth to mouth until Moses at Sinai, etc. Understanding them and their interpretations are profound secrets. The Ritba explained the reason behind the law that "written things you are not allowed to recite by heart," for when recited by heart, they lack the embedded teachings in the written form with its extras and omissions, curves, entwinements, and so on.

The Meiri detailed in his book "Kiryat Sefer" the names of the special letters in the Torah: ‘H’ of ‘Pateet,’ pointed, entwined, rounded, and more.

The first source where these letters and their crowns appear systematically is the "Sefer Taggin." This book was mentioned by the early scholars as the most authoritative on this subject. From its introduction, it is evident that its origin is very ancient, dating back to the days of Joshua ben Nun: "This is the Book of Taggin that the Kohen lifted from the twelve stones that Joshua erected in Gilgal, and delivered it to Samuel, and Samuel gave it to Palti ben Laish, etc., and Jehoiada the Kohen gave it to the prophets, and the prophets buried it in the threshold of the Temple, and when they removed the threshold of the Temple in the days of Jehoiachin king of Judah, Ezekiel the prophet found it and brought it to Babylon. In the days of Cyrus king of Persia, when Ezra brought ten pedigrees from Babylon, Ezra found this scroll and brought it to Jerusalem, and it came to the hands of Menachem, etc., and Rabbi Nachum the scribe delivered it to Rabbi [Judah the Prince]." This book was edited and found in its entirety in Rabbi Menachem Mendel Kasher's "Torah Shleimah" in the section called: "The Writing of the Torah and Its Letters" (Volume 29).

In the first part of his book "Kiryat Sefer," the Meiri writes: "You must know there is an ancient tradition passed among meticulous scribes from person to person until Ezra the Scribe, and from Ezra to Moshe Rabbeinu, on changes of letters in the Torah in many types, and one should be precise with them for the commandment even though if not precise, it is not invalid. These are: entwined, curved, pointed, rounded, pushed, hung, and their shape is bad. Entwined – means thin circles within the letter one over the other like winding one thing over another. Curved – their letter is curved, like the Chet [of] 'And Hashem's anger burned against Moses,' stated in the incident of the Golden Calf so that it is entirely curved. Pushed – the main letter is straight but its bar (like the leg of the Kuf) is curved. Hung – the letter is large and long, extending above and below the line of other letters, like the Vav of 'Gachon.' The shape is bad – a Vav entwined at its top and bottom like the Vav [of] 'and he refused.' Pointed – some interpret it related to 'they receded backward' and 'these are the reversed Nuns which there are two in the Torah, one before 'And it was when the ark set out' and one after it.'

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