The Letter Bet: The Pattern of Contrasts

In the Book of Creation, it is explained that the letter Bet is one of the seven doubled letters, which means that each of these seven letters has two forms: a soft letter and a dagesh letter. Book of Creation:

"Mishna 1: Seven doubles, BGD KPRT. Their foundation: life, peace, wisdom, wealth, grace, offspring, and leadership.

They operate in two modes: B"B, G"G, D"D, K"K, P"P, R"R, T"T.

Pattern of soft (this is the soft letter) and hard (this is the dagesh letter).

Pattern of strong and weak. [Besides the softness in every letter from the aspect of the attribute of kindness, and the hardness from the opposing attribute, the attribute of severity, the pair also includes the pattern of strength from the attribute of beauty, and weakness from the attribute of feminine kingdom]

Doubles that are transformations. [That is, every foundation of a dagesh letter is the opposite of the foundation of the soft letter. And as it continues to explain].

Transformation of life, death. Transformation of peace, evil. Transformation of wisdom, foolishness. Transformation of wealth, poverty. Transformation of grace, ugliness. Transformation of offspring, desolation. Transformation of leadership, slavery.

Mishna 3: Seven doubles BGD KPRT against the seven ends. From them six ends: up and down, east and west, north and south. The holy palace is in the middle and it carries them all.

Mishna 4: Seven doubles BGD KPRT, engraved, carved, refined. And they form stars in the world [i.e., the universe], and days in the year, and gates in the soul. From them, he carved seven heavens, seven lands [continents], and seven Sabbaths. Therefore, he cherished the seventh under all the heavens.

Mishna 5: How? He empowered the letter Bet with life and crowned it, forming Saturn in the world, the first day in the year, and the right eye in the soul."

And the reason life is associated with the action of the letter Bet is that every possibility of division and multiplication is associated with someone who has a spiritual soul that gives them life and allows their existence and creation. On the other hand, negative division and separation, which also belong to the letter Bet, are the opposite of life.

The Book of Creation continues to elaborate on each of the seven letters, G-d willing, its words will be brought in special chapters for each letter.

In the holy Zohar it is explained that in the secret of the doubled Bet, two future messiahs are hinted. Since near redemption, the wise of the Torah and its scholars will be in suffering (which assists Israel in atoning for their sins), parallel to the suffering of the Shechinah, which will be in pain, similar to a woman in labor before birth. Through the suffering of the Shechinah, two messiahs will be born in Israel: Messiah son of Joseph who will lead the wars of Israel, and Messiah son of David who will reign over them and redeem them. They are hinted in both the dagesh Bet and the soft Bet (since the letter Bet, a letter of creation and building, also expresses the building of the corrected world in the days of the Messiah).

Also hinted at in the dagesh Bet and the soft Bet, all the doubles that create completeness. For example:

The written Torah and the oral Torah

The two tablets of the covenant

Positive commandments and negative commandments

Two leaders of Israel: the king, and the high priest

Male and female

This world and the world to come

The good inclination and the evil inclination

Day and night.

All these are rooted in division bringing to one completeness, that is the secret of the letter Bet.

* * *

It turns out that the letter Bet holds the power of multiplication through division. It is the multiplication that brings abundance of blessing and enables building and creation of interiority.

For this reason, the words: creation, building, understanding, blessing, pool (abundance and multiplication of water) begin with the letter Bet – the power of multiplication, and end with the letter He – the power of birth and bringing from potential to actualization. Since all these begin with division, and end with abundance.

Indeed, through the power of choice given to man, it is in his hands to direct this power to use and operate it in positive channels such as multiplication, fruitfulness, and building the world materially and spiritually; or, G-d forbid, to use this power negatively: for negative division, for distancing and separation between people who are supposed to be united, and even estrangement from the Chief of the world, G-d forbid.

The Letter Bet in a Person's Name

Therefore, when the letter Bet is found in a person's name, especially if it's at the beginning of the name, the person receives (through the three spiritual abundance channels flowing in it: in its form, its number, and its pronunciation) a talent for building and practical activities, such as establishing complex projects, a strong tendency to give, but mainly to close family (as Bet is interior), and a love of the home framework. Also, he can observe details well, discern subtle differences and derive one thing from another, both in spiritual subjects through which he can build his inner world, and in his practical actions through which he can achieve economic prosperity and great abundance (provided he does not harm this abundance through desecration of Shabbat, shaving with a razor, neglect of washing hands before meals, and wasting seed).

However, on the other hand, the person with the letter Bet in their name must be more cautious than others regarding disputes, from which he must flee as from fire. Because if he directs the power of division and multiplication that operates strongly in him towards the negative direction of dispute and quarrel, this power can be extremely destructive and alienate him from his lovers and even his family. He must also guard against procrastination, excessive strictness (mainly towards his family), selfishness, and possessiveness.

Since the potential of every spiritual root can sprout positive actions and negative actions. The power of choice is in the hands of man (as elaborately detailed in the introduction and the chapter dealing with the person's name).

All parallel to the operation of the illumination of the letter Bet at creation and from then on (as explained at the beginning of this chapter), according to the basic principle that everything is present and acts in man – the small world – as in the great world.

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