The Letter Gimmel According to the Secret: Abundance and Blessing

The letter Gimmel, which is the third letter, corresponds to the third sefirah, Binah. It completes the segol triangle shape of the three upper sefirot that stand as a unit in the form of the head in man: Keter, Chochmah, Binah.

According to the secret, the letter Gimmel appears like a roof from above, with a drain descending from it and splitting into two pipes to water the ground, symbolizing the abundance descending from the heavens. This signifies that the great benefactor, Hashem, channels His goodness from above to this world through a single pipe that splits into chesed and gevurah. Sometimes His benevolence is immediately apparent, and sometimes the blow is felt first, bringing pain. Yet both descend from the conduit of benevolent abundance, and both are for the good. This is what King David, of blessed memory, said: "Your rod and your staff, they comfort me"—both the striking rod and the supporting staff you use in guiding me comfort me. For I know I am guided and directed by You in the best and most correct way for me, and all Your dealings with me are for my benefit.

The Order of the Letters Aleph-Bet-Gimmel-Dalet

The letters Gimmel and Dalet come after Aleph and Bet, for the one God (Aleph) created divided opposites (Bet) whose main essence is: giver (Gimmel) and receiver (Dalet). For example, male and female, rich and poor, light and darkness. Yet, every receiver is also a giver by allowing the giver to give, and it also grants to those who need it.

Zayin-Vav-Gimmel

Therefore, although the letter Gimmel expresses the male in terms of his capacity to give to the female, the female is also in the aspect of the letter Gimmel, both for her reception, as mentioned, and for her nurturing and giving to her husband and children. Thus, when the male is represented by the letter Zayin due to his activity and motion, the female is represented by the letter Gimmel. When the letter Zayin connects to the letter Gimmel via the connecting Vav, the word is formed: pair.

From another perspective: The order of the first four letters teaches the purpose and goal of creation. The one God (Aleph) created creation (Bet), to bestow and benefit (Gimmel) the receiver (Dalet), namely the created human. The created human will merit receiving this benevolence by himself performing acts of kindness (Gimmel) with the needy (Dalet), and enduring the trials of this world (Hey) which may cause him to stumble, along with all the challenges hidden in the other letters, as will be explained, God willing, in the following chapters.

The return of the benefactor of kindness from the needy is also expressed in the letters Gimmel and Dalet. The letter Dalet expresses poverty and lowliness on one hand, and elevation and rising on the other. Thus, in Gimmel and Dalet is hidden both the guidance to the wealth holder: reward the poor; and the revelation of his reward: the benefactor is elevated himself.

Moreover, when the letters come in reverse from end to beginning, according to the order Tav-Shin-Reish-Kuf, they indicate reciprocity and the impact of the letters in direct and reverse order, back and forth. In our context here, the order of the four letters Dalet-Gimmel-Bet-Aleph indicates: the Dalet, the receiver, rewards the giver, whom the Blessing shall dwell upon his wealth from the Alone, namely the blessed Creator who blesses him. Thus, more than the kindness the rich man does with the poor, the poor does with the rich. For the rich man gives the poor man life in this world, while the poor man gives him both life in this world and in the world to come.

Tzedakah, Life, and Blessing

In the Torah portion Ki Tisa, Israel was commanded to give a half shekel as a donation to Hashem. And why specifically half? One explanation is to hint that through tzedakah—which is the letter Tzadi in the center of the word "half"—the person giving tzedakah is surrounded by the letters "Chai" that surround the letter Tzadi, and tzedakah distances death—these are the letters "Met" at the two ends of the word "half".

Furthermore, even though superficially it appears that the wealth of the giver of tzedakah is diminished, in reality, Hashem helps him become wealthier and wealthier, as he is a faithful steward of the wealth he received from his Creator, doing His will by giving to those in need. This foundation is also hinted at in the command to give a half-shekel, where it is stated: "and they shall give an offering to atone for their souls." The word "and they shall give" is among the few words that can be read the same way forwards and backwards:

And they shall give—And they shall give

To indicate that by giving tzedakah, one brings great abundance to oneself. This foundation is also hinted at in the portion of Terumah with the verse: "Speak to the children of Israel and have them take for Me an offering," when surely it should have said "and give Me an offering." Rather, the verse reveals the truth: that one who gives an offering to others actually takes much more for himself than what he gave. Thus in the general conclusion, he takes in the act of tzedakah. This is what is meant by: "He who has mercy on the poor lends to Hashem, and He will reward him," that he who has mercy on the poor, lends to Hashem! And to such a person, Hashem will reciprocate manifold, as our sages said about the verse "Tithe so that you may grow rich."

The Letter Gimmel—One of the Letters of Royalty

Gimmel is one of the letters of Shatnez Getz, which when written in a Torah scroll, are crowned with the decorative crowns. For the benefactor of kindness earns the crown of royalty, because he is a hero overcoming his inclination and gives his money to the poor with perfect giving.

The Letter Gimmel—One of the Seven Doubled Letters

The letter Gimmel is one of the seven doubled letters BeGad KaFarat, meaning, there is a dagesh (a dot in the letter) and a rapheh (no dot) as explained above with the letter Bet. In Sefer Yetzirah it is written about the letter Gimmel: "He made the letter Gimmel king and crowned it with a crown, and created with it justice in the world, the second day in the year, and the left eye in the soul." As explained at the beginning of the text, He made the letter Gimmel king in shalom. Meaning that shalom (peace) is achieved through the action of the letter Gimmel, as the essence of shalom is to bridge and connect between two opposites, with each side conceding something of theirs and giving to the other.

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