The Letter Vav in the Order of Sefirot: Knowledge and Beauty

According to the order of the Sefirot, the sixth letter corresponds to the sixth Sefirah, which is Tiferet (Beauty), and because of its six extremities that include six Sefirot, it is called by the Kabbalists "Vak" (six extremities), which are the Sefirot: Chesed (Kindness), Gevurah (Strength), Tiferet (Beauty), Netzach (Eternity), Hod (Glory), Yesod (Foundation).

The Sefirah of Tiferet is the one that connects between the first three (Chochmah, Binah, Daat) and the lower Sefirah of Malchut (Kingship), which is the crown of the Foundation. Altogether, there are ten Sefirot. Similarly, the human body has six extremities: two arms, two legs, a head, and the place of the covenant. This is the secret of the Star of David. This fundamental spiritual structure is the reason for the existence of six-sided structures found in nature, like various snowflake crystals, which naturally form in a six-sided structure.

Above the Sefirah of Tiferet stands the Sefirah of Daat, which is the first in the line of the Sefirot of mercy. The letter Vav hints at the Sefirah of Daat as well. Indeed, Daat refers to connection, as in "and Adam knew Eve his wife" (like the "Tree of Knowledge", meaning the Tree of Connection. For eating its fruit, the evil inclination entered and connected with the man, whereas before it could only entice from the outside, like the primordial serpent that enticed Eve. This is the secret of the function and form of the letter Vav in its negative aspect, when a person chooses to use it for evil).

The Head of the Vav

The shape of the letter Vav is not a straight line, it has a head, which turns away from the preceding letter Hei. According to the Ramak, since the letter Hei is the root of the Sefirot of judgment (Gevurah and Binah), and the letter Vav is all about mercy, and through its power of connection, it sustains the physical world even when people sin, it therefore turns its face away from the letter Hei. The Radbaz similarly wrote: "And the Vav turns its face from the Hei, which signifies judgment, so it becomes great in mercy". Meaning, so that the illumination of its mercy is not influenced by the illumination of judgment from the letter Hei.

In the Midrash "Otiot d'Rabbi Akiva", it explains why the head of the letter Vav turns toward the letter Zayin. Here is its language:

"Vav, why is it upright and facing towards the letter Zayin, and it is likened to a staff? Because it hints that the Holy One, blessed be He, will strike the wicked with a staff of fire in the judgment of Gehenna, until the sound of the wicked, the sound of woe, woe, is heard from Gehenna. As it is said 'woe to the wicked, because it will be done to him as his hands have dealt'." The explanation is: the letter Vav represents matter limited to six sides, and its shape as a staff facing the letter Zayin is a letter of movement in matter. To say that in this world, it connects the essence of the Vav (material) with the essence of the Zayin (activity and movement), as one pursues material and desire, ignoring the command "and you shall not wander after your hearts and after your eyes, which lead you astray," it causes one to harm oneself, that the same matter (Vav) which one pursued, it is it that afflicts him, in the measure of "your badness will rebuke you," by being disappointed by it and also struck by it.

The Significance of the First Six Letters in Sequence

The Creator (Aleph) created a creation (Bet) constructed (Bet) from divided opposites (Bet), each in the measure of giver and influencer (Gimmel) and in the measure of receiver (Dalet).

Through division (Bet), giving (Gimmel), and receiving (Dalet), the material world was created and appeared in the aspect of birth (Hei) from the spiritual world above it. This material world is limited to six dimensions (Vav), with a connecting power that unites its parts and particles, and was created in the six days of creation.

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In summary, the matter limited to six sides and expressing the number six, is composed and connected by the illumination of the letter Vav. Behold, it is the letter that both its written form (Vav) and its pronunciation ("Vav"), resemble and function as the connecting hook. Also, from its spiritual root, the letter Vav is the letter of the Sefirah of Daat (connection), symbolizing the six sections of the Oral Torah united with the Written Torah.

From the positive side, the letter Vav expresses connection that leads to benefit and completeness. Such as the very existence of creation composed of connected parts, and a person connecting to good friends and scholars who fear Heaven and hold good qualities. From the negative side, the letter Vav expresses connection that leads to harm and corruption. Such as connecting to a harmful and corrupting factor. In the natural world, the negative side is expressed in the harm resulting from connecting to a plant, animal, or diseased and infected person. A connection causing the transmission of bacteria and viruses that cause various diseases, fruit rot, etc. Spiritually, it manifests when a person connects to negative influences or even just resides in an environment that negatively impacts him or the education of his children. As the sages said in the Mishnah: "Stay away from a bad neighbor, and do not get involved with the wicked."

Thus, the letter Vav expresses the power of connection in creation and therefore the matter of creation.

The Letter Vav in a Person's Name

Therefore, when the letter Vav appears in a person's name, especially if it is at the beginning of the name, he receives through the three channels of spiritual influence that flow through it (its shape, its number, and its pronunciation) the trait of stability and earthiness, in the sense of the material world, which the connecting power of the letter Vav connects and sustains. Therefore, this person tends to be naturally responsible, not leaving any task unfinished or neglecting details of the matter he is entrusted with, until reaching their connection and fulfillment satisfactorily. His thinking is generally practical and he is not inclined to believe promises. He possesses confidence and stability, and is very dedicated to his family and loved ones.

However, on the other hand, because of the material that the letter Vav represents, he must be very careful not to excessively pursue materialism and the desires of this world, avoid the characteristic of stubbornness inherent in the inclination to earthiness, and avoid connecting to corrupt friends. For by the power of choice given to a person, he can use the illumination of the letter for positive or negative. Therefore, he should strengthen himself with lessons of faith - to connect to the spiritual life more than the material, learn about the immortality of the soul - to discern what is essential and secondary in life, and know that "for God will bring every deed into judgment, regarding everything that is hidden, whether good or evil," and delve deeply into the sacred Torah - which provides true guidance on how to live in the world according to the Creator's instructions. Through this spiritual learning, he can balance his inclination to materialism and divert the trait of stability and earthiness into positive channels, before the troubles of life and the revenge of worldly desires against him, after he chased them, force him to recognize the true purpose of life and the superiority of spirituality over matter. As many in his situation began only in maturity, after having been battered and burned, to seek the spirituality in life.

For every spiritual root in every letter of a person's name has the ability to produce positive actions and negative actions. The power of choice is in the hands of the person, and upon him is the duty to direct the wonderful traits he received to the right and proper way, that he may benefit himself both in this world and the next.

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