The Letter Tet - The Law of Conservation and Eternity

The letter Tet expresses the good that returns to the righteous, and on a lower level, the law of cycles in nature. According to this law inherent in the letter Tet, which operates both in the natural and spiritual realms, no material is lost from the world, and no action is in vain or lost. Every material thing that seems to perish is merely changing form, and no good or bad deed goes to waste. A good deed returns to its doer and benefits them greatly, while a bad deed returns to them with harm and detriment.

Since the purpose of creation is to benefit the created, the essence of the letter Tet expresses the good received by a person who chooses good, but also the suffering and pain that eventually come to those who do evil, as they are ultimately for the person’s benefit as explained further.

After the illumination of the letter Vav united parts of matter, and the illumination of the letter Zayin introduced movement and activity, a force that exists in animals as well - the illumination of the letter Chet created a soul of life with the ability to confront and choose. This is the human soul that contends and chooses good or evil in this world. Now comes the letter Tet that preserves every good or bad deed chosen by a person, and through its cyclical power, rewards the good according to their actions, and chastises those who remained in sin and died without repentance, to cleanse and purify them from the stains of their iniquities, or reincarnate and return them to the world. At the end of the operations of the letter Tet, both to elevate and benefit, and to chastise and purify, a person reaches the afterlife, created with the illumination of the letter Yud.

Therefore, the main essence of the letter Tet is the eternal good that everyone returns to in the afterlife, hinted at by the letter Yud. Some because of the good they did, and others after purification through suffering and reincarnations. But fortunate is the one who ensures that the benefit received will only manifest as a reward for their good deeds, and not also through purification of their sins, before receiving the reward for their commandments. This is explained in the Talmud, where the letter Tet expresses the good that Hashem bestows on a person who lives and acts according to the guidelines inherent in the earlier letters: to learn wisdom (Alef) by studying Torah, to perform acts of kindness (Gimel) for the needy (Daled), and to face the trial of wealth (Gimel) or poverty (Daled) by keeping all commandments. The “Vav” is the Name of Hashem. "And if you do so, Hashem sustains (Zayin) you, grants you grace (Chet), and does good (Tet) for you, and gives you inheritance (Yud), and binds a crown (Kaf) for you in the world to come." For the actions of the righteous return to them and benefit them according to the principle of the cycle of the letter Tet. As the verse says: "Say to the righteous that it is good, for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds." Now the connection between the letter Tet whose numerical value is nine, and the letter Tzadi (righteous!) whose numerical value is ninety, is understood. The righteous inherits that good (Tet) which is the fruit of their deeds returning (Tet) to them. "Say to the Righteous, for it is Good."

From another perspective: By contemplating the meaning of the letter Tet, which is the principle of cycles in the world, that man comes from the soil and returns to the soil, as it is said in the Mishnah Avot "Reflect on three things, and you will not come to sin. Know where you came from and where you are going, and before whom you will give an account. From where did you come? From a fouled drop. Where are you going? To a place of dust, worms, and decay. And before whom are you going to give an account? Before the King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He." The one who properly contemplates these matters overcomes their inclination and becomes a righteous person fulfilling the Creator's will. Thus, they are worthy to receive the good that Hashem bestows upon the righteous.

According to this aspect, it is found that not only is the reception of good that returns to the good person inherent in the letter Tet, but also the factor that helps a person to be worthy of receiving good is also inherent in understanding the meaning of the letter Tet, and the message it conveys.

The letter Tet first appears in the Torah at the start of a word in the verse: "And God saw the light, that it was good." For goodness is the essence of the letter. Therefore, Rabbi Yehoshua said: "Whoever sees Tet in a dream, it is a good sign for them." And the Talmud explains its reason: "Because the scripture began with it for goodness."

Pronunciation

Tet is related to *tit* (clay). It is the material that expresses more than anything else the principle of the cycles in creation. *Tit* is the moist soil from which creations were brought forth; ultimately, they return to dust. As it is written, "For you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

Here is the language of the Midrash:

"Do not read *Tet* but *Tit*. This is the clay in the hand of Hashem, as it is said, 'Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.' The whole world was created from it, and eventually, all will return to clay as they were. As it is said, 'All go to one place. All are from the dust, and all return to the dust.'"

Even though the letter Tet expresses the good, it does not contradict its other meaning expressing the return of man to his soil. For when the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded the person not to eat from the tree of knowledge and warned him: "For on the day you eat from it, you shall surely die," it is not, heaven forbid, like a person warning his friend to obey his words, threatening that if he does not, he will take revenge and kill him. For the Creator loves the person He created and desires their welfare, and this is the whole purpose of creating the world by Him - to bestow goodness. Rather, this warning is like the warning of a loving father. Thus, He said to the person: Be careful not to soil yourself with this sin. For if you soil yourself, know that to cleanse and purify from the uncleanness of the sin, you will have to return to dust. Like impure earthenware vessels, whose purification is through breaking. Thus, after he sinned, his death was for his benefit. To purify from the stain of the serpent’s sin.

Therefore, the cyclical power inherent in the letter Tet also expresses the fundamental principle that all of Hashem's ways and guidance with us in the world ultimately lead to the purpose for which Hashem created the world, which is the goodness for the created beings. As the teaching of the Tanna Nachum Ish Gamzu, on everything that happened to him, he would say, "This too is for good." Similarly, his student Rabbi Akiva would say: "All that the Merciful does is for good." For even if at the moment it is not clear to a person why a certain trouble has befallen them, they know that its purpose is to benefit them. A person who merits to grasp this important knowledge, repeating it to themselves and contemplating it at every hard time, is happy and joyful all the days of their life.

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