The Letter Yud – Light, Air, Royalty, and Spirituality

The tenth letter, Yud, corresponds to the tenth and final Sefira, Malchut. Rabbi David Ben Zimra wrote that when the ends of the ten letters are linked to their beginnings, the one Creator who illuminates all is revealed, and His goodness flows through them to the world. This means that when we join each letter with its tenth counterpart (as demonstrated in the adjacent table), we get the number eleven. One above ten. That is the One above the ten Sefirot. As the Book of Formation states, "and a single Master governs them all."

A Y = 11

B T = 11

G H = 11

D Z = 11

H V = 11

V H = 11

Z D = 11

H G = 11

T B = 11

Y A = 11

The Letter Yud at the End of a Word

Since all of creation descended from the spiritual realm hinted at by the letter Yud in Hashem's name, all creation depends on it and is considered its possession. Thus, in Hebrew, the letter Yud expresses belonging, ownership, and possession, as in: 'mine', 'my vineyard', 'I guarded', 'my son', 'I said'.

Missing Yud

When the letter Yud is missing from a word in the Torah, it signifies a spiritual decline. In the verse from Isaiah about the destruction of the Temple, "Behold, their... cried outside; the messengers of peace wept bitterly," the word "their messengers" is missing a Yud. Similarly, in the verse describing the contributions of the leaders of Israel to the Tabernacle, it says, "And the leaders brought the onyx stones and the stones to be set, for the ephod and for the breastplate." In the word "leaders", the letter Yud is missing because they were slow in bringing their donation or, according to another opinion, because they felt pride over Israel.

The Power of the Letter Yud in Blocking Harm

The letter Yud represents perfect spirituality, protects, and defends against spiritual and physical harm. It is among the protection secrets in the name Shaddai inscribed on the mezuzah of the home. As explained in the holy Zohar, the power of the letter Yud is so great in protection that even spiritual harm is locked away by it when a person knows how to use it properly. Because the letter Yud in the name Shaddai is like a ring on the neck of the evil inclination, who is the Angel of Death, to subdue it. "And the righteous one who rides on it ties it with the straps of the tefillin," the symbol of the letter Yud of Shaddai, acts as a ring around the neck of the evil inclination. The letter 'Sh' of the tefillin of the head is the chain connected to the ring on the neck of the Sam. And the righteous person who upholds his Creator's Torah grasps that chain and controls the forces of the opposing side so they cannot harm him.

The Zohar also explains that there are two Yuds. One in the name "YHWH", and the second in the name Adonai. The first is called the higher Yud, and the second is the smaller, lower Yud. They are the secret of ten fingers on the hands on both sides of the upper part of the human body, between which is the covenant of the tongue that Hashem made with Abraham through His speech. And ten toes on the feet on both sides of the lower part of the body, between which is the covenant of circumcision that Hashem made with Abraham. Since the letter Yud is the letter of the covenant. This is why Pinchas, who was zealous to protect the holiness of the covenant, was granted the letter Yud in his name, written in the Torah as "Pinchas", with a Yud.

The Zohar continues explaining that this Yud of the covenant, which was made between the Creator and Israel, is always inscribed in the covenant of the circumcised human body. It is also the letter of the covenant of Shabbat, tefillin, and Yom Tov, and of the name Shaddai recorded "upon the doorposts of your house and upon your gates." The Yud of the place of circumcision is hidden, but the Yud of the connection of the tefillin on the individual and in the mezuzah of his home are observable and proclaim that the person is a son of the royal palace.

The Secret of Existence

The spiritual letter Yud, representing the purpose of creation, the life of the World-to-Come, is the secret of the existence and life of this world. After the world was created with ten utterances, which correspond to the ten Sefirot in all aspects of creation, the continual existence of the world is also hidden in the letter Yud. As the Zohar states: "Rabbi Shimon said, it is written 'ten and ten the spoon in the holy shekel,' ten and ten for what purpose? To signify ten for the acts of creation, and ten for the giving of the Torah. Ten utterances in creation [the ten sayings with which the world was created], and ten utterances in the giving of the Torah [the ten commandments].

What is the connection between these two? Because the world was not created except for the sake of the Torah. As long as Israel engages in the Torah, the world is sustained, and if they cease from the Torah, it is written 'If not for my covenant by day and night, I would not have established the ordinances of heaven and earth.'" And see there the details of the verses of the creation parasha, corresponding to the verses of the ten commandments.

Indeed, according to the secret, the tip of the Yud is the conduit of spiritual abundance connecting the infinite light to the universe, through which vitality and the ability for all creation to exist flow, akin to the flow of an electric current known and familiar in our world. The operation of linking all creation to the infinite light through the tip of the Yud, serving as the connecting conduit above, can be likened, albeit separately, to connecting a plug to an electrical socket. This action is carried out by man during his speech in words of Torah and prayer.

Light and Air

The holy Zohar explains that air was created by the letter Yud from the name of Hashem being enveloped in light, in the secret of the verse "He wraps Himself with light as with a garment", thus the word 'air' consists of the word "light" with a Yud within. In other words, Yud enveloped in light creates the reality of air. For light and air were created from identical spiritual roots, and therefore they are intertwined and connected. However, air received an addition of Yud. Consequently, the spiritual reason and the physical reality in the material world are understood, where light needs air to be visible. Hence, as is known, the vacuum where there is no air is dark, and sunlight passing through it is unseen until it reaches the atmosphere's air. Only here is it visible and creates the appearance of the blue sky when refracted in the air, or the appearance of the rainbow when refracted in rain droplets. For light lacks the Yud that is in air, and when it joins air, light can manifest.

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In conclusion, the letter Yud expresses complete spirituality and the completeness of a person who has succeeded in allowing his soul to govern his body. Consequently, such a person becomes humble, does not exalt himself over others, and performs wholeheartedly the will of his Creator. Therefore, the letter Yud also signifies the life of the World-to-Come, to which the perfect person is destined.

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