The Letter 'L' - A Tower Floating in Spiritual Heights

The numerical value of the letter 'L' is thirty. It corresponds in the tens series with the letter 'G', which represents three in the units series. Just as the enlightenment of the letter 'K' in the tens impacts the form in the matter created by the letter 'B', the aspiration represented by the letter 'L' acts in a person, driving them to use the innate good in creation to reach their destiny and fulfill their purpose by doing kindness to those in need.

Even the learning in 'L' involves the kindness in 'G'. The most significant giving is spiritual, educational giving, hinted at by the letter 'L', when one teaches others Torah and enlightens them. This giving to one in need is worth ten times more than giving money to one in need. This provides them with this world, while the other offers them the world to come. A person bestowed with both wealth and wisdom is obligated to give money in the form of 'G' (supporting the poor) and teach wisdom in the form of 'L'. Thus, the letter 'G' looks like a person striding on two legs, hinting at a wealthy person offering money to the poor, while 'L' appears as a towering scholar sitting on a teacher's chair (the letter 'K'), to teach his students, represented by lower letters within ten before and after 'K' and 'L'. The scholar sits among his students, teaching them Torah.

A Tower Floating in the Air

In the Holy Zohar, the letter 'L' is called a "tower floating in the air." This means that all other letters are known as "towers," as mentioned in the Talmud about the verse in Isaiah: "Where is the scribe? Where is the counter of the towers?" - "Where is the scribe counting all the letters of the Torah?" since all letters are like towers. Their base is on the earth, but their heads are in the heavens, serving as channels for divine light descending from above to this world. However, the letter 'L', taller than any letter towers, is a "tower floating in the air" because it soars to spiritual heights beyond time, enabling it to gaze into the distance and perceive the future as if it's present. Thus, it symbolizes "the creator calling from the beginning," acting within the high, intellectual-spiritual learning aspect of man.

The Talmud teaches about the vastness and depth of the secrets embedded in the letter 'L' from the verse "Where is the counter of the towers": "They used to teach three hundred laws concerning a tower floating in the air [the secrets of the letter 'L']. Rabbi Ami said: 'Three hundred questions were asked by Doeg and Ahitophel concerning the tower floating in the air'."

A Time to Mourn and a Time to Dance

In light of what's explained that the letter 'L' is about learning, it's understood why when King Solomon lists pairs of actions meant to be performed at their appropriate times, and the letter 'L' is present in all except one pair, his words read:

 "A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted. A time to kill, and a time to heal. A time to tear down, and a time to build. A time to weep, and a time to laugh, a time to mourn, and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them. A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing. A time to search, and a time to give up. A time to keep, and a time to discard. A time to tear, and a time to mend. A time to be silent, and a time to speak. A time to love, and a time to hate. A time for war, and a time for peace." In all the action terms, the letter 'L' appears except in two: "a time to mourn, and a time to dance". ('A time for war and a time for peace' aren't action terms, so there's no wonder the absence of the letter 'L' there).

In the Talmud, it's explained that despite the importance of Torah study, "they delay (Torah) study for the burial of the dead and the marriage ceremony." In his book "Kol Eliyahu," the Vilna Gaon reveals that this principle is hinted at by the wise man in his words, through omitting the letter of learning, 'Lamed', from "a time to mourn and a time to dance," to indicate that in these, they forgo the 'L', the learning.

Opposites in the Letter 'L'

The Holy Zohar notes that the first two commandments of the Ten Commandments, "I am Hashem your God" and "You shall have no other gods before Me" encompass all the mitzvot. The verse "I am Hashem your God," which is a positive commandment to know the one Creator, includes all 248 positive commandments. Whereas the verse "You shall have no other gods before me" covers all 365 prohibitive commandments.

Simply, the Zohar means that a true believer in Hashem naturally keeps all the commandments He commanded in His Torah. Conversely, someone who transgresses the Creator’s commandments not only does not serve Him but is considered as serving other gods. The evil inclination, which persuades one to follow it against Hashem’s will, is akin to other gods.

The Zohar further explains that the high letter 'L' holds the secret "not to give greatness and honor to other gods [which is the evil inclination as clarified]. 'L' is a tower floating and rising in the air [hinting at the soul's yearning to ascend and cleave to its Creator], warning not to let one's heart be misled to build a letter 'L' [composed of 'K' and above it 'V' as the Name of Hashem] for foreign gods, like the builders of the Tower of Babel [as the high soul longing to fulfill might be misled by the evil inclination, diverting its good desires towards lust and pride to the point of rebellion against its Creator, like the builders of the Tower of Babel]. And not to gaze upon an idol's representation [instead, "I have set Hashem always before me"] nor to contemplate it [‘L’ against the heart. As described in the Zohar’s introduction: understanding of the heart], but to stand upright in his faithfulness to Hashem as 'L' and not bow before idolatry."

Against the letter 'L' symbolizing the soul's aspiration and yearning for pure spirituality, akin to a "tower floating in the air," the Zohar elsewhere writes that the evil inclination which entices and leads man astray is a serpent flying in the air, also hinted in the shape of the letter 'L'. These words of the Zohar are based on the scriptural foundation: "also one against the other made God." Meaning, for every force and illumination on the side of holiness, there’s an imaginary force pretending to have 'illumination' on the side of the evil inclination, enabling human choice between truth and deceptive illusion, between good and evil. The shape of 'L' as a twisted serpent raising its head, presenting itself as if spiritual fulfillment is with it, attempting to mislead a person, creating the illusion that goodness and righteousness are found with it – as with Chava – and eventually bringing suffering and death.

The Evil Inclination as Blindness and Illusion

"For one who is still imprisoned by their own inclination, their eyes do not see this truth and cannot recognize it, as the inclination blinds their eyes completely, like one walking in darkness with obstacles before them, yet their eyes don’t see them. As our sages stated: 'You set darkness and it was night', this world is like the night. Understand how wonderful this true statement is for one who delves into understanding it. For the darkness of the night can cause two kinds of errors to the human eye. Either it hides what is before the eye entirely, or it misleads, making a column appear like a person and a person like a column. Similarly, the materiality and corporeality of this world is the night darkness to the eye of the intellect... and the second error is more severe than the first. It misleads vision until it makes evil seem good and good seem evil." This is hinted at by the letter 'L', the letter of learning since learning flawed and corrupt views are mistakenly called wisdom learning by many. As occurs in some departments of places called higher 'education', from the root 'intellect and high wisdom', yet they teach some atheism and vanity, whose falsehood is destined to be revealed. It is one of the deceptions by the evil inclination to present the warped and flawed as if it is correct and proper.

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