The Letter Ayin: Deep Vision and Reflection

The letter Ayin expresses depth and tangibility, representing the ability to perceive depth in three dimensions—capturing space in length, width, and depth.

Therefore, the letter Ayin signifies not only the capacity for physical sight but also spiritual vision, attention, and the absorption of new and deeper information. As it is written, "Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked." Rashi explains here that they perceived their situation with new internal insight. Within this context, the letter Ayin holds the power to perceive the light of the Torah and uncover the depth of its wisdom hidden within the seventy (ayin) facets of the Torah.

Hence, the organ responsible for vision in the natural world is called "eye" ('ayin'), named after the letter that represents the spiritual root of the organ of vision. That is, the organ is named after the letter, not the letter after the organ. The root of the possibility of vision in this world is contained in the power of the letter Ayin, as explained in the Tikunei Zohar: "Ayin, it looks and observes," and had the world been created with only twenty-one letters, without the letter Ayin, all the created world’s particulars would lack the ability to see, and we would not even recognize such a possibility. This is akin to an embryo formed from twenty-one pairs of chromosomes instead of twenty-two, missing the component that was meant to develop from the absent chromosome.

According to this, the inner explanation of the scripture "and he lifted his eyes and saw" is: "he lifted his vision tools operating with the power of the letter Ayin, and thus he saw."

In his book "Magen David," the Radbaz writes that the letter Ayin hints at the upper eye, meaning divine providence. As it is written, "A land that Hashem your God cares for; the eyes of Hashem your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end." Certainly, the word "eyes" in this verse doesn’t refer to literal eyes, for the Holy One, Blessed be He, has no body and no body form. Rather, simply speaking, the 'eyes' here are metaphorical for special and deep vision and providence, and on a deeper level, refer to the root of vision and providence contained in the letter Ayin. As if to say: "Always, the providential action that Hashem instilled in the letter Ayin is operative in this land from the beginning of the year until year’s end."

In the Midrash "Otiyot deRabbi Akiva," it is explained that because of the depth of Torah wisdom that encompasses all wisdoms and sciences and serves as a way of life for mankind, the letter Ayin, representing deep and comprehensive vision, represents the Torah: "There is no eye but the Torah. It is the eye for every eye [enabling every eye to see correctly], it is the light for every light [illuminating human life and the brightness of one's soul], it is wisdom for every wisdom [containing all the information in various sciences], it is understanding for every insightful [teaching the discerning how to construct new paths in every field], it is knowledge for every knowledgeable [leading a person to make proper decisions and conclusions], and it is life to its adherents [one who clings to it and follows its path lives a life defined correctly: a true and happy life]."

The letter Ayin first appears in the Torah at the beginning of a word in the verse: "Upon the face of the deep." Because its essence is the "upon"; the tangible and visible as if standing above.

The Form of the Letter Ayin and Its Pronunciation

The form of the letter Ayin is like a pair of eyes, emphasized in the general diagram of a human face. The other facial features are hardly visible in the shape of the letter. This is because this letter is the spiritual root of the action of the eyes: to see and absorb information in depth, length, and width.

The pronunciation and articulation of the letter Ayin are deep. Unlike its gentle and delicate sisters, Aleph and Hey, because that is its essence. The eye, deriving its strength from the letter Ayin pronounced deeply, possesses the power to see into the depth. Both in the physical dimension, into three dimensions, and in the spiritual dimension of intellectual vision.

Thus, words expressing palpable tangibility begin with the letter Ayin. For example: depth, thickness, poverty, labor, action, skin, burden, injustice, upper, pile, fatigue, and more. Unlike similar letters: Aleph and Hey, whose pronunciation is soft and expresses spirituality and delicacy.

It is therefore appropriate to emphasize the importance of correctly pronouncing the letter Ayin, at least in the Shema prayer and in prayer in general, to avoid mistakenly pronouncing words that might, God forbid, sound like blasphemy. For example, in saying the verse from the Shema prayer "and to serve Him with all your heart," so it does not, God forbid, sound like 'to destroy Him.' And likewise with all similar examples.

The Human Eye and the Water Spring

The place where water springs from the ground is called in the Torah "a water spring." As the eye is small and round, and fluids from the body (made "from dust of the ground") emanate through it to the outside, so too from its usually small and round opening, water springs forth and flows from the ground outward.

However, the human eye also absorbs information from the large external world and brings it into a person's internal world. (Therefore, the whiteness within the letter Ayin, between its two 'eyes', resembles a pressure entering from the external world surrounding the Ayin and penetrating inward), thereby linking the external material world chaotic outside a person to his personal, spiritual, and internal world. This wondrous and blessed ability, which allows a person to comprehend the world around him, learn and become wise, is also extremely dangerous, as it can absorb negative data and actions and lead a person towards negative thinking and undesirable experiential aspirations, trapping them in various pitfalls. Therefore, we are commanded in the Torah: "Do not follow after your heart and after your eyes." As written in Sefer HaChinuch, the commandment is to avoid thoughts contrary to the knowledge upon which the Torah is built. If such thoughts arise, one should cut them off and change their thinking to consider the good and true ways of the Torah. It added: "The root of this commandment is clear and evident. For in this way, a person will remain guarded against sinning to Hashem all his days. For evil thoughts are the parents of impurity, and actions are their offspring. And if a person dies before giving birth, there is no memory of children. Thus, this avoidance, the root from which all good derives."

On a deeper look: the water spring is the place where water springs and transitions from a closed and limited place into the great expanses of the world. Similarly, the great world flows through the human eye into the expanses of the soul, which contains much more than the world’s expanses. Proof of this is the very fact that a person’s soul, appearing so small within his body, can perceive with its vision infinite spaces and hold information that encompasses the entire universe—and not only the world, with its countless details and wonders, but also all the wisdoms in various scientific branches and the enchanting world of Torah with its mysteries and secrets. Thus, the entire world is small compared to the soul.

One who observes the essence of the eye will discover that its function lies not only in the flow of tears and absorption of information, but also in conveying information from a person’s inner world outward. For one who gazes into the look reflected from another’s eyes can see if the person is hostile or loving. If compassionate or cruel. If cold and alienated, or human and warm. And similarly regarding other traits of his soul. It turns out that the eye also reflects a person’s mental state.

Even a person’s bodily health state is reflected in his eyes, as known through the method of iridology, where the appearance of the eye changes according to the health condition of the body. (And since the eye expresses reflection, the word "like" [micron] is used to describe something very similar to another matter. For example, the term "like Eighteen.").

In the "Derech Eretz Zuta" tractate, it is explained that the eye resembles the world: the black part of the eye is the land. The whiteness within is the ocean surrounding the land. The center of the black is Jerusalem. While the observer’s face, which reflects in the pupil, is like the Temple in the center of Jerusalem. Their intention is that just as physically, the eye's structure is fixed, and only the reflection in its center changes according to the appearance of the observer's face—so physically, the structure of the material world is fixed, but the spiritual abundance descending to the center of the world, to the Temple, and from there to the entire world, depends on the spiritual appearance of people according to their actions.

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