The Letter Tāf – A Letter on a Firm Foundation

The numerical value of the letter Tāf is four hundred, a number corresponding to the letter Mem, which has a value of forty. One is in the list of tens and the other in the list of hundreds. In the natural world, the creation of an embryo takes forty days. This number serves as a continuous period for completing processes in this world, leading to a perfect outcome. Hence, the flood lasted for forty days to cleanse the world of sins; Moses stayed on Mount Sinai for forty days to become a man of Hashem; the spies scouted the land for forty days to achieve perfect knowledge, and the Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years until the sinful generation was gone and a new nation was born. It is also said that learning is fully retained after forty times, as explained in the section discussing the letter Mem. Parallel to the role of Mem in this world, the letter Tāf stands elevated by tenfold, signifying the culmination of a perfect human being who has reached the true purpose of life, thus earning eternal life in the world to come.

Rabbeinu Bechaye wrote that the words "evil eye" in gematria equal four hundred. As the verse says: "Do not eat the bread of one with an evil eye, nor be drawn to their delicacies." For one with an evil eye consumes everything. This is the power of the letter Tāf, the letter of purpose, to conclude and bring forth death. Thus, being a letter of life, it is also a letter of death.

The Letter of Life

The Talmud explains that in times of distress and decree, a sign of life is placed on the forehead of the righteous to indicate their affiliation with life, and this sign is the letter Tāf, beginning the word "live". The explanation is that since the purpose of life is to walk in the ways of Hashem, the righteous who walk this path truly live, while the wicked, though alive, are considered dead. Therefore, the purpose of life is marked by the sign of life.

However, opposite to the letter of life, in the negative sense, "Tāf" is also a sign of death. As stated in the Talmud: "Tāf – live, Tāf – die." Thus, just as the letter Tāf marks the end, it also signifies death.

The Ramak in "Paradesh Rimonim" explained that the letter Vav, which always symbolizes the attribute of mercy, here turns into judgment against the wicked (Reish) who have reached the end (Tāf) of their lives without repentance. Therefore, this Vav appears inverted on the left side (left=judgment) of the letter Tāf, which consists of the letter Reish (wicked) and the inverted Vav (judgment). Explore further according to Kabbalistic teachings.

The Letter of the Torah

The letter Tāf expresses the Torah, the ultimate goal of true life, for only through it does one attain eternal life by learning and knowing how to live correctly in this world. It surpasses material existence, symbolized by its foot pointing beyond the letters. Where human thought ends, the deeper thoughts of the Torah begin, beyond all human wisdom. The Torah's wisdom is described as "longer than the earth and wider than the sea," astounding human comprehension, for even the wisest cannot reach its fiftieth gate, and even the wisest admitted: "I thought I would be wise, but it is far from me." Therefore, the giving of the Torah begins with the letter Aleph – "I am Hashem your God," Aleph alluding to wonder, something hidden from mankind.

The leg of the letter Tāf, the letter of the Torah, is bowed as if broken and bent, to hint to those who engage in Torah that it is not acquired through indulgence and nourishment nor by seeking pride and honor, but by those who dedicate their lives to it. Thus, the Torah was given on the low mountain of Sinai, though considering its exaltedness and importance, it should have been given on a high mountain like Mount Tabor or Mount Carmel, to teach that the Torah dwells not on the proud, but on those who cultivate humility. The Torah is likened to water, leaving high places and flowing to lower places.

The Way of Torah

Our sages taught in the Mishnah: "Such is the way of the Torah: eat bread with salt, drink water in measure, sleep on the ground, and labor in the Torah. If you do so, you are fortunate and well-off, fortunate in this world and well-off in the world to come."

Meaning, to attain the Torah properly, one must be prepared even to have bread with salt, water in measure, and sleep on the ground. In other words, even if you have abundant food and excellent sleeping conditions, train yourself to remember: from your standpoint, if you had to sacrifice all these to dedicate your time to the Torah, you would do so for its sake out of understanding its importance.

Only those who approach the Torah this way gain it properly.

And Maimonides wrote:

"The Torah is compared to water, as it is said, 'Everyone thirsty, go to the water,' meaning as water does not accumulate on high ground but rolls down and gathers in breaks, so the words of the Torah are not found in the proud and haughty, but in the humble and lowly who toil at the feet of sages, forsake worldly desires and pleasures from their heart, and perform minimal work daily for sustenance if they have no other livelihood; devoting the rest of their day and night to the Torah.

The words of the Torah are not sustained in those who neglect them, nor in those who learn through luxury and diet, but in those who sacrifice for it, continually afflicting their bodies, not giving sleep to their eyes nor slumber to their eyelids.

The sages hinted: 'This is the Torah, a man who dies in the tent.' The Torah is sustained only in those who give their life for it in the tents of wisdom. Thus, Solomon, in his wisdom, said, 'If you slacken in a day of trouble, small is your strength.' And further, 'Even my wisdom stood by me,' wisdom learned with great effort stood by me."

The "Otijot deRabbi Akiva" Midrash states: "Tav, why is its front leg broken? Because anyone who seeks to study Torah needs to bend their legs [like the learners who would fold their legs and sit on the ground, signifying self-nullification and immersion in study] and engage in it. As it is said: 'They will beat you down to your feet, bear your message,' referring to Torah scholars who fold their feet, engaging in and exchanging words of Torah."

The Letter of Truth

The letter Tāf, signifying life and Torah, also represents truth. As explained in the Talmud: "Shin – lies, Tav – truth." Since both actually represent one thing: the Torah of truth, the ultimate aim of life. Being the creator's guidebook, it is the only absolute truth, while human intellect may wrongly label false, misleading, and erroneous opinions as "truth."

Therefore, the letters at the beginning of the Torah: "B'reshit bara Elohim" spell out: Truth. This is hinted at in the verse: "The beginning of your word is truth." However, spiritual truth is inherently hidden in a world named "world" because its material nature conceals divine truth. Hence, the word 'truth' hidden in the verses of creation does not appear in the correct order: Aleph Mem Tav, but mixed: Tav Aleph Mem, hinting it is not easily visible and must be sought. Still, at the end of the creation chapter, in the words "Asher bara Elohim la'asot", it is hinted that truth is revealed in the correct order, indicating that truth shall ultimately be disclosed in the world.

The letter Tāf, as the letter of truth, appears only at the end of the word truth, while Shin, the letter of deception, appears at the beginning of the word lies. This shows that falsehood has authority only at the beginning, but ultimately the truth is revealed, and it prevails. Therefore, the word lies is made of letters lacking feet and base, standing out of order, and concentrated in one corner of the order of letters (Kaf, Reish, Shin), whereas the word truth consists of letters standing on a firm base, arranged in sequence, encompassing all: Aleph at the beginning of the letters, Mem in the middle, and Tav at the end. As explained in detail in the section on the letter Shin.

Thus, at the deep layers of the letter Tāf, exist: truth, life, and Torah, and these three are one. It is wondrous that the word truth consists of the letters: Aleph – Hashem, Mem – creation of life, Tav – Torah.

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