7a (ז׳:א׳)

And the reason we count Yod times Yod (וּמַה שֶּׁאֲנַחְנוּ מוֹנִים י׳ – י׳ פְּעָמִים), is because the first, second, and third letters all together total one hundred (לְפִי שֶׁאוֹתִיּוֹת רִאשׁוֹנוֹת וּשְׁנִיּוֹת וּשְׁלִישִׁיּוֹת כֻּלָּן עוֹלוֹת לְמִנְיָן מֵאָה). How so? Four times ten in the first letters (כֵּיצַד, ד׳ פְּעָמִים עֲשָׂרָה בָּאוֹתִיּוֹת רִאשׁוֹנוֹת), and likewise in the second (וְכֵן בַּשְּׁנִיּוֹת), and the Heh and Nun in the middle (וְהַהֵ״א וְהַנ״ו בָּאֶמְצַע) which together total ten (שֶׁהֵן עוֹלוֹת עֲשָׂרָה), behold ninety (הֲרֵי צ׳), and the letters Kuf Resh Shin Tav total ten (וְאוֹתִיּוֹת ק ר ש ת עוֹלוֹת עֲשָׂרָה), behold, you have one hundred (הֲרֵי לְךָ מֵאָה).

Thus it is found that the Alphabet of the twenty-two letters totals one hundred (נִמְצָא, שֶׁאַלְפָּא־בֵּית שֶׁל כ״ב אוֹתִיּוֹת עוֹלֶה לְמִנְיָן ק׳), which is the Name of the Holy One Blessed Be He (שֶׁהוּא שְׁמוֹ שֶׁל הקב״ה). And this comes to inform you (וְזֶה בָּא לְהוֹדִיעֲךָ), just as He dwells among the ten-which are the ten Sefirot (כְּמוֹ שֶׁהוּא שׁוֹכֵן בָּעֲשָׂרָה – שֶׁהֵן עֶשֶׂר סְפִירוֹת), with them He watches and bestows upon all created beings (עִמָּהֶן מַשְׁגִּיחַ וּמַשְׁפִּיעַ עַל כָּל הַנִּבְרָאִים)-it is found that all the numbers are included from one to ten (נִמְצָא, שֶׁכָּל הַמִּסְפָּרִים כּוּלָּם נִכְלָלִים מֵאֶחָד עַד עֲשָׂרָה), which is from Alef to Yod (שֶׁהוּא מֵאָלֶ״ף עַד יו״ד).

This is what the verse says: “I am the first and I am the last, and besides Me there is no Elohim” (זֶהוּ שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב: "אֲנִי רִאשׁוֹן וַאֲנִי אַחֲרוֹן וּמִבַּלְעָדַי אֵין אֱלֹהִים) (Isaiah 44:6). And the Heh and the nun, which together total ten and are in the middle of the letters and have no pair (וְהַהֵ״א וְהַנ״ו שֶׁעוֹלוֹת לְמִנְיָן עֲשָׂרָה וְהֵן בָּאֶמְצַע הָאוֹתִיּוֹת וְאֵין לָהֶן זוּג), allude to the portion of the Holy One Blessed Be He, which is the spirit of life for all (רוֹמְזוֹת לְחֶלְקוֹ שֶׁל הקב״ה שֶׁהוּא רוּחַ חַיִּים לַכֹּל), and they also allude to the Neshamah, which is in the middle of the human body (וְגַם כֵּן רוֹמְזוֹת לַנְּשָׁמָה שֶׁהִיא בְּאֶמְצַע גּוּף הָאָדָם). And just as the Neshamah sustains and supports the body (וּכְשֵׁם שֶׁהַנְּשָׁמָה מַעֲמִידָה וּמְקַיֶּמֶת הַגּוּף), so too the Holy One Blessed Be He sustains and supports all the worlds (כֵּן הקב״ה מַעֲמִיד וּמְקַיֵּם אֶת כָּל הָעוֹלָמוֹת). And concerning this it is said: “the Living One of the worlds” (וְעַל זֶה נֶאֱמַר: "חַי הָעוֹלָמִים) (Daniel 12:7).

And you will find in the portion of “Ve-hayah Ekev [and it shall be because]” (וְתִמְצָא בְּפָרָשַׁת ״וְהָיָה עֵקֶב״), “Behold, to Hashem your God belong…” (הֵן לַה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ), teaching that the Holy One, blessed be He, governs the upper and lower worlds through His unique Name (שֶׁהקב״ה מַנְהִיג הָעוֹלָמוֹת בִּשְׁמוֹ הַמְיֻחָד, הָעֶלְיוֹנִים וְהַתַּחְתּוֹנִים).

For “Behold, to Hashem your God belong the heavens and the heavens of the heavens” (כִּי ״הֵן לַה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ הַשָּׁמַיִם וּשְׁמֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם) are twenty-six letters (הֵן כ״ו אוֹתִיּוֹת), and under the word “the heavens” (וְתַחַת תֵּבַת ״הַשָּׁמַיִם) you will find an etnachta (pause) (תִּמְצָא אֶתְנַח), meaning: until there, one comprehension stands in the verse (פֵּירוּשׁ: שֶׁעַד כָּאן יֵשׁ הֲבָנָה אַחַת בַּפָּסוּק), and from there to the end of the verse are twelve letters (וּמִשָּׁם עַד סוֹף הַפָּסוּק תִּמְצָא י״ב אוֹתִיּוֹת).

This comes to teach us that with the Name Havayah (בָּא לְלַמֵּדֵנוּ כִּי בְּשֵׁם הַהוָיָ״ה) He governs the heavens and the heavens of heavens (מַנְהִיג הַשָּׁמַיִם וּשְׁמֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם). “The earth and all that is in it” (הָאָרֶץ וְכָל אֲשֶׁר בָּהּ) corresponds to twelve Havayot (כְּנֶגֶד י״ב הַוָּיוֹת) which govern the twelve constellations (שֶׁהֵן מַנְהִיגוֹת י״ב מַזָּלוֹת), and the constellations do nothing but by the utterance of their Creator (וְלֹא יַעֲשׂוּ הַמַּזָּלוֹת דָּבָר אֶלָּא בְּמַאֲמַר בּוֹרְאָם).

And you will also find ten words in the verse (וְגַם תִּמְצָא בַּפָּסוּק עֶשֶׂר תֵּבוֹת), which allude to the ten Sefirot (שֶׁהֵן רוֹמְזוֹת עֶשֶׂר סְפִירוֹת). And the verse begins with a Heh and ends with a Heh (וּמַתְחִיל הַפָּסוּק בְּהֵ״א וּמְסַיֵּם בְּהֵ״א), to teach you that the upper and lower realms were all created with the ten utterances (לְלַמֶּדְךָ שֶׁהָעֶלְיוֹנִים וְהַתַּחְתּוֹנִים כֻּלָּם נִבְרְאוּ בַּעֲשָׂרָה מַאֲמָרוֹת), and they are influenced by the ten Sefirot without any toil at all (וּמוּשְׁפָעִים עֶשֶׂר סְפִירוֹת בְּלִי טֹרַח כְּלָל), just as the letter Heh is pronounced without effort (כְּמוֹ שֶׁמוֹצֵא הַהֵ״א בְּלֹא יְגִיעָה).

And this is what our Sages hinted at in their saying: “With a Heh He created them” (וְזֶה רָמְזוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ ז״ל בְּאָמְרָם: ״בְּהֵ״א בְּרָאָם) (Bereshit Rabbah 12:10/Menachot 29b). And man, whom the Holy One Blessed Be He created and implanted in him the Neshamah (וְהָאָדָם שֶׁהקב״ה בְּרָאוֹ וְנָטַע בּוֹ הַנְּשָׁמָה), so that he might comprehend all these secrets (כְּדֵי שֶׁיַּשְׂכִּיל כָּל הַסּוֹדוֹת הָאֵלֶּה), had the power to rule over all things (הָיָה לוֹ כֹּחַ לִמְשֹׁל בְּכָל הַדְּבָרִים), just as the Holy One Blessed Be He appointed him to rule (כְּמוֹ שֶׁהִמְשִׁילוֹ הקב״ה), as is hinted above, as I explained it (כְּמוֹ שֶׁהוּא רָמוּז לְמַעְלָה כַּאֲשֶׁר פֵּרַשְׁתִּיהוּ): just as the Holy One Blessed Be He rules over all (כְּשֵׁם שֶׁהקב״ה מוֹשֵׁל עַל הַכֹּל), so too He gave man dominion (כָּךְ הִמְשִׁיל לָאָדָם), and empowered him over created things (וְהִשְׁלִיטוֹ עַל הַדְּבָרִים הַנִּבְרָאִים). And he lacked only one thing-to create worlds and destroy them like the Holy One Blessed Be He (וְלֹא חָסֵר לוֹ דָּבָר אֶלָּא לִבְרוֹא עוֹלָמוֹת וּלְהַחֲרִיבָם כְּמוֹ הקב״ה), as our Sages said: Before creating this world, the Holy One Blessed Be He created worlds and destroyed them (כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ ז״ל: קֹדֶם בְּרִיאַת הָעוֹלָם הָיָה הקב״ה בּוֹרֵא עוֹלָמוֹת וּמַחֲרִיבָן) (Bereshit Rabbah 3:7).

And in this matter man did not have the power (וּבַדָּבָר הַזֶּה לֹא הָיָה לוֹ כֹּחַ לְאָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן), as the verse says: “And You made him lack just a little from Elohim” (כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב: "וַתְּחַסְּרֵהוּ מְעַט מֵאֱלֹהִים) (Psalms 8:6). As if to say: He lacked only a little from the Holy One Blessed Be He (כְּבִיָּכוֹל, שֶׁחָסֵר לָאָדָם מְעַט מֵהקב״ה), in that he was not permitted to create and destroy worlds (שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיֶה רָשַׁאי לִבְרוֹא עוֹלָמוֹת וּלְהַחֲרִיבָם), for if he had this power, he would be like his Creator (שֶׁאִלּוּ הָיָה בּוֹ זֶה הַכֹּחַ, הָיָה דּוֹמֶה לְבוֹרְאוֹ). And the Tree of Life is His holy Torah (וְעֵץ הַחַיִּים הִיא תּוֹרָתוֹ הַקְּדוֹשָׁה), which was created two thousand years before the creation of the world (שֶׁנִּבְרְאָה אַלְפַּיִם שָׁנָה קוֹדֶם לִבְרִיאַת עוֹלָם), and with it all the worlds were created (וְעִמָּהּ הָיוּ כָּל הָעוֹלָמוֹת נִבְרָאִים).

And at that time, it did not yet contain divisions of parashiyot, verses, words, vowels, or cantillations (וְאָז לֹא הָיָה בָּהּ חִלּוּק פְּרָשִׁיּוֹת וּפְסוּקִים וּתְבוֹת וּנְקֻדוֹת וְטַעֲמִים), but the whole of it was one utterance and one essence (אֶלָּא כֻּלָּהּ הָיְתָה דָּבָר אֶחָד וְעֶצֶם אֶחָד). And the intention of the Holy One Blessed Be He in creating man (וְכַוָּנַת הקב״ה בִּבְרִיאַת הָאָדָם) was to give him this Torah (כְּדֵי לָתֵת לוֹ הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת), so that he might understand and attain supernal secrets and deep divine and spiritual mysteries (כְּדֵי שֶׁיָּבִין וְיַשִּׂיג סוֹדוֹת עֶלְיוֹנִים וּסְתָרִים עֲמוּקִים אֱלֹהִיִּים וְרוּחָנִיִּים), just as they are hinted in the Torah (כְּמוֹ שֶׁהֵם רְמוּזִים בַּתּוֹרָה), when it is written without parshiyot and without verses and words and vowels and cantillations (בִּהְיוֹתָהּ כְּתוּבָה בְּלֹא פְּרָשִׁיּוֹת וּבְלֹא פְּסוּקִים וּתְבוֹת וּנְקֻדוֹת וְטַעֲמִים), for then it bears many interpretations and many combinations into tens of thousands and thousands (שֶׁאָז תִּסְבֹּל כַּמָּה פֵּרוּשִׁים וְכַמָּה צֵירוּפִים לְרִבְבוֹת וּלְאַלָפִים), which are hidden from us (אֲשֶׁר מִמֶּנּוּ הֵם נֶעֱלָמִים).

And so said our Rabbis of blessed memory (וְכֵן אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה): “The entire Torah is the Names of the Holy One Blessed Be He” (כָּל הַתּוֹרָה כֻּלָּה שֵׁמוֹתָיו שֶׁל הקב״ה). And likewise they said (וְכֵן אָמְרוּ): What is the meaning of that which is written, “The path of life-lest you weigh it…” etc.? (מַאי דִּכְתִּיב ״אֹרַח חַיִּים פֶּן תְּפַלֵּס״ וְגוֹ׳) The paths of the Torah are unstable (מְטֻלְטָלִין שְׁבִילֶיהָ שֶׁל תּוֹרָה). For were the creatures to know the arrangements of the Torah (שֶׁאִלּוּ יָדוּעוּת הַבְּרִיּוֹת סִדְרֵיהָ שֶׁל תּוֹרָה), they would know how to heal the sick (הָיוּ יוֹדְעִים לְרַפֵּא אֶת הַחוֹלִים) and to revive the dead (וּלְהַחֲיוֹת אֶת הַמֵּתִים).