וַיִּ֨בֶן מִגְדָּלִ֜ים בַּמִּדְבָּ֗ר וַיַּחְצֹב֙ בֹּר֣וֹת רַבִּ֔ים כִּ֤י מִקְנֶה־רַּב֙ הָ֣יָה ל֔וֹ וּבַשְּׁפֵלָ֖ה וּבַמִּישׁ֑וֹר אִכָּרִ֣ים וְכֹֽרְמִ֗ים בֶּהָרִים֙ וּבַכַּרְמֶ֔ל כִּֽי־אֹהֵ֥ב אֲדָמָ֖ה הָיָֽה׃ (ס)
And be built towers in the wilderness, and hewed out many cisterns, for he had much cattle; in the Lowland also, and in the table-land; and he had husbandmen and vinedressers in the mountains and in the fruitful fields; for he loved husbandry.
The Beginning of Wisdom
97. The second category is comprised of the seven double letters;
They represent the vertical “pipes”.
Beit-ב
Gimmel-ג
Dalet-ד
Chaf-כ
Peh-פ
Raish-ר
Tav-ת
These are called the double letters since they can be read hard or soft as indicated by the presence or absence of a Dagesh. Though Reish-ר is not generally written with a Dagesh, it is nonetheless pronounced hard or soft,105There are several places in scripture in which the letter Reish-ר is pronounced with a Dagesh. Samuel I 1:6, Samuel I 10:24, Samuel I 17:25, Kings II 6:32, Jeremiah 39:12, twice in Ezekiel 16:4, Chabakuk 3:13, Psalms 52:5, Ezra 9:6, Chronicles II 26:10. and although Gimmel-ג and Dalet-ד may possess a Dagesh, their proper pronunciation without the Dagesh has been lost to most people.106The proper pronunciation of the soft Gimmel-ג, when there is no Dagesh, is like the letter R in French, which is made with the middle of the tongue slightly resting upon the mid-palate. The proper pronunciation of the soft Dalet-ד, when there is no Dagesh, is like the sound of the letters TH when saying the words “This” or “That,” which is different than the pronunciation of TH when saying the words “Thought” or “Thanks.” These seven double letters represent the seven lower Sefirot, Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod, and Malchut, and are therefore pronounced hard and soft corresponding to Chesed (Kindness) and Rachamim (Mercy).107Since these represent the “System of Justice”, they also possess kindness, as indicated by the soft pronunciation of these letters. Mercy is indicated by the hard pronunciation of the letters and judgment is indicated by the letter itself. All twenty-two letters represent the paths by which the ten sefirot are connected and inter-included. The “Three Mothers” (א'מ'ש) represent the horizontal paths. The seven double letters (ב'ג'ד'כ'פ'ר'ת) represent the vertical paths and the twelve simple letters (ה'ו'ז'ח'ט'י'ל'נ'ס'ע'צ'ק) represent the diagonal paths.
The third category of letters consists of the twelve remaining letters, which represent the diagonal “pipes”:
Hey
(ה)
Vav
(ו)
Zayin
(ז)
Chet
(ח)
Tet
(ט)
Yod
(י)
Lamed (ל)
Nun
(נ)
Samech (ס)
Ayin
(ע)
Tzaddik (צ)
Kof
(ק)
The twenty-two letters represent twenty-two primary creative forces that are expressions of the ten Sefirot.
They represent the vertical “pipes”.
Beit-ב
Gimmel-ג
Dalet-ד
Chaf-כ
Peh-פ
Raish-ר
Tav-ת
These are called the double letters since they can be read hard or soft as indicated by the presence or absence of a Dagesh. Though Reish-ר is not generally written with a Dagesh, it is nonetheless pronounced hard or soft,105There are several places in scripture in which the letter Reish-ר is pronounced with a Dagesh. Samuel I 1:6, Samuel I 10:24, Samuel I 17:25, Kings II 6:32, Jeremiah 39:12, twice in Ezekiel 16:4, Chabakuk 3:13, Psalms 52:5, Ezra 9:6, Chronicles II 26:10. and although Gimmel-ג and Dalet-ד may possess a Dagesh, their proper pronunciation without the Dagesh has been lost to most people.106The proper pronunciation of the soft Gimmel-ג, when there is no Dagesh, is like the letter R in French, which is made with the middle of the tongue slightly resting upon the mid-palate. The proper pronunciation of the soft Dalet-ד, when there is no Dagesh, is like the sound of the letters TH when saying the words “This” or “That,” which is different than the pronunciation of TH when saying the words “Thought” or “Thanks.” These seven double letters represent the seven lower Sefirot, Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod, and Malchut, and are therefore pronounced hard and soft corresponding to Chesed (Kindness) and Rachamim (Mercy).107Since these represent the “System of Justice”, they also possess kindness, as indicated by the soft pronunciation of these letters. Mercy is indicated by the hard pronunciation of the letters and judgment is indicated by the letter itself. All twenty-two letters represent the paths by which the ten sefirot are connected and inter-included. The “Three Mothers” (א'מ'ש) represent the horizontal paths. The seven double letters (ב'ג'ד'כ'פ'ר'ת) represent the vertical paths and the twelve simple letters (ה'ו'ז'ח'ט'י'ל'נ'ס'ע'צ'ק) represent the diagonal paths.
The third category of letters consists of the twelve remaining letters, which represent the diagonal “pipes”:
Hey
(ה)
Vav
(ו)
Zayin
(ז)
Chet
(ח)
Tet
(ט)
Yod
(י)
Lamed (ל)
Nun
(נ)
Samech (ס)
Ayin
(ע)
Tzaddik (צ)
Kof
(ק)
The twenty-two letters represent twenty-two primary creative forces that are expressions of the ten Sefirot.