Parashat Vayikra: How Does Vayikra’s Small Alef Teach that the Land of Israel is Designated for Revelation?

Printable Version

Parashat Vayikra
How Does Vayikra’s Small Alef Teach that the Land of Israel is Designated for Revelation?

 

Why Did the Teenager Cry so Profusely When Leaving the Land of Israel?
I’ll never forget it. Once, as I was boarding a flight for my annual international speaking tour, I passed a girl who looked like a typical gap-year student – denim skirt, casual T-shirt stamped with a bold quote. But it wasn’t her appearance that caught my attention. It was the sound of her loud, heartfelt sobs and the stream of sincere tears down her cheeks. I paused and asked gently, “Why are you crying?” offering her a tissue. “I’m leaving Israel – I’m leaving Eretz Yisrael! This is the saddest moment of my life. How can I be away from the Land of Israel?” she cried through her tears. As much as I wanted to engage in a deeper conversation with this girl, I had to move along – the line behind me was pressing forward. But even after I found my seat and recited the prayer for a safe air travel, I couldn’t stop thinking about the girl who cried so profusely because of leaving the Land of Israel. Her weeping was more than emotional; it was soulful. I’m sure if I had asked her to explain her deep attachment to Israel, she would’ve struggled to articulate it. Her connection was beyond explanation – it radiated from the depth of her Jewish soul. And perhaps her tears have etched into my memory so vividly because I feel the same way. Every time I leave Israel – even for a short visit to honor my parents – it feels like a murky cloud dulls my inner light. I sense myself drifting from my spiritual center, from the place where I feel most at home in my soul. Whereas some of my relatives fear visiting Israel, I always feel safest here, where the Divine Presence is near. Whenever I travel abroad, I remind myself of the Talmudic promise: “Those on the path to perform a mitzvah are not susceptible to harm” (Babylonian Talmud, Pesachim 8a). Still, I count the days until I return. And when I do, the moment the plane’s wheels touch the holy soil, and we break into applause, I am overcome by the quiet but unmistakable feeling of coming home. The holiness of the land touches me to tears of return.

Why is the Land of Israel the Only Place Where Prophecy Blossoms?

What does my spiritual homecoming have to do with Parashat Vayikra? I must admit that it is challenging to tie the Torah portions that don’t mention the land of Israel directly to the Land of Israel. We need to dig beyond the surface to discover the deeper underlying connections.

Parashat Vayikra opens with Hashem addressing Moshe after the Mishkan had been completed,

ספר ויקרא פרק א פסוק א וַיִּקְרָא אֶל משֶׁה וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָֹה אֵלָיו מֵאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד לֵאמֹר:

“Then He called to Moshe, and Hashem spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying” (Vayikra 1:1). 

The first word of this verse וַיִּקְרָא/Vayikra – “He called,” contains an unusual scribal deviation – it is written with a small, diminished א/alef. The midrash and commentaries offer various explanations, many of which highlight Moshe’s humility, which we will address further on. Yet this small alef also carries a profound message about the nature of revelation – and the role of Eretz Yisrael as the spiritual epicenter of that calling.  The opening of Vayikra marks the moment when Hashem speaks to Moshe not from atop Mount Sinai, but from within the Mishkan. This shift in setting underscores the transition from a one-time, grand national revelation at Sinai to an ongoing, intimate relationship rooted in sacred space. The Shechinah did not dwell in the Mishkan while the people wandered aimlessly. It began once the Mishkan was erected, oriented toward entry into the Promised Land. Rabbi Yehuda Halevi makes a powerful claim: prophecy is bound to the Land of Israel. “But it is not possible for this unique spiritual faculty to reach its divine objective apart from this place, just as a vineyard cannot thrive outside its specific mountain soil.” He teaches that no one received prophecy except in the Land or for the sake of the Land. Avraham received prophecy in order to travel there. Even the exceptions – Yechezkel and Daniel, for example – experienced prophetic visions because of the presence of the Shechinah, which had been exiled with them, having once resided in the First Temple of Jerusalem. Thus, the unique spiritual potential of the Chosen People – the heart of humanity –to prophesy can only be fully actualized and blossom within the Holy Land. The land of Israel is referred to as “before Hashem,” about which it is said: “The eyes of Hashem your G-d are upon it always” (Devarim 11:12; The Kuzari 2:12-14).

How is the Small Alef a Sign of Moshe’s Humility?

The connection between the small alef and the significance of the Land of Israel can be understood through the importance of humility and submission to G-d’s will, as a prerequisite for upholding the sanctity essential for dwelling in Eretz Yisrael, where the Shechinah is most manifest. By humbling ourselves, we make room within to invite the Shechinah to dwell. Rashi explains that the small alef in the word Vayikra signifies Moshe’s modesty; unlike Bilam, to whom G-d “happened upon” (vayikar), implying a casual encounter, Hashem “called” (vayikra) Moshe, indicating a deliberate and affectionate communication. Moshe, in his humility, wished to downplay this distinction represented by the alef. Therefore, he reduced the size of the alef. ​ When Moshe was commanded to write the word Vayikra, he objected. He did not want to write this word in a way that showed that he had a close relationship with Hashem. Moshe, as the most modest man on earth, did not want to convey his prophecy as being higher than Bilam’s. Even when Hashem forced him to write Vayikra and not vayikar, Moshe did so only with a small alef, so as not to draw attention to his special relationship with Hashem (Ba’al Turim, Vayikra 1:1). The Kotzker Rebbe explains an enigmatic Midrasic comment. The verse states that Moshe “did not know that his face was shining” (Shemot 34:30). Moshe had to cover his face to conceal this overpowering light for the sake of teaching his people. Moshe’s face shone because of the extra ink left over from writing the Sefer Torah. The luminescence of Moshe’s face came from the ink that Moshe left over when he chose to write the word Vayikra with a small alef. That ‘leftover ink,’ therefore, represents Moshe’s humility (The Midrash Tanchuma, Parashat Ki Tisa 37).  This aspect of humility was what made Moshe so holy that his face reflected the celestial light of the Shechinah, making it impossible to behold him with human eyes.

How is the Land of Israel Designated for Ultimate Intimacy with Hashem?
From the very beginning of creation, Eretz Yisrael is the land “before Hashem” – the place where divine presence is most tangibly revealed, and where humankind’s mission to connect with the divine reaches its fullest expression. It is no coincidence that Cain and Hevel fought over it, or that Yitzchak and Yishmael, Ya’acov and Esav, all contended over who would inherit this holy ground. Rabbi Yehuda Halevi explains that this is not merely a geographic conflict but a spiritual one – a struggle over who will be attached to the divine purpose and who will fall away like a discarded husk (The Kuzari 1:95). Although the desert experience conveyed the most intimate connection with Hashem, who guided the Israelites with His Clouds of Glory and fed them manna from heaven, nevertheless, the Zohar teaches us that no matter how good it is in Chutz LaAretz – even from a spiritual standpoint – something is lacking, for true Jewish perfection can only be attained in The Land of Israel! Nowadays, until October 7, many Jews have enjoyed tranquil spiritual lives in the diaspora, with bursting Jewish communities and Torah institutions. Yet despite the spiritual intimacy of the Israelites during the desert wandering, their existence was considered imperfect, simply because it was still outside of Israel. We learn this from the Zohar that puts the entire Book of VaYikra in perspective, by explaining the small alef of Vayikra most astoundingly: Why is there a small alef?  Because this “calling” was imperfect.  Why so?  For it took place in the Mishkan (Tabernacle) and in a foreign land, because true perfection can only be found in the Land of Israel (Tosafot HaZohar 1, quoted in Itturei Torah, vol. 3, p. 7; cited by Rabbi Moshe D. Lichtman, Vayikra and the Land of Israel). The diminished alef at the beginning of Parashat Vayikra alludes to the truth that only by serving Hashem in His Chosen Land can we attain our ultimate goal.

The Soil Where Divine Communication Blossoms
This Zohar transforms how we read the first verse of Vayikra which sets the tone for the entire book of Vayikra. The small alef doesn’t only reflect Moshe’s humility – it whispers a truth about the Land of Israel. Though hidden and subtle, Eretz Yisrael is the soil in which divine communication blossoms. Even the Vayikra, the “calling,” is specific to the Holy Land. Just as prophecy cannot flourish outside the Land, the highest expression of the Mishkan – the Beit Hamikdash could not be established elsewhere. The Shechinah rests only where Hashem has chosen – in the land uniquely fit for revelation. Thus, the small alef of Vayikra is not a diminishment – it is a distillation. It represents the concentrated holiness of a place uniquely chosen to carry divine presence. The Midrash affirms this by listing the times the word “Li” (to Me) appears – in connection with the Kohanim, the Levi’im, Eretz Yisrael, Jerusalem, the Beit Hamikdash, korbanot, and even prophecy itself. Wherever the Torah says “Li,” that entity or place is bound to Hashem for eternity – in this world and the next (Midrash Vayikra Rabbah 2:2). May we merit to live in the Land of Israel not merely as an inheritance of the past, but as the present and future landscape of our divine calling – the very ground of redemption and closeness to Hashem. May we merit to experience the return of prophecy in the land of divine revelation!

Parashat Ekev: How Can We Transform our Pitfall of Pride Into Prayer?

Printable Version

Parashat Ekev
How Can We Transform our Pitfall of Pride Into Prayer?

In the Good Old Days Having Less Made People Appreciate More
In the olden days when specialties were scarce, people appreciated the little things so much more. I recall reading a novel about life in the Shtetel in East Europe. There was a poor family with many children and one day they got a specialty item for all the kids to share. It was one orange! It really touched me how much excitement just one orange segment elicited in each family member. When I worked on translating my father’s memoirs into English, I was also amazed at how few commodities and toys children grew up with when he was a boy. This was not in a Shtetel, it was rather in the Western World less than a hundred years ago. Here is one of my father’s testimonies – taking place in the late nineteen thirties and early forties. You can learn from it how having less made the kids appreciate more and become more inventive:

“There were a lot of innovative games that could interest both boys and girls. For example, puzzles and rebuses, building kits and paper dolls with various outfits, and much more. I still remember a brainteaser. Out of eight matches you had to form two squares and four triangles… “Some boys were technically inventive and built ‘crystal devices.’ These were primitive listening devices, which we boys had great pleasure in. Occasionally, we also wanted to play football. This took place on ‘The Meadow,’ about a 15-minute walk from our home. where some of us also had a school garden. It was a magnificent open space with large green areas, and playgrounds, though mainly designated for the younger children… The girls played with marbles, swapped glossy pictures, skipped and played hopscotch and of course, they also played with dolls. When we played with the girls it was mostly hide and seek. There were plenty of hiding places, and this game often lasted many hours. Where I live now in Holte, (a suburb of Copenhagen) there are roughly 500 apartments with playgrounds for the little ones in several places, but children are rarely seen there. One hardly ever sees older children playing together the way we did when I was a child. A change must have occurred in the children’s recreational patterns”  (Dr. Salomon Vainer, My Memoir: The Story of a Danish Jew who Fled the Nazis p 52-54).

My father also described the life of his mother who came from a poor Russian family. She was

only 11 years old when she arrived in Denmark. She did not attend school and was given no education. Yet she had worked in a matzo bakery as a bakery assistant in Russia. Her first meager wage was ‘invested’ in purchasing a silver cup. Her grandmother wanted her to buy something that would last. The cup is still in the family’s possession. It is a very beautiful cup, quite valuable today (ibid. p 31). My father’s testimonies show how the children worked hard from a young age and valued their meager possessions which they used in innovative ways, this is such a far call from the overflow of stuff average kids have today, which they hardly play with as they spend most of their time glued to their phones, with little time left for creativity and play.   

Is it ‘My power, the Strength of my Own Hand That Brought Me This Great Wealth’?
The Torah foretold the times of material overflow we are living through today, with one of our main problems being how to get rid of all the extra clutter. Since the industrial revolution, we have learned so many clever ways of productivity, which tempt us to forget that Hashem is the only One who gives us the strength to succeed in anything we accomplish.

ספר דברים פרק ח פסוק י 

וְאָכַלְתָּ וְשָׂבָעְתָּ וּבֵרַכְתָּ אֶת הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ עַל הָאָרֶץ הַטֹּבָה אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לָךְ:(יא) הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ פֶּן תִּשְׁכַּח אֶת הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ… (יב) פֶּן תֹּאכַל וְשָׂבָעְתָּ וּבָתִּים טֹבִים תִּבְנֶה וְיָשָׁבְתָּ: (יג) וּבְקָרְךָ וְצֹאנְךָ יִרְבְּיֻן וְכֶסֶף וְזָהָב יִרְבֶּה לָּךְ וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר לְךָ יִרְבֶּה: (יד) וְרָם לְבָבֶךָ וְשָׁכַחְתָּ אֶת הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ הַמּוֹצִיאֲךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם מִבֵּית עֲבָדִים… (יז) וְאָמַרְתָּ בִּלְבָבֶךָ כֹּחִי וְעֹצֶם יָדִי עָשָׂה לִי אֶת הַחַיִל הַזֶּה: (יח) וְזָכַרְתָּ אֶת הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ כִּי הוּא הַנֹּתֵן לְךָ כֹּחַ לַעֲשׂוֹת חָיִל לְמַעַן הָקִים אֶת בְּרִיתוֹ אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע לַאֲבֹתֶיךָ כַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה:

“When you eat and are satisfied, you shall bless Hashem, your G-d, for the good land He has given you. Beware that you do not forget Hashem, your G-d…lest you eat and be sated, and build fine houses and live in them, when your herds and your flocks grow abundant, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have increases, your heart might become haughty, forgetting Hashem, your G-d, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, of the house of slavery… You might be tempted to tell yourself, ‘My power, the strength of my own hand, has brought me this great wealth.’ But you must remember Hashem your G-d, for He is the One who empowers you to do great things, upholding the covenant that He swore to your ancestors...” (Devarim 8:10-11, 13-18). 

The Only Way to Victory in War for Israel is Enlisting the Help of the Almighty                              Since Israel ranks among the ten most powerful countries in the annual list; and the fourth strongest military in the world (Roundup for 2022 published by US News & World Report), it is tempting to think that our victories are due to our sophisticated war techniques. Ralbag explains that the Almighty was concerned that it would seem to Israel that their own power enabled them to win their wars. To remove this false notion from their hearts, Israel must perpetually recall in our hearts how Hashem took us out of Egypt when Israel was weak without any war experience, yet nevertheless, we won. This could only be because Hashem helps us. The Exodus thus teaches us that it is not through our own military power but only due to the help of heaven that Israel wins the wars. During the current prolonged war, although Israel has gained victories in Gaza, things are intensified to the degree that even the fiercest, most confident general must realize that we need to turn to Hashem for help in order to overcome all of the enemies that surround us, all of whom have one unified agenda to “wipe Israel off the map.” These enemies include Iran, and its Shi’ite theocracy in the East, Syria, and Lebanon with its Hezbollah in the North, Gaza and its Hamas in the South, and the European Union in the West. It is no secret that the main objective of all Arab terror organizations – Fatah, Hamas, and Hezbollah – is the annihilation of Israel. The growing instability in Egypt, Syria, and Jordan, the looming threat from Iran’s nuclear weapons program, the Hamas/Fatah reconciliation, and the increased pressure from the U.N. and the E.U have created the greatest threat to Israel’s continued existence we have faced since the Yom Kippur War of 1973. Jonathan Bernis, Identifying Israel's Enemies. As all nations turn against our tiny nation it is now more than ever becoming clear to even the staunchest unbeliever that the only way to victory is to turn to Hashem with all our hearts and souls.  

Bound to Turn to Hashem When Being Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Hashem is squishing us hard these days so that we will understand how our ability to be successful is totally dependent on G-d, as it states in Song of Songs:

ספר שיר השירים פרק ב פסוק יד יוֹנָתִי בְּחַגְוֵי הַסֶּלַע בְּסֵתֶר הַמַּדְרֵגָה הַרְאִינִי אֶת מַרְאַיִךְ הַשְׁמִיעִינִי אֶת קוֹלֵךְ...

“My dove in the crevice of the cliff, in the secret step, show me your countenance and let Me hear your voice…” (Song of Songs 2:14).

According to Rashi, this verse alludes to when Israel was squished between a rock and a hard place during the Exodus. While the Egyptians approached them from behind ready to attack, the Reed Sea loomed before them threatening to drown them all. According to nature, there would have been no way for them to get out of this situation alive. Only by turning to Hashem in prayer could they be saved, that’s the meaning of “let me hear your voice…”. Hashem brings us to these places of no way out, to squeeze our souls into the deepest prayer. I hope it won’t take too much more squeezing before our hearts become sufficiently resuscitated to truly pray! Katav Sofer explains that in the desert Israel didn’t need any weapons as it states, “Hashem will battle for you, and you hold your peace!  (Shemot 14:14). Yet after making the Golden Calf, the Israelites’ emunah took a gradual downward dip, spiraling into deterioration. First they became arrogant, forgot about Hashem, and then they imagined that it was their own strength that caused their success. Had they kept their steadfast emunah of “…we will do and we will hear” (Shemot 24:7), they would not have needed either spear or sword for Hashem would have conquered the Land of Israel for them. Now, after they had lost their prior level of trust in Hashem, they needed weapons of war. Although they no longer deserved it, Hashem empowered them to conquer the land, “for the sake of upholding the covenant that He swore to their ancestors…” (Devarim 8:18). This is why the Almighty had to remind Israel, “But you must remember Hashem your G-d, for He is the One who empowers you to do great things…” (Ibid.) Although at the conquest of the Land of Canaan, Hashem was no longer battling their wars by Himself like in Egypt, the Israelites still had to understand and remember that as they employed their best war strategies, it was still Hashem who empowered them to be victorious (Ketav Sofer, Devarim 8:17). This message from Parashat Ekev applies more than ever to Israel’s current war. When we truly understand and remember that just as Hashem helped us overcome our enemies during Yehoshua’s time, so will He continue to empower us with complete victory from our current war. All we need to do is to turn to G-d in prayer!                

Gratitude Focus for the Week of Parashat Ekev –
Some Tips for Preventing Arrogance and Forgetting About Hashem

Arrogance is one of the worst character traits that turns away the Divine Presence. Therefore, our sages directed: “Hold yourself very, very lowly” (Pirkei Avot, Chapter 4, Mishna 4). They also declared that whoever allows his heart to be arrogant, has denied the basic principle of the Torah, as it states, “Your heart be haughty, and you will forget Hashem your G-d” (Devarim 8:14). Furthermore, they said, “Whoever is arrogant should be placed under a ban of ostracism. This applies even if he is only somewhat arrogant;” (Rambam, Hilchot Deot, Chapter 2, Halacha 3). Whoever passes (מֵּפִיק/mefik) a shield over himself at a time of arrogance, (whoever suppresses his yetzer hara as though it were covered with a shield when he is arrogant, troubles will be closed and sealed from him, as it is stated: “The channels (אֲפִיקֵי/afikei) of his strong shields of pride are closed with a narrow seal. (Iyuv 41:7); (Babylonian Talmud, Iruvin 65a). This implies that by subduing our yetzer hara at a time of arrogance our troubles will be closed and sealed before us. There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. Being confident isn’t the problem, the problem arises when confidence turns into self-sufficient arrogance, which makes us forget the Almighty without Whom we would be completely helpless. When we are confident that Hashem is on our side, we can be secure enough that we won’t need to go out of our way to show how amazing we are.

·            Remember Where You Came from and Where You are Going – We are all mortal beings totally dependent on Hashem’s blessing to accomplish anything in life. When you feel pride creeping into your heart, recall how we all came from a putrid drop of semen, and how our end is that our flesh will be consumed by worms. Meditating on our short-lived time in this world, and how the body eventually decomposes will remind us that Hashem imbued us with life so that we serve Him. Only by recalling our Divine purpose in the world will our souls gain eternal life.

 ·       Attribute All Your Successes to Hashem – When you worked really hard on something and applied all your abilities to finally succeed, there is a great temptation to feel that “it was my own hand, that brought me this great accomplishment.” When that happens, it is important to turn inward and recall that every one of your own doings would be naught if it wasn’t for Hashem, Who imbues you with your talents and abilities to work hard.   

 ·       When Someone Compliments You for Your Great Abilities and Successes – remind yourself that Hashem is using you as his messenger. My spiritual healing teacher taught me to recite                          (תהילים פרק צג פסוק א)  הָשֵׁם מָלָךְ גֵּאוּת לָבֵשׁ לָבֵשׁ/Hashem Malach Ge’ut Lavesh – “Hashem is King He is robed in grandeur” (Tehillim 93:1). Always testifying that all our achievements emanate from Hashem’s greatness.

 ·       Pray to Hashem for Continued Success and War Victory – Remembering how Hashem took us out of Egypt is one of The Six Remembrances that we must remind ourselves of daily. This is to imbue us with the strong emunah that just as we were weak and helpless then, but Hashem saved us from all our enemies, so will Hashem continue to save us even now whether we are physically strong or weak!

 ·       We are Used to Thanking Hashem for Everything He Does for Us – I suggest, to also thank Him for everything we do. Whenever you feel pride in yourself – you may want to thank Hashem in the following way: “Thank You Hashem for everything I do!” Affirming in this way that all our successes are Hashem’s working through us. 

Cleaving to Hashem Through His Mystical Four-Lettered Name

 

Parashat Vaera
Cleaving to Hashem Through His Mystical Four-Lettered Name

Placing the Name of Hashem Before us Always

At the beginning of a spiritual healing session, I always ‘open the channels’ – aligning myself with Hashem and opening myself to become a channel for receiving His healing answers. As part of ‘opening the channels’ I meditate on שִׁוִּיתִי הָשֵׁם לְנֶגְדִּי תָּמִיד/shiviti Hashem l’negedi tamid – “I have set Hashem always before me…” (Tehillim 16:8). The name of Hashem mentioned here is the special Four-Lettered Name Y/H/W/H also called the tetragrammaton, which we may not pronounce. This is in respect for this most exalted and Holy Name of G-d, which indicates absolute Divine Love. In EmunaHealing our reverence for this name of Hashem is so great that we don’t even pronounce it as Adonai (my Master), in the same way as we do in normative prayer. We simply refer to this name as ‘Hashem,’ which means ‘the Name.’ While reciting “Hashem,” we visualize His Four-Lettered Name in our minds. My spiritual healing teacher, Chana Luke, taught that this visualization should be avoided when a woman has her period, and in general by people who aren’t Torah observant. To avoid those who are unworthy would meditate on Hashem’s Holy name, my teacher removed Shiviti altogether from her spiritual healing course. I have retained reciting this special verse in Tehillim, because meditating on Hashem’s name, helps me cleave to Hashem. Reciting Shiviti while meditating on Y/H/W/H definitely makes me feel closer to Hashem and helps me become a channel for His healing. As I’ve learned from Rabbi Itamar Schwartz, this phrase is a reminder, like an alarm clock with “Shiviti Hashem before me always” in action during every aspect of our lives: When we cook, clean in honor of Hashem, teach, hang out with friends, etc. everything in life must relate to “placing Hashem before me.” The more we connect ourselves to Shiviti, the more we learn to experience Hashem’s Presence before us perpetually.

The Importance of Visualizing Hashem’s Four-Lettered Name in Halacha

I have great support for doing the Shiviti visualization by no one less authoritative than Rabbi Moshe Isserless in the Shulchan Aruch itself. He writes: “I placed Hashem before me always.” This is a great concept in the Torah and is a paramount attribute for the Tzaddikim (righteous people) who walk in the way of G-d. The way in which a person sits, moves around, and carries out his daily activities while he is alone is not the same as how he would engage in these activities while standing before a great King. Similarly, neither his conversation nor his attitude, when he is among his family and friends, is like when he is in the presence of royalty. How much more so, when he puts it in his heart that the mighty King, The Holy One blessed be His Name, Whose glory fills the entire world, stands before Him and sees his deeds… Immediately he will be filled with awe and surrender… Also, when he is in private and when lying on his bed, he should know before Whom he is lying, then immediately when he wakes up, he will arise with enthusiasm to serve his Creator (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim, Chapter 1, Halacha 1). The Mishna Berura commentary on the Shulchan Aruch adds that we must constantly envision in our mind how we are standing before Hashem Blessed be He, because The Holy One’s glory fills the entire world. It is written in the name of the Arizal, to envision the Name Y/H/W/H before our eyes with the vowelization of the word Yir’ah – ‘awe,’ this will greatly benefit our fear of heaven (Rabbi Meir Kagan, Mishna Berura, Aruch Chayim 1:4). In EmunaHealing I recite the Shiviti twice, once while visualizing the letters of the Name, and once while imagining the Hebrew words for ‘was, is, will be’ הָיָה הֹוֶה יִהְיֶה/haya, hoveh, yiheye, which share the same letters as Hashem’s Four-Lettered Name. My husband just showed me how the Shulchan Aruch instructs us to do exactly that: When articulating the Name Y/H/W/H one should have in mind the meaning of the Name as it is pronounced - Adon-ai (י-נ-ו-ד-א): that He is Lord over all. And one should have in mind [the meaning of the Name] that He Was, Is, and Will Be (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim, Chapter 5).

Mitzvah Observance is the Prerequisite for Cleaving to Hashem’s Holy Name

When Moshe Rabbeinu complained to Hashem about making the conditions in Egypt harder for the Children of Israel (Shemot 5:22-23), Hashem revealed Himself through the name Y/H/W/H:

ספר שמות פרק ו פסוק ב וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹהִים אֶל משֶׁה וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אֲנִי הָשֵׁם:

(ג) וָאֵרָא אֶל אַבְרָהָם אֶל יִצְחָק וְאֶל יַעֲקֹב בְּאֵל שַׁדָּי וּשְׁמִי הָשֵׁם לֹא נוֹדַעְתִּי לָהֶם:

“G-d spoke to Moses, and He said to him, ‘I am Hashem. I appeared to Avraham, to Yitzchak, and to Ya’acov with [the name] Shadda-i, but [with] My name Y/H/W/H, I did not become known/familiar to them” (Shemot 6:2-3).

This was an admonishment to Moshe that although Hashem’s Four-lettered Name never became known to the three fathers, since Hashem never fulfilled His promise to them in their lifetime, they never complained. Yet Moshe still complained, although Hashem became known to him as Y/H/W/H as he experienced Hashem enacting the Exodus (Rashi, Shemot 6:3-4).

When meditating on the Holy Name Y/H/W/H it is important to realize the Name in and of itself will not generate the experience of holiness we seek unless our mind and body can receive it. The mitzvot of the Torah, when performed properly with true devotion and intent have this awesome power of cleansing the body, the mind, and the soul. Mitzvah observance is the vessel that creates a harmonious mind, which can properly delve into the unconscious, and naturally distinguish between the true and the false. Mitzvah observance is the ultimate act of surrendering personal will before the Will of the Divine which prepares us for cleaving to G-d. Without such preparation, meditating on Hashem’s holy Name not only won’t achieve the spiritual experience of cleaving to G-d, but it may even be dangerous as my spiritual healing teacher taught.

EmunaHealing Exercise for Cleaving to Hashem through His Name Y/H/W/H

1. Settle down on your chair and cushion and pay attention to your breath. Inhale and exhale slowly and mindfully.

2. On your in-breath visualize the two first letters of the tetragrammaton י/yud, ה/heh. On your out-breath visualize the last two letters of the tetragrammaton ו/vav, ה/heh. Repeat this breathing and visualization five times.

3. Now add the vowels to your visualization according to the instructions of the Mishna Berura: Inhale while visualizing יִה/yih, exhale while visualizing וָה/vah. Repeat this breathing יִה/yih, וָה/vah. visualization five times.

4. Allow yourself to surrender into this Holy Name realizing that we have no claim to existence and cannot demand that G-d give it to us. Nevertheless, Hashem gives us existence as an act of charity. When Hashem created the world, it states, “G-d said” ten times. The first letter of the tetragrammaton – the י/yud with its numerical value of ten corresponds to these Ten Sayings of Creation.

5. Let yourself experience your recreation through the letter י/yud of Hashem’s Nam – the tenth letter of the alphabet which represents the Ten Sayings of Creation. Breath into this י/yud that grants you existence.

6. Now, imagine how the ה/heh of the Name is G-d’s hand, which holds the existence He wishes to give us. The ו/vav is His arm reaching out to us, to give us existence. Finally, the last ה/heh of the Name is our hand, which accepts this existence. Allow yourself to become this final ה/heh that receives existence from Hashem.

7. Contemplate the י/yud, the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet, almost like a dot. Imagine this י/yud and as the initial point of creation – representing the Ten Sayings that brought creation into existence out of nothingness.

8. Now contemplate the first ה/heh of the Name. This divine letter creates the vessels of existence to hold the abstract power of creation. Envision G-d’s hand holding the power of creation, in order to give it to us. The opening at the top of the ה/heh is the channel from G-d, while the opening at the bottom is the channel to us below. Imagine the ה/heh both as a five-fingered hand (based on its numerical value) and as a channel for the forces of creation.

9. Contemplate the ו/vav. Envision the ו/vav as G-d’s power reaching out to us, wanting to give.

10. The most important letter is the final ה/heh. This is our hand, through which we receive what G-d is ready to give us. This represents our ability to receive from G-d.

11. The connection between the ו/vav and the ה/heh is extremely important. This is the connection between the Giver and the receiver. Unless this connection is made, we cannot receive anything from G-d. Visualize the letters ה/heh and ו/vav standing independently. Then envision how they approach one another, becoming increasingly more connected in various ways.

12. Now envision all four letters of Hashem’s Name in one sequence. First, the י/yud that brings everything into existence, followed by the ה/heh of Hashem’s hand holding this existence for you, then the ו/vav – His arm reaching out to us to give us existence, and then finally the last ה/heh as your hand receiving existence from Hashem.

13. Allow yourself to feel recreated through Hashem’s Holy Name. Breathe into how the power of the letters of Hashem’s name revitalizes and illuminates you. Then open your eyes and return to the mundane reality with renewed energy! (Based on Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, Jewish Meditation, A Practical Guide, pp. 72-76).