An Alphabetic Tangent

Based on Ahavas Chesed vol. 2 chapter 12 – part 2

At this juncture, the Chofetz Chaim illustrates the importance of Torah and chesed as seen through the Hebrew alphabet. (I’m going to deviate from our standard procedure of going through Ahavas Chesed and share the Chofetz Chaim’s source material in its entirety, interjecting with some of his comments as we go.)

In the gemara in Shabbos (104b), the Sages informed Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi that the schoolchildren in the study hall were saying things previously unheard, even in the days of Yehoshua. Specifically, they were interpreting the letters of the alphabet homiletically, as follows:

Alef beis: alef binah – study wisdom, i.e., Torah.

Gimmel dalet: gemul dalim – give to the needy. And the reason the leg of the letter gimmel reaches towards the dalet is because those who perform acts of chesed are meant to pursue the needy. Similarly, the leg of the dalet reaches back towards the gimmel because the needy should make themselves available to those who wish to give tzedakah. But the dalet faces away from the gimmel to teach us to give tzedakah discreetly in order not to embarrass the recipient.

The Chofetz Chaim notes that chesed can and should also be performed for the affluent. However, as per the gemara in Baba Metzia (71a), a needy person takes precedence in matters of chesed.

Hei vav: The name of Hashem.

The Chofetz Chaim suggests that only through “alef binah – study wisdom” and “gemul dalim – give to the needy” can we reach the future state in which we will be called by the name of God. (See Baba Basra 75b). This is because God Himself studies Torah, as it were (Avodah Zarah 3b), and sustains every living creature (Psalms 136:25).

Zayin ches, tes yud, kaf lamed: If you perform chesed as described above, God will feed you (zan), be gracious to you (chein), give you goodness (tov) and an inheritance (yerushah), and tie a crown (keter) upon you in the Next World (l’Olam Haba).

Regarding the inheritance mentioned, the Chofetz Chaim refers us to the gemara in Baba Kama (17a), which teaches that those who occupy themselves in Torah and acts of chesed will merit the inheritance of the Tribe of Yisachar (which is Torah).

He also notes that this section (zayin, ches, etc.) comes to refute the misconception that giving charity or occupying oneself with Torah might reduce one’s wealth. It all comes from God, and He told us to give a tenth of our earnings to charity in order that we might become wealthy (Taanis 9a). If we take care of others, Hashem will take care of us.

The crown mentioned here is because Hashem honors those who honor Him (I Samuel 2:30).

(This is as far as the Chofetz Chaim goes through this piece of gemara, but let’s see the rest.)

The letter mem comes in two types: open and closed. This refers to the two types of Torah – “open” statements (which we have license to expound upon) and “closed” statements (more esoteric topics, which are a “closed book” to most of us).

The letter nun also comes in two types: bent and straight. These refer to a faithful person who is bent (ne’eman kafuf) and modest, but who will ultimately become one of the upright faithful (ne’eman pashut) in the Next World.

Samech ayin: semoch aniyim – support the needy. Alternatively, simanim asei – create mnemonics to help remember the Torah.

The letter pei also comes in two types: bent and straight. These represent an open mouth (peh pasuach) for when one should speak, and a closed mouth (peh sasum) for when one should remain silent.

The two forms of the letter tzadi – bent and straight – represent a righteous person who is bent and humble (tzaddik kafuf), who will ultimately become an upright righteous person (tzaddik pashut) in the Next World. The Gemara acknowledges that this is same as the interpretation of the letter nun; it adds the humility of the righteous to that of the faithful. This is because receiving the Torah properly requires a tremendous degree of humility.

Kuf: Kadosh – the Holy One (God again).

Reish: rasha – an evil person. You’ll note that the kuf faces away from reish, representing how Hashem (the aforementioned Holy One) says that He refuses to look at evildoers. The crown of the kuf, however, faces the reish. This represents how, if an evildoer repents, God will place a crown upon him. Furthermore, the letter kuf is made up of two parts with a gap between them. This represents the opening through which the repentant can return to God.

Shin: sheker – falsehood.

Tav: emes – the last letter in the alphabet is also the last letter in the word for truth. You will note that the letters shin, kuf and reish (sheker) are all grouped together in the alphabet, while alef, mem and tav (emes) are the first, middle and last letters, respectively. This represents how falsehood is easy to find, but you really have to work at finding truth. Also, you’ll notice that the letters of the word sheker each stand on one foot, while those of emes have nice, wide bases. This is because falsehoods stand on rickety foundations, but the truth stands firmly.

Get handy, colorful chesed "cheat sheets" in A Universe of Chesed!