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Orchard of Delights 20 Vayeilech
can be compared to prayer’s ability to awaken our dormant potential The Kabbalah delights in delving into the holy words of the Torah
and enable us to actualize it. in order to reveal their hidden dimensions. By permuting the letters
comprising these words, the Kabbalah uncovers new associations
The similarities between the word “ed” (spelled ayin-dalet), which
means witness – as in the heaven and earth being appointed witnesses and correspondences that reveal the inner dynamics and essence
in Ha’azinu’s first verse – and the word “ed” (spelled alef-dalet), of the words. These in turn reveal the Torah’s concealed depths.
which means mist – as in the mist that arose and was needed for The Torah’s status as a song is alluded to by a permutation of the
the creation of man – allude to the beautiful connection between the Torah’s very first word – “bereishit” (תישארב). In the Tikkunei Zohar,
power of creation and power of prayer. Quite simply put, prayer has a classic Kabbalistic work, this method is used extensively to reveal
the power to create. Although the first letter in each word is different, the meaning of this word. On its deepest level, these permutations
they are homonyms, and the Kabbalah explains that the letters ayin even reveal secrets concerning the very mechanics of creation (see
and alef are interchangeable, especially if a deeper meaning between “Permutations of the Word Bereishit” in Bereishit).
words is being sought. Alluding to the notion of Torah as song, the word “bereishit” can
be permuted to spell “shirat av” (בא-תריש), literally meaning “the
Kabbalah and Chassidut discuss at length two types of spiritual
arousal or awakening: Awakening from Above and Awakening from song of the father” or “the cardinal/essential song.” (The word “av”
Below. Rain represents Awakening from Above, whereas dew or mist is spelled alef, beit and can be pronounced as either “ab” or “av”
symbolizes Awakening from Below. These two concepts are further because the letter beit can be pronounced as either beit or veit.) Alef
symbolized by heaven and earth, which are called upon to witness and beit – are the two first letters in the alef-beit, the Hebrew name for
Moses’ prophecy. Just as in creation, where the rising mist and the alphabet. Thus, the permutation “shirat av” could also be read
Adam’s prayer preceded God’s answer of rain, so too human beings as “the song of the alef-beit.” This permutation reveals an awesome
should strive to draw nearer to God through their own Awakening insight: the Divine speech of our Father in Heaven was in fact a
from Below. Then, they should pray for God’s “response,” a further song, the song of the alef-beit, the Hebrew letters. God, in effect, sang
“awakening” from above. the world into existence, and He did this by reciting the words found
in the Torah!!
Prayer is one of the most potent ways to facilitate this two-way
channel between God and humanity. Often, though, when we are In Pirkei Avot (5:1) we find the following statement: “With ten
unable to awaken or arouse ourselves, God initially bestows His utterances the world was created.” Pirkei Avot is certainly not
grace from above. Paradoxically, on a deeper level, we should note considered a mystical treatise or a collection of allegorical sayings.
that even the original awakening from below often comes secretly It is a collection of the Sage’s ethical and moral teachings; therefore,
from above. this dictum can be accepted at face value. The normative tradition,
as brought down in Pirkei Avot, unambiguously declares that the
The Jew’s ultimate task is to constantly bear witness to the world instrument through which God created the world was, indeed, Divine
that there is one God. This is the Jewish people’s way of giving speech.
“greatness to our God.” The cardinal declaration of this belief,
recited in the Morning and Evening Prayer Services, is the Shema: This tradition is based directly on the Torah’s account of creation.
“Hear O Israel, God our God, God is One” (Deuteronomy 6:4). In Nine times during the course of creation, the Torah records a
a traditional Torah scroll, the letters “ayin” of the word “shema” Divine utterance, followed immediately by the very act of creation
(hear) and “dalet” of the word “echad” (one) are written unusually mentioned. For instance, on the first day of creation, the Torah states:
“And God said let there be light – and there was light.” The Rabbis

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