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| 400 - (ת) TAV |
This post marks the completion of my effort to write about all 22 Hebrew letters.
Tav (ת) is the 22nd and final letter of the Hebrew aleph-bet. Tav has a "t" sound. We get our English "T" from the Tav. (Among Ashkenazim the Tav has a "S" sound as well.)
The numerical value of Tav is 400. 400 pertains to the “Covenant between the Parts,” when God caused Abraham to fall into a deep slumber and told him that his children would reside in a foreign land (the land of Egypt) for 400 years, for Tav years, and afterwards go out with great wealth and an outstretched arm.
400 is also found in Jacob’s encounter with his brother Esau after sojourning 20 years in the house of Laban. When Jacob approaches Esau he is informed that Esau is mighty, for he has with him 400 (Tav) men.
Shape and Meaning of the Tav
Tav means a "mark" or "sign." Before the modern Hebrew seen in the Torah, the early glyph (picture language) of a Tav is shaped like an "X" or cross. It is associated with two sticks that people would put on the ground to mark a spot.
X marks the spot ... on the ground, on maps, etc.
Adonai "marked" Cain:
Genesis 4.15 -- And the Lord said to him, "Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be wrought upon him sevenfold," and the Lord placed a mark (א֔וֹת) on Cain that no one who find him slay him.
Note: א֔וֹת equals 407. (See below.)
וֹ =6
ת = 400
407
People make an "X," their Tav, to sign an agreement. It is literally how we get making an "X" for one's name.
Adonai "marked" those opposed to the worship of idols with the Tav:
Ezekiel 9.4 -- said to him, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.”
Christian Symbolism
Being that the early Tav was shaped like a cross, the letter became associated with Jesus. In addition, Jesus would refer to himself as "the first and the last," the "Aleph and the Tav" (Omega in Greek).
Jews are uncomfortable with the Tav. How uncomfortable? This explanation about one the most derogatory terms for a Jew, a kike, will illustrate this fact:
Though this etymology is disputed, one idea is that when many illiterate Jews came to Ellis Island, and they had to sign an immigration form, they wouldn’t use the usual “X," because of it's association with the cross and Christianity. Instead, those Jews would sign with a circle. The Yiddish word for circle is "kikel."Immigration officials began calling these new Jewish immigrants “kikes.”
Here's another example. Most Jews don't cross their fingers for "luck." Crossing fingers is a Christian practice that originated in medieval England, when Christians believed that the cross symbol had the power to ward off evil and bring good fortune. These days, most finger-crossers don’t associate it with any religious belief. But it is still not a Jewish thing to do.
Mark א֔וֹת
This is gonna be for a reader to get their head around, but I think it is pretty fascinating..
Come back to the word "Mark" and the gematria value of 407 in Genesis 4:25. 407 is the the value of the 6th Hebrew word in Genesis 1.1 The 6th letter in the Hebrew Alpha-beyt is the Vav.
In the letter א aleph (1), the Vav connects heaven and earth. It is made up of Yod Vav Yod יוִי. Yod(10) + Vav (6) + Yod (10) = 26. Y(10) + H(5) + V(10) + H(5) = 26. I explained this connection in my post about Aleph.
Words beginning with Tav:
תָּו (Tav) - Meaning "mark" or "sign"
תורה (Torah) - Referring to the law or teachings of God.
תִּכְיֶה (Tikyeh) - Derived from Tav, meaning "life".
תפילין (Tefillin) - The phylacteries used in Jewish prayer
תָּמוּת (Tamut) - Another derivation, meaning "death".
תודה (Todah) - Meaning "thank you" or "gratitude".
תמר (Tamar) - Meaning "date palm" or also used as a name. The daughter of King David.
Note: Tamar plays a significant role in Christianity as an ancestor of Jesus Christ, showcasing themes of redemption, justice, and God's sovereignty. Her story is found in Genesis 38 and is referenced in Matthew 1:3 as part of Jesus' genealogy. Her inclusion in Christ's lineage highlights God's grace and ability to work through flawed human situations to fulfill divine purposes. Tamar's story also underscores the importance of justice and faithfulness in God's covenantal plan.
In case you are thinking I overlooked "Tov," (good), טוב (Tov) begins with Tet (9). Tet also has T sound. There are interesting associations between Tov and Tet, but this is for another day.
Hebrew words that end with a Tav.
Since Tav is the last letter in the Hebrew Alpha-beyt, it is also associated with completion. I figured I'd look for words that end in Tav:
אמת (Emet) - Truth. Also symbolizing divine truth.
ברית (Brit) - Covenant. Often used in the context of agreements between God and humanity.
שבת (Shabbat) - The Sabbath, a holy day of rest.
מות (Mot) - Death. The opposite of life.
תמות (Tamut) - Meaning "you shall die" is derived from the root for death.
Genesis 2.17 -- But of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat of it, for on the day that you eat thereof, you shall surely die."
Notice in the English it says ""surely die." Look at the Hebrew of Genesis 2:17 below:
וּמֵעֵ֗ץ הַדַּ֨עַת֙ ט֣וֹב וָרָ֔ע לֹ֥א תֹאכַ֖ל מִמֶּ֑נּוּ כִּ֗י בְּי֛וֹם אֲכָלְךָ֥ מִמֶּ֖נּוּ מ֥וֹת תָּמֽוּת
The verse in Hebrew ends מ֥וֹת תָּמֽוּת. It appears as: "death" "you shall die."
The Aleph Tav את :
In Hebrew grammar, Aleph Tav (את) functions as a direct object marker, indicating the object of a verb. For example, in Genesis 1:1, it appears between "the heavens" (ha'shamayim) and "the earth" (ha'aretz) to mark them as the objects of creation.
In Genesis 1:1, the presence of Aleph Tav (את) is seen by some as connecting heaven and earth through the Messiah. Some interpret Aleph Tav as representing God’s sovereignty over all creation, from beginning to end.
Aleph(1) + Tav(22) = 23
Here is Genesis 1.1 again. Notice the את Aleph Tov is the 4th word. The number 4 in Hebrew is the letter Dalet. A Dalet is a door.
The number 23 thus represents both consequence and divine grace, inviting reflection on spiritual maturity and faith.
The number 23 is associated with themes of judgment and death.
Aleph Tav = 23 in Gematria. The word "Hell" appears 23 (Aleph Tov) times in the New Testament.
1 Corinthians 10:8 -- We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day.
Conclusion:
I write to think. Thinking is somewhat of a random process in which thoughts connect with other thoughts. Ideas are generated, which leads us to seek out meaning in another place.
The pleasure I derive from writing is that it exercises my brain. Writing helps me to think. In doing so I allow my mind to wander, within the framework of the subject. What I am writing about serves like guardrails to keep my focus on the what I am writing about.
The challenge is trying to keep whatever I'm writing coherent. Otherwise, all I have is a bunch of notes in no discernable order. Even so, what I write makes less sense to a reader than it does to me.
A few years ago I started to write about Hebrew letters. I found that the better I understood the a letter, the better I understand a word, a verse and the overall bible. It worked the other way too---the better I understand a verse, the better I understood a hebrew letter.
My project began with an interest in particular letters, but once I had done several letters I started to entertain the notion of completing the entire Hebrew Alpha-beyt.
This post marks the completion of that project. The articles naturally order themselves into a collection - Aleph to Tav, 1 - 22, but I didn't go about them in that way! I let God direct me, from one letter to the next. I followed my heart. I ended up at the Tav.
Epilogue:
Approximately 14 years ago, I was asked by my rabbi and my temple's nominating chair to become the temple president, My temple started in 1848, and I didn't feel worthy of the honor. After saying no a couple times I began to pray on what to do. It is fair to say that I reached an understanding with God. I agreed to become the president, but I asked for His help with Hebrew. I can say He has kept his promises to me.
