YUD: THE INITIAL POINT OF CREATION

Goodness Revealed

"For truly I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass  from the law, till all be fulfilled." - Mt. 5:18

In the previous discussion of tet, we related how that the tet, whose value is nine, represents the "concealed good" - the fruit of the womb - which is concealed for nine months before being born. Now, we are going to continue in that vein by discussing the next Hebrew letter yud which, having a value of ten, expresses the idea of that which was hidden is now revealed. Treasures once concealed are now unearthed. The yud, like a child that breaks forth from his mother's womb, is the revealed good of Creation!

The Hidden Wisdom of Torah

An example of this concept can be found in the passage of Scripture above. In Matthew 5, Y'shua had told his audience just prior to this statement that they shouldn't think He had come to to negate the Torah or the Prophets. In fact, as He says, He came to make them full. In other words, to give them their full meaning.

For centuries prior to this, scribes and rabbis had understood that there was an inner dimension of the Torah, a concealed good if you will. They also understood that when the Messiah come, He would reveal this concealed good, this inner dimension of the Torah, and lead Israel into a higher understanding of God. Rabbinic tradition has taught that the Messiah would reveal altogether new insights, making manifest the hidden mysteries of the Torah, to the point that, "all the Torah learned in the present world will be vain compared to the Torah of Mashiach" (Kohelet Rabba 11:12).

Interestingly enough, Y'shua, starting in Matthew 5:21, begins telling the people that, "You have heard it said to those of old ... but I say to you." Y'shua is not adding to the Torah, He is merely doing what had been foretold the Messiah would do. He was revealing the inner dimension of the Torah. He was giving birth to the goodness of the Torah that had been concealed.

That He declares, "Not one JOT or tittle shall pass till ALL is fulfilled" is evidence of this concept. The word translated as "JOT" is the Greek iota. In Hebrew this word is rendered as yud. So, to put it plainly, Y'shua was teaching that not even the smallest, seemingly least significant letter in Scripture, the yud, will pass away from it unfulfilled and yet there is more.

Because the yud symbolizes that which was concealed is now revealed, Y'shua seems to be saying that the inner dimension of Torah must and shall come to light. Furthermore, because He is the one sent to make the Torah full of meaning and illuminate our understanding, it seems to me that the yud actually represents Him. Notice that He said, "It is finished" and THEN He gave up the ghost. But even Death could not keep Him. Though He was concealed in the tomb, He was revealed three days later! Ladies and gentlemen, He is the WISDOM and the GOOD that was concealed in the words of the Torah, but now He is the revealed GOODNESS of Creation!

A Helping Hand

In name, yud is considered to be a "hand," which in Hebrew is yad. Yad is related to a term that means "to thrust." We "thrust" our hand into another's hand and receive from them. We are then obliged to "give thanks," which in Hebrew is hodu (another related word). Many times we offer thanks by raising our hand and thus give glory (hod) to the one who has given to us. If we consider that the other hand into which we thrust ours is the hand of God, an interesting concept develops from these related terms.

Y'shua taught us that what seems to be small and insignificant should never be overlooked, for in these things the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven are revealed (see Mt. 13:31-32). In the letter yud we see this concept amplified. First of all, it should not be overlooked that the yud is the first letter in the Sacred Name YHVH and in the name of the Messiah Y'shua. These are no small examples, but perhaps the greatest illustration of this is found in the belief that the letter yud is said to be the starting point of all the Hebrew letters. In other words, rabbis teach that you can't write the letter t alef or c beit without first making a stroke or jot or yud!

So then, because it is believed that God used the Hebrew letters to create the universe and because no Hebrew letter can be written without first making a yud, the smallest Hebrew letter is actually the greatest because it is considered to be the initial point of Creation. In other words, everything exists because of yud.

Therefore, considering what we now know about yud, we have to conclude that nothing could exist if it were not for Messiah (Jn. 1:3), for He is the yud personified. He is the initial point of Creation, the very heart of the Torah and all that is good. He is that friend who sticks closer than a brother and for that, I give thanks!