Chet: "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts"

The letter Chet is the letter for the month of Tammuz. While all of the Hebrew letters are made of component parts the letters that form Chet are the most clearly identifiable. In the mystical tradition the Chet is constructed of the letters Vav and Zayin which are connected by a thin, bridge-shaped line called a Chatoteret. Interestingly, the Vav and Zayin are the letters for the two previous months of Iyar and Sivan. As we discussed earlier, the Vav is considered a "masculine" letter while Zayin is considered a "feminine" letter. Now, for the month of Tammuz, these two letters are joined to create a new letter. The masculine and feminine come together (the Chet looks like a Chupah and is spelled, Chet-Peh- Heh), and while maintaining their separateness (they don't actually touch), they create something even more powerful than they can achieve standing alone. The Chet transcends the Vav and Zayin. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

During the month of Tammuz we will look to the Torah portions for insight into the letter Chet. The Torah portions for the month include: Korach, Chukat-Balak, Pinchas, and Matot-Masei. In Korach two words that caught our attention are Chelek (Chet-Lamed- Kuf) meaning portion and Nachala (Nun-Chet-Lamed-Heh) meaning inheritance. In Bamidbar 18:20, G-d tells Aharon that, "In their Land (Eretz Yisrael) you shall have no inheritance (Tinchal) and a share (Chelek) shall you not have among them; I am your share (Chelek) and your inheritance among the Children of Israel." We note that both these words contain the letter Chet.

This passage raises many interesting questions. Why is the Land of Israel referred to as "their land" rather than "your land?" Why can't the Levites have a portion in the Land of Israel? What does it mean that G-d is their portion? A larger question is why portion the land at all? If the Land of Israel is the Jewish people's portion (Chelek) and their inheritance (Nachala), what difference does it make where people live? Why does each individual tribe have to maintain its separateness? These questions become more focused when the daughters of Tzelafchad lay claim to inheritance in the land (Bamidbar, Chapter 27) and their ongoing process of retaining their inheritance is the final chapter of the Book of Bamidbar.