In this week's Torah portion (Devarim 25:5-10) there is a curious commandment, that because it is not practised, can only be approached through the imagination. This is the command of Yibbum: when a married man dies without fathering a child, his brother or nearest relative is asked to be a Yabam, a surrogate father, and "marry" his deceased brother's wife. The hope is that from this union a child will be born and the "Name of the deceased brother will not be blotted out from Israel."

We would like to analyze the word Yabam- Yud, Beit, Mem in the same way we looked at the letters last week of the word Shofet ( judge). How do these letters guide us toward the meaning of this commandment. In Rav Ginsburgh's Hebrew Letters he provides the following essential meaning of these three letters: Yud- the infinite point, the power of the Infinite to contain the finite, Beit- G-d's dwelling place below, Mem-the fountain of Divine wisdom.

It is interesting to note that the Gematria of Yabam ( Yud=10, Beit=2, Mem=40) totals 52, the equivalent of Beyn ( Beit=2, Nun=50) which here means offspring.. This is a hint that the Yabam's purpose is to rectify "Ubeyn ayn lo", ( for he died without a child).

[Those of you who have seen the motion picture Pi, will recognize a similarity to the Gematria presented in the movie- in which the Hebrew words for father (Av=3 )and and mother (Aym=41) are equal to the word child (Yeled=44).This also hints to the transformation from husband and wife to father and mother when the child is born].

As one contemplates this commandment our attention is drawn to the two most famous men who fulfilled this obligation; the relation of Yehuda and Tamar (Beresheet 38:1-30) and the relation of Boaz and Ruth as relayed in the Book of Ruth. Both of these unions have a direct relationship with the birth of King David and therefore with the birth of the Mashiach. The word Yabam as an acronym, remarkably, spells: Y - Yehuda, B-Boaz, M- Mashiach.