In last month's Alef Bytes we focused on the letter Chet and the month of Tammuz in connection with the themes of choice within one's constitutional or environmental inheritance. We received two comments, the first from Dean Barron and the second from Rabbi Avraham Trugman. Following their comments we present this months Alef Bytes on the letter Tet and the month of Av.

Dean's comments:

We don't come into the world with every
single possibility open. We all have an inheritance -- our gender, our physical
features, the parenting we received, the time in which we were born, etc. To
find what is good in our eyes from within our inheritance is our life-long
mission.

It is asserted that we select our parents before we are born, so to a
certain extent we have a say in this filter. Therefore this mission is to a
certain extent selected by us and could be
viewed as the path that our soul is
supposed to experience (and is the optimization of this existence).

Rabbi Trugman's comments:

Shalom! You come to the conclusion that to choose is the
secret of defining how to relate to our pre determined Chelek (portion). The
word to choose in hebrew is Bachar (Beit-Chet-Reish) and in reverse the same
letters spell Rachav Reish-Chet-Beit) which means to widen. In other words:
through choice we widen the possibilities given to us in our pre-determined
"portion" (physical, economic, DNA, upbringing etc). The letter chet = 8 which
always represents going beyond the set pattern or cycles of life as represented
by the number 7. The shape of the chet has a "bridge" connecting a vav and a
zayin. We all know the song - "The whole world is a very narrow bridge..."
Choice is that act which widens the bridge. Chet represents life - Chaim. The
secret of life is learning how to exercise true choice in order to taste "real"
life as an image of G-d, which is interpretted by many as being free choice. The
idea of choice is incapsulated in the month of Tammuz as revealed by the story
of the spies. They all saw the same thing yet 10 chose to give an "evil" report
while 2 interpretted the facts differently. Each made their choice. Also hinted
to in the Rashi on the word "LECHA" of "Shlach LECHA". Rashi brings the opinion
that G-d says to Moshe: if you want to send - you send; I am not commanding you.
[One last reflection. The root Beit-Chet-Reish is one of only 6 three letter
roots in all of the Hebrew language that all 6 permutations have known meanings.
This emphasizes again the idea of choice being the ability to widen
possibilities of set factors].

The Letter Tet and the Month of Av

On August 16, 2000, at 10:00 p.m. (U.S.) eastern time, history was made as Joseph
Lieberman, the first Jew to be selected as a running mate for a major presidential candidate, took the stage at the Democratic National Convention and addressed a thundering crowd of supporters chanting, "Go Joe Go!" every few minutes throughout his speech.

He's One of Us!

Jewish people, whether Democrats, Republicans, Independents, or other, have been caught up in what many are calling "Liebermania" as fresh interest is focused on this presidential campaign and the implications of an orthodox Jew being the second-in-command are discussed and debated. In addition to the natural pride that many Jewish people feel from a purely ethnic and emotional perspective, there are some deeper ideas to consider that can give all of us more to think about.

It's That Time of the Year

Each of the political events leading up to Joseph Lieberman's rise to the
VP nominee are taking place during the month of Av. While we usually consider
this month to be a sad one, because it commemorates the destruction of both
Temples, we also refer to this month as Menachem Av- the Consolation of Av. This
speaks to the counterpart of the sadness of Av which is the future when Tisha
b'Av, the 9th of Av will become a holiday because on it the Mashiach will be
born. Av is the month that holds the greatest potential for redemption,
following the basic mystical teaching that where there appears to be the
littlest "light", in that is hidden the greatest potential for holiness. So, Av,
while now considered a time of diminished joy is still a time when we recognize
the potential for greater joy. Are we on the threshhold of greater potential
being realized?

Tet and the Sefirah of Yesod

Tet is the Hebrew letter that energizes the month of Av and is equal to 9. In our tradition, following its ordinal number, Tet is associated with the 9th Sefirah, or Divine emanation, in the Mystical Tree of Life. That ninth sefirah is the sefirah of Yesod, which means foundation or integrity. Specifically, the sefirah of Yesod relates to
sexual integrity, and we are taught that the foundation of the world lies in sexual purity.

Each of the Sefirot are connected to one of the Shepherds of
Israel, the people we invite into our sukkahs on each of the days of Sukkot. The
person who represents the Sefirah of Yesod is Joseph. Joseph's ability to
withstand the sexual urgings of Potiphar's wife earns him the distinction of
"Tzadik"-the righteous one, and it is the Tzadik who is the Yesod (foundation)
of the world. It is very interesting to note that one of Joseph Lieberman's
most-often mentioned quality is his personal integrity and that he was the first
Democrat to speak out strongly against President Clinton in the Monica Lewinsky
sex scandal.

While many people spoke passionately about the President's right
to privacy, Joseph Lieberman followed, most likely without being consciously
aware, the message of the sefirah of Yesod. Yesod holds the word Sod, which
means secret, in it, and alludes to the idea that a person's integrity is
determined by what they do in secret-when no one is looking.

When someone's actions, both privately and publicly, are ones of integrity, that person will be a person of truth. That person will not have to lie to cover up deeds done in
the dark. The light of that Truth will enable all of a person's potential to be
realized and he/she will be an inspiration to everyone who knows them.

As much as people care about political issues and agendas that pertain to them, it is a Sign of hopefulness that there is still a cry for personal integrity in our
leaders. The 9th sefirah of Yesod is not just a hypothetical or esoteric
concept, but is rather one of our primary sources of personal and communal
strength. It is the basis of our trust in leaders and our trust in ourselves and
will determine whether the foundation we stand on is firm or flawed.
The quality of Yesod in our lives will determine whether or not our potential will be
realized and whether or not Av remains as a month when redemption lies dormant
or when the birth-pangs of the Messiah are completed and redemption is at hand.