The Yud and Elul

Ani LeDodi VeDodi Li - I am to my Beloved as my Beloved is to me (Song ofSongs)

The first letters of each word (Alef-Lamed-Vav-Lamed) in this beautiful and well-known phrase from the Song of Songs form the word Elul, the name of the month that we are just about to complete. These words also capture the spiritual mood that the month of Elul offers us. The Song of Songs, a vivid love poem, is seen as a metaphor for the love relationship between G-d and the Jewish people. The entire month is designed to wake us up and bring us into more intimate relationship with G-d and with each other.

40 Days on Har Sinai

In addition, the last letters of each word in this phrase are meaningful and have a connection with the month of Elul. The letter Yud is the spiritual force for the month of Elul and it is this letter that comes at the end of each of the four words in this phrase. With a gematria (numerical equivalent) of 10, the four repititions of the letter Yud equal 40 and allude to the final 40 days that Moshe spent on Mount Sinai beginning on Rosh Chodesh (the New Moon) Elul. After 40 days, Moshe received the second set of Tablets that reflected G-d's covenant with the Jewish people and G-d's complete forgiveness for the sin of the Golden Calf. The day Moshe descended was the 10th of Tishrei, the very first Yom Kippur.

Ten Measures of Beauty

The gematria of Yud (10) brings many things to mind. We think about 10 in reference to the 10 utterances that brought about creation, the 10 Sefirot, the 10 'Commandments', 10 fingers and toes, etc. In all cases, 10 represents a level of completeness and full expression. One interesting mention of 10 is in reference to measures of beauty that G-d put into the world. We are taught that G-d created the world with ten measures of beauty, and that the Land of Israel has 9 of the 10 measures. There are many, many beautiful places in this world; so, what does it mean that the Land of Israel has 9 of the 10 measures of beauty? Perhaps a more fundemental question is: What does the Hebrew word (and letters) for beauty-Yafeh (Yud-Peh-Heh) teach us about beauty?

We were intrigued with the concept of beauty, as it seems to be a quality that is highly
subjective as well as controversial. In addition, the word for beauty is Yafeh which starts with a Yud, the letter for this month.

Before we try to define what beauty is, we would like to look at several places where it is mentioned. In Aishet Chayil- A Woman of Valor, recited every Friday night, we repeat the words in Proverbs which states, " False is grace and vain is beauty." (Proverbs 31:30) In this instance, beauty seems to be a superficial and negative quality that distracts from true worthiness.

Yet, we are also taught that upon seeing exceptionally beautiful people, trees, or fields, we are to stop and acknowledge G-d with a blessing for having put such beauty in the universe.

There is an interesting story in Talmud Nedarim 50b which points to the paradox of physical beauty. The daughter of the Ceaser mocked Rabbi Joshua son of Chanina (a physically unattractive man) and said, " Such a beautiful Torah in an ugly vessel." He replied, " Take a lesson from your father's house. Where does he keep his wine? In kegs of wood. So does every commoner. Perhaps you should place his wine in vessels of gold and silver." So she complied (thinking this fitting advice) and found that all the wine spoiled. Said Rabbi Joshua to her, "So it is with Torah." She then quipped, " Are there not learned scholars that are also beautiful?" He replied, " If they were ugly they would be greater scholars!"

When we go back and look at the word Yafeh, we see that the spelling of the words hints at what true beauty, or complete beauty, needs to be. The Yud, signifying completeness or full expression is connected to the letters Peh and Heh. Those two letters, themselves, spell two significant words. Peh and Heh spell both the words Po, which means, here, and the word Peh, which means, mouth.

Yud (the point of completion) is the letter that is connected to G-d's Presence. When we see someone (or something) who appears to be beautiful and recognize the hand of the Creator in that beauty by making a blessing, we are acknowledging G-d's Presence as being Po-here. We are also using our Peh-mouth to say that the Yud is Po -- G-d's Presence is here. Alternatively, the word Yafeh teaches us to recognize that the source of beauty is the Mouth of G-d. The Yud coming from the Peh of G-d.

We have mentioned the saying of a blessing upon seeing an exceptionally beautiful person. There is also a blessing to be recited upon seeing a "strange looking person." Although the guidelines for reciting these different blessings would apparently be obvious, a question to be raised is: Beautiful or strange? Who is seeing the beauty and who is seeing the strangeness?

May we all be blessed to see beauty in others, in ourselves and in the magnificent world G-d has created for us anew.