The Oneness Behind the Letters: Understanding the True Source of Divine Power

We often speak of the divine powers and of the Torah as the blueprint of creation, and of the profound force within the Hebrew letters. Yet it is important to understand that even these notions function, in a sense, as metaphors. Yes, the Torah is indeed the blueprint of creation, and yes, there is true power within the Hebrew letters—but not necessarily in the letters themselves in their physical form.

Divine speech—the very utterance through which the world was brought into being—continues to sustain creation, serving as the spiritual building blocks of all reality. This divine speech transcends the letters. These matters originate prior to creation itself, before the written form of a letter existed, for the letters, too, are creations.

Thus, one may contemplate and study the letters, and through them be granted access to deeper spiritual truths. Reality can indeed be influenced through the letters; however, it is not the letters themselves that act, but rather what they are tethered to—higher spiritual realities, aspects of Hashem. In truth, all the letters are one: Hashem, Echad. We may perceive twenty-two distinct letters, but in essence there is only one, and that “letter” is Hashem. He provides these forms to help our limited minds grasp, even faintly, what cannot truly be grasped—to paint some mental image that aids us in our service to Him and in our return.

There have been individuals who invoked divine names, performed segulot, and engaged in various spiritual practices. Should one do so? That is a separate and complex discussion. My belief is that we are to turn directly to Hashem. Any intermediary we place between ourselves and Hashem—be it letters or anything else—can become problematic. One might protest, “But is not the Torah between us and Hashem?” No. The Torah is Hashem, and that is precisely the point—and so, at our root, are we. The divine image within us is the place from which these “letters,” so to speak, emanate. The Torah teaches that every Jew is a letter, and likewise every Jew is a scroll. Our tradition speaks in metaphor and allegory to convey higher spiritual truths.

Thus, indeed, there is power in the Hebrew letters. They are the building blocks of creation; all reality is influenced by them, and they form the foundation connecting all knowledge. But the power is not in the letters as independent objects—it lies in what they represent above, in the depths of the divine. That alone is true power, and that alone is Hashem. The letters are simply tools for the mind, allowing us to approach what cannot be fully understood or articulated. And even then, we do not truly understand. It is folly to imagine otherwise. We only begin to understand when we recognize how profoundly we do not understand. One who chases understanding finds that understanding flees; one who acknowledges his limitation attains a measure of insight.

I hope this clarifies matters. For it is dangerously easy to slip into a form of idolatry with the letters themselves. I see signs of this in our generation, as these mystical ideas become more openly discussed. People begin assigning too much weight to the letters, the names, the symbols. I have taught these subjects for years, and I, too, must be cautious in how I speak. All of us must. Whenever we grant excessive importance to something other than Hashem, even subtly, we diminish His glory. And even if we insist in our minds, “Echad, Echad—there is no other,” one can still end up purchasing amulets or engaging in questionable practices, justifying everything with the claim of Hashem’s oneness. Eventually a person could even justify true wrongdoing and still cloak it in the language of “Hashem is One.”

This is not to diminish the letters or the Torah—Heaven forbid. On the contrary, it is to bring us back to the Torah, closer to Hashem, so that we cleave only to Him and recognize that all these other tools are merely aids meant to help us approach Him. They are there to help our more earthly minds grasp what the Divine Teacher is attempting to make known. Hashem is our teacher.

Just as one might speak to a dog in a simplified way—“Daddy loves Sola, and Sola loves Daddy”—speaking in a manner the dog can comprehend, so too Hashem speaks to us from our level, to draw us upward toward His, and to help us realize who we truly are.

Regarding the letters: Hashem forbade us from depicting spiritual realities above, below, or in the waters. The only permitted “diagrams” for describing such lofty truths are those He Himself provided—the Hebrew letters. Through them, the soul may learn.

I pray that this brings understanding.