Of all the names by which the Hebrew Bible refers to God, one holds a unique place: the four-letter name Yod, He, Vav, He, transcribed YHVH or YHWH. The Greeks called it the Tetragrammaton, that is, «four letters». In the Jewish tradition it is the Name par excellence, and in Kabbalah it becomes the key that opens the entire structure of the Tree of Life.
A name that is not pronounced
In the Jewish tradition the Tetragrammaton is not pronounced. When it is met in the reading of Scripture or in prayer, it is replaced with Adonai, «Lord»; in everyday speech HaShem, «the Name», is often used.
According to tradition, in antiquity the Name was pronounced only on particular occasions, in the Temple of Jerusalem, and in particular by the high priest on the day of Yom Kippur. After the destruction of the Temple its exact pronunciation was no longer used in the liturgy.
In medieval manuscripts the consonants of the Tetragrammaton were written with the vowels of Adonai, to remind the reader of the word to be pronounced. Some Christian readers of the Renaissance, reading consonants and vowels together, derived the hybrid form Jehovah, which does not correspond to any ancient Hebrew pronunciation.
The meaning of the Name
The Tetragrammaton is connected to the Hebrew root of the verb «to be». In the story of the burning bush, in Exodus, God introduces himself to Moses with the expression Ehyeh asher ehyeh, translated in various ways: «I am who I am», «I will be what I will be». Many commentators have seen in the Tetragrammaton a name that contains at once the past, present and future of being.
The numerical value: 26
According to ordinary gematria, the Tetragrammaton is worth:
| Letter | Value |
|---|---|
| Yod | 10 |
| He | 5 |
| Vav | 6 |
| He | 5 |
| Total | 26 |
The number 26 recurs often in kabbalistic meditations. A classic example: the sum of the first two letters, Yod and He, is 15, and that of the last two, Vav and He, is 11. Commentators have developed many reflections on these breakdowns concerning the relationship between the «upper» and «lower» part of the Name.
The four letters on the Tree
In Kabbalah the four letters of the Name are distributed over the sefirot. The most widespread scheme is the following:
- the tip of the Yod (the small apex of the letter) refers to Kether;
- Yod corresponds to Chokmah, Wisdom, the first flash;
- the first He corresponds to Binah, Understanding, which gives form to the flash;
- Vav, whose value is 6, corresponds to the six central sefirot, from Chesed to Yesod, with their heart in Tiferet;
- the second He corresponds to Malkuth, the Kingdom.
The Yod, the smallest letter of the alphabet, is almost a point: the seed from which everything develops. The He, whose shape is open, is like a womb that receives. The Vav, a vertical stroke, is the link that descends. The second He is the final receiving in the world.
The Name and the four worlds
The same scheme applies to the four worlds of Kabbalah: Yod to Atziluth, the world of emanation; the first He to Beriah, creation; Vav to Yetzirah, formation; the second He to Assiah, action. The Name thus becomes a kind of vertical map of the whole of reality, from the highest point to the most concrete.
The twelve permutations
Since the Tetragrammaton contains two identical letters (the two He), its letters can be arranged in twelve different combinations, and not twenty-four as would happen with four distinct letters. In Kabbalah these twelve permutations have been associated with the twelve months of the year and the twelve tribes, and used as supports for meditation: each month would have its own combination of the Name.
The Name as an object of contemplation
In kabbalistic devotion, and especially in the Hasidic tradition, the Tetragrammaton is not only studied: it is contemplated. A widespread practice consists in keeping the four written letters before one's eyes, often on a plaque called a shiviti, from the verse of the Psalms «I have set the Lord always before me». The purpose is to be constantly reminded of the divine presence.
At Studio Esoterico Cornelio the Tetragrammaton is offered as a theme for study and silent meditation, respecting the tradition that preserves its unpronounceability.
In short
- The Tetragrammaton YHVH is the four-letter name of God: Yod, He, Vav, He.
- In the Jewish tradition it is not pronounced and is replaced with Adonai or HaShem.
- Its numerical value is 26.
- The four letters correspond to the sefirot and to the four worlds of Kabbalah.
- The twelve permutations of the Name are associated with the twelve months and used in meditation.
