Bo El HaTeivah = Come In To The ‘Ark’ (Or Word)

Hebrew words exist in multi-worlds. I hope to explore an ongoing series to excavate depths of significance from verbs in the Hebrew alphabet- verbs especially from Scripture and prayers that you thought you knew but actually contain many layers of hidden meanings. Hopefully, your prayers and Torah study will become more personal and meaning-full.

When G-d tells Noah to ‘come into the –Teivah,’ meaning ‘ark’, it is essential to know that Teivah also means ‘word,’ ‘G-d is providing a message for all time. When threatened by forces that try to drown us out of existence, there are holy words of prayer and Torah study that can keep us afloat. To hammer this point home, the dimensions of the ark were= 300, 50, and 30, whose Hebrew letters spell out the word LASHON, meaning language. From a mystical perspective, every word in the Torah and prayer book, can not only keep us afloat in a chaotic world, but can lead us to, as I have posted about the FlyDubai flight, ‘a higher PLANE’ of existence. As Rabbi Pinchas Winston in his Torah series Perceptions puts it: ‘Just as the ark protected life from the chaotic waters, a carefully chosen word packages and protects a hidden spiritual thought until it is safely delivered to the listener.’

In addition, adds the Baal Shem Tov, the Torah writes, “Tzohar taaseh l’teiva” = make a light or window for the word. He explains it to mean ‘When you speak, illuminate your words with a light of holy intention.’ Then the impact of your words can reach beyond material reality and have lasting influence.

Following the Hebrew alphabet, let’s start with a few Alef words. 1- AMAR=SAID. The familiar term is at the very beginning of the Torah where G-d SAYS ’Let there be light.’ Obviously Divine speech is different from ours. To get a hint – the first letter of Amar=ALEPH, stands for AISH, meaning Fire.  The second is MEM, standing for Mayim, water and the third is RUACH which means Air. These are the three primary elements which comprise the physical universe. The fourth element is Afar – Earth, from which we are all formed. So both Divine and human speech is the ultimate form of creative communication. The hint to us is that our words, formed from the humility and potential of earth, are not just ‘hot air,’ but are forces which impact the universe/universes of creation on many levels.

As I once heard from a newscaster on NPR quote a Hassidic rabbi, ‘Before you say anything, think about whether your next words will improve the silence.’ If more people took this seriously, in the immortal words of Louis Armstrong, ‘What a wonderful world this would be!’