Divine Names, Divine Dimensions

I shall now attempt to convey some of the mystical dimensions of the Ten Commandments, five of which address themselves to our Maker and five to the well-being of our fellow-man. The entire Torah consists of permutations of the name of G-d…

We are already well aware that the entire Torah consists of permutations of the name of G-d, permutations which extend endlessly in all directions of the universe.

The four-lettered Ineffable Name, yud, hei, vav, hei (Havayah) is the name which symbolizes G-d's essence. All other names are somehow derived from this four-lettered name; these various "pseudonyms" of G-d's name are subordinate to this name, Havayah. There is not a word or letter in the Torah which does not in some form allude, however indirectly, to a name of G-d and which in turn links up with the four-lettered Ineffable Name. This means that the "Torah of G-d is complete", and all its aspects somehow lead back to the Ineffable Name.

Keeping this in mind it is easy to understand that the Ten Commandments contain within them the whole Torah in "capsule form". The shape and size of the tablets…allude to the letters of the Ineffable Name…

The Ten Commandments consist of 620 letters, corresponding to the Crown [in Hebrew keter, which has a numerical value of 620] of Torah. 613 of these letters represent the 613 commandments of the Torah that are addressed to the Jewish people, whereas the other 7 letters represent the 7 Noahide laws, addressed to all of mankind. It is fairly obvious then that the Ten Commandments more than any other part of the Torah contains the mystical dimension of the Ineffable Name.

The shape and size of the tablets upon which the Ten Commandments were engraved allude to the letters of the Ineffable Name. The number 10 corresponds to the letter yud of that name. The five commandments engraved on either one of the tablets correspond to the letters hei of the Ineffable Name. The letter vav is represented by the height, width and thickness of the tablets, which were 6 handbreadths each. [The numerical values for the letters yud, hei, and vav are 10, 5, and 6, respectively.]

When we "cube" the dimensions of the tablets, 6 by 6 by 6, we obtain 216 cubic handbreadths. This number equals the spelling-out of the Ineffable Name using yuds, otherwise known as "Ab", the numerical value of 72. Viewing this number in the three dimensions of the tablets, you arrive at 3 X 72=216. This number corresponds to the number of letters [three times 72 in each verse] in the three successive verses in Ex. 14:19-21, describing the interposition of G-d's angel between the camp of the Israelites and that of the Egyptians…

The first five of the Ten Commandments speak of the name of G-d as it is spelled, i.e. yud, hei, vav, hei, whereas the last five Commandments speak of that name as it is read, i.e. as the name Ado-nai, the source of Israel [seeing that these five Commandments regulate conduct between Jews and Jews]. All is one at the very core of things. All leads back to the Ineffable Name. This is in line with what I have copied from the writings of Nachmanides where he stated that the dual nature of the tablets, i.e. 2 tablets instead of one, symbolizes Heaven and Earth, groom and bride. All is based on the mystical dimension of the Ineffable Name spelled either as yud, hei, vav, hei, or Ado-nai.

[Translation and commentary by Eliyahu Munk]