The letter Tes represents the Tov, good, that comes back to a person like a boomerang after one does the right thing. It also represents the force of Netzach, Eternity, which allows things to last forever. On the most basic physical level, there is ultimately no part of the physical world that can be destroyed forever.
Scientifically, Einstein’s law of conservation states that energy cannot be destroyed. There always was, is, and will be the same amount of energy in the world, pointing towards the fact that energy is nitzchi, eternal. The world has this power through the letter Tes, which allows for goodness and eternality. True goodness is eternal.
On a human level, Tes represents the fact that when a person acts with goodness, good is received in return.
On a spiritual level, when we do good deeds by performing mitzvos and learning Torah, we are rewarded in the next world for netzach netzachim, all of eternity.
To take it even a step further, the letter Tes also represents the process of Techiyas hamsayim, the resurrection of the dead, when the soul will once again be merged with the body. This will take place at the end of the final redemption, when mankind will bask in God’s Divine light for ever and ever. This is the ultimate Tov, good, that Hashem has in store for mankind.
The first time that the letter Tes is used in the Torah is when Hashem created the world. “Va’yar es ha’or ki Tov, Hashem saw the light was good.” We learn two things from this about the letter Tes.
1) The world is a good place. The Ramachal explains that because Hashem is good, He wanted to share His goodness with us by placing us this world.
2) Rashi explains on this passuk that Hashem took this good light known as the “Ohr Haganuz,” and hid it away for the Tzadikim in the future. This also points towards the letter Tes as the force of “Tov hanitzchi, eternal goodness.”
Since everything God does is for the good, when a person faces suffering, difficulty, and pain it’s also for the good. We say “Gam zu l’Tovah, This is also for the good,” because with every amount of pain that we experience and accept, we’re earning true goodness in the world to come. This all comes from the letter Tes, which allows for ultimate good to come back to us.
The shape of the letter Tes is like a container with an opening on top to teach us that no good ever gets lost, but is stored away forever.
The Tes also resembles a slithering snake. The purpose of the snake-like Yetzer Harah, the Evil Inclination,” is to give us the opportunity to choose Tov, good. We then fulfill our purpose in this world so that we can reap reward for all of eternity.
The numerical value of Tes is 9, which is a true number. Multiplying any whole number by 9 and adding the sum of the digits together gives us 9. For example 2x9=18, 1+ 8 = 9. 3x9=27, 2+7= 9. 9x9=81, 8+1=9. 9 is always true. Goodness and truth obviously go hand and hand.
Even more awesome is that the numerical value of Emes, Truth, is 441. 4+4+1 equal 9! Emes and Tov go hand and hand. The truth is that Hashem is good!
I hope that you enjoyed this class. In the next episode we’ll be moving on to Yud.
