From The Hebrew Alphabet...

The Hebrew Alphabet Letter Yud

The tenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet is yud. This letter has the numerical value of 10, and it has the meaning of HAND. Yud makes a sound like the letter Y in Year. The letter Yud is a simple point.

Yud is the smallest letter in the entire Hebrew alphabet, but it is often associated with the concept of EMANATION. The writing of the letters must be in precise writing. For example, you cannot write the vav as a yud.

Yud has the important distinction of being found first in the Tetragrammaton " Yud Hey Vav Hey. It seems like that would be a very important honor since yud is the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet. In this context, Zohar states, the yud is the representation of the head of all creatures.

The yud is the symbol of WISDOM in the Sephrotic tree. This is the stage of concealment which gives way to the spirit of UNDERSTANDING.

The letter yud is a mater lectionis just like He, Aleph and Vav. When words have vowels at the end of them, the yud represents the formation of what we commonly know as a diphthong, such as /ai/, /ei/ or /oi/.

Yud is the representation of the number ten in gematria. As a prefix, yud designates the third person singular when you are speaking about the future tense. If yud is accompanied by vav as a suffix, then it is third person plural. As a suffix, yud is indicative of the first person singular possessive.

If you see two yuds right in a row, this is the designation of the name of God Adonai.

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