Twebrew School

The letter tet is the ninth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It first appears in the Torah in the word tov , which means good, when God creates light and notes that it is “good” (Genesis 1:4). According to the Midrash (legendary interpretation of the Bible), the name tet alludes to the word tit , which means mud. This is a reference to the earth from which Adam, the first human being, was created. When God created the first human, His response was more than just tov , it was “ tov me’od, ” very good. Some letters in an alphabet are in constant demand. Others, like the tet are less commonly used. In fact, the letter tet . is the least common letter found in the Torah, where it appears a mere 1,802 times. (In comparison to the letter yud, which appears 31,530 times.) Bibliographical acknowledgment: The Wisdom In The Hebrew Alphabet: The Sacred Letters as a Guide to Jewish Deed and Thought. By Rabbi Michael L. Munk. Published by Mesorah Publications, 1983.