The Torah begins with the letter bais – the first letter in the word, Bereishis – and concludes with the letter lamed, the final letter in the word, Yisrael. Together, these two letters form the word lev – heart. This is far more than a linguistic observation. It conveys a profound truth concerning the role of Torah in Jewish life.
The heart is the body’s central organ. It pumps life-giving blood through every limb and organ, sustaining the entire person. Without the heart’s constant activity, the body cannot survive. Likewise, the Torah is the heart and soul of the Jewish People. It is not merely a book of laws, history and ethics; it is the spiritual life force that courses through our collective being. Every aspect of Jewish life, from our values and aspirations to our daily conduct and relationships, derives its vitality from Torah.
Just as blood reaches every part of the body, Torah must permeate every facet of our lives. It cannot remain confined to the bais medrash or the shul. Its teachings must flow through our homes, our workplaces, our interactions with others, and our innermost thoughts. When Torah remains at the center of our existence, it sustains and elevates every dimension of life.
Alternatively, the Kli Yakar cites another reason for the significance of the bais and the lamed. With regard to all the letters of Hashem’s Name – Yud, Kay, Vov – if one were to place any one of these three letters next to the lamed or bais, they would form a word. (This must apply to all three.) Thus, bah, bi, bo—li, lo, lah. This is not found with regard to any other letter of the alef-beis, that a complete word can be formed with all three of these letters with both the lamed and the beis. (For instance, mi, mah, mo – these are not all words. Although mah is a word, it is but only one of the three possible combinations. We require all three.)
A powerful insight is behind this “shidduch” of letters of Hashem’s Name and the bais and the lamed. It symbolizes that the world and all that is in it, in fact the entire universe, everything belongs to Him, and everything is dependent upon Him. When the letters bais and lamed are affixed to one of the letters of Hashem’s Name, they express these fundamental truths. The prefix bais denotes “dependence on,” indicating that the world depends on Hashem. When the bais is connected to the yud, it spells Bi (in Me). When it is connected to the vov, it spells Bo (in Him). Last is hay which spells Bah (in Her), referring to the feminine characteristics that Hashem displays. (This is mentioned in Kabbalistic writings: Zachor v’nukva. Thus, the bais with any of the three letters of Hashem’s Name teaches that everything in this world – in all existence – depends on Hashem.
The lamed, the possessive letter, connects with the three letters in a like manner, teaching that everything belongs to Hashem. Now, while the lamed and bais appear to present different ideas, in reality, explains Kli Yakar, they are one and the same idea. For since everything is dependent upon Hashem, everything belongs to Him, which is the foundation of the Torah. Thus, the Torah begins with the letter bais and ends with the lamed to indicate that Hashem is the beginning and end of everything, and that everything is dependent upon Him.
Having said this, we suggest that the original premise that bais/lamed spells lev, heart, is closely connected to the lesson derived by connecting the letters bais and lamed with the three letters of Hashem’s Name. The entire human body is dependent upon a heart that functions properly. A weak heart means that every major organ is, likewise, not working optimally, since it is not receiving the blood it requires to function properly. In other words, as we begin anew to study the Torah, we must remember that, without the heart, without Hashem, we are nothing.
