The Secret of the Small Letters

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By Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum

I’m sure you’ve noticed the large "vov" and the small "tof," "shin," and "zayin" found in Haman’s son’s names and wondered what they are for. While I’ve looked through the many meforshim, I haven’t been able to find the solution. Perhaps the large "vov" hints at the answer. A "vov" usually tells us to connect words. I would therefore suggest that these letters hint at the words "Timoche Shmom V’Zich’rom"  which is what we always say when we mention the names of the wicked!

Another strange letter that keeps popping up in the Megilla five times in all is the extra "yud" in the word "la’yehudim" which is ordinarily spelled with only one "yud" toward the end. What’s the extra "yud" doing there?

We do know that a yud is a very special letter that is sometimes added to a name to designate greatness as we find Dovid Hamelech’s name throughout Divrei Ha’yomim spelled with an extra yud. (See Rashi in Divrei Hayomim that says that it is a sign of greatness.) Many places throughout Tanach we find the yud added to a name in order to symbolize greatness and sometimes we will notice a yud taken out of a name to hint shame. When the "Nesiyim" didn’t bring their donation on time, it was the letter yud that was taken from their name. Remember, too, that when the yidden came to "R’fidim" and questioned whether Hashem was in their midst or not, the word "R’fidim is spelled without the "yud," as a sign of their loss of faith in Hashem. This is what brought about Amolek’s attack. When Moshe Rabbeinu wanted to protect his student Yehosuah from falling into the sin of the m’raglim, it was the yud that he added to his name. The yud is such a special letter because it is the first letter of Hashem’s Holy Name. It is also the letter with which Hashem created "Olam Ha’bah."

In the time of Mordecai, there were two types of Jews. There were those who followed Mordecai’s advice and refused to attend Achashversh’s party or to bow down to Haman and there were those who felt that by not doing so, they would get themselves into trouble. While Haman was enraged at the very religious Jews that refused to become assimilated as he tells the King "and the laws of the King they do not accept," he of course wanted to kill them all. When the Megilla spells the name "yehudim" with an extra yud, it may be a casual hint to those very holy Jews who refused to bow down to Haman or go to the party! It was these G-d fearing Jews who actually saved the day and brought about Haman’s downfall.

The Zohar Hakodosh says that the letter yud symbolizes the  and therefore Pinchos received an additional yud in his name after he killed Zimri. As long as we keep it holy, Amolek is unable to harm us. It’s only when we sin that he can throw them up into the air and cause us harm.