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Hebrew letter Pey on a parchment paper

Pey (Fey): The Seventeeth Letter of the Hebrew Alphabet

Pey (Fey): The Seventeeth Letter of the Hebrew Alphabet

Raskin, Rabbi Aaron L.
November 21, 2021

“The letter pei actually means ‘mouth’—peh. A mouth is some­thing we use to speak, and… speech has tremendous power.

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The word for Egypt, Mitzrayim, connotes restraints or borders, a narrow place. A Jew must realize that every day of his life, G-d not only releases him from the shackles of Egypt (‘takes him out’), but gives him the opportu­nity to break through an even higher and more subtle level of limitation (‘lifts him’). G-d gives a Jew the ability to go beyond his personal physical limits and even beyond nature. This is alluded to by the expression ‘widening our mouths,’

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The Jew… has the ability and responsibility to complete G-d’s creation, to go beyond what he believes possi­ble and make the world whole. We accomplish this by widening our mouths. With the use of our mouths to praise G-d, learn Torah, pray, and communicate positive messages to others, we complete the world. In this way we fulfill our purpose in com­ing to this world, by transforming nature and making the world a better place in which to live.”