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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.

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,’

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.”