hebrew art
Yud
Illuminated Hebrew Letter
©2006 Adam Rhine
Watercolor and Colored Pencil on Paper
"All Your works shall thank You, Hashem, and Your devout ones will bless You." (Psalm 145:10)

The letter "yud" is the tenth letter in the Hebrew alphabet, and is the first letter in G-d's Holy Name (The Tetragrammaton.) Being the smallest letter, it is made of only one part, symbolic of the Oneness of the Lord. It's numerical value of ten is found often in Jewish history: 10 Commandments, 10 Plagues upon the Egyptians, 10 tests of Abraham's faith, and 10 men needed to form a minyan (quorum) for public prayer.

Yud is also the only letter that levitates above the baseline, rising towards our Creator.