The letter tet is the ninth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It first appears in the Torah in the word tov, which means good, when God creates light and notes that it is “good” (Genesis 1:4).

According to the Midrash (legendary interpretation of the Bible), the name tet alludes to the word tit, which means mud. This is a reference to the earth from which Adam, the first human being, was created. When God created the first human, His response was more than just tov, it was “tov me’od,” very good.

Some letters in an alphabet are in constant demand. Others, like the tet are less commonly used. In fact, the letter tet. is the least common letter found in the Torah, where it appears a mere 1,802 times. (In comparison to the letter yud, which appears 31,530 times.)

Bibliographical acknowledgment: The Wisdom In The Hebrew Alphabet: The Sacred Letters as a Guide to Jewish Deed and Thought. By Rabbi Michael L. Munk. Published by Mesorah Publications, 1983.