The 24 Kishutei Kallah Are Meant to Reveal the Concealment of the 24 Letters between the Letters אמ"ת
I was struck by a wonderful idea! We will begin with the statement in the Gemara (Shabbas 55a): "חותמו של הקב"ה אמת"— the signet of HKB”H is “emet.” Rashi provides the following insight based on three pesukim from Yeshayah (41, 4; 44, 6; 48, 12): The Hebrew word אמ"ת is composed of three letters. The first letter, “aleph,” is the first letter of the aleph-Beis and symbolizes that HKB”H is foremost and superior to all of creation. The third letter, “tav,” is the last letter of the aleph- Beis and symbolizes that HKB”H is the be-all and end-all of creation. The middle letter, “mem,” is the middle letter of the aleph-Beis; it symbolizes that HKB”H rules the world alone and is the center and focal-point of creation and the universe.
Rashi’s assertion that the letter “mem” is the middle letter of the aleph-Beis is true if we add the five final letters of מנצפ"ך to the other 22 letters; this gives us a total of 27 letters. According to this scheme, there are thirteen letters preceding the “mem” and thirteen letters following the letter “mem.” The thirteen letters before it are: א, ב, ג, ד, ה, ו, ז, ח, ט, י, כ, ך, ל; the thirteen letters after it are: ם, נ, ן, ס, ע, פ, ף, צ, ץ, ק, ר, ש, ת. Thus, the “mem” is the fourteenth letter of the aleph-Beis, the middle letter.
Now, let us refer to a passage in the Midrash (B.R. 1, 1): "בראשית ברא אלקים, התורה אומרת אני הייתי כלי אומנתו של הקב"ה... היה הקב"ה מביט בתורה ובורא את העולם, והתורה אמרה בראשית ברא אלקים, ואין ראשית אלא תורה". The Torah declares: “I was the craftsman’s tool (blueprint) of HKB”H” . . . HKB”H would look in the Torah and create the world. So, too, did HKB”H peer into the Torah (as His guide) and create the world. Therefore, the Torah said, "בראשית ברא אלקים" — “with ‘Reishis’ G-d created.” There is no “Reishis” other than the Torah.
Along these lines, it says in the Zohar hakadosh (Terumah 161a): Praiseworthy are all those who engage in Torah- study (because they are emulating the Almighty), since when HKB”H created the world, He looked in the Torah and proceeded to create the world. This teaches us that HKB”H created the world with the 27 letters of the Torah.
With the utmost reverence, I would now like to present a novel concept. When HKB”H appears to us without concealing Himself to reward tzaddikim and punish reshaim, He does so by means of His signet—namely, the three letters of אמ"ת. When a state of divine concealment—“hester panim”—exists, however, like in galus, when the reshaim seem to be in control, the truth—“emet”—is concealed. Nevertheless, when the time is right, “emet” will be revealed, as it is written: "אמת מארץ תצמח"—“emet” will spring forth from earth.
Thus, it turns out that when “hester panim” exists—and the three letters of אמ"ת are concealed—HKB”H appears to the world by means of the other 24 letters of the aleph- Beis in between the “aleph” and the “mem,” and in between the “mem” and the “tav.” Perhaps the wisest of all men was alluding to this when he said (Koheles 7, 14): "זה לעומת זה עשה האלקים". In other words, during periods of “hester panim”— when the name Elokim representing “midas hadin” prevails in the world—those are times of "זה לעומת זה"—when divine management—“hashgachah”—is by means of the two sets of ז"ה (12)—the 12 letters between the “aleph” and the “mem,” and the 12 letters between the “mem” and the “tav.”
Accordingly, we can suggest that this is why the Torah, which is called אמ"ת, is adorned with “24 Kishutei kallah.” It is because when a Jew studies Torah, the blueprint used to create the world, he is able to reveal the light concealed within the 24 letters. Those “Kishutei kallah” are the holy Shechinah that derives immense pleasure and satisfaction when we succeed in revealing the “emet” even within the 24 letters of “hester panim.” It demonstrates that we accept all situations of trouble and distress with an attitude of "גם זו לטובה".
This provides us with a better understanding of the remarks of the Megaleh Amukos presented above. We learned that each of the luchos HKB”H gave us at Matan Torah measured six by six tefachim—giving us a sum of 12 tefachim. Thus, the two luchos contained a total of 24 tefachim corresponding to the 24 “Kishutei kallah.” This can be alluded to in the narrative. When Moshe came down from Har Sinai holding the luchos, it says: "מז"ה ומז"ה הם כתובים"—they were inscribed on this side and on that. The term ז"ה is used twice equaling 24, alluding to the 24 bridal adornments. This coincides fantastically with the concept of the 24 letters dispersed among the letters אמ"ת—twelve between the “aleph” and the “mem,” and twelve between the “mem” and the “tav”—which are elevated by the study of Torah, which is called “emet.”
This enlightens us and helps us comprehend why the Torah, which is called emes, initially opposed the creation of man by telling HKB”H that man is full of lies. For, as we have learned, HKB”H does not always reveal Himself with the signet of “emet.” This prompted Him to cast emes down to earth foreshadowing the giving of the Torah containing 24 “Kishutei kallah” to Yisrael. For, in the merit of studying Torah—associated with the three letters אמ"ת—they will
