A Small Hey and a Big Hey
382) Why was he not called Abraham thus far? Thus far, he was still not circumcised, and now he has been circumcised. And once he has been circumcised, he connected with this letter, Hey, which is the Shechina, and the Shechina was in him. This is the reason why now he is called Abraham, with a Hey.
383) “These are the generations of the heaven and the earth when they were created.” We learned—beHibaram [when they were created] and beAvraham [in Abraham]. This means that the world was created because of Abraham’s merit. Why are they disputed in the interpretation that beHibaram implies to Avraham? One says that beHibaram implies to Avraham, who is Hesed, that the world was created for Hesed, and one says beHey Bera’am [created them with the Hey], the Shechina, since the Hey implies the Shechina. But it is without question that if there is Hesed in the world, the Shechina is in the world, as well, and vice versa. Hence, the two meanings—Hesed and the Shechina—are one thing, and the world was created for Hesed, as well as for the Shechina.
384) What is the difference between the small letter Hey in beHibaram and the big letter Hey, as it is written, “Do you thus repay the Lord?” The small Hey is Shmita [remission of cultivation every 7th year], Malchut, and the big Hey is Yovel [50th year anniversary], Bina. Thus, at times, the moon is full and at times, she is flawed. When she dresses the Bina—at which time she is the big Hey—she is full, and before she dresses the Bina, she is a small Hey, flawed. The difference between the small and big Hey is easily apparent in the moon’s face.