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What is the significance of the double Yud used as a stand-in for G-d's name?

msh210
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  • Perhaps it refers to G-d Who gave both the Written Torah and the Oral Torah? – Adam Mosheh Jul 22 '12 at 21:26
  • Although not so much connected to the significance the Rema in Yoreh Deah Siman 276 Sif 10 writes that the "Shem" that is written in Siddurim with "beis yudin v'achas al g'behen (2 yuds and one on top)" may be ereased if it's l'tzrich. The Shach in Sif-Katan 14 adds in the Piskei Maharei (as well as what the Darchei Moshe brings down) it's only if it's "l'tzrich gadol".

    You see from here this was already before the time of the Rema that the Shem was written in siddurim like this.

     – Yehoshua Oct 04 '12 at 16:52
  • A wise European Rabbi used to say:

    "When two 'Yidden' get together, they can create godliness".

     – CodyBugstein May 06 '13 at 22:26
  • Related: http://judaism.stackexchange.com/q/32156 – msh210 Nov 07 '13 at 19:36

3 Answers3

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Rav Tzadok Hakohen from Lublin answers in his Sefer Takanas Hashavim that it may be the first Yud represents HAshems name the Tetragrammaton (The Shem Havayah). The second Yud is from the last letter of the name of Adnus.

Yahu
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    That is why most siddurim put a Sh'va under the first Yud (corresponding to the first vowel of the Tetragrammaton) and a kamatz under the second yud (corresponding to the last vowel in the shem Adnus). – Yahu Jul 05 '10 at 03:40
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    @Yahu The Shva is also the first vowel in Adnus; it just becomes a Chataf because of the Alef. You forget that the vowelezation of the Tetragrammaton is borrowed directly from Shem Adnus. – Double AA Sep 30 '12 at 09:25
  • i.e. both names intertwined like this Yud - ALEPH - Heh - DALED- Vuv - NUN - Heh - YUD i think it's for kabalistic kavanot – ray Nov 07 '13 at 21:27
  • @DoubleAA, so where did the Pahtach disappear to? – Yahu Jan 22 '14 at 05:16
  • @Yahu What Patach? – Double AA Jan 22 '14 at 05:18
  • @DoubleAA, The Pahtach in the Sheim Adnus. You said the vowelization of the Tetragrammaton is borrowed directly from the Shem Adnus . . . – Yahu Jan 22 '14 at 05:44
  • @Yahu I'm not aware of any Patach in Shem Adnus... There is a Chataf-Patach under the Alef, which is just what a shva na' becomes under an Alef, and it parallels the shva under the Yud in Shem Havayah perfectly. – Double AA Jan 22 '14 at 06:11
  • @Double AA, now I understand what you are saying. – Yahu May 13 '14 at 23:29
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Homiletically:

When you have two Yudin (or in Polish Jewish pronunciation, "Yidin" - also means "Jews") who get together on an equal level, neither of them putting themselves higher than the other, then you have Hashem's presence there. (The "Holy Jew" of Pshischa, cited in R' S.Y. Zevin's Sippurei Chassidim to Num. 14:20)

Alex
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From what I'd heard (YUtorah shiur on sheimos), the original version was a double-yud with a horizontal line on-top, which was supposed to look like a "vav." So yud + yud + vav = 26, same count as Yud-then-Heh-then-Vav-then-Heh, it was a non-sheimos way of indicating the Name.

Shalom
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    which shiur was it? Was it one of these: http://www.yutorah.com/lectures/lecture.cfm/741555/Rabbi_Eliakim_Koenigsberg/Disposing_of_Sheimos or http://www.yutorah.com/lectures/lecture.cfm/739461/Rabbi_Josh_Flug/The_Prohibition_against_Erasing_or_Destroying_Torah_Materials – Menachem Jun 19 '11 at 05:15