The cantillation notes (i.e. cues for the tune) used when reading from the Torah are described in the Tikkunei Zohar (Tikkun 8:20b) as being weapons of warfare against the evil inclination. One of the notes is called "zarka"; it begins with the letter zayin, which is written as a yud or small dot on top of a vav, which is a long line. This is likened to the penalty of death by strangulation because the top of the letter is small, like the rope around the neck, and the long part of the letter is like the strap hanging down that was pulled on either side by those carrying out the judgment.

A court judging a person with death by strangulation is related to the concept of the [musical note] zarka. The yud is like the rope wrapped around the throat and the line of the vav extending down from it is the continuation of [the rope]. The Evil Inclination is caught by this [rope, as well as by the musical note zarka]. The vav is like the pole [used by two of the Spies carrying the cluster of grapes as described in Num. (13:23)] borne by two.

The Hebrew word "mot" means "pole", but also is the root of the word "slip" or "collapse", "mitmotet", perhaps because a pole stops one from slipping. The root letters are mem and tet, whose numerical value add up to 49.

What causes the collapse of this wicked one [the Evil Inclination]? It is achieved through "Adam", whose numerical value is 45, which is the same numerical value as the name of G‑d when spelled out yud-vav-dalet, hei-alef, vav-alef-vav, hei-alef. When this number 45 has added to the 4 letters of the name Havayah, the total is 49. This is the number of the 49 letters [of the first verse of the Shema prayer] which are the six words of the Higher Unification ["Hear O Israel, G‑d Our L-rd, G‑d is One" - in Hebrew, "Shema Yisrael, Havayah Elo-heinu, Havayah echad" (Deut. 6:4)] and the six words of the Lower Unification.

These two sets of six words are two vavs….

These are the six words "Blessed is His glorious Name forever and ever" - in Hebrew, "Baruch shem kevod malchuto le'olam va'ed". The total of the letters in the two sentences comes to 49. Thus the collapse of the Evil Inclination is caused by "Adam", or the "person", who says the Shema prayer.

These [two sets of] six words are two vavs.

The letter vav has the numerical value of six.

Zohar, parashat Shoftim, Raiya Mehemna, p. 274b; translation and commentary by Simcha-Shmuel Treister

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