Vav
Nail, Hook, Connection
Vav (ו): Nail, Hook, Connection. A simple letter with gematria value 6, connecting Chokhmah — Chesed on the Tree of Life. Vav is the sixth letter and the second Simple Letter.
Last reviewed March 2026
About Vav (ו)
Vav is the sixth letter and the second Simple Letter. It governs Taurus, the month of Iyar (April-May), and the faculty of hearing. Its pictographic origin is a nail or hook — the fastener that joins separate things together, creating structural unity from discrete parts.
On the Tree of Life, Vav connects Chokhmah (Wisdom) to Chesed (Loving-kindness), channeling the primal flash of insight into the expansive generosity that characterizes the first sefirah below the supernal triad. The Sefer Yetzirah calls this the Triumphant or Eternal Intelligence, the consciousness of connection that persists across all transformations.
Vav appears as the third letter of the Tetragrammaton (YHVH), representing the Son — Tiferet/Ze'ir Anpin, the six-faced configuration of the lower sefirot that mediates between the supernal parents and the manifest world. This mediating function is encoded in Vav's very form: a single vertical line, the simplest possible connector, a nail that fastens heaven to earth.
The Zohar (I:31a) describes Vav as the letter of truth (emet), because truth is what connects the beginning (Alef) to the end (Tav) through a middle (Mem). The grammatical Vav in Hebrew functions as "and" — the conjunction that binds elements into relationship. Without Vav, Hebrew collapses into isolated words; with it, language gains narrative flow. The Vav conversive (vav hahipukh) can even reverse the tense of a verb, turning past into future and future into past, revealing that connection has the power to alter the nature of time itself.
The Bahir (Section 51) connects Vav's gematria of 6 to the six days of creation, the six directions of space, and the six sefirot of Ze'ir Anpin. Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, in Derech Hashem, describes Vav as the spine of creation — the vertical axis around which everything is organized and through which divine sustenance flows downward into manifest reality.
What does the Sefer Yetzirah say about Vav?
Taurus; the month of Iyar; the right kidney; hearing
Path 16 on the Tree of Life
Vav is the 16th path on the Tree of Life, connecting Chokhmah and Chesed.
Tarot Correspondence: The Hierophant
In the Western esoteric tradition, Vav corresponds to The Hierophant in the Major Arcana. This mapping, established through the Golden Dawn's synthesis of Kabbalah and Tarot, assigns each of the 22 Hebrew letters to one of the 22 Major Arcana cards. The themes of The Hierophant reflect Vav's core meaning of "Nail, Hook, Connection" and its position on path 16 between Chokhmah — Chesed.
Meditation on Vav
Sit with spine erect and visualize Vav as a pillar of light extending from the crown of the head to the base of the spine. See it in deep indigo (Taurus, earth connection). On each inhale, feel the pillar lengthen upward. On each exhale, chant a sustained "Vahhhv," feeling the vibration travel the length of the spine. Contemplate the connections in your life — between yourself and others, between your actions and their consequences, between what you know and what you do. Sense the Vav within you as the structural principle that holds your being together. After several minutes, visualize the pillar extending below you into the earth and above you into the sky, connecting all planes.
Cross-Tradition Connections
Vav as the cosmic connector mirrors the sushumna nadi in yogic anatomy — the central channel through which kundalini ascends. The Hierophant in Tarot represents the bridge between heaven and earth, the teacher who transmits sacred knowledge through structured tradition. Its Taurus correspondence links to Vedic Vrishabha and the stabilizing, materializing force of earth. The number 6 in numerology represents harmony, responsibility, and the integration of opposites — the very function Vav performs at every level.
Explore the Tree of Life
Each Hebrew letter is a path on the Tree of Life, connecting the sefirot and encoding the architecture of creation. Explore the full map of Kabbalistic wisdom.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Hebrew letter Vav (ו) mean?
Vav means "Nail, Hook, Connection." Vav is the sixth letter and the second Simple Letter. It governs Taurus, the month of Iyar (April-May), and the faculty of hearing. Its pictographic origin is a nail or hook — the fastener that joins separate things together, creating structural unity from discrete parts.
What is the gematria value of Vav?
Vav has a gematria value of 6. It is classified as a simple letter.
Which sefirot does Vav connect on the Tree of Life?
Vav is path number 16 on the Tree of Life, connecting Chokhmah — Chesed. Taurus; the month of Iyar; the right kidney; hearing.
What Tarot card corresponds to Vav?
Vav corresponds to The Hierophant in the Tarot. This correspondence was established through the Western esoteric tradition's mapping of the 22 Major Arcana to the 22 Hebrew letters.
How do you meditate on the letter Vav?
Sit with spine erect and visualize Vav as a pillar of light extending from the crown of the head to the base of the spine. See it in deep indigo (Taurus, earth connection). On each inhale, feel the pillar lengthen upward. On each exhale, chant a sustained "Vahhhv," feeling the vibration travel the length of the spine. Contemplate the connections in your life — between yourself and others, between your actions and their consequences, between what you know and what you do. Sense the Vav within you as the structural principle that holds your being together. After several minutes, visualize the pillar extending below you into the earth and above you into the sky, connecting all planes.