The Foundation  (י)

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We recite the proclamation of "Mode Ani" (מודה אני) upon waking up in the morning.  It’s about putting one’s self aside.  Submission to G-dliness beyond rationale.  It’s only this one point — the " י " (Yud) — to kick the day off but it fashions the entire day.

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The י (Yud) is the first letter of G-d’s Name, yet the smallest letter in the Alef­-Bet. The Yud is dot-­like.  What do you expect when starting to represent in the world G-d’s Name that is beyond any dimensions?

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However the tiny Yud has the potential of expanding in two dimensions to form the next letter of G-d’s Name:

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Prayer  (ה)

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Prayer is much more than wish and supplication. It’s about realizing the greatness of the Creator and the insignificance of man, and meditating upon these.  All the wished and supplications that follow will be “refreshed” to align with this meditation.

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Bringing the Yud into understanding by expanding it (within the realm of thought) in two dimensions:  Details and depth of each detail. That’s the second letter — ה (Hey) — that is forged during the detailed meditations of prayer.  It’s also expressed in speech, represented by the separate “leg” of the ה, which gives rise to the next letter of G-d’s Name:

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Torah  (ו)

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There’s a lot of action in Prayer but it's all between man and Gd.  The studying of Torah channels the energies/emotions realized in prayer, helping the person to express them in a healthy way outside the Synagogue, and thereby to have a G-dly impact on the world. However actual impact is primarily achieved through the last tier.

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The expansion of the Yud into the Hey is some achievement but primarily in the more spiritual realm of thought and emotions.  The ו (Vav) is the do’s and don’t’s of Jewish Law that come to act as a conduit (the Vav looks like one too) for channeling the above achievements in the right direction for expression in the realm of action — the next and final letter of G-d’s Name:

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Good Deeds  (ה)

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This level is about performing the Divine Commandments in accordance with the Torah, applicable to every aspect of life.

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Expressing the preceding letters in the realm of action, again via two dimensions:  Increased number of deeds (quantity) and deeper intentions (quality).  

 

Also need to watch that separate leg of the Hey that represents involvement in worldly matters — not to get too carried away lest this leg extends to turn the ה into a ק (Kuf) that connotes the bad aspects of this world (קליפה = Klipa = concealing husk).