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Hebrew - Letter by letter

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The Letter Dalet. The Letter Hey. The Letter Vav. The Letter Zayin. The letter Zayin is the seventh letter of the Aleph-Bet, having the numeric value of seven.

The Letter Zayin

The pictograph for Zayin looks like a sword, whereas the classical Hebrew script is constructed of a Vav with a large "crown" on its head: The Mystery of ZayinZayin is considered a "crowned" Vav. Just as Vav represents "yashar," straight light from God to man, so Zayin represents (or chozer), or returning light. The Besht (Baal Shem Tov) said that just as a woman of valor is the crown of her husband, so Zayin, the 7th letter, is the crown of Vav. The Gematria of ZayinThe gematria of the word Zayin is 67, which is the same value for (binah), meaning understanding. Some people have wondered if these crownlets are the "tittles" referred to by Jesus in Matthew 5:18, although it is unclear that the tagin were in use at that time.

The Letter Chet. The Letter Tet. The letter Tet is the ninth letter of the Aleph-Bet, having the numeric value of nine.

The Letter Tet

The pictograph for Tet looks like a snake coiled inside a basket, whereas the classical Hebrew script is constructed of two preceding letters, Vav and Zayin, also joined and somewhat resembling a snake: The Mystery of TetTet is a paradoxical letter in that it reveals both good (tov) and evil. The Letter Kaf / Khaf. The letter Kaf is the 11th letter of the Aleph-Bet, having the numeric value of 20.

The Letter Kaf / Khaf

The pictograph for Kaf looks like a palm of a hand, whereas the classical Hebrew script is constructed of a bent line that appears somewhat like a crown on the head of a prostrating king. Kaf is the first of the “double letters” in Hebrew, having both a “medial” form and an ending form (sofit). The Mystery of KafIn Jewish Mysticism, the two letters of the word “kaf” are the initial letters of the two Hebrew words: koach (“potential”) and poel (“actual”), suggesting that Kaf enables the latent power of the spiritual (the potential) to be made actual in the physical: The literal meaning of Kaf is “palm” which is considered the location where potential of the Yod (hand) is actualized (interestingly, the gematria for the word Yod is the same for the letter Kaf). The word (keter) means “a crown” (from katar, to crown). The Letter Lamed. The Uniqueness of LamedThe letter Lamed is unique in the Hebrew alphabet since it is the tallest letter (it is the only letter that rises above the baseline) and, as the 12th letter, it is considered the central letter (or "heart") of the Hebrew alphabet: Since Lamed towers over the other letters from its central position, it is said to represent melekh hamelakhim, the King of Kings.

The Letter Lamed

This idea is supported by the idea that the preceding letter stands for kisei hakavod, "the throne of Glory," and the following letter stands for malkhut, "kingdom. " The sages also point out that the three central letters can spell the word melekh, King. The Meaning of LamedThe original meaning of Lamed probably was "to prick, sting, incite, goad," as a shepherd might prod cattle to perform some action. Hence the ancient pictograph was that of a staff or goad, representing authority. This reads, "And you shall be to me a treasure among all the peoples.

" The Letter Mem. The letter Mem is the 13th letter of the Aleph-Bet, having the numeric value of 40.

The Letter Mem

The pictograph for Mem looks like a wave of water, whereas the classical Hebrew script (Ketav Ashurit) is constructed of a Kaf with a Vav beside it: Note that the gematria for these components equals the value for the Divine Name. Mem is the second of the “double letters” in Hebrew, having both a “medial” form (pesucha) and an ending form (stumah). The Letter Nun. In the Talmud (Shabbat 115b, 116a) it is stated that any part of the Torah with 85 or more letters is itself considered a "book," and therefore, according to some of the Jewish sages, this passage of Scripture actually demarcates a separate book of the Torah!

The Letter Nun

If so, instead of the five books of Moses, we would have seven: 1. Genesis2. Exodus3. Leviticus4. 6. Before Moses would lead the Israelites to a new station in the wilderness, he would order the ark to be moved by the Levites and then would chant "Arise, O LORD, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you! " However, on account of the "Sin of the Spies," Israel was refused entry into the Promised Land, and the "story" of what follows after Numbers 10:35-36 - namely, the outbreak of fiery judgment and the subsequent exile - was sadly written as history instead. The Letter Samekh. The Letter Ayin. The Letter Pey / Fey. The Letter Resh. The Letter Qof. The Letter Tsade. The Letter Tav. The Letter Yod. The Letters Shin / Sin. The Hebrew Alphabet in Capital Letters. The Hebrew word for "letter" is ot (אוֹת), which can also mean "sign" or "wonder.

The Hebrew Alphabet in Capital Letters

" Each letter of the Aleph-Bet, then, may contain signs that point to wonderful truths about life. According to midrash, the LORD God Himself taught the alphabet (along with the numerical values, mathematical relationships, etc. for the letters) to Adam ha-rishon, who then transmitted this knowledge to his sons, and they passed this to their sons, and so on, until it was taught to Jacob at the School of Shem in Salem (later renamed Jerusalem). Jacob taught the secrets of the alphabet to Joseph, who used it to decipher dreams, etc. The Jewish mystics go so far as to say that the entire cosmos was created from the 22 consonants of the Hebrew Aleph Bet, called otiyot yesod (אוֹתיּוֹת יְסוֹד) or "foundational letters.

" Through the otiyot yesod God formed substance out of chaos and brought forth existence from nonexistence. The Letter Aleph. The Letter Bet / Vet. The Letter Gimmel. Learn Hebrew with HebrewPod101.com. Learn Hebrew with HebrewPod101.com!

Learn Hebrew with HebrewPod101.com

Welcome to HebrewPod101.com's Hebrew Alphabet Made Easy series. In this video series of twenty lessons, you will learn the Hebrew alphabet, known as Alef-Beit. We will teach you Alef-Beit using simple steps, showing you the correct stroke order, helpful tricks for memorization, and proper usage in common Hebrew words. If you want to get started reading and writing Hebrew, this is THE place to start. You'll learn Hebrew in mere minutes with these audio and video lessons, so join us for Hebrew Alphabet Made Easy from HebrewPod101.com! In this lesson, we'll show you how to write two letters in Hebrew: alef, and beit, and we'll teach you a few words you can write with these letters. For more info, go to: Learn how to speak Hebrew - Ma Kore Hebrew. Hebrew Reading Crash Course.