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Category: Biblical Hebrew

Father of the Alphabet

In this third part on the Hebrew alphabet, we explore the letter aleph—a testimony to our Father who created us in His image. If we believe that every letter of the Torah is divinely inspired, many valuable lessons can be learnt and deeper understanding can be gained from the "hidden" meanings contained in the text.

"So now, YHWH, You are our Father. We are the clay and You are our Potter, and we are all Your handiwork." The Word of God is in the Bible as the soul is in the body." —Yeshayahu / Isaiah 64:8

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him—but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. (1 Cor. 2:9–10)

In God’s Image

For centuries, Jewish scholars have perceived the individual letters of the Hebrew alphabet as containing important spiritual lessons, and aleph (א), in its exalted position at the head of the alphabet, is considered to be the repository of all the alphabet’s wisdom. aleph (א) is much more than just the Hebrew equivalent of the letter ‘A’—merely the first in a series of letters. It is considered by Jewish theologians to actually be an expression of the image of God, and is thus the ‘lord and master’ of all the letters—a father with twenty-one children.1 In fact, the first two letters of the Hebrew alphabet—aleph and beit—together spell av (אב) ‘father,’ illustrating that all things begin with God, the Father of all.

The letter aleph consists of three parts. In turn, these three parts are themselves individual letters of the alphabet.2 The three letters that comprise the aleph (א) are two yods (י), separated by a slanted vav (ו), as shown in the figure above.

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© 2009 First Fruits of Zion. All rights reserved. We encourage you to share this material with your friends for further personal study. However, This material may not be republished, in print, electronically, or any other form without our prior permission. Adapted from Bikurei Tziyon #64 .

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