Hebrew Letter Workbook

THE HEBREW

LETTERS

Introduction

The purpose ofthis bookletisto helpallstuden ts whowantto lea rn howtodraw, andrecognizetheHebrewletters.The various shapes of the letters are easily reproduced using modem

calligrap

h

pens.

Th

ese

instru

ctions

presum

e s

tudents are

f

amiliar

with various types of graph paper and edged pens. Some stude nts may be aware ofother styles of drawing the letters. These particular exam ples were usedforclarityand ease.

Wh

e

n thi

s boo

klet

r

e

f

e

rs t

o "

families

o

f letters

,"

it

i

s

not

alluding

tothedivisio ns familiarto studen tsofQabalah:the 3 mother,7 double , and 12 simpleletters. Thegrou pings usedarebasedon similarity and relation of shape. Much confusion and error frustratebeginningstudents because ofslight but veryimporta nt differences in appearance. Experience with this particular organization of the lettershas helped manystudents, allowing themtodrawnearlyperfectletters ina verysho rtperiod.of time.

O

f

course ,

a

ll

progress depe

nds

u

po

n

coned

re

petitio

n

.

The

basicshape of eac

h

o

f th

e

22 l

etters

is

Y

00.

Al

l o

thers

de

rive

fro

m

it.

Se

rious

stude

nts

will

understand

th

e

p

rofound

im

port o

f

this simple fact

F

amily

I:

1

Y

00,

Za

in, Teth

Family

II:

9

V

av, Gimel, Lamed,

Nun.

Tza

ddi

Final,

Nun

Fi

nal

F

amily

Ill:

21

R

osh,

Semekh,

Kaph,

Beth,

Peh,

Qoph,

M

em

Final,

Peh

Final

F

amily

IV:

37

D

eleth.

Tev,

Cheth,

Heh,

Ka

ph

Rnal

F

amil

y

V:

47

Aleph,Ayin,Tzaddi.Mem. Shin

I

ntroducti

on

Table

of Conten t s

···· ··· · · ···· · · ·· •··· ···· · 16

Fam

ily

I:

Y

o d, Z

ai

n,

T

et

h

As

the

introduction says.

Yod

is

the

basic

f

orm of all

th

e

Hebrew

l

etters. I

n

the first group, Y

od

is

the only

l

ett

er

that

can

be

written

with

one

stroke.Llke all otherletters,thisonebegins at the top point. Tradition dictates

that

the starting point for the Yod is

slightly higher than the uppermostpointon the imaginary grid used forframinga letter.

ZainandTethhaveYodsas theirtops.The bodiesbeneath each begin with a line at the ce nter ofthe Yods, unlike the Vav familywhichwillbediscussedlater.Again,studentsof Tarot and Qabalah will fmd much of value in these seemingly minor differences in le tterconstruction.

YOD

1beBookofTokens. PfJulFoster Cese The letter name ' me<U1S "HAND." The ancient pictographic form of this letter

was a representation of

the

extended forefinger, a distinctly phallic emblem. Thesame idea of masculinity isapplied to this

letter in Qabalisticliterature.

:W

IB

)

the letter " because it is the smallest in the alphabet. Asthe simplest. smallest,humblest and, in thesense ofa series, thelast letter inthealphabet,

Y

od

signifiesthe essentialsparkof creation. Itisunquestionably the most poten tof the letters. TheIneffable chooses to do Its work with the simplest point. The lesson is clear.

l.jber TmVlJiI,VoliX 10

1he

tenthletterofthe Alef-Beit," is barelylarger thana dotand it cannotbe dividedinto componen t parts.

It

alludes to God,

Who

is

One

and.Ind ivisible,for although hisattributes seem tobe numerousand evencontradicto ry, they all flow from a unified purpose and existence.

The letter" a smallsuspended poin t, reveals the spa rk of

essentialgcx:x1hiddenwithinthe letterQ. Before creation...there remained withinthe emp tyvoida single, potenti al point..''The secretofthispointisthepower of theInfinite tocontainthefinite phenomena within Himself and express them to apparent exte rnalreality."

7beAJef.Beit.& bbiGinsburgh

,isthe hand of God, a strong hand bringing usout of slavery. ' isthe hand a person uses so that he willnot lose hisplaceinthe

I2mb...

.

.

~isthetenth letter. Aperso n has ten fingers . ~isallthat remainedof Jacob , '::~1l''' after he wrestled with God and men tobecome Israel,

'

"' 0\

'

isthe tiny SpiritualIsraelwithin each arrl eve ryone ofus.

7beBookofLetters, &bbi Kushner

The Zohar tells us that "He who feels small is bigand he who feelsbigissmall." Thesmallone,spelled "

"

1l'f

inHebrew,is

2

TbgWisdom intheHebrewAJphabet.Rabbi Munk

RabbiTzadok

Ha

-Kohen

says thattheletter'represe nts the single pointfrom which it ispossible to beginanyle tter. Thesmallness of the ' also hintsat humility.

Letters oIFire,&bbiGIl'lZelSOn

, mea ns the hand of man. It is the open hand. in contra distinc tion to

:=

,

the closed one, which follows it in the alphabet.. .lnthereligioussymbolism of theworldtheope n hand iseverywhere and atall times a typeofbene ficence,and.ofthe freedom of the Su pre meSpirit.

TheT(Jf'O(.P~u1FosterCase

Dra

wing th

e

Y

od

B

eg

in

a

t

poi

nt

to the

f

ar

l

eft a

nd ju

st abo

ve th

e top line

of the grid, point (A),Finis h the letter at point (8),As

st

ated

ea

rlier, Y

od is

t

he

s

ma

ll

e st of t

he

l

ette

r

s

.

ZAIN

D

rawing

the Zain (

Zayin)

Repeattheinstru ct ion sfor drawing the Yod, only at the cente r ofthegrid (A to B).

Then, at the center of the Yod (e), beg in a dow nw ard

stro ke with the point ofthe edge d pen, flattening the pen as the stro ke descend s (0) then closing it at the

base of the lett er (E).

(El

LettersofAre.RttbbiMlltitylJhU Glaze~n

...it is no coincide nce that the le tter T is the symbolic

representative of both

sustenanceandarmament. The two

conceptsare

related

to each

other. The letterTis shaped likea spear, indicatingthatman's sustenance is ob taine d byhis struggle.

The

l

etter

t

also

means

"weapon"or"sword."and

this

id ea finds expression in the shapeofthe letteritself, which

suggesls a

sword.

ThemsdomintheHebrewAJoMbet.&bbi MiduJel Munk

The form of

the

tresemblesbothagold en scepter andthe crown ontheheadofaking.TheMaggidof Mezeritch.thesuccessorof theBe'alShernTov,teaches that the verse "Awomanof valor is thecrownofherhusband"

(Proverbs

12 :4) alludestothe fonn of the le tte r1.The previous le tter , " portrays the "stra igh t light" descending from God into the

worlds

.

The

t,

whose form is similar to the " reflec tsthe "straight light" of the " throughthe cro wn on to p as "returninglight."

TETH

To this transformation of man by himselfis addressedwhat is called the Great Work.

It

is

accomplished by the

recognitionof

the law

typified in

Key

8. That law is also symbolizedby

the

Hebrewletter

~, whose shapesuggests what its name signifies--a serpent. The law inquestion isthelaw of vib ration and transformation, whichthe ancientsrepresented by the serpent symbol.

A)

(El

Drawing

t

h

e

T

eth

Begin

by

draw ing the letterYod

(

A

to B)on the left side ofthe grid. Make a downwa rd stroke be ginn ing at the centerofthe Yod (C) cu rvin g and widenin g outward to the

a

point at the base of the letter(D). Cont in ue the wid en ed st ro ke horizontally to the right edge of the lette r(E).

Just below th e bo ttom point of the In itialYod (F) and to the point (G), begin a curved and narrowing stroke endi ng at (E).

It is

YJll:i.

impo rt a nt to ke ep a spa ce between the in it ial Yod (A-B)an d thefina l de s cending st roke start ing at (

F-G) and en d ing at (E).Teth is an "open"letter. TheTnHlpndln vJsjbJeRosiaudMOrder. PaulFosterCase

The fonnof~ is "inverted ," thussymbolizing hidden,inverted good--as expressed in the

Z:2hM

,

"itsgoodis hiddenwithin it." Thefonn of the letter Csymbolizesthe unionofthegroomand bride consummating with conception. The secret of the C (numericallyequivalentto nine, the nine monthsofpregnancy) isthe power ofthe mother to carryherinner, concealedgood --the fetus--through the periodofpregnancy.

TOeAkf-Beit,Rabbi Ginsburgh The firstC that appearsin the

I2mb.

isin the I,.\IQrd

ta

v,

:m~,

fromGenesis 1:4: "And God saw that

the

lightwasgood." This showsthat Cis a generalsymbolforgoodness.

TheWl$O'om IntheHebrewAJphabet. RabbiMunk

Family II:

V

av,

Olm

el,

Lamed

,

Nun

,

Tzaddi Fi

nal

a

nd

N

u n

F

inal

Unlike the previous family,everyletter inthisgroup desce nds from the end or tall of the

Yod

.

Also. le tters in this group some times extendaboveorbelow the

base

line.

VAV

Dr

awing

th

e

Vav

"T he , is a vertical line representinga pillar or a man standing upright...pillars hold Creation togethe r...

TheAJef8eir.&bbi Ginsburgh This is the

wo

rk

or ,:tojoin us all into a myriad of constellations eac h remaining different, each bound to the othe r.

ThoBookofLette~ Rllbbi Kushner

(A

~

C)

The Vav is essentially an extende d Vod.This fact has

inspired generations of serious st udents. The letter

begins at the top and cente r of the grid (A) and descendspast the usualending point ofaVod (B) to the baseof the grid (e).

The

Z2!mr

says that all is conta ined in the mystery of " and thereby all is revea led. The sameQaba listic authority connects , withtheSonofDavid, and thisisinterpreted asa refere nce to the Christos.

U1eTnHl M41nvisibleRosknx:iM Order.Paul FoslerCase

The

Z2M.r

also

calls

the , the letterof truth,

ne

M.Indeed,the straight and uprightstance of this letter suggests honesty and truth.

Letters of£llf!,& bbiMatityahu G!NeJ'son

GIMEL

T

he

~

i

s

co

m

posed o

f

a

'

.

representinganerectman,with

a

l

ower

" a

f

oo

t

i

n

motion....Our sages teach IShabOOt 104<» that

the

l

symbolizes a rich man running

afte

r

a poo

r m

an,

th

e

"

t

o

g

ive

himcharity.

TheNelBeif,Rlfbb l Ginsburgh (S

Drawing th

e

Gime

l

Gimel begin swith a Yod commencing at point (A) and like a Vav,continuingtopoint (6)atthe base of the grid. Note that thispart ofthe lette r is very muchlike aVav, but it is slight lycurve d to the right.

After this "curved VavM

is drawn. a parallelogram is added at the left of the base.It begins at(e) and ends

at (D),using thewide ed ge of the drawing pen.

.

.

.f

or e

ach

o

ne

o

f us th

ere

is

a

deed which cannot be asked which

we

must neve rtheless

offer.

The

t

istheonly way.Strivingtocomplete the work, N'tl~,

G

EMARA.

completion...that is the only reason to leave your house and go. And so ~ is great, ~" .3. GADGL, and mighty,

":l

.

GfBOR.

The{ann of ' isunique inthatit isthe only letterof the alphabet

that ascendsabove the "uppe r bound"line of the scriptofthe letters. Forthis reason. our

Sages

referto itas"a towersoaring

in the air," The ' is composed ofthree letters: a downward

looking ' whichfOnTISthe headof a v whichstands , in tum. erect

upon a ~.

LAMED

Rabbi Y

cee

likened the , to a town watchman who standson

a

h

igh l

oo

kout

a

nd callso

ut h

is

warning....

~

.

Oh

sobeautiful' .

Tall and elega nt like a palm

branch

(

:" '1

wavedhigh

....the ~ is actually composed of two separate letters....it is the ,

perc

hed

on th

e roo

f

of

th

e

~.

TheBookoILettea. RlIbbiKushner

IA)

r

o

{BJ

{OJ

The 12thletter of

the

Alef-Beltallowsthe Father, " to descend into

the

law.

~,thusprovidinggenu inejustice forall of Creatio n. S<phjr&b.XMO

Dr

awing

th

e

Lam

ed

This letter begins with a smaller sized Vod (A to B) placed above the common upp er margin of the other lett ers and slightly to the left.It descends with a small curve to(0 ,thenmoveshorizontally with thewide edge of thepen10 (0 ).At (0) the letter curvesto the left an d narrowsdownwards tothepoint(E).The letter doesnot

descend below the commonmarg in ofthe ot he r letters.

It does ascend above.

TheAJef-Beit.RnbbiGinsburgh

TIle

,

isa majestic

l

etter

.

towering abovethe otherlettersfrom its

position in the cen terofthe

N

eph-Beis.

Thusitsymbolizes the

Ki

ng

of

Ki

ngs,

the

Suprem

e

Rul

er.

With th

e

two

l

etters aroun

d

i

t.

t::: .:,one canspell"C,

M

elek,

the King.

7beWISdomintheHebrewA/pJwbet,RabbiMunk

The letter ' stands forlajb. ':', heart. Llke the form of', the

heart is almost at the center of the body but slightly to the left.. .justlikethe positionof~ in thealphabet.

Lettersof Fue, Rabbi Glseerson

The bentover fonn ofthe J."the bent over faithfulone "(from Rashi's co mmenta ries), indica tesa sense of poverty and need to re ceive . This ben tove r fonn is the most fundamental (simple ) "vessel"fonn amongsttheletters ofthe elet-beit: In the form of

t

he

le

tter

1:) we

e

nvision

a vessel

ru

led

by (pregnant with) "Introverted" light, whe reasJisa vesselalone.

NUN

Before and after Numbers 10:35-36there are two upside

d

own

~'s.

No one

knows

why. Numbers 10:35-36 :

Wh

en

the

Ark was

10

sel

out

,

Mos

es

would

say:

Advance

o

Lord!

(n

1

n' )

M

ay

Your ene

mies

be

scattered,

and

m

ay

Y

our foes flee

be

fore

You! And when

It

hailed,

he

would

say:

Return

0

Lord

,

You

who

are

I

srael's

myriads

of

tho

usands

!

B)

q

TheBookofLettefS.Rabbi Kushner

The letter :I symbolizes the power of submission and

humbleness

...

.itrepresents the

fifty

days

duringwhich theJewish people (S piritual lsrael] ascended from the lo wly status of thei rEgyptian bondage to stand at the footof MountSinai and receive theTorah.They achieved thisexalted privilegethrough

su bmitting and subjuga ting themselvestoGod and his law... LettrnolFire,&bbiG1azeIson

D

rawing the N

u n

The letter Nun beginswith a cent ral Vod placed at the top of thegrid (Ato B).It thendescends with awid enin g curve to the bottom ofthe grid(C).

From the poin t (C), the wide edge ofthe pen isused to make a broad stroke ending at thepoint(0),

Please review the instru ct ion s and shape of the letter

Gime1. Gimel and Nun are similar, but there are distinct

differences in the bottom stroke. Those differences

provide accurate recogniti on.

TheA/efBeit,Rabbi Ginsburgh ...anerudite readerof the manifestos [Fa ma fratemilatisand The

Co

nfessiQl wou

ld

have noticed. that the

founde

r

of the Fra

ternity

is said to have lived 106 years and

that

hewasborn inthe year 1378.The

fi

rst

of thesenumbersis significa nt because 106 isthe valueof theletter name

m

,

asordinarily reckoned...

FINALS

Tzaddi Fin

al

There are five 'final" letters in

the Hebrew alphabet.

Each w

ill

be presented as part of the

appro priate letter family.

Following are some insightful quotationswhich apply to all the

fina lletter forms. '(G)

After his dea th, a

P'

:::

(Tzaddik) ascends from one level to

another,

higher

a

nd

higher ,until he becomesfirst

a

sacredle tter , thena sacredthought,and finally a sacred name.

RabbiPinh&of Korea

D

ra wing

th

e Tza

d d i

Fina

l

The Tzaddl Final is essent ially an elong ated and slig htly

curved Vav,It beginswith aYod (A to B) then curves and descends ending belowthe common margin (C).

(0

Rabbi Eliezer taught that the five letters which have final forms: r~rC 1, carry with them the "secret of redemptio n" by which the nightof red em p tion was known befo re hand toour

fathers....It happenedoncethat

theteachers didn't cometothe house ofstud y. The children who weretheresaid: "Letusstudy theletterswithoutthem. Why do

the letters

x

£l)!:.:l have final form s?To teach us that the

Law

was

transmitted: ~ "sayin g bysaying" (11:" 1:)

M

e-ewe

r;

'J"the

faithfultothefaithful" UI: " 'J)

N

eh

-e

men;

r

"the righteo us to the

righteous" (p :n :::)Tsedlk; q"from mouthtomouth" (:, 1::) Pe/r,

and 1 "from hand to hand" (~:O)

Kat"

TbgBookofLetters.RabbiKU5hner God'sopenhand 1,createdthewaterQ,wherein thefish

r

.

swims;

providing us with nourishm e nt;

tha

t

we ma y speak ~, of his Glory;and bestrengthenedinmed itation

r

.

SimpleStoriesfrpmthe Heart. &bbi&rrJi/!l

18

A slanted letter Zain (0 to E and Fto G)is connecte d to

the descending verti calline (B to C)ofTzaddi Final.

Dr

awing

th

e

Nun Final

T

he

Nun

Final

is

a

lso

essentially an elongated

and

s

li

g

htl

y c

urved V

av

.

Begin

ning

with a Yod (A to

B) it then curves and

d

escends

,

and e

nds be

l

ow

the commo nmarg in(0.

The curve and exte nsion

below the margin

distinguish the Final Nun from the Vav. Accurate

identifica tion can be

a

ss

u red

lf

t

hese

characte rist icsare recognized and drawn.

(B)

Fa

m ily III:

R

esh,

Sam

e

kh, Kaph

,

B

eth,

P

eh,

Qoph,

M

em

Fin

al, a

n d P

eh

Fin

al

This is the family of horizontally extended Yods . With the exceptionof Qoph,theyallendat thecommon rightmargin and

at thecommonbottom margin .

It

is important to note that the upper horizontal lines do not extendpastthe

right

side verticalones .Knowingthiswillprevent

RES

I1

I AM th

e

F

ACE w

hi

c

h

s

hineth

eve

r,

And befo

r

e

w

hich th

e

da

rkn

ess

h

asteth away

.

I

a

m th

e

Whit

e

Br

illiance

Of

t

h

e

Head

w

hich

is

n

ot

a

H

ead .

Dra

wing

t

h

e

R

esh

11lfl.

Book of Tokens. Ptm fFosterCase

I

a

m th

e

Pr

ofuse

G

iver

o

f

a

ll

abu

nda nce

.

SimpleStories FromtheHeart.Rabbi Kardia Imagina.tionis

the

product ofthediscriminating powerof theOne Will. Re generation is the product ofthe intuitive power of the

One

W

ill.

(0)

((I

Man is the synthesis of all

cosmic activities. Human

1--f

(A

-,--

)

+-+-1-

---<

1-

-1

intelligencegathers togetherall • the various threads of the Ufe

Power's self-ma nifestation and carries that manifestation beyond

a

nyth

ing

that

c

ould

come into existence apart from Ma n and human intelligence. This doctrine is based on the Qa balistic meaning of the

Hebrew letter " to which is attributed the "Collective Intelligence."

TOe TmelJfJdInvisible RosicrucianOrder.Paul FosterOtse

The " whose meaningis "head," profiles,in its form,the head

of man.Itshorizontalto pdepictsthe head facing left,facingthe next letter t:1, bent over. Its downward.extens ion to its right

depictsthe beginningof the spinal column,the "backbone,"the supportof the head...one of the meanings of , is "poorman"

(t:t ' )...this is opposite the strength of conviction and detenninationof the previousletter,P...the poor man is actually

a lower mani festation of , included in the previous lette r, p.

Physical povertyweakensone 's conviction and "backbo ne."

Theletter Reshbeginswith aYod that isextended with the flat edge of thepen to the edge of the righ t margin

(A to B).It thendescends withanarrow st roke along the rightmargin to thebottom ofthe commonmargin (C). It is ~ important that the top sectio n of the letter

does no t extend past the descen ding line (see the

d

r

aWing o

f

D

ale th)

.

1'hi!Alef-Beit,Rabbi Ginsbwyh

How canone distinguish betweenthe 'tand the

.,?

The 't,which representsimagination,iscomposed ofa t anda ~;whereas a ." whichrepresents regeneration,iscompo sedofa1 and a \

Draw

ing

Sa

mekh

The WISdom inthe HebrewNphabet. Rabbi Munk

Li

ke

a

ll

the

o

the r

l

ett e r

s

in thi

s

f

am

ily

,

Samekh beg

in

s

w

ith

an ext

ended

Yod

(

A

to

B)

. I

t th

en

de

s cends a

nd

n

arrows

slightly to th

e

point

(C).

The Cis the only regularletter in the Aleph-Betswhose shape

com prises two aspects: a roundedblank interiorarea, aswell as an all-encompassing exteriorframing outline....God is entirely

spiritual in nature, withoutany physical form orcharacteristics,as symbolized by the blankinner area (Sepher HaTemunah).The round.closedframeof the Calludesto the whole earth, whichis

filled

withHisGI01Y, sothatwhereveroneis,he can beincontact with theOmnipres en t Being (Bahir).

(B)

S

AMEKft

When you have been

wandering for a long time and

1--1

-aA_)

-l--+-+-

- I---j

you come upon the mountain ...

called

~)~C,

SINAI, this

is

the

shelterof O. But why must all the shelters of C appear so

transient? Only to teach you

that God's shelter is unlike

man's. Only He who gave you

life cankeepyou inlife . For one

who knows this there is no anxiety. The C is all around

him.

The BookofLetters, Rabbi Kushner

Once the letterCwasinterchangeable withthefinal formofthe

letter mem, C, butafter mankind left the Garden of Eden, he mistook tem pora ry shelter for the final letter of the abode of

perfection(C?).Because ofhiserror, the arm ofthete ntpeg was

bent.

The

re i

s a d

i

sti

n

ct

curv

e

at the r

igh

t

bottom of th

e

le

tt er

(C).

Th

is i

s a v

ital

component o

f

the letter Sa

mekh!

It

t

hen w

iden s an

d

touches t

he

bo

tto m m

argin at (0) an

d

proceeds a

long

the base to t

he

po

int

(E).

At th

at

point

the

l

e tt e r asce

nds t

o

th

e bo

tto m

o

f the

l

eft

s

ide

o

f th

e

origi

na l

Yo

d

(F).

Th

i

s

d

i

st

in

gui sh e s

it as a "h

ollow" o

r

"

encl o sed "

l

etter

which

co

mp

l

ete ly encloses a

s

pace.

Codex ObJiqifas, XlV:60.

The fonn of the C is a circle, often symbolizing a wedding

ring....According to one traditionbased uponthe Kab bala h,the weddlnqring placed by the groom on the pointing (index) finge r of the bride, is in the form of a circle (C) ins id e a square (final mem). The "pointing" finger ofthe bride pointsat the revelation of the future, theFuture to Come withinthe coming world. (Note

that the Bride (Malkuth) is connected

to

the Bridegroom {Tiphereth} on the Treeo/Li/e,

by

the path a/the letterC).

KAPIl

The ~ is composed of three

connected lines with rounded (A)

comers,fanningthe image ofa

1--1

--,•

.-+

- + - +-

- 1---1

crown lying on its side, as if

resting on the headof the king I I !(8)

while in a stateofprostra tion or self-nullification...The literal

me a ning ~ is palm...placing

palm onpalmisan actandsign of subjugation ,similartothe act

of bowing before a king.

Whereas in bowing onetotally nullifies one's consciousness in

the presence of the King, in

placing palm on palm one en tersinto astate ofsupplicationand prayer to the Kingto reveal new

will

from His Supernal Crown (Will)to His subjects .

TheAJef-Beit,Rabbi Ginsburgh ~ , "a grasping hand," isthe name of the letter assignedto

Key

10 inTarot, whichKeyis a

SYM

BOLIC

REP

RESENTA TION

OF T

HE

AC7VAL CONST

I TUTION OF THE INVISIBLE

O

RDER

The True andInvisibleRosicrudanOrder. Pa ul FosferCase

The form of ~ resembles ~.and their natures are also similar; bothrepresentpowersofconstructionand production...the name ~~ also means "spoon," an implement whose rounded shape resembles thepalmofthe hand...~ hasdual symbolism. Itstands

26

for the palm of the hand serving as a container and atthesame time as the measure of what it holds.

Letters ofFire,Rabbi Gkcerson

Drawing th

e

Kaph

Lik e many other letters, the Kaph resembl es its

meaning--an open hand.Itbeginswitha short ened Resh (Ato Bto C). A wide horizontalstroke is adde d at the base (D to E).

It is very important to avoid extending the bottom

horizontal stroke (0 to E) beyond the point

(C). Ot herwise the letters Kaph and Beth are very easily

confused.

I )

B

ETtt

The ~ is composed of three connected "s rese mbling a square,

ye

t

o

pen

on

the

l

eft

side.

_.

From the perspective

_.

of the Torah, the top line of the squarefaceseast, the right side faces south and the bottomside faces west (Esst-eee Genesis

28:

14;

South

-see

Ex

odus

26:

18.

35.

27

:9.

3623

.

38

:9.

Nu

mbers

2

:10,

3:29,

10

:6,

Deuteronomy3:27; West--see

Genesis 28:14, Deuteronomy

34:2). The open side faces

north....in Kabbalah, the

no

rth

corresponds to the propertyof

"";:lI

G

e

burah] (2o

har 1

:26b).

•TheNefBeit, Rab bi Ginsburgh ~ isdrawn with two little points-onepointingabove, the other

pointmqbehind.andtoward.theright.In this waywhensomeone asks the':: "Who mad e you?,"it points above, and.ifthey ask,

"Whatishisname?,"it pointstoward the M,asif to say, "One is his name."

The

Book

ofLetters.RabbiLawrenceKushner Why doestheTora h beginwith the letter':: .which corresponds to the number

two

?

Becauseour

Sa

ges

teach thatGod crea ted notoneworld,but

two

.

There

is

mil

C

"Z:

,

this world, and M:il

C

"Z:

,

the world to come.Ourlifemust alwaysbe lived with the awarenessthat the graveis notOU f end ,but merelythe second beginning.

TheSecmtsoIHebrrwWords,&bbiBenj"MninBJech

J

\

D

rawing

t

he B

eth

Begin by drawing a sho rtened lett er Resh (Ato Bto C). Then draw a wide hori zontal st ro k e on the bottom margin (0 to E). Make sure that the bottom stro ke beginsto theright of the point (C); otherwise,the letter Beth would be exact ly like the letter Kaph.You don't want to mistake ahand for ahou se,do you?

PE

N

l'

may be aneyewhich hasno mouth, but I)isa mouthwhich hasno eyes.

AI

first,because /)

has no eyes,everything seems simple (e t:1 I)).Wha teveryour mouth

first

says withoutlooking

beyond....

But nothi ngis simple.

Just as everything conceals a myriad of la yers and contradictionsandmeanings, so itiswith1:.

7be BookofLetter:s.RabbiKushner

(AJ

(E)

0)

letter I) represe ntsa spiritua l qual ity(wisdom) contained within the pro per vessel for its practica l realizetion.. It alsodenotes productivityandaccomplishment,which resultthrou ghmentalor

physical efforts , unlike " which stands for "ha nd" indicating power and possession.

TheWl§dominthe HebrewAlrJIMbet.RtlbblMunk

Whyistheletternassignedto"the functio nofspeech,"and l:

to

"the mouth as theorgan of speech? " Wordsthatoriginatein the mouth can never protect,and onlyexhibitthe negative side of Mars, aggression.Wordsthat originatefromthe Divine use the

mouth to excitegrace.

I

AM

the MOUT

H

w

hen

ce

iss

uet

h th

e b

reath o

f

Uf

e;

I

am

th

e a

ll

-devouring

o

ne

Wh

e

r

e

unto

a

ll

th

ings

r

eturn.

TheBook01 Tokens,PaulFosterCase The £lresembles a mouthwith atoothemergingfrom itsupper jaw and inverting into its cavity. It is simila r to a

e

on its sid e....The white space within the I) forms a hidde n .::. Phonetically,

the

.£and

the

.::

are interchangeable ....In thename "Pha raoh" (np' l:), who is the king of darkness and the subjugator of SpiritualIsrael, the outside letters spell "mouth"

(t'1 I:),whiletheins ide le tters spell"evil"(l: ').Thusthe Pha raoh

isthe evilmouth.

TheA!ef-Beit,Rabbi Ginsburgh

The ~consistsofa ~witha ~suspended inside it;the ~stands forpractical action, while the ~representswisdom .Thus, the

30

SimpkStoriesFromtheHMrl.Rabbi&rdia

Drawing th

e

P

eh

Th

e

l

et

t

e

r

begins

with

a s

ho

rte ned

R

esh (A to

B to

C),

then descendsto thepoint (C).A wide horizon talst roke

i

s

add

ed at t

h

e

base (

0

to

E

)

.

It

is very

important to

av

oid

extending the bottom

hor

izo n ta l

s

tro ke (0 to E) beyond the point (C).

Th

en

a Yo

d i

s a

dde d w

hi

c

h

be

gin s a

t

the b

ottom

(F)

of

t

he l

e

ft

u

pp

e

r

st

roke

(

A t

o

B

)

a

n

d end

s

at th

e

p

o

int (G)

.

Make sure to leave a gap between the points(G and E).

This isnot an"enclose d" letter.

I

I

I

QOPt1

The ancientfonn of the letter

i'

lookslike a

kno

t

ti

ed

in a co rd.

The

Book

ofTOkens.PltulFoster

Cese

Th

e bo

tto

m

of

th

e

i'

i

s a

m

an

calling "Holy"(I:"' P) Kadosh, so thathecanjoinhimself to his

Creato

r

.

Th

e

t

o

p

line

,

shelteri

ng

and reachingdown,isthe Holy

One....

i'

is one of the le tters (F)

made by two marks. n is the L-l._-'--_L-l._.L-l

other.The lower mark of the

i'

isman callingGod.Withthe uppermarkofthe

i'

HEwhispers

very softly to see ifyou are reallylistening.

The&okofLetters, & bbiKushner

TheWdlof

God

hoversabove the soulin its source, anddecrees upon itto descend, against itsown initial will, into a physical

body. The soul's mission below requires it to become totally involved in the process of the rectification, clarification, ofits

body and "portion"in

the

world.[Note:the letter ~isassignedto

the

CorporealIntelligence .]Twole tterscombine to fonn the P,a

1 aboveand a t below the lineon the left.

The

1 hovers,as an

aura,above thedescending

t

.

TheAJef-Beit,&bbiGill5burgh

The fonn of the letter

i'

can beconsidered as made from the

combination of a , and a ~. Thisshows that man islinked to

Divine

La

w

onboththe physicaland spirituallevels.

SimpleStoriesfrom the HeM,&bbi&milt

Dr

awing

th

e

Qoph

Qaphbeginswithainwardly curved Resh(A to Bto C to

0).Then anelongated stroke Is added fro m point (E) to

point (F). This stroke descends

be

low

the common margin, but do es not extend as far as the Final Kaph,

i

The

base of the

letter

moves to the point (D),

then ascends in a narrow er

f

or

m

to

(E).

Pl

ease

n

o

te th

at

t

he

poin

t

(

E)

ac

tually

to

uches th

e

b

ottom e

dge of th

e

to

p

o

f th

e

l

e tte r.

Important Note: Like Samek h, Mem Finalis an enclosed

l

ette r.

Drawing th

e

M

em Fi

n al

(0) IE) The final form of Peh also has a Yod -lik e form

~

similarly positioned (D to E). This small "to nque" is

Vitally

n

eeded

in

o

rde r

to

distinguish

thefinalPeh fro m the finalKaph.

Drawing

th

e

Peh Fin

al

The Peh final is an downward exten de d Resh

that is drawn from (A)to (B) to (C). Note that (C) is

below the common bottom

margin. Recall that the letter Peh has a Yod like

fo

rm

a

t th

e

c

e nter

l

eft of

t

he l

ett e r

.

(8) (0 (A) (D

Th

e

fin

al

fo

rm

o

f th

e

l

etter

Mem begins with aResh (A

to

B

to

C). It

then move

s

wi

th th

e

w

iden ed edge of

the pen to (D).There is no

curv

e

at the right bottom

of the Mem Fin al. It has a

perfectly flat base, unlike

the Samekh.

j

Family IV:

Da

leth, T

av,

C

heth,

l1e

h

a

nd

Kap

h Fi

nal

Unlike the previous familyof letters. this group has an upper

stroke that extends bey ond the right vertical strokes. That extensioniscrucial for recognition.Without

it

,

a Daleth becomes

a R

esh

.

V

enus

i

s

a wond

e

rful

l

ove

r

,

bu

t d

on

't

u

pset

h

er

by

And

whydoes the roof of the .,

extend backwardsa littleto the

right, in thedirection of ~?To

teach usthatthe poor man, '"I,mustmakehimselfavailableto the

J,the onewhowouldlend him money. Neve rtheless,theface of

., isturned away.-teechlnqtha t cha rity mustbegiven in secret.

r

DALE

Ttf

The " the JX>Or man, receives

charity fromtherichman,the J. The word

n

S.,

means "door."

Thedoorstands in the opening

of the house,.:....The form of

t

he

'"I,

a

m

a

n ben

t

over,

symbolizes thestateofmind of

b

ite/,

I

vtb

,

"self-nullification," 7beNef8eit,Rabbi Ginsburgh

o

(D)

produce opportunity for

those

whose imaginationsare fertile, thus enrichingeveryone'sviewofthe world.

SimpleStoriesfromthe Hearl.lUtbbilWdia

Dr

awing

th

e

D

aleth

Thefirststroke Isan ext endedYod with arou nd ed right

s

ide

(A to B)

.

T

he n

a

v

e rtica

l l

i

ne is

dr

awn

fr

o m (

C)

t

o

t

h

e

b

ott om

m

a rgin

(0).

T

he beginning

of the descending line (C) is inside

the righ

t margin

.

Th

e

e

x

t

e

nd

ed Yod

(A

t

o

B)

t

ou ch e

s

the right margin.

The &okofLetters.RabbiLawrenceKushner

[Itis]

the

wayof Abraham who,when hesawthethree angelsin

human guiseapproac hing him,ran towelcomethem, hastened

10

askSara

h10 bakecakes.and ron

t

o

the herd 10

se

lec

t

a cal

f f

o

r

the meal (Genesis 18 ).

The

deedsof the righteous are always

performedexpeditiously.

TheWISdom inthe Hebrew Nvhabet.RabbiM. L.Munk

Look closelyati1 1 ~.The.)transformsintoa intoa 1,and then into a :1.Seriousstuden ts arereferred to TheBahir. How can a ca mel become a door, and then a window? A

cam

el

is

indisputablya means ofexcha nge which cannot do other than

~

'l

III

"

, II

TAV

The

n

,

fanned byjoinin g a 1 toa

),resembles a stamporeeet..The

letteritself,thelastof alltheletters of the A1ef-Beit, is actually the stam pandsealofall theprevious letters.ltpossess nothing ofitsown

(') and completes the nine

"vessel"letters beginning with). 7beA/ef-lJejt,&bbi Ginsburgh

Th

e

l

ette

r

n

is th

e

seal

o

f

cosmic administration beca use

it combines the imaginative powers ofsubconscious ness."

with theliberatingpowerofchange, ).

tAl

(D, B)

Draw

ing

the

T

av

The first strokeis anextendedYod with around ed right

side (A to B).Then a vertical line is drawnfrom (C)to the

bottom margin (D).

T

he

beginning of the descending line (C) is inside

the right margin. The exte nde d Yod (A to B) touches theright margin.Thispart of the letter is the same asa Dalet h.

A descending vertical stro ke (E to F)is drawn on theleft mar gin of the letter. The point (E) begins inside the

extended Yod (A to B). Thedescending vertical st roke

(E to F) widensinto a "foot"orYod at its base.

Simple StoriesfromtheHeart.Rabbi&rdi6

Allformislimita tionofthe infinite energyof theLife Powe r.The primarycauseofsuch limitatio n isthe image-makingpowerof

the UniversalMind.Every actof huma n imagination isreallya particular expression throu gh a personal center of

this

lmaqe -makingJX>WeI'of

the

Universal

Mind

.

Hence,human imagination

isin

ki

nd

.

though not indegree,the same as the universalimage

-making power.

TheTrue end Invisible Rosiauden Order. Paul FosterCese

As

representing

a signature,

n

impliessecurity,gua ra nty,pledge, andsoon.Asignature iswhat makes business instrum en ts valid. The letter

n

therefore indicates the final seal and witness to the

com pletionofthe GreatWorkof liberation.

The Tarot.PsulFosterCese

-L€ftea

ofoo

.

RlJbbiMatityMu GINerson

Drawing

the

Cheth

A de

sce ndin g vert

ical

s

t ro ke

(E

t

o

F)

i

s

d

rawn on th

e

l

eft

margin

o

f th

e

lett

e

r

.

The point

(

E) begins

i

n s id e th

e

extended Yod (A to H).

TheBookofLetters,&bbiKushner

The beginning of the descending line

(e)

is inside

t

h e

r

ig h t margin. Th

e ex

te nde d

Yod (A to B)

t

ouches

the r

ight

m

argin

.

So far

th

e

l

etter

i

s s

haped

ex

act

ly l

ike

Daleth

The fir

st s

troke

is a

n

exte

nde d

V

od wi

th a

r

o und ed rig

ht

side (Ato B).Then a verti cal line is drawn fro m (C) to the bottommargi n (D).

what hasgone before that strengthisnotofmight and fo rce but of endu ra nce and balance.

ID)

IFI The form of the letter

n

resem bles a gateway.Through agatewayoneentersandexits.

One entersinto an inner realm

o

r

chambe

r,

a deepe

r

state of

a

wareness, a tru

er

level o

f

experience . One exits to return to one'sprevious,stablestateof existence,infusedwith thelight ofone's new experie nce.(Also

see Rabbi Ginsburgh's stateme n t on the letter tQ.]

TheU1'sdomintheHebfflW Alpha bet.RlJbbi Munk The letter n is simila r in sha pe

to

the

n

,

except that the upper opening isclosed.Thissu~l';that if a person becom es steeped in sin and im p u rity, this can lead

to

the closing of the door

to

re pentance....a personshould alwaysbe in awe of his Creator; the "fearofGod" sho u ldbeuponhim.

]heAlef-Beit,R/lbbi Ginsblugh

The Mconsistsoftwo spearshaped"s side by sidewith a roof overthem....ever sinceman

wasbanished

fro m Eden,hehashad tobalance two T's; passive

trust

in

it

,

thesustainer,of the world ; and active enterprise, symbolized by )'~T, ermement:

CI1ETI1

At the end of a book of the

I2mh

and at the beginning of somethingdifficultwe say

CHAZAK,

mp

,

bestrong!Learn from

-

II

I

,

I

1:111 1

N

EN

The three lines of the t'l correspond to the three

dimensions of physical reality:

breadth, heightanddepth...The experienceofdepth,the "third

dimension," on our physical

plane of norm a tive

consciousness, s

h

ou

l

d

r

emind

us

tha

t

even in our physical

world there is a dime nsion of reality beyond our initial

sensory perception .

TheAJef&it,Rl1bblGinsburgh

F) ID)

Dr

aw

ing

th

e It

eh

Thefirst stroke isan extendedYod witha rounded right

side(Ato B).Then a vert icallineis drawn from(e ) to the

bottom margin(D).Thisis just lik eaDaleth.

The begin

nin g of the desce

nding

line (C) is

i

ns id e

the righ

t

m

a rgi n

.

Th

e ex

te

n

de

d

Y

od

(A t

o

B

) t

ou

ch

e s

the right margin.

A short descending vertical st rok e (Eto F)isdrawn on

the left margin of the letter. The point (E) does not

touch th e bottom of the extended Yod (A to B).

The i1 looks like a lobby with three walls, but with one side completelyopen.Thisindicatestha tGodallowsma nfreechoice.

Heis

free

toobeyordisobey God's will,but if hechoosesto leave thesafetyoftheTorah's spiritualandmoralbounda ries, he loses

hisfoothold andslips, as it were,throughthe ope n spa ce ofthe

n

into the abyss...however,

n

symbolizesGod's read iness to

forgive...A small opening is left in the top le ft leg of

the

n

symbolizing that a space alwa ys rema ins through which a

repe n tant sinner can return.

ThelMsdQm inthgHebrvwA/phabet,Rabbi M L.Munk

While everyone can say, "Iam presen t", not everyonecan say

~~~n,

HennJl,

"Here Iam."Fortoanswer~~~nmeans that youno

longerbelong to yourself.Toanswer~~~i1means thatyou give

the

iIofyour being overto theONEwho calls.Tha tiswhy ilis

the lettermostoftenlinked withGod'snam e.

-D

rawing

th

e

K

aph F

ina l

_f

_amily

_V:

\

I

The first stro ke Is an extende d Yod with a roundedright side (Ato B). Then averticallineIsdrawn from(C)to (0). Th e beginning of the

descending

lin

e

(e)

i

s

inside the right ma

rgin.

The extend ed Yod (A to B) tou ches the right margin. The descend ing line (C to D) reaches below the bottom margin. 46 (0 )

---Ale

p h,

A

yin,

Tzad

di

,

M

em,

a

n d

S

h in

This family

of

letters is unique in that each

has

its own peculiarities.

T

h

ey

area blend ofseveral otherletters .

Althoughtheyarenot frequently confusedwitheachother.they

arethemostdifficultfor

the

beginningstudent todraw.

~I

;/1

ALEPt1

TIleunion ofhigh erreality, the

up per';with the lower reality,

th

e

l

ower

'\

by

m

eans o

f th

e

connecting " of To rah (the

law), is the ultimate secret of

the letter

te

.

TheAJefBejl,RlJbbJYltzchl!lk Ginsburgh

F

o

r

26 g

enerations

th

e

K

com plained before God :"Iam the firstof the letters yet You didn 't crea te Your world with me!" "Don'tworry",said God,

"the worldandallitsfullnesswere created forthe Torah alone .

Tom orrowwhenIcome to giveMyTo ra h at Sinai,the firstword

I

saywill beginwithyou."

Rabbi£1lJzMbarANn ainRabbiAhaSlllVJ1e

RlIbbiUJWTIi1I1OeKushner'sTheBookof Letters

Whydoesthe

I2mb

beginwiththe le tter.:,the second letter of

the He b rewAlphabet,and notwiththe

l't

?

Because the lotwas

granted a farno ble r and important

tas

k.

It wouldbegin theTen

Commandmentsasthe opening lette rof the word '; J M--Iam

theLord.your

God

.

The

Secrets

ofHebrewWords,Rabbi BenjaminBlech

48

Dr

awing

th

e

Ale

p h

AsRabbiGlnsburgh says, theletter Aleph is composed

of two Yod-like forms (A to B and C to OJ and a

transverse Vav-Iike form (E to Fl. The upper Yod has

almost

ex

act

ly

the

s

ame sh

a

pe

a

s a

regular Yo

d

,

whereasthelowerone lo o ks like

i

t

has"flowed into" its shapefrom a point(C)on the transverseVav (Eto F),

49

'-'f'

I

I

l

l

11i1

A

YIN

Every

stroke in theIQmh, even the tiniest. are vehicles for teaching us about

God.

& bbiAkiINJ

The letter j; does notspe ak. It

onlysees.Itisaneye,r~j;.Close your eyes. Open your mouth. Now

try

to see. That is the

soundof~.

ThgBoo/( Q{LetteQ.R" bbiKushner

The formof the 11.the consummated J--a J, according tothe

ArizaI

,

enwedgedinto anelongated J--isthe poor man receiving physical sustena nce;the humble one receiving insightinto the Law;the perfectly humb leone (Moses)integrating the secretsof the Law.Inaddition, the fonn of the j; depicts two eyeswith connecting "optic nerves" entering the brain .The right eye is

lookingup at0andthe lefteyedownat IL..

1heA!efBeit.RabbiGimburgh

Those who believe thattheir eyes (j;) present all ofrealityare bulyimpoverished.Theymay become wealthy only by realizing theironlysupportisfrom the Divine (0) and acting(~)on that

kn

o

wl

ed

ge.

1heIdiotSpepks .Caleb Follis

The name ofthe letter r~ j; when rearra nged , spells"poor"~~j;.

TIle

letter11comes

after

0 inthealphabet, to teachus that a man

sho

uld

"sup

port"

(

e

)

th

e "poo

r"

(

P

I

be

fore

poverty

causes

th

em

to fall.In its shape also, the letter

3:,

with its one curved leg,

50

suggests a person who has no finn basis; it is bending and unstable.

Letteaolo N.&bbiGkuerson

D

rawing

th

e

Ayin

This letter beginswith a sho rte ned and curved Zain (A

to Band Cto D).A shortened and curved Vav is then

drawnfrom (E) to(F).Thena broad stroke ismade from

(

G) t

o (

H)

.

T

his

s

tro ke d

oes

n

ot

de

sc end

bel

ow

the

mar gin. Not e that the last st ro ke (G to H) is not

hori zontal.

51

. '1'

-I

,

TZADDI

The

letter ::tmeans "fish-hook,"

signifyi ngthat which draws the fish(l)outof the water(1:).

TheTw. PaulFosterUse

In the form of the

:t

,

a ~ is

enwedged in the upper right I

l

UI

(0

sideofa bent over ~...Ingene ral the ~ and the J re present the

two dimensions of form and

matter, which are present

simultaneously in all crea ted

reality.The pointofthe " pure

form , sha pes the J of matterinto its intended form. The "Just

Man" or "Righteous One" (P~, :t) Tzadik, in "touch" with the inner, pure form of all reality, is able to "shape" reality in

accorda nce with his will.

TheAkI-BeiJ.Rabbi GiflSburgh

The le tter tl immedia telyprecedes the letter ::tin the alphabet.

This is toteach that guardingone's mouth from slander,gossip,

foullanguage, and so on,isthe meansby which one attainsthe

levelof the

tzadi

k.

therighteous one.

Letter:sofFIre,Rabbi G/&er.;on

TheTalmud observes thatthe bent ~has alreadytaughtus the

lesson of humbleness and asks why this lesson needbe repeated

with

the

:t

?

TheTalmud answers: the written fonn of theAJ

eph-Bets adds one symbol 01 humility upon another symbol of

hum ility

to

emphasize the importance of this

tra

it.

Thisteach es

that the Torah

was

given amid verygreat humility.

TheWISdomIntheHelmiwA!DhzJ?ef.RabbiMunk

Noone canbea

Tzadik

alone.Theremustbeatleast nineothe rs. We are able to riseonly by binding ourselveswithothers who couldnever makeit alone.11Usisacongregation('~ :: ::t) Tzibur.

De eds of giving (n i" ::t) ts'daka are the only reason (or a congregation.

TheBookof Letters, Rabbi Kushner

Drawing th

e

T

zaddi

Tzaddi resemblesits rneanl nq-fi sh hook.It begins with

aslanting Vav (A to B) thatwidens as it descends,then

cont inues wit h a broad flat stroke from (C) to (0).An

I

I

I

MEM

D

rawing

th

e

M

em

The letter begin s wit h a curved Vav (A to B).Then the

flat edgeofthe pen isused to draw anar ro win g curved

s

troke fr

om

(C)

t

o (

0 ).

A

wi

de

fl

at st

ro ke i

s

then mad

e

a

long th

e

b

ase

from (

E

to F)

.

A

spa

ce i

s

l

eft be

tween

t

he po

ints

(8) and (Fl

.

M

em i

s

not

a

n

e

n

close

d

l

ett

er.

LettemofFire.Ra.bbi Glazerson vertical stroke consisting of the letter" whichisthe letter oflife. Thus the lettert: symbolizes constructiveactionand life.

(0)

(E) (A)

(f)

The

t:.

whose name's primary meaning is "water," represents in its fonn as

well

as its name various bodies of water....lt resembles a womb, which for

the fetus is a "fountainof life!'

In Hebrew, the word CH,

mother,

also means "womb."

I

ts essentia

l

consonant is the

letter1:. Inmostla ngua ges tlis thebasic soundof "mother." In

genera l, the symbolof mother nature, Eve, "the mother of all life," is the womb of all

(manifest)existence. This is aftershe ascends in aspira tio n --the

secret of theletter ,--to rece ive from Adam the seed of life.

I

~

I

,I!.

I,

TheAlef-Beit,Rabbi Ginsburgh

10e

opent: points tothe obvious,openly revealed glory of God's actions. Figuratively, ~ points upward to indicate God's sovereignty over us, while expressing through itsotherwise bent

posture our humble recognition of His Mercy,as if to say, in the words of King David: Forall is /rom You and from your hand it is given.(IChronicles 29:14)

TheWIsdom intheHebrewA/p~bet,RabbiMunk

'

!

I

Rosh Millin states that the letter Q consistsoftwo parts. On the rightisa curved component resembling the letters ~ and ~;these two letters allude to building and productivity. On the left is a

111111

54

J

SftlN

The '" iscomposed of three Ts,

each with a ' on its top. rising ~ froma commo nbase-point.TIle ..

formoft:t symbolizessymmeby

atell levels....Itsshape resembles flames of fire, as does its

phonetic sound...!n the Zoha r.

the 'C'isreferred.to as the "letter

of the fathers." The three

ascend ing "Scorrespo nd to the I I {Dl three petrierchs,Abrahamto the

right (Chased}, Issac to the left (Gebumh) and Jacob in the

middle(Tiphareth) .

TheAJef-Beit, Rabbi GiFJSburgh The form of the letter '" reminds one of a mouth full ofteeth. Unlike the letter ~ which isturned to eat wha tever it finds onits level, thet:t isturnedupwards toreceive nourishmentfromon high. Itisthusthe higheroctave ofwhatisrepresentedby ~.

TheIdiot Spei!ks,CnkbFo/i$ HEcausedthe letter

tu

to reigninfire .

Sephir Yetzirah

Accordingtothe Zoha r. the letter '" iscalled "the letter oftruth."

The threebranchesrepresent the three aspects of the truth about

man: (1) he JX)SSe5S€S a spiritual soul {Neshemahl. (2) a spirit

(Huechl; and (3)bodilysoul(Nefesh).

LettersofAre. Rabbi Glazerson

56

Theform ofthe'"depictsnatural phe nomena thatsee mto su rge

h

eavenward. as

if

beseec

hing

God

f

o

r

he

l

p a

nd

s

ustenance.

The se include a tree with its branches stretch ing to the sky,a

bonfi

re

with its

flames shooting

hi

gh

, a

nd a

bed

of

Rowers

growingupward. longingto rece ivesustenance from above.

TheWISdomintheHebTfNIA/phpbet.&bbiMunk

What isthemeaningoftheverse,"Godisa man (ile-)of war?"Do not ask aboutsomethingthatisso simple. Listento me and Iwill edvse~u...A Kinghadanumber of dwellings,and he gave each

one a name.Onewas better thanthe other.He said,"Iwill give my sonthisdwellingwhose name iste.This one whose na me is' isalso good, as isthis onewhose name is1:1." Wha t did he do then? He g:'Ithered all threetogether, and outof them he made a single name and a single ho use . He said, "How long willyou continue to concealyour meaning?" Theother replied:"Myson, tcisthe head.

~issecond to it. C'includes all the world."

TheBahir

D

rawing

th

e S

h in

The Shin is three Yods ina boat.It isalso twolains and a Vav

conn ected at the base.

Begin by drawing alain on the leftmargin(Ato Band C to D).

Extend the basefrom(0)to(E).Thendraw acurved Vavfrom(f) to(G).

The last segme nt of the lett er is a Za in drawn from (H) to (I)

fro m and

0>

to (K).

Ta ke care to leave adequate space between the top of the originallainandtheto p ofthe Vav.Thisallowseasy insertion ofthe slanted Zalnwhich is added to complete the lett e r. Some Qa balist ic tradit ions teach that perfection co mes or is repre sented by afour armed Shin.

'

I

_, I

'I

,I

58

Bibliograp

hy

Blech,RabbiBen.\llmin,ThrStcJIliJ01HebnwWoldt. 1991,JaaonAtoneon.Inc.,230

Uvil9lot15t~Northvale,N_ JaHy m64?

e-.

PaulFOitilI',DlIBoo!I ofTohc.... 1934,BulklenofttwAdytum, 5105NorthF'9""JC&

Stre8t.\..Qa

Ar9-

.

Car.fomia90042.

e-

.

PaulFOIot.r.DlI TomLKcvto!blWif40mofthefq;t.1947,BulloNnofthe Adyturn,

5105NorthFilJl.'l'l'OIllSIrHt,L..o.Angel.,Catifomia90012.

e-.,PawFOlIl.,r,JbtTrwAodInyltjb lcRotigucjADOrdir·1981,Bul1cWrl.ofthe Adytum.

5105Nor1hf1~StrHt,I..c&Angel.,California 90042.

~ObljgjtM. XIV:60.Q tIONlbl.lOUIU.QuotationtJaceable 10fmgm tollofII faith

~,GR.S.Morad,Uoi iryBook. .HydePark,N...York.

Follis,C1111!b,TheIdiolSI)lIAkI, 1905,BeNit.AnobIc.u.Sufi monograph.See A.J.M>olny's

ClwiClofPtrslaoUt,llltl.lrJ,1958, GOOOI'9"alliinendUnwin,M...l.lm Street,Lcrrlon.

Kap~n,RlIbbl~h.ThtS!!frymimb(Co mmenlBriea), 1990, s",muelW" i""r,[nc.,Box

612, YorkBeach.M.!line 00910.

K..rdill,RnbblCon.Simple Slori. fltlOOlh. HIQrt. Unpublahed~thumousmoouscript,

.leru!4lem.1946.

Kush ner,RlIbb l~nc.,Tht;Book9f l.Ittmr5t!Jr Otill9tl.AMyalieell AIef-&it, 19 76,

Jewil,hUghtaPWIiee1tion1,Woodtto<;\(,V.mlOIlt.

GilWburgh,RabbiYitzchek.ThrA1d·BijL"-'ishThoughlRo!wak.dthrougto theHebfew

I..MtteJa"1991,JatonA/QnIon,t-e.,230Uvingaton51..~~,N...Jerwy 07647.

G~Rel;QMeli~u, l.gnm01Fill,MyslleallnaigJItaIntoItwHebn!wLanguD9i,1991, PhiUW Fcldlwim.lnc., 200A1rpo<t Ex.cutiYllPark,SpringV..II.y,N...YorklOOn .

l-IaKton..,Rel;QN.hunl..hben,lbf &bir.1176, Sam...lWn-r,lnc.1979edition,Box612,

Yorl<Beach,Malrw 03910.

H_ .IN.,I.jbcrIOMI iLVol.lX:I0 ,1825 edition IICCOlding tolbfld.jotSPG!e,origin

unwrilled.

M...RabbiMidwdL.,lbrWjWm iothtHcbnrwA1pbobct. TNSocred12t12r1 l111aGuidol

to Jewllh DeedandThought, 1983,Maho!e h PubllClltions,lld.,4401SecondAven ue , &ooklyn.

Pha~Rabb iPhilo,StcbirUh,Vol.X1:30,1135,PuJporUd ma nuscriptfrom JudalCII I.jblllry,Gerena,S..,lo.

RabbiEIauorbarAbIMInRabb iAha'. name

-RabbiPlnhal ofKaNtz