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The letter Aleph is the “father” of the Aleph-Bet, whose original pictograph represents an ox, strength, and leader. It’s numerical value is one (and also 1,000) and it is a silent letter. Aleph therefore is preeminent in its order and alludes to the ineffable mysteries of the oneness of God. Indeed, the word aluph (derived from the very name of this letter) means “Master” or “Lord.”

In the classical Hebrew script (ketav Ashurit) used for writing Torah scrolls, Aleph is constructed with two Yods (one to the upper right and the other to the lower left) that are joined by a diagonal Vav. Ketav Ashurit was the script that Jesus would have read (ketav Ivri was an older script, similar to ancient Phoenician, but was not the script used when Moses received the Torah from the LORD on Sinai. Ketav Ivri is also sometimes called the Temple Script because samples of it are extant dated to the time of Solomon’s Temple).

From the Phoenician/Ketav Ivri, the letter Aleph morphed into the Greek letter Alpha , from which came the Latin A:

1. Mysteries of Aleph
   In Kabbalistic literature, the upper Yod (meaning an arm) represents the hidden aspect of YHVH, (ein sof - “without end”), whereas the lower Yod represents the revelation of YHVH to mankind. The Vav, whose meaning is “hook,” shows connectedness between the two realms. Vav is also thought to represent humanity, since Adam was created on the sixth day. Vav is diagonal since it is humbled in the face of God’s mystery and His revelation. The two Yods also indicate the paradox of experiencing God as both hidden and close, far and near.
   
   
   
   
   
2. The Gematria of the Parts of Aleph
   The basic gematria for Aleph is one, indicating the One and only God who is the Master of the universe. Note, however, that the gematria for the parts of the letter Aleph add up to 26 (Yod+Yod+Vav). This is the same number as the sacred Name YHVH, also indicating a link between the Aleph and God Himself. This is also demonstrated in Exodus 3:14-15, where the LORD reveals His Name  (I AM THAT I AM) to Moses.
   
   
   
   There is a midrash (fable) that asks why Aleph was not selected to be the first letter of the Torah. In the story, all of the letters come before the LORD giving reasons why they should be the first letter - all, that is, except for the letter Aleph. When the LORD asked why, Aleph explained that since he was silent, he had nothing to say. But the LORD honored Aleph’s humility and declared him to be the first of all the letters -- and to be honored as the letter of the first word of the Ten Commandments:
   .
   
   
   
3. In the Beginning -- Aleph-Tav
   In Or Torah, Rabbi Dov Ber, the Maggid of Mezritch, explained first words of Torah: Bereshit Bara Elohim Et - “In the beginning God created et” (Gen 1:1). Note that et is an untranslatable word used to indicate that "a definite direct object is next" (thus there needs to be an et before the heavens and the earth). But Dov Ber points out that et is spelled - Aleph-Tav, an abbreviation for the Aleph-Bet.  Aleph is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet and Tav the last, so, he reasoned, in the beginning God created the Aleph-Bet. Since God did this before creating the heavens and the earth, the letters are considered to be the primordial “building blocks” of all of creation.
   
   Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi stated that if the letters were to depart even for an instant, all of creation would become absolute nothingness (Zalman, Shneur. 1981. "Igeret Hateshuvah." Likkutie Amarim - Tanya. Brooklyn: Kihot. 289).
   
   
    
4. Aleph and the Divine Names
   There are a number of divine Names that begin with the letter Aleph, including the following:
    
   •  - El
   • - Elohim
   • - Eloha
   • - ehyeh asher ehyeh
   • - Adonai
   • - Adon Olam
   • - Adir
     
     
      
5. Aleph is a picture of the God-Man
   As One who is composed of both the upper realm of heaven and the lower realm of the earth, connected by the humility of the body, Aleph is a picture of the God-Man unity that is Yeshua HaMashiach, “Who, being in the form of God...took upon himself the form of a servant...as a man...” (Phil 2:6-11).
   
   Moreover, in Revelation 22:13 Jesus refers to Himself as the Aleph and Tav, the First and the Last, and thereby told us directly that the Hebrew Alphabet would provide revelation about Him:
   
   
   
   Note that this phrase is a direct reference to Isaiah 41:4, 44:6, and 48:12, where Adonai Himself says that He is the First and the Last -- and explicitly declared that there is no other “god” beside Him.
   
   
   
6. Aleph is a picture of Messiah’s Intercession
   From a Messianic point of view, Aleph represents Yeshua the Mashiach as our Intercessor and Kohen Gadol. The two Yods represent outstretched arms or hands reaching both to mankind and to God. The diagonal Vav represents the sacrifice of Yeshua on our behalf. And since Yeshua is the Aleph and the Tav, the letter represents His divinity, His humility in silence as He opened not His mouth when He was unjustly accused, and so on.
   
   
    
7. Aleph is a picture of Oneness in Unity
   Aleph also is a picture of three-in-one, or hashilush hakadosh. Just as there are three parts to Aleph, but Aleph is One (echad), so there are three Persons to the Godhead, yet God is absolutely One. The gematria of the word Aleph is 111 (Aleph=1, Lamed=30, and Pey=80).
   
   
   
   
   
8. Aleph is Eschatological
   Yeshua is called the Aleph and the Tav, and the letter Aleph itself has overtones of the acharit hayamim, or “end of days” spoken of in prophecy. The idea that there are 6,000 years of the Olam Hazeh (the present age before the arrival of the Messiah to set up His kingdom) comes from the fact that there are 6 alephs in the first verse of the Tanakh, and each represents 1,000.
   
   
   
   
   
   
9. Aleph and Names of God
   The first Name of God revealed in the Tanakh is (elohim), which starts with the letter Aleph. Elohim is also the third word in the Scriptures. Other Names that begin with Aleph include El, Eloha, Elah, Adonai, Av, Avinu, Avir, Abba, etc.
   
   
   
   
   
10. Aleph and Metaphors of God
    In three places in Scripture the LORD is metaphorically identified with something else. In each case, the metaphor begins with an Aleph:
     
    • Fire - Hebrews 12:29, Deuteronomy 4:24
    • Light - 1 John 1:5; Isaiah 10:17;
    • Love - 1 John 4:16
      
       
11. Textual Oddities
    An undersized Aleph appears in Leviticus 1:1 (Vayikra):
    
    
    
    The sages reasoned that Moses’ humility (anavah) was such that he waited for the LORD to call him into the ohel mo’ed (Tent of Meeting), despite the fact that God had previously granted him full access to His Presence. The Book of Leviticus begins with vayikra (“and he called”) -- spelled with an undersized Aleph -- as a scribal token of Moses’ humility.
    
    According to the sages, Moses wanted the word vayikra to be written without the Aleph, as “vayikar” (“and He happened upon,” the same word used to describe how the LORD “happened upon” Balaam in Numbers 23:4).  In his humility, Moses did not want to use a word that implied that the LORD regularly called to him. However, God overruled him and insisted that the Aleph be included, but allowed Moses to use an undersized version, as a token of his modesty before others.
    
    
    
12. Aleph Pictograph
    The pictograph for Aleph is the ox or bull, representing strength:
    
    
    
    Note that even though the pictograph may represent the basis for ketav Ivri, it may have pagan overtones (e.g., the “bull” god) derived from ancient Canaanite culture.

Additional Resources:

For further study about the mysteries of the Hebrew alphabet, you may wish to consult the following resources. Note, however, that most of these sources are non-Christian and rely on Kabbalistic interpretations not endorsed by hebrew4christians.com:

• The Secret of Hebrew Words by Benjamin Blech (Aronson, 1991)
• The Hebrew Alphabet, a Mystical Journey by Edward Hoffman (Chonicle, 1998)
• The Book of Letters by Lawrence Kushner (Jewish Lights, 1990)
• In His Own Words by L. Grant Luton (Beth Tikkun, 1999)
• The Wisdom in the Hebrew Alphabet by Michael Monk (Artscroll, 1986)
• Hebrew Word Pictures by Frank Seekings (Living Word Pictures, 1994)
• The Inner Meaning of the Hebrew Letters by Robert M. Haralick (Aronson, 1995)
• The Inner Dimension website (www.inner.org)
• Safrus: STA”M sofer scribal arts (www.safrus.com)
• Mordecai Pinchas - Sofer Scribe (in the UK)
• Eliezar Adam, Sofer Scribe (www.soferstam.com; Chicago)
• Torah Scribe - Jewish Scribal Arts (torahscribe.com)
• The Jerusalem Scribe (www.jerusalemscribe.com; Jerusalem)
• Avraham Borshevsky - Israeli calligraphy artist (goldenscribe.com)
• STA’M - Rabbi Yerachmiel Askotzky's web site (stam.net)
• STA”M - Sofer.net services (sofer.net)
   

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The letter Bet is the second letter of the Aleph-Bet, having the numeric value of two. The pictograph for Bet is a house or dwelling, and the "architecture" of the classical Hebrew letter likewise looks something like a house constructed of three Vavs. Notice the opening on the left side of the letter: it functions as a "window" for the letterform.

1. Mysteries of Bet
   In Kabbalistic literature, Bet represents otherness, duality, paradox, creation, a dwelling place in lower reality. Since the three Vavs close off view above, below, and behind the Bet, we are left with mystery about the nature of plurality coming from oneness.
   
   The three Vavs add up to 18, the same value for chai, or life. The house of creation is then the life of the universe. Bet also has a prefixive function meaning "in," suggesting God's intention of abiding within the realm of creation.
   
   A midrash explains why Bet was selected as the first letter of the Tanakh (the word bereshit, the first word of the Scriptures). All of the letters are said to have appeared before God to make their appeal, but Bet was chosen because on account of it, all of creation will bless (barukh) God.
   
    
2. Bet in the Tanakh
   The Scriptures begin with the book of Genesis, but in Hebrew this book is named after its first word: בְּרֵאשִׁית (bereshit). The first letter of revelation from the LORD, then, was the Bet found in this word.
   
   In some Jewish scribal traditions, the Bet that marks the first letter of the Torah is made extra large and includes 4 taggin (crownlets) as opposed to its normal one.
   
   Bet is a plosive sound indicating force and power that proceeds from the mystery of Aleph that stands silently behind it:
   
   
   
   Interestingly, (av) is the word for Father, the One who creates the universe.
   
   
   
3. Bet is a picture of Yeshua as Master of the House
   Consider the word בְּרֵאשִׁית (bereshit) once again. Notice that the word is derived from the shoresh (rosh), which means head or chief:
   
   
   
   Since we know that Yeshua was "in the beginning with God" and is Himself God (John 1:1-2), the Head of the house of creation is no other than Yeshua the Mashiach (Hebrews 3:4). This is further confirmed by looking at the verse from Genesis 1:1 alongside the verse from John 1:1:
   
   
   
   Yeshua is said to have "tabernacled" with us (John 1:14), whose body was indeed (Bet-El), the habitation of God Almighty.
   
   
   
4. Bet and the Names of God
   Bet is used with several Names and Titles of God, including Borei Israel (creator of Israel), but is primarily associated with the Son of God (ben elohim). Interestingly, if we combine the name for father (av) with the word for son (ben), we have the word (even) meaning stone. Even Ma'asu is the "Rejected Stone" and pictures the LORD Yeshua as the One rejected by Israel during His first advent.
   
    
5. Bet is a picture of the Son of God
   The word for "create" in Hebrew is (bara), and the word for son is (bar). If we separate the letters within the word for bara, we will have: (bar Aleph), which points to the Son of the Father (Aleph). Thus we have:
   
   
   "In the beginning the Son of Aleph..."
   
    
6. Bet Pictograph
   The pictograph for Bet is that of a tent or house:

   
   
   Note that even though the pictograph may represent the basis for ketav Ivri, it most likely has pagan overtones.
   
   
   

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The letter Gimmel is the third letter of the Aleph-Bet, having the numeric value of three. The pictograph for Gimmel is a camel, and the "architecture" of the classical Hebrew letter looks something like a man constructed from a Vav and a Yod. Notice the Yod that points to the left, indicating the direction the "man" is walking.

1. Mysteries of Gimmel
   In the Talmud it is said that the Gimmel symbolizes a rich man running after a poor man (the next letter Dalet) to give him tzedakah (charity). (dalut) in Hebrew means impoverished. Gimmel thus represents the free choice to run after the teaching of Torah by practicing acts of chesed (lovingkindness).
   
   The root (gamal) means to deal out to, to give, or wean. The word (g'mul) means either recompense or benefit, indicating that the nature of the giving can lead to either blessing or judgment for the one who gives. In other words, how one chooses to "run" the race in Olam Hazeh will determine the outcome of his or her life in Olam Habah. Hence gemilut chasidim is the practice of kindness toward others.
   
   The parts of gimmel add up to 16, the same value for , the verb to be, thus indicating that our giving affects the nature of our existence in the realm of the spirit.
   
   The number three also represents stability, like three legs of a stool. From the Mishnah (oral Torah) it is said that the world itself stands on three things: Torah, avodah (worship) and acts of lovingkindness. Other important "triads" include the three patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) and the sections of the Tanakh (Torah, Nevi'im, and Ketuvim).
   
    
2. Gimmel in the Tanakh
   The (go'el) is the name for the kinsmen Redeemer (Lev. 25:26; Num. 5:8; 35:19, 21-7; Deut. 19:6, 12; Jos. 20:5, 9; Ruth 3:9, 12; 4:14; 2 Sam. 14:11; Isa. 49:7).
   YHVH Himself is identified as the ultimate Redeemer of Israel and mankind (Psalm 19:14[5-H]]). God is also revealed as (gadol) and (gibbor), the great and mighty One who brings about true (ge'ulah) or redemption.
   
    
3. Gimmel is a Picture of Yeshua as our Redeemer
   Yeshua the Mashiach is identified as the Redeemer of mankind (John 4:42). He is the One who, being born into the world, runs forth bearing charity for the poor ones who stand "behind the door." He is our nourishment and our great Benefit. But for those who spurn His love, Yeshua represents judgment and recompense (i.e., the Avenger of blood, called go'el haddam).
   
   Note that Gimmel also can mean "lift up," as a camel lifts up the one who is upon it. Likewise, Yeshua has been lifted up and exalted before the world as the One who has conquered sin and death on our behalf. Benefit indeed!
   
    
4. Gimmel is a Picture of the Holy Spirit
   Aleph (1) and Bet (2) equal Gimmel (3), suggesting that Gimmel (3) represents the Holy Spirit proceeding forth from the Father (Aleph) and the Son (Bet). And what is the role of the Holy Spirit (or Helper) in olam hazeh? It is threefold: to convict of sin, righteousness, and judgment to come (John 16:8). And He will "take what is mine and declare it unto you" (John 16:14), bringing true aide to the poor who are trapped behind the door.
   
    
5. Gimmel is a picture of Grace
   According to Soferut, Gimmel is formed from a Zayin and a Yod. Zayin means "sword" and Yod means "hand." Here then is a picture of grace: Gimmel approaches the poor man of Dalet, behind the door, with an open hand (the "sword" (of Zayin) is facing the other direction). The Holy Spirit comes, as the Emissary of Jesus, and knocks on the door of the heart. The sword of judgment, however, is sheathed, and this then represents the opportunity to repent and let the Spirit of God into your heart.
   
   May you soften your heart today and know the outstretched hand of God -- and not the edge of the sword of His judgment.
   
    
6. Crowned Letters
   In some Torah Scrolls, eight Hebrew letters are given special adornment by attaching three "tagin" or crownlets to them.  Collectively these letters are sometimes called "sha'atnezgets" letters (for Shin, Ayin, Tet, Nun, Zayin, Gimmel, and Tsade).
   
   Midrash ascribes the origin of the tagin as part of mattan Torah - the giving of the Torah at Sinai. The Talmud describes Moses wondering about why God was affixing these embellishments to certain letters of the Torah:
   
   "When Moses went up to God, he found God sitting and putting little crowns on the top of the letters of the Law. He said to God, 'Who is it that forces You to put crowns to the letters of the Law [which You have already written]? He replied, 'A man is to appear on earth after many generations, Akiba b. Joseph by name, who will expound for each top of every letter of the Law heaps and heaps of rulings'...." Talmud (Menachot 29b)
   
   
   
   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. It is more likely that the "tittle" refers to the "kots" or "thorn" that projects from a letter.
   
   

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The letter Dalet is the fourth letter of the Aleph-Bet, having the numeric value of four. The pictograph for Dalet looks something like a closed (hanging) tent door, whereas the classical Hebrew script (ketav Ashurit) is constructed of two lines and a corner point (or overhang) called an "ear." The bent shape of the dalet symbolizes a needy person who is bent over (the word Dalet comes from (dalah) which means to draw out or impoverish, and the word (dalut) means poor or impoverished). Dalet's ear is said to be listening for the gemilut chasidim of the approaching Gimmel.

1. Mysteries of Dalet
   Dalet represents lowliness and the consciousness of possessing nothing of one's own. As a door Dalet also symbolically represents the choice to open ourselves to the hope of our dreams or to remain closed off and alienated.
   
   The corner point represents the concept of bitul or spiritual self-nullification. Practice of bitul leads to humility, the doorway to God's house, which is attained by the technique known as devekut, cleaving or clinging to God:
   
   
   
   
   
2. Dalet and the Pardes
   Traditional Jewish sages identify four levels of interpretation of the Scriptures, called  (pardes), an acronym formed from:
    
   •  - P'shat (literal meaning based on historical intent of author)
   • - Remez (hint, allusion, analogy, allegory)
   • - D'rash (application, exposition)
   • - Sod (mystery, "deep" meaning)
     
     Indeed the word for knowledge, (da'at), means the "door on the eye" using the ancient pictographs.
     
      
3. Dalet and the Torah
   There are four letters to the Name of the LORD , just as there are four components of the text of Torah, including:
    
   •  - Otiyot (letters). The 22 medial and 5 final forms of the Hebrew consonants.
   • - Nikudot (vowel marks). The vowel marks added to the text.
   • - Tagin (crowns). The crowned letters for the so-called Sha'atnezgets letters: Shin, 'Ayin, Tet, Nun, Zayin, Gimmel and Tzade.
   • - Ta'amim. Cantillation (or trope) marks used for chanting the Torah.
     
      
4. Dalet and the Names and Titles of God
   God is called dayan ha'emet, the True Judge.
   
   
   
   Yeshua the Mashiach is indeed the True Judge whom the Father has given all authority over the destinies of mankind.
   
   
   
5. Dalet and the Doorway from Judah
   Yeshua the Mashiach, of course, was of the tribe of Judah. Interestingly, the name for the tribe (yehudah) contains every letter of the Sacred Name except for the letter Dalet, suggesting that the door to the LORD would come through Judah.  
   
    
6. Dalet is a Picture of Humanity in need of Yeshua
   The word for religion is (dat), which means the "door of the cross" using the ancient pictographs. The Father (Aleph) sent His Son (Bet) and by means of the Holy Spirit (Gimmel) who makes appeal to the poor and needy to receive the grace of the LORD God of Israel. As Yeshua said, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20).
   
   
    

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The letter Hey is the fifth letter of the Aleph-Bet, having the numeric value of five. The pictograph for Hey looks like a man with his arms raised, whereas the classical Hebrew script (ketav Ashurit) is constructed of two Vavs (of the Dalet) with an unattached and inverted Yod that functions as the “foot” of the letter. The meaning of the name “Hey” is “look,” or “behold!”

1. The Mystery of Hey
   According to the Jewish mystics, Hey represents the divine breath, revelation, and light (the word “light” is mentioned five times on the first day of creation (Gen. 1:3-4), which is said to correspond to the letter Hey). Since the numerical value of Hey is five, this corresponds on a physical level to the five fingers, the five senses, and the five dimensions. On a spiritual level it corresponds to the five levels of soul:
    
   • Nefesh - instincts
   • Ruach - emotions
   • Neshamah - mind
   • Chayah - bridge to transcendence
   • Yechidah - oneness
     
      
2. Hey represents God’s Creative Power
   “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth” (Psalm 33:6). In the Talmud (Menachot 29b) it is said that the “breath of His mouth” refers to the sound of the letter Hey - the outbreathing of Spirit.
   
   Moreover, in the fifth word of Genesis 2:4, the hey appears smaller than usual:
   
   
   
   This could be seen as “in Hey” they (i.e., the heavens and the earth) were created. Moreover, since Bet represents the Son of God (the Word of the LORD), we could read this as the Son breathed forth creation.
   
   
   
3. Hey and the Divine Name
   The Sacred Name, , includes two instances of the letter Hey.
   
    
4. Hey and the Divine Presence
   According to one midrash, Yod left Aleph to become part of Dalet, thus forming Hey. Since Aleph represents God and Dalet represents broken humanity, Hey is a picture of the presence of God within the human heart. This function of Hey can be seen when (Abram) was renamed to (Abraham) and (Sarai) was renamed to (Sarah).
   
    
5. Prefixive Hey
   Hey functions as the definite article in Hebrew, a sort of demonstrative that points to the object and makes it concrete and definite. Thus (ish), a man, becomes (ha-ish), the man.
   
    
6. Suffixive Hey
   Adding a Hey at the end of a noun “feminizes” it or allows it to be “fruitful” and reproductive.
   
    
7. Hey and Teshuvah
   Since Hey is formed from Dalet and Yod, it can also be a picture of returning to God by means of the transforming power of the Spirit. Dalet stands for brokenness, and Yod stands for a hand. Opening the door of the heart then is a picture of the Spirit of God indwelling the believer, and this image also coheres with the idea that part of Aleph (God) is joined with Dalet to form the Hey.
   
   
    

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The letter Vav is the sixth letter of the Aleph-Bet, having the numeric value of six. The pictograph for Vav looks like a tent peg, whereas the classical Hebrew script (ketav Ashurit) is constructed of a vertical line and conjoined Yod. The meaning of the word vav is "hook," as a connecting hook used when the mishkan (tabernacle) was assembled.

1. The Mystery of Vav
   The first Vav in the Torah occurs in Genesis 1:1:
   
   
   
   
   The placement of the Vav suggests two of its essential connective powers:
   
   
   • By joining heaven and earth () it implies the connection between spiritual and earthly matters.
      
   • Since it occurs as the 22nd letter in the Torah attached to the sixth word, (et), it alludes to the creative connection between all of the letters. Vav is therefore the connecting force of the God, the divine "hook" that binds together heaven and earth.
     
     
      
2. Vav and the Tabernacle (mishkan)
   The word Vav is used in Exodus 27:9-10 to refer to the hooks of silver fastened to posts (called amudim) that were used to hold the curtain (yeriah) that encloses the tabernacle:
   
   
   
   Just as the tabernacle was the habitation of God while the Israelites traveled in the wilderness, so the Torah is the habitation of His word today. Therefore, the scribes developed the idea that the Torah Scroll was to be constructed in the manner of the tabernacle. They called each parchment sheet of a scroll a yeriah, named for the curtain of the tabernacle (there are roughly 50 yeriot per scroll) and each column of text an amud, named for the post of the tabernacle's court.
   
   Now since each curtain of the tabernacle was fastened to its post by means of a silver hook (vav), the scribes made each column of text to begin with a letter Vav, thereby "hooking" the text to the parchment:
   
   
   
   
   The laws of writing a Torah scroll are called soferut. There are over 4,000 "laws" or rules used by scribes to prepare a kosher scroll. For instance, the Torah must contain exactly 304,805 well-formed letters in 248 amudim (columns or pages). Each yeriah (sheet of parchment) must come from the hide of a kosher animal that has been specially perpared for the purposes of writing. Special inks are used and whenever a scribe writes any of the seven Names of God, he must say a blessing (l'shem k'dushat Hashem) and dip his quill in fresh ink.
   
   A Torah scroll may contain no errors of any kind or it is considered passul (invalid). Each line of every amud is carefully read (backwards) by the sofer and compared against a working copy (called a tikkun). If an error is detected in a yeriah, it must be removed from the scroll and buried in a genizah, a sort of "cemetary" or repository for sacred texts (the most famous genizah is the Cairo Genizah).
   
   
   
3. The Belly of the Torah
   An oversized Vav marks the "center" of the entire Torah (Leviticus 11:42):
   
   
   
   Appropriately enough, the word in which this Vav occurs is gachon, meaning "belly."
   
   
   
4. Vav is a picture of Man
   Since Vav represents the number six, it has long been associated as the number of man in the Jewish tradition:
    
   • Man was created on the sixth day
   • Man works for six days - the realm of the chol and the mundane
   • There are six millennia before the coming of the Mashiach
   • The "beast" is identified as the "number of a man" - 666 (Rev 13:18)
     
     
      
5. The Broken Vav
   Soferut (i.e., the laws concerning the scribal arts of writing Sefrei Torah) requires that all Hebrew letters be well-formed - that is, no letters can touch other letters and no letters can be malformed, broken, or otherwise illegible. However, there is a strange exception to these rules regarding the Vav that appears in the word "shalom" Numbers 25:12:
   
   
   
   "Behold, I am giving to him my covenant of peace."
   
   In a Torah scroll, the word shalom would be written like this:
   
   
   
   What is the significance of this broken Vav?
   
   The story in Numbers chapter 25 is about Phineas (the grandson of Aaron the priest) and his zeal to remove evil from Israel by driving a spear through a man who was fornicating with a Moabite woman. On account of Phineas' act, God stopped the plague and Israel was delivered from destruction. From a Messianic point of view, we can see that Phineas is a type of Yeshua, since it is written that "he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the people of Israel" (Numbers 25:13).
   
   On a "sod" level we can further think of this broken Vav as picture of the brokenness of the Messiah for our ultimate deliverance. How so? Well, since Vav represents the number of Man, the broken Vav represents a man that is broken. In this particular pasuk (verse), the man has been broken for the sake of a covenant of peace that brought atonement to Israel - another picture of the Messiah Yeshua and His ultimate deliverance for us.
   
   
   
6. The Vav, Messiah, and New Creation
   When God first created the "generations" of the heavens and the earth, the word toldot (תולדות) is used (Gen. 2:4).  This refers to created order before the sin and fall of Adam and Eve. After the fall of Adam, however, the word is spelled differently in the Hebrew text, with a missing letter Vav (i.e., as תלדות). Thereafter, each time the phrase, "these are the generations of" occurs in the Scriptures (a formulaic way of enumerating the generations of the heads of families), the word is spelled "defectively," with the missing Vav (ו). The Vav was "lost."  However, when we come to Ruth 4:18 the phrase: 'These are the generations of Perez' is spelled with the missing Vav restored (i.e., as  תולדות). In all of Scripture, the only two places where we see the restored spelling is in Genesis 2:4 and Ruth 4:18, which leads to the question as to what connection there might be between the creation of the heavens and the earth, the fall of mankind, and the creation of the family line of Perez? 
   
   
   
   The name "Perez" (פרץ) means "breach" (from paratz, meaning "to break through").  God was going to "break through" the families of mankind in order to restore creation back to its original intent. The letter Vav represents man, and the very first Vav in the Torah is associated with the "first and last man" as seen in Genesis 1:1:
   
   
   
   The Restored Vav is a picture of the Mashiach who would descend from the "generations" of Perez.  He would be the one to breach the gates of death on our behalf. Just as the original Vav was lost through the first Adam and his sin, so the Vav is restored the obedience of the "Second Adam," the Mashiach Yeshua.
   
   
   

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The letter Zayin is the seventh letter of the Aleph-Bet, having the numeric value of seven. 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:

1. The Mystery of Zayin
   Zayin 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.
   
    
2. The Gematria of Zayin
   The gematria of the word Zayin is 67, which is the same value for (binah), meaning understanding.
   
    
3. The Meaning of Zayin
   Zayin is a paradoxical word, since it means "weapon" or "sword," but derives from a root word that means "sustenance" or "nourishment." The root (zan) appears in words like (mazon), meaning "food." But how is food or nourishment related to the sword?
   
   Notice that the word for bread, lechem, is contained in the Hebrew word for war, milchamah:
   
   
   
   The sword of war is often needed for our nourishment, not in the sense (of course) of vindictive fighting that is based on lust or avarice, but in the spiritual sense that in order to be nourished and at rest we must sometimes engage in warfare.
   
   
   
4. Zayin, Seven, and the Sword of Time
   Since Zayin represents both the number 7 and a sword, it is not surprising that it is used to divide or "cut up" time (z'man) into units of sevens:
    
   • Shabbat - the 7th day of the 7-day week (the week of days)
   • Shavu'ot - the 49th day after Passover (the week of weeks)
   • Tishri - the 7th month of the year (the week of months)
   • Shemitah - the 7th year of rest for the land (the week of years)
   • Yovel - the 49th year (the week of weeks of years)
   • The Millennial Kingdom - the 7th millennium of human history (week of 1,000s)
     
     
     
     
     "All sevens are blessed" (Vayikra Rabbah 29:10), and the number seven has always been regarded in the Jewish tradition as the number of completion, wholeness, blessing, and rest.
     
     
     
5. Zayin and Remembrance
   The word time (zman) in Hebrew begins with Zayin, as does the word zacher (remember) and zicharon (remembrance). The memory of the time is the basis for self-identity and purpose in God's creation.
   
   Remember the days of old (Deut. 32:7):
   
   
   
   
   Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy (Ex. 20:8):
   
   
   
   
   The memory of the righteous is a blessing (Avot):
   
   
   
   
   
6. The Oversized Zayin
   An oversized Zayin is found in Malachi 4:4:
   
   
   
   "Remember the Torah of Moses my servant that I commanded him at Horeb, the statutes (chukim) and judgments (mishpatim) for all Israel."
   
   Since Zayin represents a weapon of the Spirit, remembering the Torah of Moses is here depicted as a great weapon to be used in spiritual warfare in our lives.
   
   
   
7. Zayin and Crownlets
   The letter Zayin does not appear in Psalm 91, despite the fact that this is a warfare psalm that is often used in deliverances. Why is that?
   
   
   
   Eight Hebrew letters are given special adornment by attaching three "tagin" or crownlets to them (collectively these letters are sometimes called "sha'atnezgets" letters). Some of the sages have said that these crownlets are actually small "zaynin" so that, for example, when Psalm 91 is recited, they function as spiritual weapons.
   
   Note: There is midrash (Babylonian Talmud Men. 29b) in which God is seen putting crowns on top of the Hebrew letters of the Torah, and Moses asks the Him what they mean. The LORD responds that a man named Rabbi Akiva will ornament (through interpretation) thousands of halakhot (religious rulings) from these crownlets.
   
   
   
8. Zayin is the Crowned Man (Jesus) equipped with the sword of the Holy Spirit
   Since Vav represents man and Zayin is the crowned Vav (i.e., the Crowned Man), we can also see that the Zayin represents Jesus the Messiah, the true King of the Jews. And since Zayin also represents a sword, we see the Man Jesus equipped with the sword of the Holy Spirit.
   
   
   
   Note: The sword mentioned in Hebrews 4:12 is (machaira), a "short sword" that was sharpened on both edges of the blade. The two edges represent the two main parts of the Scriptures (the old and new testaments).
   
   
   
9. Zayin is a Picture of Jesus the Messiah
   Since Zayin represents the crowned Man, we would expect it to reveal other truth about Jesus as the King of the Jews. Indeed, since Zayin's sword represents our Protector, as Jesus is the "Lion of the tribe of Judah"; and since Zayin also represents nourishment life, Jesus is here depicted as the Shepherd who feeds His sheep.
   
    
10. Crowned Letters
    In some Torah Scrolls, eight Hebrew letters are given special adornment by attaching three "tagin" or crownlets to them.  Collectively these letters are sometimes called "sha'atnezgets" letters (for Shin, Ayin, Tet, Nun, Zayin, Gimmel, and Tsade).
    
    Midrash ascribes the origin of the tagin as part of mattan Torah - the giving of the Torah at Sinai. The Talmud describes Moses wondering about why God was affixing these embellishments to certain letters of the Torah:
    
    "When Moses went up to God, he found God sitting and putting little crowns on the top of the letters of the Law. He said to God, 'Who is it that forces You to put crowns to the letters of the Law [which You have already written]? He replied, 'A man is to appear on earth after many generations, Akiba b. Joseph by name, who will expound for each top of every letter of the Law heaps and heaps of rulings'...." Talmud (Menachot 29b)
    
    
    
    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. It is more likely that the "tittle" refers to the "kots" or "thorn" that projects from a letter.
    
    
    

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The letter Chet is the eighth letter of the Aleph-Bet, having the numeric value of eight. The pictograph for Chet looks like a wall or fence, whereas the classical Hebrew script is constructed of the preceding two letters, Vav and Zayin joined at the top with a thin connecting line:

1. The Mystery of Chet
   According to the Jewish mystics, Chet is the letter of life, since (chayim - life) and (chayah - living) both begin with this letter. True life comes from (chasidut - devotion). Chet (8) is also the number of grace, (chen) and the number of wisdom (chokhmah).
   
   Since Vav represents people or others, and Zayin represents time, Chet is a picture of spending time in community, (chavurah).
   
   Chet also is the letter of light, since the Vav represents the yashar light that descends from God and Zayin represents the chozer light that ascends or returns to God. Therefore, some of the Jewish mystics consider Chet to be the doorway of light from heaven.
   
    
2. The Gematria of Chet
   Since Chet is formed from Vav (6) and Zayin (7), one gematria value would be thirteen, the same value as (ahavah - love). It is also the value for (echad - one). Putting these ideas together, we can see that love unifies us in true fellowship, just as the Mashiach Yeshua taught us:
   
   
   
   “...that they may be one, even as we are one: in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one...” (John 17:22-23)
   
   
   
3. Chet and the Doorway of Life
   The word (chai) is short for chayim (life), and the letter Chet can be seen to resemble a doorway where the blood of the lamb was daubed during the first Passover (Exodus 12:7):
   
   
   
   
   There are many necklaces that spell the Hebrew word (chai). In fact, the word  itself somewhat resembles a lamb, and from this we can say that the “Lamb gives life” when applied to the “doorway of our heart.”
   
   
   
   
   
4. Chet is the Number of New Beginnings
   Since Chet represents the number 8, we can see how it represents grace, (chen) and the concept of new beginnings:
    
   • Brit milah (), the covenant of circumcision, occurs on the 8th day of a boy’s life, marking the beginning of of his life
   • There were 8 souls saved during the mabul hagadol (great flood) of Noah
   • The LORD reaffirmed His covenant to Abraham 8 times
   • David was the 8th son of Jesse
   • Sukkot is an 8 day festival that anticipate the Olam Habah - the world to come
   • Jesus was resurrected on the 1st day of the week, which if we understand the preceding seven days to constitute a complete cycle, is the eighth day
     
      
5. Chet is the Letter of Discipleship to Jesus
   Since we learned that Vav (6) represents man and Zayin (7) represents the Crowned Man who wields the sword of the Holy Spirit (i.e., Jesus the King of the Jews), we can see that Chet is a picture of discipleship to Jesus:
   
   
   
   Since Chet is formed from the Vav and Zayin connected by a “yoke,” we can see that this letter pictures our relationship to the Lord Jesus as He leads and teaches us on the pathway of life.
   
   A yoke is a connection between two things so that they move and work together. Since the sum of the letters Vav and Zayin equals the value for love (), we can see that the essential nature of this “moving and working together” is that of loving the LORD and one another, just as our Mashiach teaches us.
   
   
   
   

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

 

1. The Mystery of Tet
   Tet is a paradoxical letter in that it reveals both good (tov) and evil. The form of the letter is "inverted," suggesting hidden goodness, like that of a woman who is pregnant with child. However, sometimes the potential for goodness (tahorah) is perverted, and impurity or filth (tumah) results.
   
   Tet is the least frequently occurring letter in the Scriptures (Yod is the most popular). The letter first appears in Genesis 1:4:
   
    
   
   "And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness."
   
   But note even here that there is a sort of paradox. God saw that the light was good, but God separated the light from the darkness, thereby making a distinction.
   
   
   
2. Tet and the Mystery of Evil
   God is the source of all that is good in the universe:
   
   
   
   "Give thanks to the LORD of Hosts for He is good..." (Jer. 33:11).
   
   Yet even though God is categorically good, since He is the ultimate reality and Creator of all, He is the One who ultimately controls the affairs of humankind, both the good and the calamitous:
   
   
   
   "I form (yotzer) the light, and create darkness (choshekh); I make peace (shalom) and create evil (or calamity) (ra). I the LORD do all these things (Isaiah 45:7).
   
   How the LORD uses evil in the universe for His own good purposes is a mystery, but we are assured that all that God created was good (Genesis 1:31) and that His steadfast love endures forever:
   
   
   
   "Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!" (Psalm 118:1)
   
   Note: The Jewish blessing HaTov v'HaMativ affirms that God is good and does good, and is usually recited upon hearing good news; whereas the blessing Dayan HaEmet is usually recited upon hearing bad or tragic news.
   
   
   
3. The Gematria of Tet
   The letter Tet has the value of 9 (some Hebrew words that have this value include
   (ach), meaning brother, and (beged), meaning garment). Using the "reduced" form of gematria, the word (emet - truth) also has the value of 9:
   
   
   
   
   
4. Tet represents the two possibilities of man
   The parts of Tet (Vav and Zayin) are the same as the parts for Chet, but the difference appears in the Vav, or that aspect of the letter that represents man. As we will see below, the letter Tet can picture either the man that is in rebellion before the LORD or the man that is surrendered to Him:
   
   
   
   
   When a man (Vav) is bowed down before the Crowned Man (Zayin), taking upon himself His yoke (Chet), then his soul is subject to the discipline of the LORD, and the ninefold fruit of the Spirit will grow in his life (Galatians 5:22-23). This man will die to himself and all that is outside the yoke of Christ (Luke 9:23).
   
   On the other hand, if the soul refuses to bow down and instead rebels, the inner life will take on the characteristics of the serpent (nachash), satan. If that man chooses to live for himself, relying on his own inner sense of autonomy, he will share the fate of satan and "eat dust," or the stuff of the flesh.
   
   This principle can be seen in the story of Moses and his staff (Exodus 4:2-4). The staff represented the scepter of Moses' human authority which God asked to be "thrown down" in obedience to Him. When he did so, the carnal staff was transformed to become the spiritual staff of the LORD, even though it still contained the principle of the serpent within it (i.e., the carnal principle of his life). Later Moses sinned by using this staff in a carnal way by striking the rock twice, indicating that he attempted to retake his own autonomy instead of yielding to the will of the LORD.
   
   In short, how the Tet will be represented depends upon our personal decision to give our lives to the Messiah and be yoked together with Him. Will we choose to surrender our lives, offering ourselves as living sacrifices, or will we inwardly rebel and live in the selfish pride that marks the devil?
   
   
   
   "I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life..." (Deut 30:19).
   
    
5. Crowned Letters
   In some Torah Scrolls, eight Hebrew letters are given special adornment by attaching three "tagin" or crownlets to them.  Collectively these letters are sometimes called "sha'atnezgets" letters (for Shin, Ayin, Tet, Nun, Zayin, Gimmel, and Tsade).
   
   Midrash ascribes the origin of the tagin as part of mattan Torah - the giving of the Torah at Sinai. The Talmud describes Moses wondering about why God was seen affixing these embellishments to certain letters of the Torah:
   
   "When Moses went up to God, he found God sitting and putting little crowns on the top of the letters of the Law. He said to God, 'Who is it that forces You to put crowns to the letters of the Law [which You have already written]? He replied, 'A man is to appear on earth after many generations, Akiba b. Joseph by name, who will expound for each top of every letter of the Law heaps and heaps of rulings'...." Talmud (Menachot 29b)
   
   
   
   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. It is more likely that the "tittle" refers to the "kots" or "thorn" that projects from a letter.

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The letter Yod is the 10th letter of the Aleph-Bet, having the numeric value of 10. The pictograph for Yod looks like an arm or hand, whereas the classical Hebrew script is constructed of a single tag upward, a kotz downward, and a middle portion. Yod is the most frequently occurring letter in the Scriptures as well as the smallest of the letters.
 

1. The Mystery of Yod
   Suspended in mid-air, Yod is the smallest of the Hebrew letters, the "atom" of the consonants, and the form from which all of the other letters begin and end:
    

   The first dot with which the scribes first start writing a letter, or the last dot that gives a letter its final form -- is a yod. (Likutei Maharan)
    

   In the Jewish mystical tradition, Yod represents a mere dot, a divine point of energy. Since Yod is used to form all the other letters, and since God uses the letters as the building blocks of creation, Yod indicates God's omnipresence.
   
   In fact, the word יוֹד (yod) itself depicts something of the geometry of creation. It begins with the Yod itself, as a dot, and then moves downward, from the divine toward the created order to form Vav (the "hook" of creation). Finally it moves outward in the horizontal realm as Dalet (the "doorway" of creation). This can better be seen with the following illustration:
   
   
   
   
   Since Yeshua upholds the world by the Word of His power (Hebrews 1:3), and Yod is part of every Hebrew letter (and therefore every word), Yod is considered the starting point of the presence of God in all things - the "spark" of the Spirit in everything.
   
   
   

2. Yod and Humility
   The letter Yod, being the smallest of the letters, is also a picture of humility. For example, when Jacob was renamed from Ya'akov to Yisrael, all that remained of his former name was the letter Yod.
   
   
   
   Yod can also be seen as a mark of humility in the text that says Moses was "the most humble man" upon the face of the earth (Numbers 12:3):
   
   
   
   The Jewish scribes say that an extra Yod is inserted in the word ana (meaning humble or meek) to emphasize the humility of Moses.
   
   Israel is likewise called the "smallest of the nations" (Deuteronomy 7:7) and is consider a type of Yod before the great nations of the earth:
   
   
   
   "for you are the smallest of the peoples."
   
   
   
3. The "Kots of a Yod"
   Because of its humility, Yod is adorned with a small ascending prong (tag) that points to God. The "kotz of a Yod" is the small serif at the bottom of the "face" of the Yod's head and is the smallest of all markings made in the Hebrew text.  This most likely refers to the "tittle" Yeshua spoke of in Matthew 5:18 and Luke 16:17. In the Jewish scribal arts known as Soferut, a Torah Scroll is invalid (possul) if it lacks even this serif of the Yod (Menachot 29a):
   
   
   
   Even though it is small, Yod is vital, since without the "kotz of a Yod" the entire Torah is to be considered invalid. God delights in using the small, the weak, and the insignificant to demonstrate His glory and power. If you are brought low or of little stature in this world, you can trust that your life is important to God. Since every letter of the Torah is important, and no two letters are the same (or can be "touching" or "malformed") you can trust that your life is significant in the Great Torah of the universe -- that is, in God's great plan that works "all things together for good to those who love Him."
   
   
   
4. The Three Parts of Yod
   The letter Yod is said to be composed of three parts: the upper prong (tag), a lower line curved downward, and a middle section. The upper tag points toward God, the lower line points toward earth, and the middle section holds the parts together in unity. Therefore, since it is three parts in one, Yod is not unlike the letter Aleph in alluding to divinity and picture Yeshua as our humble Mediator before the Father.
   
   
   
   
   Note also that the gematria of the word "Aleph" equals the Sacred Name , which also begins with the letter Yod.
   
   
   
5. Yod and Spirituality
   Yod means "arm" or "hand," and its form suggests a hand that is reaching toward heaven. In addition, the letter somewhat resembles a man in prayer:
   
   
   
   Here the tag suggests a crown that is given to one who is humbled before the LORD in prayer, and the bent shape suggests submission.
   
   Interestingly, the gematria of the word "Yod" is 20 (י+וֹ+ד), the same value for the Hebrew root for vision, chazah (חָזָה).
   
   
   
6. The Meaning of Yod as Ten
   The word יוֹד (yod) means "arm" or "hand" and the numeric value is ten. Now ten is a number marking shelemut, or completion and order, as evidenced by the following:
    
   • The base 10 number system is universal. Just as Yod is part of all of the previous letters of the alphabet (as a component), so Yod is part of all of the numbers. It is said by the sages the Yod does not mean 10 because we have ten toes and fingers but we have ten toes and fingers because Yod means 10.
   • There were ten things created on the first day and ten things created at the end of the sixth day of creation.
   • There were ten generations from Adam to Noah, suggesting that the godlessness of those generations was made complete.
   • There were ten generations from Noah to Abraham, suggesting that the godliness of those generations was made complete.
   • According to midrash, there were ten trials given to Abraham to demonstrate his merit as the father of the nations.
   • There were ten plagues issued during the Exodus of Egypt.
   • God gave us Ten Commandments.
   • The "tenth part" shall be holy for the LORD (Leviticus 27:32).
   • There are ten days of Awe - from Tishri 1 to Tishri 10, culminating in Yom Kippur, which occurs on the 10th day of Tishri.
   • Ten men are required for a minyan, or complete quorum needed for Jewish corporate prayer.
   • (Jewish mysticism) There are ten forces of the "Tree of Life," called Sefirot, that depict the metaphysical working of God in the universe.
     
     
      
7. Yod and the Olam Habah
   The Talmud states that God used the letter Hey to create the present world (olam hazeh) and Yod to create the world to come (olam habah). The sages derive this idea from the Name yah (יָהּ) found in Isaiah 26:4:
   
   
   
   How did they come up with this?  Well, they consider b'yah in the text as meaning "with Yod-Hey" instead of referring to the Name Yah.
   
   
   
   
8. Some Textual Oddities
   An undersized Yod appears in Deuteronomy 32:17:
   
   
   
   "You neglected the Rock who begat you." The LORD is made "small" when we turn away from Him through neglect.
   
   
   On the other hand, an oversized Yod appears in Numbers 14:17:
   
   
   
   "Let the power of my LORD be great." Here Moses' intercession for the people of Israel is made, and the sages say that the oversized Yod is meant to recall the ten trials of Abraham and the merit he obtained on account of his faith.
   
   
   Finally, a Yod is missing in Exodus 32:19:
   
    
   
   "...Moses cast the tables from his hands." Here the spelling in the text (ketiv) is miyado, meaning "from his hand" (singular), but the text is read (Qere) as miyadav, meaning "from his hands" (plural). Why is this singular spelling used yet the text read as plural?
   
   According to midrash, when Moses brought the Tablets of the Law down from Mount Sinai, he was able to carry them in one hand (as the text says in Exodus 32:15) since they were made supernaturally light as the "Living Torah" of the LORD. However, once the Tablets came into proximity with the Golden Calf, the "script flew off and ascended to heaven" to testify of the idol worship (Targum Yonasan) and tablets turned into normal, profane stone which Moses could no longer bear.
   
   
   
9. Yod and the Divine Name
   Yod is the first letter of the Divine Name YHVH (יהוה) and the name of the Savior of the world, Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ), thus indicating its preeminence. It is also the first letter for the four names given to the Jewish people:
    
   • יַעֲקב - Ya'akov (or Jacob)
   • יִשְׂרָאֵל - Yisrael (Israel)
   • יְהוּדִים - Yehudim (Jews)
   • יְשֻׁרוּן - Yeshurun (Jeshurun)
      

   As the first letter (ot, or sign) of God's Name, Yod shows that He is Spirit, He is One, and that from Him derive all other things by the power of His Word.
   
   
    

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The letter Kaf is the 11th letter of the Aleph-Bet, having the numeric value of 20. 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).

1. The Mystery of Kaf
   In 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). For this reason we bless children with palms facing them and we envision God as having His palms over us, for this image suggests the calling forth of the latent power of the spirit within for manifestation in the physical world.
   
   Also for this reason Chassidut considers reciting the Modeh Ani blessing with both palms together in the morning an act of soliciting the power of God to be made manifest in our daily lives.
   
   
   
   
   Note: The Chamsa Hand (from chamesh, five, and therefore not directly related to Kaf) is a Jewish amulet symbolizing the Creator’s protective hand that was thought to protect from the “evil eye” (einhoreh). The Chamsa is generally regarded as a superstitious article not associated with Jewish mysticism that is sometimes called the “hand of Miriam.”
   
   
   
2. The Meaning of Kaf
   The word Kaf means “palm” of a hand and also what might be contained within the palm of the hand. The word “spoon” in Hebrew is the word Kaf, which is a natural extension of the palm as a container. The gematria for the letter Kaf is 20, the same value for the word Yod (hand), and twice the value of the letter Yod. Kaf comes from a root word (shoresh) kafah meaning to bend or bow down, suggesting the concave shape of the body or the shape of a crown on a king’s head.
   
   
    
3. Kaf and Kavvanah
   Kaf begins the word (kavvanah) which means spiritual focus and concentration (the root for this word means “to aim”). Kavvanah is a key concept in Jewish spirituality that suggests that you should rid your mind of all that is distracting and aim to envision yourself as standing directly before the divine Presence.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Kaf and Crowns
   
   
   
   The word (keter) means “a crown” (from katar, to crown). In the Jewish tradition, there are four crowns that are given to the Jewish people:
   
   
   •  - Keter Torah, the Crown of Torah (and also the crown used to adorn the Torah scroll in the synagogue)
   • - Keter Kehuna, the Crown of the Priesthood.
   • - Keter Malkhut, the Crown of the Kingdom.
   • - Keter shem tov, the crown of a good name. According to the sages, a good name is the best crown of all (Avot 4:17), since it is foundational to all the other crowns. And as Kohelet says, tov shem mishemen tov, “A good name is better than oil.”
      

   According to the sages, the Crown of Torah was given at Sinai when all Israel said, na’aseh v’nishma, “we will do and we will obey” in response to the giving of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 24:7). After the Golden Calf incident, however, the crowns of the priesthood and kingdom were said to have been taken away from the Israelites (though, of course, the Levites were later commissioned as priests and the Davidic line selected as kings). What remains for the regular Jew, then, is to wear the crown of Torah and the crown of a good name.
   
   Now the gematria for is 620, which the sages say is the number of the commandments of the Torah (613) plus the seven days of creation. By this they infer that the very world itself was created so that the Torah would be accepted and thereby ethical purpose given to the world (Minchah Beluah).
   
   In the New Testament at least five other crowns are identified:
    

   •  - Keter HaChayim, the crown of life (James 1:12), awarded for enduring the trials and tribulations of the olam hazeh.
   • - Keter HaTzedakah - the crown of righteousness (2 Tim. 4:8), given to those who anticipate the coming of our Lord by living righteous lives before Him.
   • - Keter Olam - An incorruptible crown (1 Cor. 9:25), a picture of eternal life (chayei olam).
   • - Keter HaTiferet - the crown of glory (1 Peter 5:4), given to those who faithfully shepherd God’s people.
   • - Keter HaKotzim - Crown of thorns (Matt 27:29, Mark 15:17, John 19:5). This is the crown that only Yeshua is worthy to wear as our great High Priest who offered Himself up for our sins.
     
     The Lord Jesus is the One who possesses all the crowns of Israel and the Church. As Melekh HaYehudim He wears the Crown of the Kingdom; as Kohen HaGadol He wears the Crown of the Priesthood, as Devar Elohim He wears the Crown of Torah; as Ben Elyon He wears the Crown of the Good Name; as Sar HaChayim He wears the Crown of Life; as the Tzaddik after the order of Melkhi-Tzedek, He wears the Crown of Righteousness, as HaRo’eh HaTov, He wears the Incorruptible Crown, as Adon HaKavod He wears the Crown of Glory, and so on. Indeed, crown Him with many crowns!
     
     
     
     
     
     
5. Kaf and Resembling King Messiah
   Grammatically, when prefixed to a word Kaf means “like” or “as.” For example, we prefix Kaf to melekh (king) to obtain k’melekh, like a king. Now the letter Kaf resembles the letter Bet, which we understand to be a picture of the Messiah Jesus. When we “prefix” ourselves to the Lord Jesus, we will be conformed to His image and resemble Him, just as Kaf resembles the Bet. And since Kaf pictures the palms of the hands, we will moreover resemble Jesus in our work and our sacrifice for others.
   
   Furthermore, when following a word Kaf indicates “possession.” For example, we append Kaf to melekh to obtain melekha, your king. Now since Kaf depicts a crown of a prostrated person, we can see that when we follow Jesus by “bending” (kafaf) our wills in submission to Him, we will be given the reward of the crown of righteousness (keter haTzedakah), since our works will follow His.
   
   
    
6. “Palms” and Scripture
   In Isaiah 49:16, the LORD poignantly declares that He has engraved Jerusalem upon the palms of His hands, thus illustrating His abiding concern for Zion:
   
   
   
   
   Moreover, we are told to lift up our heart with our hands to God in Heaven:
   
   
   
   
   The psalmist cries to stretch out his hands to God’s mitzvot which he loves and to meditate upon God’s chukim (statutes):
   
   
   
   
   
7. Textual Oddity
   There is an undersized Kaf found in Genesis 23:3
   
   
   
   The sages say that this shows we should show restraint in our grieving and mourning since the righteous man understands that the soul is immortal and therefore the loss of relationship with the other is not permanent.
   
   

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The letter Lamed is the 12th letter of the Aleph-Bet, having the numeric value of 30. The pictograph for Lamed looks like a shepherd's staff or goad, whereas the classical Hebrew script is constructed of a Kaf with a Vav standing upon it:

1. The Uniqueness of Lamed
   The 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. 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.
   
   
   
2. The Meaning of Lamed
   The 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.
   
   The Hebrew name of the letter itself, lamed, comes from the root lamad meaning to learn or teach, which first occurs in Deuteronomy 4:1
   
   
   
   "And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the rules that I am teaching you..."
   
   From this we can see that the first business of learning is mishnei Torah, the repetition (or inculcation) of the Torah. Indeed, since Lamed is the tallest of the Hebrew letters, it draws our attention to the source of all learning, namely the Torah itself.
   
   
   
3. Lamed and Heart Knowledge
   Rabbi Akiva (50-135) is said to have noted that the spelling of Lamed can be seen as an acronym for the phrase lev meivin da'at, meaning "a heart that understands knowledge":
   
   
   
   In other words, the goal of learning and teaching (lamed) is heart knowledge. Moreover, since it is the only letter allowed to ascend above the other letters in the sacred writings, Lamed represents the prominence of learning and understanding to the Jewish heart.
   
   Note: According to Jewish mysticism, the numerical value of the phrase lev meivin da'at is the same as the phrase "the heart of Eve," suggesting that the woman's heart is essential for a complete understanding of reality.
   
   
   
4. The "Goad" of Lamed
   Learning in the Jewish tradition is not an end in itself, but should spur us on to action. For example, in Pirkei Avot 1:7 it is written:
   
   
   
   "Study is not the ultimate goal, rather the deeds."
   
   
   Likewise in Pirkei Avot 4:6 the Jewish sages write:
   
   
   
   "Rabbi Yismael bar Rabbi Yose said, 'One who studies [Torah] in order to teach is given the means to study and to teach; and one who studies [Torah] in order to do is given the means to study and to teach, and to guard and to do.'"
   
   In other words, a true talmid (student or learner) is not one who is entirely bookish and without deeds of righteousness that accompany his or her learning. This is echoed in the famous words of Simon the Just, who said that the world stands upon three things: upon Torah, upon worship and upon loving deeds:
   
   
   
   "Upon three things the world does stand: upon the Torah and upon worship and upon acts of lovingkindness."
   
   In light of this, we can see how the word Lamed is connected with malmad, a goad or spur to action. Like a wise shepherd, learning will both spur us on to good deeds and control our animal instincts.
   
   
   
5. The Gematria of Lamed
   The letter Lamed itself represents the number 30, but its constituent parts, Vav and Kaf, yield the number 26, which is the number of , YHVH:
   
   
   
   Since Lamed is central and raised above all the other letters, it represents YHVH, or the King of Kings. Moreover the number 30 is the same value as (Judah), indicating a connection between "learning," YHVH, and the tribe of Judah (see Genesis 49:10).
   
   
   
6. Prefixive Lamed
   When Lamed appears as a prefix to a word in Hebrew, it often denotes the grammatical object which we translate with "to" or "for." For example, melekh means king, but l'melekh means "to a king" or "for a king." In other words, Lamed designates the direction or goal of action as well as the goad of that action.
   
   
   
   
   Learning (talmud) is then a means to an end, not the end itself. But what is the end to which it leads? Is it not the love of the LORD Himself and His salvation? Is not a relationship with the LORD God of Israel the final goal of talmud Torah? As Jesus Himself said, "You search the Scriptures (i.e., Torah) because you think that in them you have eternal life; but it is they that bear witness of Me" (John 5:39).  In other words, studying and learning Torah is meant to ultimately reveal the love and grace of the Mashiach, Yeshua, the true Teacher and King of Kings.
   
   
   
   
7. Special Tag on Lamed
   In Genesis 27:30 there is an unusual tag added to the normal Lamed:
   
   
   
   This reads, "As soon as Isaac finished blessing Jacob..." (the flourish on the Lamed occurs in the word killah). The sages suggest that this extra embellishment on the Lamed points to the blessing that God had just given to Jacob, as if it were descending upon him from heaven.
   
   
   
8. Lamed, Israel, and "Am Segulah"
   The word Yisrael (Israel) begins with the smallest letter (Yod) and ends with the largest letter (Lamed), suggesting Israel's dependence upon the LORD. In fact, in Exodus 19:5 the scribes write a deliberately oversized Lamed and a deliberately undersized Yod right next to one another:
   
   
   
   This reads, "And you shall be to me a treasure among all the peoples." The sages teach that Israel is am segulah, a treasured people, when they keep the covenant of the LORD by acknowledging His greatness and Israel's smallness. That is, God is the great Lamed, Teacher, King of Kings, whereas Israel is the small Yod, the small hand extended upward to heaven in praise and in worship. When the relationship between the LORD and us is like this, we too will be a treasured possession to the LORD.
   
   
   
9. Oversized Lamed
   In Deuteronomy 29:26 there is an oversized Lamed:
   
   
   
   This reads, "and He cast them into another land..." The Jewish sages note that this oversized Lamed suggests that Israel's ejection from the land (and the subsequent Diaspora) would be used by the LORD to greatly teach them as a people about the greatness of the LORD. And in these last days, we behold the manifold wisdom of the LORD as He gathers Israel back to the land of promise in anticipation of His soon coming as Israel's true King of Kings!
   
   

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Copyright © John J. Parsons
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