ALEPH OR ALEF – WONDERS OF THE HEBREW
LANGUAGE OF THE BIBLE
The letter Aleph is the first of the Hebrew letters. As you can see it is constructed from
a Yod above
, a Yod below , and a slanted Vav
connecting and separating the Yod above and below.
, with the Vav simultaneously
Jewish teachings say that Aleph is a very Godly letter. That is why more names of God
begin with the letter Aleph than any other letter. Interestingly enough the name of
human beings – man – Adam, also begins with Aleph. And so Aleph also represents a
paradox between God and man. In the picture of the Aleph, God represents the upper
Yod, and man represents the lower Yod, and the slanting Vav represents the Torah,
Law, or Word of God which connects God and man.
The idea of paradox runs throughout the Aleph. Another way this is seen is that the
number which the Aleph represents is 1, but the meaning of the word “Aleph” is 1,000.
Jews refer to this as the paradox of unity within plurality.
The Aleph as the number 1 represents beginnings and is the process of cause and
effect. Everything starts from 1. An example of this is the binary system on which
computers are based which is an endless series of 0’s and 1’s. Even though computers
are very complicated, they are based on a process of 0’s and 1’s. So 1 represents the
beginning of all earthly action, all cause and effect.
So the understanding of the Aleph is about the fact of an Infinite God relating to the
finite world of man who is searching for oneness with his creator.