User:Sputnikcccp/Hebrew Alphabet

Template for Hebrew Letter

• Intro:
• Info-box
• Letter is the numberth letter of many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Hebrew, and Aramaic. It has the sound of English [english sound]. The Phoenician letter gave rise to the Greek letter, Latin letter and the equivalent in the Cyrillic alphabet.
• Origin of letter:
• Hebrew Pronunciation:
• Variations on written form/pronunciation:
• Significance of letter, Mystical and otherwise:

Aleph

Aleph (or alef) is the first letter of many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Hebrew, and Aramaic. Aleph is what is called a 'silent letter'. It is a plosive laryngal consonant and has no sound except that of the vowel under it. The Phoenician letter gave rise to the Greek Alpha, and hence the Latin A and the Cyrillic equivalent.

Aleph, like all Phoenician letters, was a consonant, represented in transliteration by the ’ at the beginning of the word ’āleph, but the Latin, Greek and Cyrillic equivalents have all come to represent vowel sounds. In Hebrew and probably in Phoenician, it is pronounced as a glottal stop — IPA [ʔ]. Since Greek did not contain this sound, when the Greek alphabet was developed, this symbol was adapted to represent a vowel sound, alpha (Αα).

Origin

Aleph is thought to be derived from the Phoenician for “ox", and the shape of the letter originally represented an ox’s head. In modern Hebrew, "aluf" means a domesticated animal, such as a bull or a sheep.

Modern Hebrew Pronunciation

In Modern Israeli Hebrew, the letter is either a glottal stop, or has no pronunciation besides that of the vowel under it.

Variations on written form/pronunciation:

The pronunciation of Aleph varies from group to group, with some pronouncing it more as a glottal stop, and others more silently. Aleph, along with Ayin, Resh, He, and Heth, cannot receive a dagesh.

Significance of Aleph

In gematria, aleph represents the number 1, and when used at the beginning of Hebrew years, it means 1000 (i.e. אתשנד in numbers would be the date 1754).

In discrete mathematics, aleph is used as the symbol to denote the aleph numbers, which represent the cardinality of infinite sets.

In Judaism

Aleph is the subject of a midrash which praises its humility in not demanding to start the Bible. (In Hebrew the Bible is begun with the second letter of the alphabet, Bet.) In this folktale, Aleph is rewarded by being allowed to start the Ten Commandments. (In Hebrew, the first word is 'Anokhi, which starts with an aleph.)

In the Sefer Yetzirah, The letter Aleph is King over Breath, Formed Air in the universe, Temperate in the Year, and the Chest in the soul.

Aleph is also the first letter of the Hebrew word emet, which means truth. In Jewish mythology it was the letter aleph that was carved into the head of the golem which ultimately gave it life.

Aleph also begins the three words that make up God's mystical name in Exodus, I Am That I Am, (in Hebrew, 'Ehye 'Asher 'Ehye), and aleph is an important part of mystical amulets and formulas.

Sayings with Aleph

From Aleph to Taw describes something from beginning to end; the Hebrew equivalent of the English From A to Z.

One who doesn't know how to make an Aleph is someone who is illiterate.

Not with a big Aleph (lo b'aleph rabati) means Absolutely not!.

In abbreviations

An unsubstantiated rumour in Hebrew is prefaced with אא"א, which stands for Ishah Achat Amrah, "One woman said..."

אד"רח stands for Aleph D'Rosh Chodesh - the first of the month.

Other

Because aleph is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, it is frequently used for naming other entities. For example the Lubavitch Rebbe founded the Aleph Institute and there is an alliance for Jewish Renewal also called aleph.

Jorge Luis Borges wrote a short story entitled "The Aleph".

Beth

Beth or Bet is the second letter of many Semetic alphabets, including Phoenician, Hebrew, and Aramaic. The Phoenician letter gave rise to the Greek Beta, Latin B, the Cyrillic equivalent, the Paleo-Hebrew equivalent, and the Aramaic equivalent, which gave rise to the Hebrew equivalent.

Transcription:

This letter is named beth, following the Tiberian Hebrew pronunciation, in academic circles, and bet, following the modern Israeli Hebrew pronunciation, bet (/bɛʲt/), in Israel and by most Jews familiar with Hebrew, although many Ashkenazi speakers pronounce it beis (/beʲs/), and some Jews pronounce it beth (/beθ/).

Origin

This letter's name means "house" in various Semitic languages (Hebrew: bayit), and appears to derive from a Middle Bronze Age picture of a house by acrophony.

Hebrew Pronunciation

The letter is pronounced like the English letter B (IPA /b/) when the Beth has a dagesh, and when this letter appears without the dagesh in its center then it is usually pronounced like the English letter V (/v/), but some may pronounce it as (/b/). See below.

Variations on written form/pronunciation:

Main article: Hebrew phonology

There are two orthographic variants of this letter, which alter the pronunciation:

• בּ   bet   /b/

and

• ב   vet   /v/, /b/ (among Egyptian Jews, Syrian Jews, Algerian Jews and Spanish and Portuguese Jews), likely used to be β

Beth with the dagesh

When the Beth has a "dot" in its center, known as a dagesh, then it is pronounced as Beth, making the same sound that the English B makes when pronounced. There are various rules in Hebrew grammar that stipulate when and why a dagesh is used. The [b] is a bilabial stop (plosive).

Beth without the dagesh (Veth)

When this letter appears as ב without the dagesh ("dot") in its center then it is pronounced as Veth in modern Israeli Hebrew, making the same sound as the English letter V. The [v] is a labiodental fricative.

Significance of Bet:

Bet in gematria symbolizes the number two, and when used at the beginning of Hebrew years, it means 2000 (i.e. בתשנד in numbers would be the date 2754).

As a prefix, the letter bet may function as a preposition meaning "in" or "at".

Bet, as two in gematria, can also have the meaning of alternative, (like Plan B). This can also be used to designate something secret or illegal; the Irgun, an early Israeli military force, was known historically as Haganah Bet.

In Judaism

Bet is the first letter of the Torah. Jewish midrash asks why the first letter of the alphabet was not used: the use of Bet is said to symbolize that there are two parts to Torah: the Written Torah and the Oral Torah.

Similarly, since the Bible's creation story begins with a Bet, the midrash points out that because the letter is closed on three sides and open on one, this is to teach one to question about what happened after creation, but not what happened before it, or what is above the heavens or below the earth.

Gimel

Gimmel is the third letter of many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Syriac, Phoenician and Hebrew. The Phoenician letter gave rise to the Greek Gamma (Γ) and the Latin C and G.

Transcription

This letter may be written as Gimmel, Gamel, or Gimel, reflecting the variants in pronunciation.

Origin of Gimel:

The word derives from the Phoenician for "camel", and the shape of the letter is thought to have originally represented a camel. The modern Hebrew word for camel is gamal.

Hebrew Pronunciation:

The letter Gimel is usually pronounced in modern Hebrew as the English letter G (IPA /g/). Gimel is a velar plosive.

Variations on Written form/pronunciation:

The letter Gimel is one of the six letters which can receive a Dagesh Kal. The six are Bet, Gimel, Daled, Kaph, Pe, and Tav (see Hebrew Alphabet for more about these letters). Three of them (Bet, Kaph, and Pe) have their sound changed in modern Hebrew from the fricative to the plosive by adding a dagesh. The other three have the same pronunciation in modern Hebrew, but have had alternate pronunciations at other times and places. Gimel was pronounced in some Sephardi areas as /g/ or /ʒ/ with a dagesh, and as /ɣ/ without a dagesh. When reading Torah and praying, Yemenite Jews will pronounce Gimmel [ʤ] with a dagesh and [ɣ] without. See Bet, Daled, Kaph, Pe, and Taf.

Significance of Gimmel:

In gematria, Gimel represents the number three, and when used at the beginning of Hebrew years, it means 3000 (i.e. גתשנד in numbers would be the date 3754).

Gimmel is also one of the seven letters which receive a special crown (called a tagin) when written in a Sefer Torah. See Shin, Ayin, Teth, Nun, Zayin, and Tzadi.

In Judaism

It is written like a vav with a yud as a 'foot', and it resembles a person in motion; symbolically, a rich man running after a poor man to give him charity: Gimmel directly precedes [dalet] in the aleph-bet, and this which signifies a poor/lowly man, from the Hebrew word dal.

The word gimel is related to gemul, which means justified repayment, or the giving of reward and punishment.

Daleth

Dalet or Daleth is the fourth letter of many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Hebrew, and Aramaic. It has the sound of English D. The Phoenician letter gave rise to the Greek delta (Δ), Latin D and the equivalent in the Cyrillic alphabet.

Transcription

This letter is named daleth, following the Tiberian Hebrew pronunciation, in academic circles, and dalet, following the modern Israeli Hebrew pronunciation (see Taw (letter)), although dales is used by many Ashkenazi Jews and daleth by some Jews of Middle-Eastern background.

Origin

The letter Daleth is believed to have originated from the Proto-Sinatic pictogram of a fish (in Hebrew dag ).

Hebrew Pronunciation

The ד like the English D is a voiced alveolar plosive, a type of consonantal sound. Just as in English, there may be subtle varieties of the sound that is created when it is spoken.

Variations on Written form/pronunciation

The letter Daleth is one of the six letters which can receive a Dagesh Kal. The six are Bet, Gimel, Daleth, Kaph, Pe, and Tav (see Hebrew Alphabet for more about these letters). There are minor variations to this letter's pronunciation, such as:

• ד dalet /d/ (/ð/ among Teimanim, Mizrachim and some Sephardim). This pronounciation is rare.

or:

• דּ dalet /d/

Significance of Daleth:

In gematria, daleth symbolizes the number four and when used at the beginning of Hebrew years, it means 4000 (i.e. דתשנד in numbers would be the date 4754).

In modern Hebrew, the letter can also be written with an apostrophe in front of it (known as a chupchik): 'ד which alters the pronunciation to /ð/.

Daleth as a prefix in Aramaic (the language of the Talmud) is a preposition meaning "that", or "which", or also "from" or "of"; since many Talmudic terms have found their way into Hebrew, you can hear daleth as a prefix in many phrases (as in Mitzvah Doraitah; a mitzvah from the Torah.)

In Judaism

The letter daleth, along with the He (and very rarely Gimel) is used to represent the Names of God in Judaism. The letter He is used commonly, and the daleth is rarer. A good example is the keter (crown) of a tallit, which has the blessing for donning the tallit, and has the name of God usually represented by a daleth.

He

He is the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Hebrew, and Aramaic. It has the sound of English H or is silent. The Phoenician letter gave rise to the Greek Epsilon, the Latin E and the Cyrillic Ye. He, like all Phoenician letters, represented a consonant, but the Latin, Greek and Cyrillic equivalents have all come to represent vowel sounds.

Origin

The letter is thought to have originated from a pictograph of a calling or praying man. (The word for praise in modern hebrew, hallel, starts with a he.) Some have suggested an origin from a pictogram of a window.

Hebrew Pronunciation:

In modern Hebrew, the letter can either be pronunced like the English letter H, (a voiceless glottal fricative), or simply as silent, a practice common among Israelis. It is often viewed as sloppy to pronounce the He as silent.

Variations on written form/pronunciation:

He generally is to be pronounced as IPA: [h], like the letter h in English, but in many variant Hebrew pronunciations the letter may become a glottal stop or not be pronunced at all. In word-final position, He is used to indicate an a-vowel, usually a qamatz (ָ), and in this sense functions like Aleph, Vav and Yud as a mater lectionis, indicating the presence of a long vowel.

He, along with Aleph, Ayin, Resh, and Heth, cannot receive a dagesh. Nonetheless, it does receive a marking identical to the dagesh, to form He-mappiq (הּ). Although indistinguishable for most modern speakers or readers of Hebrew, the mapiq is placed in a word-final He to indicate that the letter is not merely a mater lectionis, but that the letter should be aspirated in that position. It is generally used in Hebrew to indicate the third-person feminine singular genitive marker. Today the mapiq is only pronounced in religious contexts, and then often only by careful readers of the scriptures.

Significance of He:

In gematria, He symbolizes the number five, and when used at the beginning of Hebrew years, it means 5000 (i.e. התשנד in numbers would be the date 5754).

Attached to words, He may have three possible meanings:

• A preposition meaning "the" or "that" (as in "A boy that reads", not "Pass me that book."). For example, yeled - a boy, Hayeled - the boy.
• A prefix indicating that the sentence is a question. (For example, Yadata - You knew, Hayadata? - Did you know?)
• A suffix after place names indicating movement towards the given noun. (For example, Yerushalayim - Jerusalem, Yerushalaymah - towards Jerusalem.)

He, being five in gematria, is often found on amulets, symbolizing the five fingers of a hand, a very common talismanic symbol.

In Judaism

He is often used to represent the name of God, as He stands for Hashem, which means The Name and is a way of saying 'God' without actually saying the name of God. In print, Hashem is usually written as He with a chupchik: 'ה.

At the seder, during Yachatz there is a tradition to break the matzah into the shape of the letter He.

Vav

Vav or waw is the sixth letter of many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic in abjadi order; it is the twenty-seventh in modern Arabic order. The Phoenician letter gave rise to the Greek digamma (Ϝ, whose name in Greek was probably Ϝαυ) and upsilon (Υ), which in turn gave rise to the Latin F, V, and Y; V later developed into U and W.

Origin:

Vav is believed to have come from a pictogram of a mace or peg (in Hebrew vav).

Hebrew Pronunciation:

This letter has three forms of pronunciation: the letter vav as a consonant, pronounced like the English V (IPA: /v/); the letter with a dot in the center is pronounced "oo" like the English U (as in fool); and the letter with the dot on top is pronounced as the English O (Oh!).

Variation on written form/pronunciation:

There are three orthographic variants of Vav, which alter the pronunciation:

• ו: /v/
• וּ: /u/
• וֹ: /o/

Vav as consonant:

Vav without any dots is pronounced as a voiced labiodental fricative (like the English V) or as a voiced labiodental approximant (like the Dutch or German word-initial W) in Ashkenazi, European Sephardi and modern Israeli Hebrew; pronounced as a Labial-velar approximant (like a W) by most Jews of Eastern origin.

Vav with a dot on top:

Vav can be used as a mater lectionis for an 'o' vowel, in which case it is known as a holom male, and in pointed text is marked with a dot above and to the left and is usually pronounced as a close-mid back rounded vowel like the English Oh!. This vowel can also appear without the vav, as just the dot, and is known then as holom haser. (The vav may still take a holom haser and thus appear identical to this vowel although the consonant is pronounced, thus producing the sound vo as in mitzvot .)

Vav with a dot in the middle:

Vav can also be used as a mater lectionis for an 'oo' vowel, in which case it is known as a shuruk, and in pointed text is marked with a dot in the middle (on the left side) and is usually pronounced as a Near-close near-back rounded vowel like the English book.

Significance of Vav:

Vav in gematria represents the number six, and when used at the beginning of Hebrew years, it means 6000 (i.e. ותשנד in numbers would be the date 6754.)

Vav, as a prefix, has several possible meanings:

• A Connecting Vav: when a vav connects two words or parts of a sentence; it has the meaning of the English word 'and'. This is the most common usage.

• Vav HaHipuch (The Reversing Vav):

• • (Mainly biblical): when a vav is placed in front of a verb in the future tense, it changes the verb to the past tense. For example, yomar means 'he will say'; add the vav and it becomes vayomar; 'he said'.

• • (Mainly biblical): when a vav is placed in front of a verb in the past tense, it changes the verb to the future tense. For example, ahavtah means 'you loved'; add the vav and it becomes ve'ahavtah; 'you will love'.

The vav has been responsible for the difficult task of transliterating the English letter W. The debate has been whether to use one vav, two vavs, or a vav with a chupchik. All three can be seen in use; for example the name Washington can be transliterated as ושינגטון, ו'שינגטון, or וושינגטון.

Zayin

Zayin or Zain is the seventh letter of many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Hebrew, and Aramaic. The Phoenician letter gave rise to the Greek Zeta (Ζ), Latin Z, and the equivalent in the Cyrillic alphabet.

Origins of Zayin:

The origins of zayin are unknown. It may have originated from a pictograph of a sword or other weapon.

Hebrew Pronunciation:

In modern Hebrew, the letter Zayin is pronounced as an alveolar fricative, (IPA /z/) like the English letter "z".

Significance of Zayin:

In gematria, Zayin represents the number seven, and when used at the beginning of Hebrew years, it means 7000 (i.e. זתשנד in numbers would be the date 7754).

Zayin is also one of the seven letters which receive a special crown (called a tagin) when written in a Sefer Torah. See Shin, Ayin, Teth, Nun, Gimel, and Tzadi.

Zayin, in modern Israeli slang, refers to the penis.

A chupchik can also be placed in front of it ('ז), giving it the IPA sound /ʒ/.

Heth

Heth or Het is the eighth letter of many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Hebrew, and Aramaic. The Phoenician letter gave rise to the Greek Eta (Η), Latin H and Cyrillic И. Heth, like all Phoenician letters, represented a consonant, and H is still a consonant in the Latin alphabet, whereas the Greek and Cyrillic equivalents have come to represent vowel sounds.

Transcription:

This letter may be written as Heth, Het, Chet, Khet, Kheth, Cheth, or other combinations, in an attempt to transcribe the IPA sounds /x/ and /ħ/ into English letters.

Origins of Heth:

The letter Heth is thought to have come from a pictogram of a fence.

Hebrew Pronunciation:

In official Modern Israeli Hebrew, the letter Heth is usually pronounced as a voiceless pharyngeal fricative (IPA: [ħ]) in accordance with oriental Jewish traditions, although it is commonly a voiceless velar fricative (IPA: [x]) due to European influence.

Variations on written form/pronunciation:

Heth, along with Aleph, Ayin, Resh, and He, cannot receive a dagesh. As the voiceless fricative is difficult for most English speakers to pronounce, it is usually Anglizised to /h/. Thus challah (חלה), pronounced as xala or ħala by Hebrew speakers is prounced hala by most English speakers. It is often possible to tell a person's place of origin by their pronounciation, especially of Heth. If it is pronounced softly, like a voiceless pharyngeal fricative, then the person is probably of Eastern origin. If it is pronounced like an English H, then the person is probably a native English speaker.

Significance of Heth:

In gematria, Heth represents the number eight, and when used at the beginning of Hebrew years, it means 8000 (i.e. חתשנד in numbers would be the date 8754).

In chat rooms and online forums, the letter Heth repeated denotes laughter, similar to the English lol.

Teth

Teth or Tet is the ninth letter of many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Hebrew, and Aramaic. The Phoenician letter gave rise to the Greek Theta (Θ).

Origin of Teth:

The origin of Teth is disputed. It is either derived from the pictograph of a basket, or a wheel.

Hebrew Pronunciation:

The letter is pronounced as the English T (IPA: [[Help:IPA|[t]]]), although it can be pharyngealized in traditional Temani and Sephardi pronunciation.

Significance of Teth:

In gematria, Teth represents the number nine, and when used at the beginning of Hebrew years, it means 9000 (i.e. טתשנד in numbers would be the date 9754).

As well, in gematria, the number 15 is written with Teth and Vav, (9+6) to avoid the normal construction Yodh and He (10+5) which spells a name of God. Similarly, 16 is written with Teth and Zayin (9+7) instead of Yodh and Vav (10+6) to avoid spelling part of the Tetragrammaton.

Teth is also one of the seven letters which receive a special crown (called a tagin) when written in a Sefer Torah. See Shin, Ayin, Gimmel, Nun, Zayin, and Tzadi.

Yodh

Yud or Yodh is the tenth letter of many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Hebrew, and Aramaic. The Phoenician letter gave rise to the Greek Iota (I), Latin I (and later J), and the equivalent in the Cyrillic alphabet.

Origins of Yodh:

Yodh is thought to have originated with a pictograph of a hand (in Modern Hebrew, yad). It may be related to the Egyptian hieroglyphic of an arm (see Hieroglyphs).

Hebrew Pronunciation:

In modern Hebrew, Yodh is pronounced like the English Y (IPA: /j/).

Variations on written form/pronunciation:

Yodh is a mater lectionis, like Aleph, He, and Vav. At the end of words with a vowel, it forms a diphthong, such as [eɪ], [aɪ], or [ɔɪ].

Significance of Yodh:

In gematria, Yodh represents the number ten.

As a prefix, it designates the third person singular (or plural, with a Vav as a suffix) in the future tense.

As a suffix, it indicates first person singular possessive; av (father) becomes avi (my father).

In Judaism

Two yodhs in a row designate the name of God Adonai and in pointed texts are written with the vowels of Adonai; this is done as well with the Tetragrammaton.

As Yodh is the smallest letter, much kabbalistic and mystical significance is attached to it. Jesus mentions it in the New Testament when he says: "One jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." Jot, or iota, refers to the letter Yodh; it was often overlooked by scribes because of its size and position as a mater lectiones. In modern Hebrew, the phrase "tip of the Yodh" refers to a small and insignificant thing, and someone who "worrys about the tip of a Yodh" is someone who is picky and meticulous about small details.

Much kabbalistic and mystical significance is also attached to it because of its gematria value as ten, which is an important number in Judaism, and its place in the name of God. See The Mystical Significance of the Hebrew Letters - Yodh

Kaph

Kaph or Kaf is the eleventh letter of many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Hebrew, and Aramaic. The Phoenician letter gave rise to the Greek Kappa (Κ), Latin K, and the equivalent in the Cyrillic alphabet.

Origin of Kaph:

Kaph is thought to have been derived from a pictogram of a hand (in modern Hebrew, kaph means palm).

Hebrew Pronunciation:

This letter is pronounced like the English letter K (IPA: /k/) with a dagesh; when this letter appears without the dagesh in its center then it is usually pronounced like a velar fricative (IPA: /x/); similar to ch in German "Bach".

Variations on written form/pronunciation:

Main article: Hebrew phonology

The letter Kaph is one of the six letters which can receive a Dagesh Kal. The six are Bet, Gimel, Daleth, Kaph, Pe, and Tav (see Hebrew Alphabet for more about these letters).

There are two orthographic variants of this letter which alter the pronunciation:

• כּ   kaph   /k/

and

• כ chaph   /x/

Kaph with the dagesh

When the Kaph has a "dot" in its center, known as a dagesh, then it is pronounced as Kaph, making the same sound that the English K makes when pronounced. There are various rules in Hebrew grammar that stipulate when and why a dagesh is used. The [k] is a velar plosive.

Kaph without the dagesh (Chaph)

When this letter appears as כ without the dagesh ("dot") in its center then it is pronounced as Chaph; this is pronounced as a velar fricative (IPA: /x/).

In modern Israeli Hebrew the pronunciation of Kaph is the same as the pronunciation of Heth, but many communities have differentiated between them.

Final form of Kaph

At the end of words the letter's written form changes to a Chaph Sophit (Final Chaph):

• ך This does not alter the pronunciation; it is pronounced as Chaph (see above).

No longer commonly used in modern Hebrew, biblical Hebrew had a Kaph Sophit (Final Kaph):

• ךּ This does not alter the pronunciation; it is pronounced as Kaph (see above).

Significance of Kaph:

In gematria, Kaph represents the number 20. Its final form represents 500 but this is rarely used, Tav and Qoph (400+100) being used instead.

As a prefix, Kaph is a preposition:

• It can mean "like" or "as". This is an abbreviation of כּמו, k'mo (like/as)
• In colloquial Hebrew, Kaph and Shin together have the meaning of "when". This is an contraction of כּאשר, ka'asher (when).

Lamedh

Lamed or Lamedh is the twelfth letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Hebrew, and Aramaic. The Phoenician letter gave rise to the Greek Lambda (Λ), Latin L, and the equivalent in the Cyrillic alphabet.

Origins of Lamedh:

Lamedh is believed to have come from a pictogram of an ox goad or cattle prod. Some have suggested a shepherd's staff.

Hebrew Pronunciation:

Lamedh is pronounced like the English letter L when it occurs before a vowel, the alveolar lateral approximant. Unlike L, however, ל is never pronounced velarised (IPA [ɫ]), i.e. never as in English milk.

Significance of Lamedh:

Lamedh in gematria represents the number 30.

With the letter Vav it refers to the Lamedvavniks, the 36 righteous people who save the world from destruction.

As an abbreviation, it can stand for litre. Also, a sign on a car with a Lamedh on it means that the driver is a student of driving (the Lamedh stands for lomed, learner).

As a prefix, it can have two purposes:

• It can be attached to verb roots, designating the infinitive (Daber means "speak", Ledaber means to speak).
• It can also act as a preposition meaning "to" or "for".

Mem

Mem is the thirteenth letter of many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Hebrew, and Aramaic. The Phoenician letter gave rise to the Greek Mu (Μ), Latin M, and the equivalent in the Cyrillic alphabet.

Origins of Mem:

Mem is usually assumed to come from a pictogram of water (mayim in modern Hebrew).

Hebrew Pronunciation:

Mem is pronounced as a bilabial nasal stop, (IPA:/m/), like the English M.

Variations on Written form/Pronunciation:

Mem, like Kaph, Nun, Pe, and Tzadi, has a final form, used at the end of words. Its shape changes from this: מ to this: ם. The pronunciation is not changed.

Significance of Mem:

In gematria, Mem represents the number 40. Its final form represents 600 but this is rarely used, Tav and Resh (400+200) being used instead.

In the Sefer Yetzirah, the letter Mem is King over Water, Formed Earth in the Universe, Cold in the Year, and the Belly in the Soul.

The final form of Mem is used in the middle of a word only once in the Bible. In Isaiah 9:6, he says:

• לםרבה (לְמַרְבֵּה) הַמִּשְׂרָה וּלְשָׁלוֹם אֵין-קֵץ.
• That the rule may be increased, and of peace there be no end.

As an abbreviation, it stands for metre. In the Israeli army it can also stand for mefaked, commander. In Hebrew religious texts, it can stand for the name of God Makom, the Place.

Nun

Nun is the fourteenth letter of many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Hebrew, and Aramaic. The Phoenician letter gave rise to the Greek nu (Ν), Latin N, and the equivalent in the Cyrillic alphabet.

Origins of Nun:

Nun is thought to have come from a pictogram of a snake (the Hebrew word for snake, nachash begins with a Nun and snake in Aramaic is nun) or eel. Some have hypothesized a hieroglyph of a fish in water for its origin.

Hebrew Pronunciation:

Nun is pronounced as a alveolar nasal consonant, (IPA: /n/), like the English letter N.

Variations on Written form/Pronunciation:

Nun, like Kaph, Mem, Pe, and Tzadi, has a final form, used at the end of words. Its shape changes from this: נ to this: ן. The pronunciation is not changed.

Significance of Nun:

In gematria, Nun represents the number 50. Its final form represents 700 but this is rarely used, Tav and Shin (400+300) being used instead.

Nun as an abbreviation can stand for neqevah, feminine. In medieval Rabbinic writings, Nun Sophit (Final Nun) stood for "Son of" (Hebrew ben or ibn).

Nun is also one of the seven letters which receive a special crown (called a tagin) when written in a Sefer Torah. See Shin, Ayin, Teth, Gimmel, Zayin, and Tzadi.

In modern Israeli slang, the word Nun has come to mean failure (from Hebrew Nichshal, he lost).

Samekh

Samekh or Simketh is the fifteenth letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Hebrew, and Aramaic. The Phoenician letter gave rise to the Greek Chi (Χ) and Xi (Ξ), and Latin X.

Origins of Samekh:

The origin of Samekh is unclear. It may have represented a fish like Nun (samak is fish in Arabic), or a tent peg / some kind of prop (s'mikhah in modern Hebrew means to support), and thus may be derived from the Egyptian hieroglyph djed.

Hebrew Pronunciation:

Samekh is pronounced like the English S, a voiceless alveolar fricative. Unlike most letters, its pronunciation remains constant between vowels and before voiced consonants.

Significance of Samekh:

Samekh in gematria is 60.

Samekh and Mem form the abbreviation for the Angel of Death, whose name in Hebrew is Samael. It also stands for centimetre.

Samekh is said to have been the miracle of the Ten Commandments. Exodus 32:15 records that the tablets "were written on both their sides." The Talmud (tractate Shabbat 104a) explains that there were miracles involved with the carving on the tablets. One was that the carving went the full thickness of the tablets. The stone in the center part of the letter Samekh should have fallen out, as it was not connected to the rest of the tablet, but it did not; it miraculously remained in place. Scholars disagree, as the Ten Commandments would have been written in the style of the period, and thus Samekh would have been similar to the Phoenician pictogram seen in the table. Ayin, however, would have been the subject of this miracle, as its ancient form was similar to the modern day Samekh.

Ayin

‘Áyin or Ayin is the sixteenth letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Hebrew, and Aramaic. The Phoenician letter gave rise to the Greek Omicron (Ο), and hence the Latin O, and the equivalent in the Cyrillic alphabet.

‘Áyin, like all Phoenician letters, was a consonant, represented in transliteration by the ‘ at the beginning of the word ‘Áyin. However, the Latin, Greek, and Cyrillic letters that are historically derived from `Ayin all represent vowels.

Origins of Ayin:

Ayin is usually assumed to have come from a pictogram of an eye (in Hebrew: ayin). There have been claims that there were two original forms; Ayin, and Ghayin, which was a harder form of the letter. See pronunciation.

Hebrew Pronunciation:

Ayin traditionally represents a pharyngeal sound that has no equivalent in the English language (IPA [ʕ]). Ayin can be pronounced as a glottal stop consonant sound, but is generally pronounced as silent (i.e. it is given the same treatment as Aleph).

Variations on Written form/Pronunciation:

In some historical Sephardi pronunciations, `Ayin was pronounced as a velar nasal "ng" consonant sound, while in non-"Mizrahi" modern Israeli Hebrew it is pronounced as a glottal stop consonant sound in certain cases, but is mostly silent (i.e. it is given the same treatment as Aleph). However, certain changes in adjoining vowels often testify to the former presence of `Ayin, even if `Ayin itself is no longer pronounced. Some historians have postulated the existance of an older, more guttural "Ghayin", which was incorporated into the softer Ayin. Arabic maintains the Ayin and Ghayin as two separate letters.

In Yiddish, the ‘Áyin is used as a vowel, rather than a consonant, and is pronounced /e/.

Ayin, along with Aleph, Resh, He, and Heth, cannot receive a dagesh.

Significance of Ayin:

In gematria, ayin represents the number 70.

In English transliteration the letter Ayin can be transliterated as either a glottal stop (Ayin) or a hard G (Ghayin). Because of this, we get Gomorrah from `Amora and Gaza from `Aza (which eventually gave us the English word gauze).

Ayin is also one of the seven letters which receive a special crown (called a tagin) when written in a Sefer Torah. See Shin, Gimmel, Teth, Nun, Zayin, and Tzadi.

Pe

This is about the letter found in some Semitic alphabets. For the Cyrillic letter, see Pe (Cyrillic).

Pe is the seventeenth letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Hebrew, and Aramaic. The Phoenician letter gave rise to the Greek Pi (Π), Latin P, and Cyrillic Pe.

Origins of Pe:

Pe is usually assumed to come from a pictogram of a mouth (in Hebrew pe).

Hebrew Pronunciation:

This letter is pronounced like the English letter P (IPA: /p/) with a dagesh; when this letter appears without the dagesh in its center then it is usually pronounced like a voiceless labiodental fricative (IPA: /f/).

Variations on written form/pronunciation:

Main article: Hebrew phonology

The letter Daleth is one of the six letters which can receive a Dagesh Kal. The six are Bet, Gimel, Daleth, Kaph, Pe, and Tav (see Hebrew Alphabet for more about these letters).

There are two orthographic variants of this letter which alter the pronunciation:

• פּ   Pe   /p/

and

• פ Phe   /f/

Pe with the dagesh

When the Pe has a "dot" in its center, known as a dagesh, then it is pronounced as Pe, making the same sound that the English P makes when pronounced. There are various rules in Hebrew grammar that stipulate when and why a dagesh is used. The [p] is a bilabial plosive.

Pe without the dagesh (Phe)

When this letter appears as פ without the dagesh ("dot") in its center then it is pronounced as Phe; this is pronounced as a voiceless labiodental fricative (IPA: /f/).

Final form of Phe

At the end of words the letter's written form changes to a Phe Sophit (Final Phe):

• ף This does not alter the pronunciation; it is pronounced as Phe (see above).

Significance of Pe:

In gematria, Pe represents the number 80. Its final form represents 800 but this is rarely used, Tav written twice (400+400) being used instead.

Tzade

Tsade, Tsadi or Sadhe is the eighteenth letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Hebrew, and Aramaic. It may have inspired the form of the letter Tse in the Glagolitic alphabet and the Greek numeral for 900.

Transcription:

Other spellings of the name include ṣāḏê şādhê, çādhê, s`àdhê, tzadi, tzadik, tsodi, and tsodik. See Hebrew alphabet for a more detailed list of its various transliterations and pronunciations.

Origins of Tzade:

The origin of Tzade is unclear. It may have come from a pictogram of a plant, perhaps a papyrus plant, or a fish hook.

Hebrew Pronunciation:

In modern Hebrew, Tzade is pronounced as a voiceless alveolar affricate (IPA: /ʦ/). It may have been pronounced as a pharyngealized /s/ historically; Yemenite Jews still ponounce it this way.

Variations on Written form/Pronunciation:

Tzade, like Kaph, Mem, Pe, and Nun, has a final form, used at the end of words. Its shape changes from this: צ to this: ץ. The pronunciation is not changed.

Significance of Tzade:

In gematria, Tzade represents the number 90. Its final form represents 900 but this is rarely used, Tav, Tav, and Qoph (400+400+100) being used instead.

A chupchik can also be placed in front of it ('צ), giving it the IPA sound /ʧ/. This is most commonly seen in the Hebrew צ'יפּסים, meaning chips.

As an abbreviation, it stands for tzaphon, North.

Tzade is also one of the seven letters which receive a special crown (called a tagin) when written in a Sefer Torah. See Shin, Ayin, Teth, Nun, Zayin, and Gimmel.

Qoph

Qoph or Quph is the nineteenth letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Hebrew, and Aramaic. The Phoenician letter gave rise to the letter Q in the Latin alphabet, the archaic letter Qoppa in certain early varieties of the Greek alphabet and the archaic letter Koppa in early Cyrillic.

Origins of Qoph:

The origin of Qoph is usually thought to have come from a pictogram of a monkey, with the body and tail shown (K'of in Old Egptian meant a type of monkey). Others have proposed that it originated from a pictogram of someone's head and neck (Qaph in Arabic meant the nape).

Hebrew Pronunciation:

Qoph is usually pronounced in modern Israeli Hebrew like the English K; i.e., no distinction is made between Qoph and Kaph. However, many historical groups have made that distinction, with Qoph being pronounced as a voiceless uvular plosive by Iraqi Jews and other Sephardim (IPA: /q/) or even as a voiced velar plosive by Yemenite Jews (IPA: /g/).

Significance of Qoph:

Qoph in gematria represents the number 100. Sarah is described in Genesis Rabba as "בת ק' כבת כ' שנה לחטא", literally At Qoph years of age, she was like Kaph years of age in sin (i.e. when she was 100 years old, she was as sinless as when she was 20).

Qoph is used in an Israeli phrase: after a child will say something false, one might say "B'Shin Qoph, Resh" (With Shin, Qoph, Resh). These letters spell Sheqer, which is the Hebrew word for a lie. It would be akin to an English speaker saying "That's a L-I-E."

Resh

Resh is the twentieth letter of many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Hebrew, and Aramaic. The Phoenician letter gave rise to the Greek Rho (Ρ), Latin R, and the equivalent in the Cyrillic alphabet.

Origins of Resh:

Resh is usually assumed to have come from a pictogram of a head (in modern Hebrew rosh).

Hebrew Pronunciation:

In modern Israeli Hebrew Resh is pronounced as a voiced uvular fricative (IPA: /ʁ/). This sound is hard for English speakers to pronounce, and it is often pronounced by Ashkenazim as /ɹ/ or sometimes /ʀ/. Mizrahi Jews will pronounce it as /r/, or ɾ/.

Variations on Written form/Pronunciation:

As explained above, pronunciation of Resh varies from group to group. Resh, along with Ayin, Aleph, He, and Heth, cannot receive a dagesh.

Significance of Resh:

Resh in gematria represents the number 200.

Resh as an abbreviation can stand for Rabbi (or Rav, Rebbe, Rabban, Rabbenu, and other similar constructions).

Resh is used in an Israeli phrase: after a child will say something false, one might say "B'Shin Qoph, Resh" (With Shin, Qoph, Resh). These letters spell Sheqer, which is the Hebrew word for a lie. It would be akin to an English speaker saying "That's a L-I-E."

Shin

Shin or Sin is the twenty-first and penultimate letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Hebrew, and Aramaic. The Phoenician letter gave rise to the Greek Sigma (Σ), Latin S, and Cyrillic letters Es (С) and Sha (Ш), and may have inspired the form of the letter Sha in the Glagolitic alphabet.

Origins of Shin:

Shin is believed to have come from a pictogram of a tooth (in modern Hebrew shen). Some have suggested that it originally represented a bow.

Hebrew Pronunciation:

The letter is pronounced like the English letter S (IPA /s/) when the dot is to the left, and when this letter appears with the dot to the right then it is usually pronounced like the English letter combination SH (IPA: /∫/).

Variations on written form/pronunciation:

Main article: Hebrew phonology

There are two orthographic variants of this letter, which alter the pronunciation:

• שׁ shin   /∫/

and

• שֹ sin   /s/

Shin

When the Shin has a dot to the right then it is pronounced as Shin, making the same sound that the English SH makes when pronounced. The Shin is a voiceless postalveolar fricative.

Sin

When the Shin has a dot to the left then it is pronounced as Sin, making the same sound that the English S makes when pronounced. The Sin is a voiceless alveolar fricative. The [s] version is thought to have originated from a lateral fricative sound [ɬ], like Welsh Ll in "Llandudno".

Significance of Shin:

In gematria, Shin represents the number 300.

Shin, as a prefix, has the meaning of the English words "that" (as in "A boy that reads", not "Pass me that book."), or "which"/"who". In colloquial Hebrew, Kaph and Shin together have the meaning of "when". This is an contraction of כּאשר, ka'asher (when).

Shin is also one of the seven letters which receive a special crown (called a tagin) when written in a Sefer Torah. See Gimmel, Ayin, Teth, Nun, Zayin, and Tzadi.

According to Judges 12:8, the tribe of Ephraim could not differentiate between Shin and Sin; when the Gileadites were at war with the Ephraimites, they would ask suspected Ephraimites to say the word shibolet; an Ephraimite would say sibolet and thus be exposed. From this episode we get the English word Shibboleth.

In Judaism

Shin also stands for the word Shaddai, a name for God. Because of this, a kohen (priest) forms the letter Shin with his hands as he recites the priestly blessing. In the mid 1960s, actor Leonard Nimoy used a single-handed version of this gesture to create the Vulcan Hand Salute for his character, Mr. Spock, on Star Trek.

In Jewish tradition the letter Shin is inscribed on the Mezuzah, a vessel which houses a scroll of parchment with Biblical text written on it. The mezuzuah is situated upon all the doorframes in a home or establishment. Sometimes the whole word Shaddai will be written.

In the Sefer Yetzirah the letter Shin is King over Fire, Formed Heaven in the Universe, Hot in the Year, and the Head in the Soul.

Sayings with Shin

The Shin-Bet was an old acronym for the Israeli Department of Internal General Security.

A Shin-Shin Clash is Israeli military parlance for a battle between two tank divisions (tank in Hebrew is shiryon).

Sh'at haShin (The Shin Hour) is the last possible moment for any action, usually military. Corresponds to the English expression the eleventh hour.

Taw

Taw or Tav is the twenty-second and last letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Hebrew, and Aramaic. The Phoenician letter gave rise to the Greek Tau (Τ), Latin T, and the equivalent in the Cyrillic alphabet.

Origins of Taw:

Taw is believed to have come from a simple mark; a cross or asterisk-like marking.

Hebrew Pronunciation:

The letter Taw is usually pronounced in modern Hebrew as the English letter T (IPA /t/). T is an alveolar plosive, although Tau may sometimes be pronounced as a dental plosive.

Variations on Written form/pronunciation:

The letter Taw is one of the six letters which can receive a Dagesh Kal. The six are Bet, Gimel, Daled, Kaph, Pe, and Taw (see Hebrew Alphabet for more about these letters). Three of them (Bet, Kaph, and Pe) have their sound changed in modern Hebrew from the fricative to the plosive by adding a dagesh. The other three have the same pronunciation in modern Hebrew, but have had alternate pronunciations at other times and places. Taw was pronounced in tranditional Ashkenazi pronunciation (a form which still is common today, especially among Diaspora Jews) as an alveolar fricative, like the English S, without the dagesh, and had the plosive form when it had the dagesh. In some Sephardi areas, such as Yemen, Taw without a dagesh was pronounced as /θ/ without a dagesh and the plosive form ([t]) with the dagesh. See Bet, Daled, Kaph, Pe, and Taf.

Significance of Taw:

In gematria Taw represents the number 400, the largest number that can be made without using the Sophit forms (see Kaph, Mem, Nun, Pe, and Tzade).

A chupchik can also be placed in front of it ('ת), giving it the IPA sound /θ/ or /ð/.

In Judaism

Taw is the last letter of the Hebrew word emet, which means truth. The midrash explains that emet is made up of the first, middle, and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet (Aleph, Mem, and Taw). Sheqer (falsehood), on the other hand, is made up of the 19th, 20th, and 21st (and penultimate) letters. Thus, truth is all-encompassing, while falsehood is narrow and deceiving. In Jewish mythology it was the word emet that was carved into the head of the golem which ultimately gave it life.

Sayings with Taw

From Aleph to Taw describes something from beginning to end; the Hebrew equivalent of the English From A to Z.