Aleph (א) is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet
Numeric value: 1
Sound: silent
Meaning: 1. master 2. teacher 3. wondrous
Story
Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi (1747-1812), founder of Chabad, known as the Alter Rebbe wanted to teach his son the aleph-bet. He called one of his disciples into his study to discuss the matter. “You have a mitzvah and I have a mitzvah,” he said. “Your mitzvah is to support your family. My mitzvah is to teach my son. Let’s trade mitzvahs. You will teach my son, and I will pay you so that you can support your family.” The Alter Rebbe went on to explain exactly how this instruction should proceed. “You’ll begin with the letter aleph. What is an aleph?” The Alter Rebbe continued melodically in Yiddish: “A pintele fun oybin, a pintele fun untin, a kav b’emtza—[The aleph is] a dot above, a dot below, and a diagonal line suspended in between.”1
Design
What is an aleph?
If it were only a random arrangement of pen strokes designed to prompt the reader to say the sound “ah,”2 this question would be irrelevant. Every aspect of the aleph’s construction has been Divinely designed to teach us something. Contrast this with a child learning to read English for the first time. He is never taught why a capital “A” looks like a teepee and a lowercase “a” looks like a soap bubble stuck to a wall.
But Hebrew is different. The design of an aleph is actually made up of three different letters: the letter yud (or “a dot”) above; a yud (or dot) below; and a diagonal vav, or line suspended in between.
The yud above represents G‑d, Who is above and beyond our comprehension. Our understanding is a mere dot compared to His true essence.
The yud below represents us, Yehudim, the Jewish nation who dwells here on earth. The only way we can grasp G‑d’s wisdom—to the extent that a person is capable—is by being humble. When we realize that we are but a dot or a speck compared to the All-Mighty and All-Powerful G‑d, we become a vessel to receive His Divine wisdom.
The diagonal vav represents our faith3—which unites us with G‑d.
There is another teaching4 that posits that the suspended vav represents the Torah. Since the Torah is what unites a Jew and G‑d, the aleph represents this unity between mankind and G‑d. This is the design, or form, of the aleph.
We can see that every stroke of the aleph (and every other letter as well) has a deliberate purpose, and that there is much more to learning the aleph-bet than just mastering its sounds.
Gematria
Every letter of the aleph-bet has a numeric value, or gematria. The gematria of aleph is one, representing the one (or oneness of) G‑d, as we say in the famous prayer: “Hear, O Israel, G‑d is our L-rd, G‑d is One.”
On a more complex level, we explained that the form of the aleph comprises three letters: two yuds and a vav. The gematria of the yud is 10—two yuds being 20. A vav is 6; the sum of all three totaling 26. One of the great names of G‑d is the Four Letter Name י-ה-ו-ה, the Tetragrammaton, or Ineffable Name. The gematria of the Yud (=10), the Hei (5), the Vav (6) and the Hei (5) totals 26, the same as the yud-vav-yud of the aleph. Through the connection of their respective numeric values, the aleph represents G‑d’s Ineffable Name.
Meaning
The Rebbe5 explains that the aleph has three different meanings. One is אלוף, aluf, which means a master or a chief. The second is אולפנה, ulfana, a school of learning6 or teacher. The third meaning is reached by reading the letters of the word backwards—פלא, pela (pronounced peleh)—wondrous.7
Aluf’s definition is “master.” This lets the world know that there is a Creator; that G‑d is the Master of the universe, and that there is an Eye that sees, and an Ear that hears. The universe did not simply emerge by itself; there is an omnipotent Force that actually forged the firmaments ex nihilo. Thus G‑d is the Aluf, the Master of the Universe.
Ulfana means “school” or “teacher.” Not only do we introduce G‑d as the Creator of the universe, but also as the Teacher of all mankind. G‑d’s role as teacher is revealed when He introduces the Torah to the Jewish people. The Torah, with its 613 mitzvos or laws, teaches us what we should do, and what we shouldn’t do. Through the Divine wisdom of His book, G‑d establishes Himself in the world on the level of the Ultimate Teacher.
Finally, we have the third meaning of aleph: peleh, “wondrous.” Peleh represents the esoteric or mystical level of Torah—Kabbalah and the teachings of Chassidic thought. Known as the “teachings of Moshiach,” these secrets of Torah make up its greatest level.
The Baal Shem Tov once entered Moshiach’s heavenly chamber8 and asked, “Moshiach, when are you going to come?” Moshiach responded, “When the wellsprings of your teachings (i.e., the teachings of Chassidism) spread forth throughout the entire world.” Only when the level of peleh—this level of wondrous esoteric thought—has permeated the world, will Moshiach’s arrival be imminent.
This can also be connected to a fundamental concept in the Talmud. The Talmud teaches9 that G‑d created the world to exist for 6,000 years.10 The first 2,000 years are called Tohu, or chaos. This is followed by 2,000 years of Torah. The final 2,000 are the days of Moshiach.
What does this mean? Rashi explains that the first 2,000 years began with the first human, Adam. This corresponds to the first meaning of the letter aleph: aluf—master—for the Midrash states that Adam caused all the animals and beasts to bow before G‑d, thus acknowledging Him as Master and Creator of the universe. However, that era was qualified as chaos, because the Torah had not yet been revealed.
The second 2,000 years, Rashi continues, began with Abraham. Abraham introduced the Torah. As the Talmud explains,11 Abraham both learned and fulfilled the entire Torah long before it was physically given to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai. His embracing of G‑d’s word inaugurated the era of Torah—and thus the second meaning of the word aleph—ulfana, or teaching.
The final 2,000 year period is considered the days of Moshiach; the concept of peleh. This wondrous era has the potential to usher in peace and tranquility throughout the entire world. Here, at this final level of aleph, a teaching of the Baal Shem Tov illuminates an interesting point. Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, founder of Chabad, known as the Alter Rebbe, suggests that the difference between the words גולה—golah (exile) and גאולה—geulah (redemption), is the presence of the aleph.12 If one inserts an aleph into the word גולה (golah/exile), exile is empowered and transformed into גאולה (geulah/redemption). Thus the final 2,000 years of Creation, the era of Moshiach, is represented by the aleph. Having been given the aleph, the Jewish people are empowered to move from Exile to Redemption. The stages of G‑d as Master of the universe and as Teacher blossom into the days of Moshiach and the Final Redemption, when G‑d will be revealed on a wondrous level. All of this is contained in the letter aleph.
Join the Discussion