Questions tagged [aleph-bet-letters]
Questions about the Hebrew letters, or aleph-bet.
216
questions
2
votes
1
answer
180
views
Where do we put the taggin on letters besides שעטנ״ז ג״ץ?
There are different traditions as to on which letters to put the taggin (the crowns), but many old traditions include various specific letters that are not in שעטנ״ז ג״ץ (the letters that we generally ...
CommunityBot
- 1
4
votes
1
answer
396
views
Using Zephaniah 3:8 as a pangram
Would usage of Zephaniah 3:8 solely as a pangram – it being the only option with both finals and cantillation – constitute shemos, and therefore require genizah?
לָכֵ֤ן חַכּוּ־לִי֙ נְאֻם־יְהוָ֔ה ...
CommunityBot
- 1
5
votes
2
answers
451
views
Is there any symbolism associated with Hebrew being written right to left?
I am interested to know if there is any religious meaning associated with Lashon HaKodesh being written from right to left as opposed to left to right
- 1,135
1
vote
1
answer
248
views
The hand tefillin seems to form a lamed
The outline of the tefillin on the hand, to me, seems to form the letter lamed, reversed for a righty and a forwards lamed for a lefty, shown below.
Yes, there are traditions of forming shin on the ...
CommunityBot
- 1
1
vote
1
answer
769
views
The Yud and Hey in creation (Isaiah 26:4)
Isaiah (26:4) is usually translated: "Trust in G-d forever, for in Y-ah, [who is] G-d, is the everlasting rock." However, the prefix translated here as "in" can also mean "through" or "by"; and the ...
0
votes
0
answers
77
views
Midpoint of each Sefer
I am looking for sources that tell what word, letter and verse is at the midpoint of each Sefer, meaning 5 midpoints if considering the Torah containing 5 books or if you want, 7 as the Talmud states ...
- 1,048
1
vote
1
answer
37
views
Eltzafan or Elitzafan, son of Uziel?
I was wondering why the Torah uses two different spellings - with or without the letter Yod - to talk about the same character.
Twice the Torah says Eltzafan: shemot 6:22 and vayikra 10:4
and once ...
- 42.8k
6
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Interchangeable usage of Hebrew letters (such as Beis and Vav, etc.)
I don't know if there is another post about this issue, but forgive me if there is.
Here is my question. I recently read somewhere that there are letters that can be interchanged for various reasons....
- 2,217
1
vote
3
answers
1k
views
How many Chapters are in the Mishneh Torah?
This question addresses how many halachos there are in Mishneh Torah.
How many chapters are in Mishenh Torah? There is a program to do a chapter of Rambam a day and I am interested to know in how many ...
- 2,171
3
votes
2
answers
381
views
Was the Hebrew Alphabet also given with the Tablets and Law?
My research for my answer to Which alphabet were the original Torah scrolls in? gave me an idea--Since the Early Alphabetic alphabet is also called Sinaitic, and the timing seems about right, maybe ...
- 131
1
vote
0
answers
389
views
Where is a free online copy of the Torah with the "correct" number of letters in it?
First off, my intention is to create a pretty decent replica of the Hebrew text close to the formatting of the Sefer Torah or a Tikkun, for personal documentation purposes. My question though is 2-...
- 1
-1
votes
1
answer
78
views
What is the first pasuk in the Torah that begins within the letter tes? [closed]
I am wondering if someone knows the first pasuk in the Torah that begins within the letter Tes? Thank you.
- 24.8k
1
vote
2
answers
598
views
Is the malachim aleph beis from a non-Jew for the occult or something legitimate from a Jewish source?
Searching online I'm seeing Wikipedia says this was published by Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa in the 16th century and was created for the purpose of the occult using a combination of Greek and Hebrew.
...
- 24.8k
2
votes
2
answers
644
views
Articulation of resh with dagesh
It is well known that ר not lend itself to gemination. It never has virtual gemination. As for the full gemination indicated by the dagesh, ר allows it, but only very rarely, and never after the ...
- 17
8
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Who were the original users of Ktav Ashuri?
According to one opinion found in the Talmud Sanhedrin 22a ktav ashuri was brought up from the first exile, assumedly adopted from Babylonian sources.
Who exactly was using this alphabet? Do we have ...
- 1
1
vote
0
answers
64
views
Should I only pronounce alef as glottal stop only when there is a vowel attached to it?
(In correct pronunciation of Hebrew Bible)
According to matres lectionis alef acts as a vowel at times and not as a consonant (that is, it doesn’t produce a glottal stop) - for example: לַאדֹנִי
Is ...
- 77
0
votes
0
answers
69
views
What's the connection between the yod's on the letter tzadik, the faces of Adam and chava, and the kruvim
I have heard but I cannot find any sources linking these concepts. The Shulchan Aruch HaRav mentions that the yod's on the letter tzadik are written upside down in ktav arizal; basically not facing ...
- 1,252
12
votes
3
answers
941
views
What is the reason for "stretched" letters in the Torah?
I noticed that in many Sifrei Torah, Sofrim prefer to "stretch" certain letters. It seems that these letters are stretched to end a line if there wouldn't be enough space to start a new word. That's ...
- 111
19
votes
3
answers
751
views
Why does almost every pasuk in Megillat Ruth start with a vav?
Every single pasuk except 8 in megillat Ruth starts with the letter vav. Is there any reason for this or is it just a quirk of how it was written? If there is a reason, what about the 8 pesukim which ...
- 13.6k
2
votes
1
answer
97
views
Translation of Hebrew letters [closed]
I hope that this is not off-topic for this forum. If so, please let me know and I will delete it.
I'm trying to understand the meaning of these letters which I believe are Hebrew. Can someone who is ...
- 7,781
0
votes
1
answer
111
views
Dagesh in pe lefufah
If you were writing pointed text with a pe lefufah (or doubled/spiral pe, or pe kefulah) for pedagogical purposes, and the pe had a dagesh, would you write the dagesh inside the inner spiral, or ...
- 51
0
votes
1
answer
52
views
Verse with name
Saw a post about this so it reminded me of my question- we say that you say a Torah verse at the end of shemoneh esrei that begins with the first letter of your name and ends in the last letter of ...
- 614
1
vote
1
answer
82
views
Verse corresponding to name [duplicate]
I have checked other posts about this topic, but I can't find my answer:
I am writing a storyboard for a short film, and the main character is 'Binyamin ben Yosef.' Throughout the film, he memorizes ...
- 6,433
9
votes
5
answers
21k
views
Complete list of verses corresponding to people's names?
There is a custom to say a verse corresponding to ones name at the end of the Amidah, as a Segulah not to forget his name on the day of Judgement. There are several sources for this practice, ...
- 18.5k
2
votes
3
answers
231
views
Why do some siddurim begin with alef beis?
Some siddurim have a few opening pages of addendums like how to put on tefillin.
I noticed that the Nusach Ari siddur has a page of alef-beis and nekudos, plus a page of letters combined with nekudos.
...
- 18.5k
6
votes
2
answers
238
views
What is the understanding of this piece from the Vilna Gaon
In Parshas Mishpatim, the Torah tells us of the laws regarding an Eved Nirtzah - A Jewish slave who has finished his term of slavery yet chooses to stay as a slave by his master, as a consequence we ...
- 8,677
2
votes
3
answers
193
views
Small Dalet in Mishlei (Proverbs) 28:17
In Mishlei (Proverbs) 28:17, the letter dalet is small in the word "adam". Why is this?
- 9,777
1
vote
1
answer
298
views
What is this Ktav?
My son sent me this picture of an old voweled text, probably around 10-12 centuries CE. What stands out, is that the letter He is connected and Chet is flat on the left side.
Is this a fragment of a ...
- 97.3k
0
votes
1
answer
72
views
is there a list of where the letter samech occurs with a degesh in the Chumash
Is there a source that i can link to that shows all the words in the torah with a dagesh in the Samech ?
- 131k
10
votes
2
answers
655
views
How could the numerals יה and יו be used irreverently?
I was told that in the sequence of numerals with Hebrew letters, the numbers 15 and 16 are rendered with טו and טז instead of יה and יו to prevent the tetragrammaton from being formed irreverently.
...
- 11
2
votes
0
answers
89
views
Group symmetry in the letters of Genesis [closed]
Forgive me if this is not the sort of question you like. I'm new here.
Several years ago I came across the work of Stan Tenen, available at meru.org, who appears to have made some impressive ...
- 131
4
votes
7
answers
512
views
Why was the letter "Hai" added to Avraham's name?
Avarham Avinu was originally Avram - and Hashem added the letter Hai to his name and changed it to Avraham. Why from all letters was the letter Hai added?
- 30.1k
0
votes
4
answers
382
views
Looking for Pasuk for my son's name
My son's name is Kolunimus. I can't find a pasuk that starts with Kuf and end with Samech. Please help.
- 544
1
vote
1
answer
86
views
Are there words in the Hebrew bible where we find the letter Hei/Yod subsituted for an Alef?
For example, עמק הבכא in Psalams 84:6 is often translated as "Valley of weeping", even though we should expect the word weeping to be בכי, and not at all with an Alef.
Do we have more ...
- 8,045
3
votes
0
answers
86
views
Chazal on pronounciation (according to Koren)
In his introduction to the Koren siddur, Eliyahu Koren claims:
A window thou shalt make to the ark,” says God to Noah, and our
sages took this also to mean that the correct pronunciation of the
words ...
- 30.1k
2
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Is there math in Torah?
I have watched a nice movie back in the day that deals with numbers.
In one of the scenes. A Jewish man comes to The Mathematician and tells about how the Hebrew uses the same "letters" as letters ...
- 14.2k
1
vote
0
answers
100
views
What do the independent-minded Hebrew letters teach us?
God renames Sarai "Sarah" [Genesis 17:15], removing a yod at the end and replacing it with a heh. Later, the name of Hoshea. Moses' successor, is changed to Joshua, adding a yod. [Numbers ...
- 20.7k
1
vote
1
answer
131
views
How is a "ד" without a דגש קל pronounced? [duplicate]
According to many books I have read, a דגש קל can only be present in the letters ב, ג, ד, כ, פ and ת. The Ashkenazi מסורה for pronunciations of the letters ג and ד without a דגש קל has been lost. I ...
- 570
1
vote
0
answers
52
views
Thirty two pairs of letters from Adam to Terach
I'm reading in the Zohar on Shir Hashirim 64 that there are thirty-two sets of the alphabet advanced until Israel stood at Mount Sinai. Basically, all the first and final letters of the names of main ...
- 1,252
0
votes
2
answers
158
views
Rosh Hashanah vs Rosh Chodesh
The beginning of the Jewish year is referred to as Rosh Hashanah.
The beginning of the Jewish month is called Rosh Chodesh.
How come Rosh Hashanah has a "hey" (ה) in it, while Rosh Chodesh ...
CommunityBot
- 1
6
votes
1
answer
284
views
Can Holiness Be Retroactively Withdrawn?
Without getting into the debate of Ashurith (Modern Hebrew) vs K'thav Ivri (Paleo Hebrew), let's just say for the sake of argument that Paleo Hebrew was the original Hebrew. It is known that the ...
- 7,434
18
votes
5
answers
2k
views
Aleph with a Dagesh
In four places in Tanakh, our text has an aleph with a dagesh: Gen 43:26, Lev 23:17, Job 33:21, and Ezra 8:18. What is the significance of this, and for the first two examples, how would you indicate ...
- 47.2k
3
votes
1
answer
501
views
Unexpected Dagesh in Reish
I learned that a rule of Dageshim is that gutteral letters (אהחע''ר) reject dageshim.
My question is why do we find 17 reishs (1 Samuel 1:6, 1 Samuel 10:24, 1 Samuel 17:25, 2 Kings 6:32, Jeremiah 39:...
5
votes
2
answers
1k
views
How do you pronounce the soft reish?
From the Sefer Yetzirah it seems that there is both a hard and soft letter reish (see 4th perek, Aryeh Kaplan edition). How do you pronounce the soft reish?
- 3,546
2
votes
1
answer
134
views
Why are some Lameds with a flat top?
In many places in the siddur there are Lameds with a flat top, and there are some with a straight top. For example in the last הללוקה the word בצלצלי, the first lamed is with a straight top, and the ...
- 47.8k
2
votes
2
answers
770
views
Source of the lost letter shin?
I read here that in Kabbalistic tradition the four pronged shin (such as that on the tefillin) was once part of the Hebrew Alphabet but was lost, but I was not able to find a source for this tradition....
1
vote
0
answers
202
views
Form of letters for safrut
Does anyone know of a good online resource for how to make the letters for Sefer Torah, tefillin, mezuzot, based on the Mishnah Berurah's Mishnat Sofrim (siman 36) or Keset Hasofer (Ch. 5), and/or ...
- 3,090
1
vote
1
answer
132
views
Are lamed and nun interchangeable letters?
Shulamite and Shunamite seem to be used interchangeably in Tanach when describing certain Na'arah women.
For example, in the story of Elisha, David in his old age( with Abishag) and in the Song of ...
- 30.1k
7
votes
2
answers
407
views
Are shin and cin considered different letters?
Halachically is ש a single letter with two pronunciations or are there 2 different letters in the Hebrew alphabet (shin and cin) which happen to be draw the same in the torah, have the same gematria ...
- 3,546
2
votes
1
answer
617
views
Is there any single verse in Chumash that contains all 22 letters of the aleph-beis?
Is there any single verse in Chumash that contains all 22 letters of the aleph-beis?
- 97.3k