Hebrew Alphabet

(Revision as of 16:23, 12 Apr 2005)

Categories: Hebrew Culture | Qabalah | Tree of Life | Paths

Introduction to the Hebrew alphabet...

The Hebrew Alphabet
Letter	Name	Translation	English	Value
א	Aleph	Ox	A or E	1
ב	Beth	House	B	2
ג	Gimel	Camel	G	3
ד	Daleth	Door	D	4
ה	Hé	Window	H	5
ו	Vau	Nail	U, V, W or O	6
ז	Zain	Sword	Z	7
ח	Cheth	Fence	Ch (hard)	8
ט	Teth	Serpent	T	9
י	Yod	Hand	I, E or Y	10
כ	Kaph	Palm	K	20
ך	Kaph-final			500
ל	Lamed	Ox-Goad	L	30
מ	Mem	Water	M	40
ם	Mem-final			600
נ	Nun	Fish	N	50
ן	Nun-final			700
ס	Samekh	Prop	S	60
ע	Ayin	Eye	O	70
פ	Pé	Mouth	P	80
ף	Pé-final			800
צ	Tzaddi	Fish-hook	Tz	90
ץ	Tzaddi-final			900
ק	Qoph	Back of Head	Q (soft)	100
ר	Resh	Head	R	200
ש	Shin	Tooth	Sh	300
ת	Tau	Cross	TH (soft)	400

11 Aleph— letter: א = A or E | name: אלף "Ox" | value: 1

Aleph in shape is similar to the Swastika, a glyph of primeval motion, the whirling Chaos coming into being. It is also in the shape of a plough-share, taking on the dual meaning of Phallic "plowing" and sexual innocence.

12 Beth— letter: ב = B | name: בית "House" | value: 2

Beth is the House or dwelling place of Man in the world of duality and illusion.

13 Gimel— letter: ג‎ = G | name: גמל‎ "Camel" | value: 3

The camel as "The Ship of the Desert" is appropriate on this path, since it connects Kether and Tiphareth, travelling through the wilderness of the Abyss to do so.

14 Daleth— letter: ד‎ = D | name: דלת‎ "Door" | value: 4

The shape of Daleth suggests the porch of a doorway or tent-flap, inviting the traveller to cross into the Supernals (Kether, Chokmah, & Binah). Daleth is the path leading from Chokmah to Binah, uniting the Father with the Mother.

15 Hé— letter: ה‎ = H | name: הה "Window" | value: 5

Hé is the window that allows the Light to reach us.

16 Vau— letter: ו‎ = U, V, W or O | name: וו‎‎ "Nail" | value: 6

Vau is a phallic glyph, symbolizing creative reality and the magical will. Vau is also "The Son" of the Tetragrammaton, represented by Bacchus, Jesus, or Parsival the King-Priest.

17 Zain— letter: ז = Z | name: זין "Sword" | value: 7

Zain is ...

18 Cheth— letter: ח = Ch (hard) | name: חית "Fence" | value: 8

Cheth is ...

19 Teth— letter: ט = T | name: טית "Serpent" | value: 9

Teth is ...

20 Yod— letter: י = I, E or Y | name: יוד‎‎‎ "Hand" | value: 10

Yod is ...

21 Kaph— letter: ך כ = K | name: כף "Palm" | value: 20, 500-final

Kaph is ...

22 Lamed— letter: ל = L | name: למד‎ "Ox Goad" | value: 30

Lamed is ...

23 Mem— letter: ם מ = M | name: מים "Water" | value: 40, 600-final

Mem is ...

24 Nun— letter: ן נ = N | name: נון "Fish" | value: 50, 700-final

Nun is ...

25 Samekh— letter: ס = S | name: סמך "Prop" | value: 60

Samekh is ...

26 Ayin— letter: ע = O | name: עין "Eye" | value: 70

Ayin is ...

27 Pé— letter: ף פ = P | name: פה "Mouth" | value: 80, 800-final

Pé is ...

28 Tzaddi— letter: ץ‎ צ = Ts or Tz | name: צדי "Fish-hook" | value: 90, 900-final

Tzaddi is ...

29 Qoph— letter: ק = Q (soft) | name: קיף "Back of Head" | value: 100

Qoph is ...

30 Resh— letter: ר‎ = R | name: ריש‎ "Head" | value: 200

Resh is ...

31 Shin— letter: ש = Sh | name: שין "Tooth" | value: 300

Shin is ...

32 Tau— letter: ת = Th (soft) | name: תו "Cross" | value: 400

Tau is ...

Hebrew Alphabet

See also