ISBN 1-8814-0074-3
5753 • 1993
There are an estimated 3,000 languages (not counting dialects) and more than 66,000 letters which make up the alphabets for these languages. Only one language and one alphabet is Divinely created, the letters having been formed and shaped by G-d alone. That language is Lashon HaKodesh, biblical Hebrew.
It is no wonder, then, that the Hebrew letters are multifaceted. The letters of the Hebrew alphabet, the alef-beis, are so rich with meaning that even Judaism's greatest scholars had to engage in lengthy study to understand why G-d made them as He did. Traditionally, Hebrew letters possess:
- Design-the specific way each letter is formed. This form represents the Divine energy within each letter.
- Gematria-each of the letters of the alef-beis represents a certain number, e.g., alef = [1], beis = [2], etc.
- Meaning-each letter has many meanings, e.g., the letter alef stands for chief, to learn, wondrous, and much more. Beis means house, etc.
- Nekudos (vowels)-most letters have a vowel that tells us how it is to be pronounced.
- Crowns-some letters in the Torah have crowns-little lines drawn on the top of Hebrew letters-which add strength to the letters, e.g. . Rabbi Akiva was famous for his expositions upon them. The crowns have their own special meanings beyond the scope of this work.
- Cantillation-each word in the Torah has a musical note.
In this book we will deal with the first four topics. The rest we will leave for another time and another book.
For grammatical reasons, certain Hebrew letters have two different pronunciations (e.g., beis and veis, kaf and chaf, pei and fei, shin and sin, tav and sav) as you will find throughout this book. Regardless of its pronunciation in a particular word, we will call the letter by its principal name (e.g., beis, kaf, pei, etc.)
It is important to note that many words in Hebrew, as in all Semitic languages,-though they sound phonetically different-share the same root and therefore are interrelated. For example, alef, aluf and ulfana all share the same common root of alef, lamed and pei, and so their meanings are connected.
Also, according to Kabbalah, when the same letters are transposed to form different words, they retain the common energy of their shared gematria. Because of this, the words maintain a connection in the different forms. We find a classic example of this with the words hatzar (troubles), ratzah (a desire to run passionately into the "ark" of Torah and prayer) and tzohar (a light that shines from within). All three words share the same three letters: tzaddik, reish and hei in different combinations. The Baal Shem Tov1 explains2 the connection between the words as follows: When one is experiencing troubles (hatzar), and one runs to study Torah and pray with great desire (ratzah), one is illuminated with a G-dly light from within (tzohar) that helps him transform his troubles into blessings.[3]
Because a Hebrew letter radiates light, insight and clarity, it is called an os, connected to the passage[4] asa boker-"morning will come". As such, we have chosen to call our book Letters of Light-the light of wisdom and understanding which emanates from the letters of the Torah.
In addition to the light in the letters written on printed matter (e.g., the letters in a Torah scroll), there is intrinsic light within each letter independent of it being written down on paper. These are the letters of Creation.
The Mishnah states:[5] "With Ten Utterances G-d created the world."
As a carpenter employs tools to build a home, so G-d utilized the twenty-two letters[6] of the alef-beis to form heaven and earth. They are the metaphorical wood, stone and nails, cornerposts and crossbeams of our earthly and spiritual existence.
G-d created the alef-beis before the creation of the world. The Maggid of Mezritch[7] explains[8] this on the basis of the first verse in the Book of Genesis: "In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth." The word es is spelled with an alef, the first letter of the alef-beis, and a tav, which is the last. The fact is, es, is generally considered to be a superfluous word. There is no literal translation for it, and its function is primarily as a grammatical device. So why is "es" present twice in the very first line of the Torah? It suggests that in the beginning, it was not the heavens and the earth that were created first. It was literally the alef-beis, alef through tav. Without these letters, the very Utterances with which G-d formed the universe would have been impossible.
Furthermore, Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov explains the verse:[9] "Forever the words of G-d are hanging in the heavens." The crucial thing to realize is that G-d did not merely create the world once. His words didn't just emerge and then evaporate. Rather, G-d continues to create the world anew each and every moment. His words are there constantly, "hanging in the heavens." And the alef-beis is the foundation of this ongoing process of creation.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, explains[10] that the source of the twenty-two letters is even higher than that of the Ten Commandments. As it states:[11] "With you (the essence of G-d), the Jews will be blessed." bach means "with you." The beis (which has a gematria of 2) and the kaf (= 20) added together equals 22. Through the twenty-two letters of the alef-beis, the Jewish people are connected to G-d and receive all of their blessings.
The essence of this work-that which makes it both unique and weaves everything together-are the teachings of my holy teacher, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, whom we will address throughout this book as simply "the Rebbe." It is my sincere hope that the ideas conveyed herein have neither diluted nor misconstrued the Rebbe's true intention.
Blessed are You G-d, our L-rd, King of the universe, Who has given us life, sustained us and allowed us to reach this auspicious occasion.
To my wife, Shternie-you are a beacon of strength, wisdom and love. To my children Yankel, Eliyohu, Mendy, Chaya and Yehoshua Elimelech, you are my pride and joy.
Words cannot adequately express my gratitude to my parents, Reb BenZion and Bassie Raskin, for giving of themselves beyond the call of duty and for giving me everything a son could ask for; to my wife's parents, Rabbi Shmuel and Devorah Plotkin (Spiritual Leaders of Zhitomer and Berditchev), for their encouragement and inspiration; and to my grandmother, Rebbetzin Chava Hecht, for her unconditional love and directives.
To my dear late grandfather Rabbi Jacob J. Hecht, o.b.m., whose remarkable vision continues to guide me through life.
I am grateful to everyone who helped make this book a reality. To Rabbi Yonah Avtzon, the publisher of Sichos In English, and Yosef Yitzchok Turner for layout and design. To my editors, Erik Anjou, who gave not only of his pen but also of his heart toward the success of this volume, and to Rochel Chana Schilder, whose wisdom, insights and tireless efforts brought much clarity to the text. To Rabbi Michoel Seligson for citing sources and reviewing the book. A special thanks to Shoshana Brombacher Miller for her beautiful artistic renderings, and to Shlomo Khayms for a great job on the cover design.
A special thanks to the following people for their valuable insights: Henry Bar-Levov, Michael Bast, Steven Cohn, Rabbi Mutty Fogelman, Mitchel Garbow, Jason Goldfarb, Rabbi Shimon Hecht, Blanca Madani, Lawrence Obstfeld, Rabbi DovBer Pinson, Stephen Rosen (President and Founder of Congregation B'nai Avraham), Aunt Fradie Sabol, Bella Schapiro, Sara Schmerler, Karen Sebiri, Reb Simcha Weinstein, and Ed Weintrob. Finally, thanks to my second family, the entire congregation of B'nai Avraham. Your commitment and passion for Torah learning constantly inspires me to study more.
It is my hope and prayer that this book will stimulate the reader's interest to delve deeper into our holy Torah. "Great is study for it brings about action."[12] Action tops the scales of salvation and brings about the revelation of our righteous Mashiach.
Rabbi Aaron Leib Raskin
15 Menachem Av, 5763
The 13th yartzeit of my illustrious grandfather,
Rabbi Jacob J.[13] Hecht, of blessed memory
For the benefit of our general audience, we present you with a list of commonly used words.
Torah-The Five Books of Moses. Can also refer to the entire Written and Oral Law.
Talmud-The primary book of the Oral Law. It is the basis for Halachah-Jewish law and customs.
There are five[14] levels of interpretation in Jewish thought.
- Pshat-basic understanding-the basis for the commentary of Rashi (an acronym of Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki [1040-1105]). Rashi is the foremost commentator on the Five Books of Moses.
- Remez-hint-one law may provide a hint and lead to another one. Generally found in the Talmud.
- Drush-homiletics and exegesis defining and explaining the verses of the Torah. Found in the Midrash.
- Sod-secrets-found in numerous texts, and in particular, the Zohar and the writings of the AriZal, Rabbi Isaac Luria, a 16th-century Kabbalist. Sod is primarily the body of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah.
- Chassidus-essence-the fifth and highest dimension of Torah also referred to as the Teachings of Mashiach. Chassidus clarifies Kabbalah and imparts the underlying spiritual meaning behind the four above-mentioned levels.
To aid the reader in pronouncing the transliterated Hebrew words that appear in this text, we have adopted the following rules:
a, e, o, u = the short pronunciation of the vowel
aa="ah-ah" as in yaar, pronounced "yah-ar"
ai=long "i" as in zain, pronounced "zine"
ea="ay-ah" as in the word meah, pronounced "may-ah"
ei=long "a" as in beis, pronounced "base"
i=long "e" as in min, pronounced "mean"
ch=a guttural sound made by forcing air through the closure formed by the back of the tongue against the palate, as in the words Chanukah and challah.
Notes:
- (Back to text) Reb Yisrael Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Chassidic movement (1698-1760).
- (Back to text) Kesser Shem Tov, p. 12c.
- (Back to text) Sefer HaMaamarim of the Rebbe Rayatz, 5689; maamar beginning with the words "Mah Tovu," dated 12-13 Tammuz.
- (Back to text) Isaiah 21:12.
- (Back to text) Ethics of Our Fathers 5:1.
- (Back to text) Although there are thirty-two letters illustrated in the alef-beis chart printed below, we count only twenty-two distinct letters. Ten of the thirty-two letters are derivatives of letters and not considered wholly distinct. Five of them are the final form of the letter (i.e., final chaf, mem, nun, pei and tzaddik), another five are "hard" (gutteral) i.e.; veis, chaf, fei, sin, and sav, as compared to "soft" (mellifluous). Alternately, see beginning of Sefer Yetzirah and Sefer HaSichos 5750, p. 448.
- (Back to text) A disciple and successor to Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Chassidic movement and all its various Chassidic sects. Born in Russia in the early 1700's, the Maggid passed away on the 19th of Kislev, 1772.
- (Back to text) Or Torah, Remez 3.
- (Back to text) Psalms 119:89.
- (Back to text) Sefer HaSichos 5752, vol. 2, p. 351, Vaad L'Hafotzas Sichos, NY, 1992.
- (Back to text) Genesis 48:20.
- (Back to text) Ethics of Our Fathers 1:17 in Siddur Tehillat Hashem, Kehot Publication Society, Brooklyn, NY. See also Berachos 17a.
- (Back to text) Toras Menachem, Menachem Tzion, Vol. II, p. 433ff.; p. 451.
- (Back to text) See On the Essence of Chassidus, page 33ff., Vaad L'Hafotzas Sichos, NY, 5747; Sefer HaSichos 5750, Vol. II, p. 601, fn. 64.
