{"id":55,"date":"2021-11-22T11:22:42","date_gmt":"2021-11-22T09:22:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hebrewmonk.com\/?p=55"},"modified":"2022-07-25T17:15:47","modified_gmt":"2022-07-25T14:15:47","slug":"the-powerful-story-behind-the-hebrew-letter-alef","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hebrewmonk.com\/the-powerful-story-behind-the-hebrew-letter-alef\/","title":{"rendered":"The powerful story behind the Hebrew letter Alef"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have been thinking a lot about what the topic of the first post should be. Language? Culture? Maybe a personal story or a funny anecdote? Then it hit me – since it’s the first post I should write about the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet. It signifies beginnings and therefore it is the best place to start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first letter of the Hebrew alphabet is called Alef<\/a>. In Hebrew this name is written אל”ף and the apostrophes are there to mark it is not a word but a letter’s name. Here it how the letter itself is written in Modern Hebrew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hebrew<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

There is something very “Schrödingerian<\/a>” about the nature of the letter Alef<\/a>. When it is all by itself, without any vowel indicator or another letter, there is no way of telling how to pronounce it. It can be read as A, E, I, O or U, and next to other letters it can also serve a silent vowel indicator. So basically, it is both something and nothing at the same time, and it must rely on other elements of writing for it to have sound or some kind of phonetic value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The vowel marking system of Hebrew is called <\/em>Niqud<\/a>. This name stems from the word Nequda<\/em> (נְקוּדָּה) which means a dot or a point<\/strong>, and it is interesting to note that these are essentially dots (and very short lines) which serve the purpose of pointing out<\/strong> how to pronounce written words in Hebrew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hebrew<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The origin of the name ‘<\/em>Alef<\/a>’<\/em> is not entirely clear. It is believed to have derived from the Hebrew word אָלוּף (Aluf). In modern Hebrew Aluf <\/em>means ‘champion’ and it is also the rank equivalent to General in the Israeli military. To be a champion means to earn the first place, so this name is very fitting for the first letter of the alphabet. As for Aluf <\/em>in the sense of General, it might also be related the number 1,000 which in Hebrew is written אֶלֶף (Elef). Not only do generals command thousands of people, but (ideally) they reach their position by being better than other men on and off the battlefield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking of fields, it is believed that in Ancient Hebrew the word Aluf <\/em>didn’t refer to a person but instead meant a bull. There are two more commonly used words for bull or ox in Hebrew and they are פָּר (Par) and שׁוֹר (Shor) respectively. So the word Aluf <\/em>quite possibly referred to an exceptionally fine specimen, perhaps even the leader of the herd – or the alpha<\/strong> if you will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A fun fact unbeknown even to many Israelis, is that the names and the shapes of the Hebrew letters are based on ancient pictograms<\/a> borrowed to represent sound. It is too long and complicated a topic to delve into in this post, and if you wish to know more about it, I highly recommend watching the series ‘Major Moments in the History of Writing’ by NativeLang on Youtube<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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