The Hebrew Letter Alef

[AnnJaffe]

I am working on a paper for school and I came across something in a book but the book provided no references. I contacted the publisher and all they replied with is that the data is based on what is found in the Ari Zal's book The book of Kavonot.

I asked a rabbi that studied that book he cant seem to find it.

The book stated that prior to the story of adam in the garden the middle part of the alef was not on an angle but it was a straight line.

Does anyone know a source for this or is this a myth? For my paper I must have a source.

Any help would be appreciated 

[muman613]

Shalom Ann,

I cannot find an exact reference to this idea but here is some information about the Kabbalistic lessons of the letter Alef:


http://www.inner.org/hebleter/alef.htm

The Hebrew Letters
Alef: The Paradox of God and Man

The alef is formed by two yuds, one to the upper right and the other to the lower left, joined by a diagonal vav. These represent the higher and lower waters and the firmament between them, as taught by the Ari z"l ("Rabbi Isaac Luria of blessed memory," who received and revealed new insights into the ancient wisdom of Kabbalah)

Water is first mentioned in the Torah in the account of the first day of Creation: "And the spirit of God hovered over the surface of the water." At this time the higher and the lower waters were indistinguishable; their state is referred to as "water in water." On the second day of Creation God separated the two waters by "stretching" the firmament between them.

In the service of the soul, as taught in Chassidut, the higher water is water of joy, the experience of being close to God, while the lower water is water of bitterness, the experience of being far from God.

In Jewish philosophy, the two intrinsic properties of water are "wet" and "cold." The higher water is "wet" with the feeling of oneness with the "exaltation of God," while the lower water is "cold" with the feeling of separation, the frustration of experiencing the inherent "lowliness of man." Divine service, as taught by Chassidut, emphasizes that in fact the primary consciousness of both waters is the sense of the Divine, each from its own perspective: from the perspective of the higher water, the greater the "exaltation of God," the greater the oneness of all in His Absolute Being; from the perspective of the lower water, the greater the "exaltation of God," the greater the existential gap between the reality of God and that of man, thus the inherent "lowliness of man."

The Talmud tells of four sages who entered the "Pardes," the mystical orchard of spiritual elevation reached only through intense meditation and Kabbalistic contemplations. The greatest of the four, Rabbi Akiva, said to the others before entering, "When you come to the place of pure marble stone, do not say 'water-water,' for it is said, 'He who speaks lies shall not stand before my eyes.'" The Ari z"l explains that the place of "pure marble stone" is where the higher and the lower waters unite. Here one must not call out 'water-water,' as if to divide the higher and lower waters. "The place of pure marble stone" is the place of truth--the Divine power to bear two opposites simultaneously; in the words of Rabbi Shalom ben Adret: "the paradox of paradoxes." Here "the exaltation of God" and His "closeness" to man unite with the "lowliness of man" and his "distance" from God.

The Torah begins with the letter beit: "Bereishit (In the beginning) God created the heavens and the earth." The Ten Commandments, the Divine revelation to the Jewish People at Sinai, begin with the letter alef: "Anochi {I} am God your God who has taken you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." The Midrash states that "higher reality" had been set apart from "lower reality," for God had decreed that neither higher reality descend nor lower reality ascend. In giving the Torah, God annulled His decree, He Himself being the first to descend, as it is written: "And God came down on Mount Sinai". Lower reality, in turn, ascended: "And Moses approached the cloud...." The union of "higher reality," the upper yud, with the "lower reality," the lower yud, by means of the connecting vav of Torah, is the ultimate secret of the letter alef.



See also : http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/137073/jewish/Alef-The-Difference-Between-Exile-and-Redemption.htm

http://www.kabbalaonline.org/kabbalah/article_cdo/aid/2140587/jewish/Large-Aleph-Tiny-Aleph.htm

[muman613]

[muman613]

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/43151/jewish/The-Aleph-Files.htm

[AnnJaffe]

Thank You for those links, but does anyone have a reference on the idea that the mid part of the alef was originally a straight line? I find it amazing that this was published in a book that claims everything is based on Torah / Kabbalah text, yet he gives no reference. I doubt he would publish something he didn't verify. 

[muman613]

Thank You for those links, but does anyone have a reference on the idea that the mid part of the alef was originally a straight line? I find it amazing that this was published in a book that claims everything is based on Torah / Kabbalah text, yet he gives no reference. I doubt he would publish something he didn't verify. 

I tried to find a reference to this but was not successful. It is possible what you said is true. The sources I found did indicate that the Vav itself divides the upper world from the lower world, and I could see how maybe when first created they could have been horizontal, but when Adam and Chava ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil it upset the separation of good and evil, thus mixing it. But this is just my supposition...

[AnnJaffe]

I tried to find a reference to this but was not successful. It is possible what you said is true. The sources I found did indicate that the Vav itself divides the upper world from the lower world, and I could see how maybe when first created they could have been horizontal, but when Adam and Chava ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil it upset the separation of good and evil, thus mixing it. But this is just my supposition...

thanks, because it makes sense id like to include it but without a source I cant, I must of asked by now at least 5 rabbis, none knew a source :-(

[muman613]

thanks, because it makes sense id like to include it but without a source I cant, I must of asked by now at least 5 rabbis, none knew a source :-(

I just saw a shuir where the Rabbi almost explained this discussion between the Alef and the Beit which the Chabad site I posted above discussed. This derives from the question about why the Torah starts with the letter Beit rather than Alef. It would make sense to start with Alef since it is the 1st letter, but there are reasons the Torah starts with a Beit (Beresheit) and the one most people say is because 'beit' is to 'Baruch' (Blessing) while 'Alef' is to "arur' (Curse)...

http://www.shemayisrael.com/parsha/peninim/archives/bereishis71.htm

PARSHAS BEREISHIS

In the beginning of G-d's creating the heavens and the earth. (1:1)

Clearly, one's interest is piqued when he notes that the Torah begins with the letter bais, the second letter of the alphabet, rather than the aleph which precedes it in the order of the alphabet. It would reason that the Torah would open its account of Creation with the first letter of the aleph-bais. This question has not eluded the commentators, who offer their varied explanations. The simplest and most straightforward explanation offered by the Midrash is that bais is the language of berachah, blessing, while aleph is the vernacular of arrur, curse. Upon commencing any endeavor, one wants to infuse it with blessing. Creation is certainly no different.

How do we define blessing in contrast to curse? If we were to take the Midrash beyond its philosophical explanation, we could say that the gimatria, numerical value, of the letter aleph is one, while the gimatria of bais is two. Since the dawn of time, man has been able to decide how he wants to live his life. Should he live as a "one," self-centered, caring only about himself, or does life go beyond the ani, I? Does life transcend his personal needs, his interests, his desires, and answer to the bais, "two," the mutual sharing of oneself with his fellow. One who lives only for himself is cursed. Hillel says, Im ani l'atzmi, mah ani? "If I am for myself, what am I?" Life is about working with others, helping others, needing others, partnerships, affiliations, alliances and brotherhoods. One who thinks only of himself, to the exclusion of Hashem's "other" creations, does not fulfill the purpose of creation.

The bais represents blessing and duality. It is the peaceful coexistence of two people that gives the greatest expression to the motif of creation. When Hashem asked Kayin, "Where is Hevel, your brother?" his response was, "Am I my brother's keeper?" Kayin had just expressed his perspective on life: Me. He was an aleph person, caring only about himself. His brother did not fit into the equation. His life was determined by his needs - not those of his brother. Is it any wonder that, when threatened by his brother's spiritual success, he responded with murder. He had no room for anyone else in his life.

Lo tov l'heyos ha'adam levado, "It is not good for man to be alone" (Bereishis 2:18). While this pasuk addresses the need for man to seek a mate, a companion for life, it may also be viewed as our mission vis-?-vis the Jewish community. Just as it is not good for man to be alone, caring only about himself, neither should we, as Jews, allow another Jew to be left alone. Just as it is incumbent upon us to share with others, so, too, it is our responsibility to see to it that no Jew be left alone. As I recently saw stated, the Hebrew word for life, chayim, is plural. This teaches us that life is essentially shared. To live for oneself alone is not to live.

The Maharal connects the bais of plurality with the bais of blessing and the bais of Creation. Hashem created the world with the bais, imbuing it with blessing, for He is blessed and only from Him does true blessing emanate. True blessing, however, is possible only when opposites work together towards a common, beneficial purpose. The harmonious interaction is demonstrated by the various phenomena: heaven and earth; light and darkness; man and woman; etc. Through such cooperation, the world and its inhabitants can continue to coexist, providing blessing for mankind. The bais is the beginning of plurality, and it best symbolizes the blessing of common endeavor.

We certainly cannot ignore, however, the "aleph." Indeed, we may suggest that the goal of the bais, two people working together, such as husband and wife, is that they should meld together into one harmonious unit, so that they will transform the bais/plurality, into an aleph, unity. That is what achdus, unity, is all about.

This idea may be derived from a passage in the Talmud Yerushalmi, Meseches Chagigah 2:2. As we mentioned earlier, bais signifies blessing, whereas in earthly matters, aleph implies arur, curse. Chazal tell us that after bais was chosen for Creation, aleph withdrew itself from the running. It did not compete for "first place." Hashem turned to the aleph and asked, "Why do you remain silent?" Aleph replied, "In the presence of the other letters, I cannot render any claims, since they all request plurality, while I am only one."

A very impressive response, but Hashem had already "decided" to create the world with the bais. Why did He question the aleph's reason for keeping silent? The Baal HaTanya explains that the aleph was under a grave misconception concerning this world's purpose in Hashem's scheme of things. A world in which the bais, plurality, plays such a preeminent role is not a place for the aleph, which represents oneness, G-dliness, uniqueness. To correct this error in perception, Hashem said to the aleph, "Do not be afraid, for you stand at the head of the aleph-bais like a king. As I am One, so are you one. My intention is to create a world in which My Divine Spirit prevails throughout. This will be achieved through my Torah, which I will give to My People. When I present them with the Torah, I will begin with the Aseres HaDibros, Ten Commandments, with an aleph/Anochi Hashem, 'I am G-d.'" From the above, we may surmise that the goal of duality is oneness. Diversity is good, as long as the various sides/perspectives share a common goal. Otherwise, they catalyze contention and controversy.

.
.
.

I hope to write some more on this topic soon...