Alef

Alef is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet and holds a place of supreme importance in Jewish mysticism. It is considered the "master" letter, and its very name is related to the word "aluf," meaning chief or master. In Kabbalah, Alef represents the infinite, unknowable essence of God -- the Ein Sof -- that exists before all creation. Because it is essentially silent, Alef embodies the concept that the deepest truths transcend language and articulation. The shape of the Alef is traditionally understood as composed of two Yods (representing the upper and lower worlds) connected by a diagonal Vav (representing the firmament or connection between them). This teaches that Alef is the letter of unity, bridging heaven and earth, the spiritual and the physical. The Talmud relates that the world was created with the letter Bet, but Alef was given the honor of beginning the Ten Commandments ("Anokhi" -- I am the Lord your God), signifying that God's very identity begins with this silent, humble letter. Alef's numerical value of one reflects the oneness of God, the foundational principle of Jewish faith expressed in the Shema. The Zohar teaches that Alef contains within it the entire alphabet in potential, just as the number one contains all other numbers. This letter reminds us that beneath the multiplicity of creation lies a singular, unified source.

Alef is a silent letter -- it has no sound of its own but takes on the sound of whatever vowel (nikud) is placed with it. When you see an Alef at the beginning of a word, look for the vowel mark beneath or beside it to know how to pronounce it. For example, with a kamatz it sounds like "ah," with a chirik it sounds like "ee." When writing Alef, it consists of a diagonal stroke going from lower-left to upper-right, with a small Yod shape above the stroke on the right side and another below on the left side. It is one of the taller letters and does not connect to the following letter in print. In modern Israeli Hebrew, Alef is sometimes used as a vowel carrier, particularly for words borrowed from other languages.