א
Aleph
Strength, leader, first, God
Aleph (א) is the first and arguably most mysterious letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Unlike any letter in English, Aleph is completely silent — it has no sound of its own. Instead, it serves as a vessel for whatever vowel sound accompanies it. Jewish mystics have long seen profound meaning in this silence: the infinite God (whose name begins with Aleph) is beyond all sound and human expression. Aleph's ancient pictographic form was an ox head, symbolizing strength and leadership — fitting for the letter that leads the entire alphabet. Its numerical value of 1 points to the oneness of God, the foundational truth of Hebrew faith: 'Hear O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.'
How to Pronounce Aleph
Aleph is a silent letter that acts as a placeholder for vowels. It represents a glottal stop — a brief pause in the throat, like the break between 'uh-oh.'
“I am (Anochi) the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”
Ancient Pictographic Form
In its earliest form, Aleph was drawn as an ox head with two horns. Over centuries, the pictograph rotated and simplified, eventually becoming the modern form א. The Phoenician Aleph directly influenced the Greek letter Alpha (Α) and ultimately the Latin letter A.
Pictograph: An ox head with two horns pointing upward
Spiritual Significance
Aleph holds deep spiritual meaning in Jewish and Christian tradition. As a silent letter, it represents the ineffable nature of God — present everywhere yet beyond human comprehension. The Talmud teaches that God began creation with the letter Bet (the first letter of Bereshit/Genesis), while Aleph waited humbly. God rewarded Aleph by making it the first letter of the Ten Commandments: 'Anochi' (I am the LORD your God). Aleph's shape is said to represent a person with one arm pointing to heaven and one to earth, connecting the divine and human realms.
Connection to Scripture
Aleph begins the first word of the Ten Commandments: אָנֹכִי (Anochi — 'I am'). It also begins אֱלֹהִים (Elohim), the very first name used for God in Genesis 1:1. Jesus declared 'I am the Alpha and the Omega' (Revelation 22:13), using the Greek equivalent of Aleph.
Words That Begin with Aleph
Elohim
God
Emet
Truth
Adam
Human/Man
Or
Light
Ahavah
Love
Modern Hebrew Usage
In modern Hebrew, Aleph still functions as a silent consonant that carries vowel sounds. It appears at the beginning of many important words: אֱלֹהִים (Elohim, God), אָדָם (Adam, human), אֶרֶץ (eretz, land), and אֱמֶת (emet, truth). The word 'alphabet' itself comes from the first two Hebrew letters: Aleph-Bet.
People Also Ask
What does the Hebrew letter Aleph mean?
Aleph (א) symbolizes strength, leadership, and God. Its ancient pictographic form was an ox head, representing power and being first. As the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet with a numerical value of 1, it points to the oneness and primacy of God.
Is Aleph a vowel or consonant in Hebrew?
Aleph is technically a consonant, but it's silent — it makes no sound on its own. It functions as a carrier for vowel sounds (nikud/vowel points). Think of it as a 'placeholder' that holds whatever vowel is placed with it.
Fun Fact
Aleph has a numerical value (gematria) of 1, but it can also represent 1,000 (eleph). The word for 'thousand' in Hebrew is also 'eleph' — the same root. This dual meaning symbolizes how the smallest can contain the greatest.
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