Aleph is the subject of a midrash which praises its humility in not demanding to start the Old Testament. In Hebrew the Bible begins with the second letter of the alphabet, Bet. In this folktale, ...

The rise of a whole new profession of calligraphy artists, often with little or no connection with tradition, has meant a new approach to the aleph-bet. A Hebrew scribe – sofer stam – has a special ...

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The secret alef is the mystery of this week’s Torah portion. Alef is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Hebrew letters also serve as numbers. Thus, alef is one; it represents G-d, who exists ...

Why is the letter aleph in the word vayikra, the very first word of the Book of Leviticus written smaller than the others? A second, more mystical thought comes to mind. Rav Avraham Yitzchak Kook, the ...

Ever since I was a child, I have been terrified of rooms full of children — a strange trait for a Hebrew-school teacher. Yes, I adore kids one-on-one, but large groups of them scare me. I thought this ...