Unlocking the Secrets of the Letter Aleph: A Journey Through Torah and Kabbalah

The Hebrew language, as is well-known, consists of 24 letters, each possessing its own significance based on the Torah and Kabbalah. These meanings combine to form words and sentences.

Here, we delve into the significance of the first letter: Aleph.

The name of the letter is "Aleph," with its basic root being Aleph-Lamed. The word "El" means "power," as in "it is within my power," or "and took the mighty of the land." Idolatry is the worship of powers.

"El" can also mean "foreign god," but "Aleph" represents the Creator of the world, in Whose hand lies all power, as our sages say, "You are the champion of my youth," that is Hashem.

Thus, the letter Aleph is the primordial power, Hashem the Creator of the world.

According to the sages, the first appearance of a word in the Torah that starts with a certain letter reveals its significance. Naturally, the first word in the Torah starting with Aleph is: Hashem.

Of Hashem's various names, the meaning of "Hashem" is: "strong, possessing ability and power over all."

The sages in Tractate Shabbat add another explanation for the closeness of the letters Aleph and Bet: "Aleph-Bet: Aleph Binah" (Aleph understanding). Aleph is the chief of the world, the Creator, who instructs us with understanding. Wisdom and understanding are integral to the creation of the material world, filled with wisdom, as it is said "Hashem founded the earth with wisdom."

Interestingly, the numerical value of the letter Aleph is one – our God is one, there is no second. Yet, it can also be read in the plural form, Aleph, signifying thousands. Hashem is both one and all, all the myriad manifestations of wisdom and beauty and existence are revelations of the one. Even what appears as a multitude is still one. As Maimonides states: "Know that this reality, in its entirety, is one thing!" (Guide for the Perplexed, Part I, Chapter 72).