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The Meanings of the Hebrew Letters in Hebrew Language & Jewish Thought

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The Meanings of the Hebrew Letters in Hebrew Language & Jewish Thought the language bazaar magic letters the meanings of the Hebrew letters in Hebrew language & Jewish thought This edition first published 2010 (v.1) All rights reserved including the right of reproduction, in whole or in part, in any form. published by the Language Bazaar at San Diego CA Zev bar-Lev, founder/director It is permitted to reproduce individual “key letter” pages for distribution in a synagogue or study group. (The initial pages are for the rabbi or group leader, to explain as needed.) The condition for such distribution is a commitment to send feedback on them, answering the following questions: 1. Did the audience understand, enjoy, and learn from, key-letters? 2. Did they encounter any problems? What specifically were they? Please send this feedback to: [email protected]. Type the subject “FEEDBACK ON MAGLETS” in all capital letters. language bazaar page 2 :magic letters” in Hebrew preface page i Can you do it? The “heart” of this booklet is the “magic letter pages,” which can be used as handouts for individual or group study. They are most easily used in order (but can also be used out of order). This page and the next explain how to use them. It uses short phrases from the Bible and Prayer-book, such as you might see in any synagogue. You don’t have to sound out the Hebrew: If you don’t know any Hebrew, you will be led into it slowly, letter by letter. Each short phrase in Hebrew spelling is accompanied by: 1. a transliteration (that is, a spelling using English letters instead of Hebrew letters); 2. a translation (that is, the meaning, expressed in English). h„føm diå∫º ‘h i -leå al-pi ados˙em be-yad mos˙e˙* πy by the _____ of Gd, by the hand of Moses Hebrew spelling “transliteration” (the sound in English letters) “translation” (the meaning) * If you try to “sound out” the transliteration, you will likely have a little trouble, as you might have with Spanish or French. But you would likely be understood by a Hebrew speaker. FOR REFERENCE: a mama e jet i ski, s´ o no, note≠ u guru, bØt ây eye-ball So adonây “the Lord” rhymes with “my” or “nigh.” language bazaar preface page ii a sample (from key-letter page 1) in the header box, a picture and association is given also, the letter’s meaning is given, with an interpretation of for the letter and its sound the form of the letter hinting at this meaning It is pronounced p as in “pirate” It means “OPEN UP” As a “magic letter,” p means open up. It includes the words for “mouth” and “face.” Do you see the connection between these sub-meanings? key-letter meaning open up spelling of word or root xtp -np -p sound of word or root pata˙˙ pne¶ pe˙ meaning open a face mouth HEBREW PHRASE: 1 h„føm diå∫º ‘h i y-leå al-pi ados˙em be-yad mos˙e˙ π by the _____ of Gd, by the hand of Moses Hebrew spelling transliteration meaning The vowels in the Hebrew words, and even endings and more, often vary form context to context. This feature of Hebrew may seem scary, but in fact it will make your Hebrew study easier, especially if you focus on key-letters—and meaning! language bazaar “magic letters” in Hebrew preface page iii Who is it for? You may be interested in magic letters, if: 1. you don’t like “feeling like a child” when studying Hebrew; 2. you don’t like meaningless “bah-bah-goo-goo” methods; 3. you are interested at getting out the soul of Judaism; 4. you want to comprehend the Bible and Prayer-book in the original. NO ABILITY WITH GRAMMAR OR FOREIGN LANGUAGE IS ASSUMED. JUST A WILLINGNESS TO TRY SOMETHING NEW! It’s not recommended for children in its present form (but they can appreciate the insights here, too). Judaism knows the fate of a new idea: 1. First, they ignore it; 2. then they mock it; 3. then they criticize it as irrelevant if not harmful; 4. and then, all of a sudden, it is the most obvious truth in the whole world, so much so that it is “trite.” language bazaar “magic letters” in Hebrew preface page iv language & thought The “ancient” American linguist Benjamin Whorf (in the 1920’s-30’s) argued that a people’s language influences or even determines their thought. He claimed that European languages like English are noun-based and “thing-oriented,” whereas many other languages (including Hebrew) are verb-based and “process-oriented.” Some aspects of his claim have been refuted by subsequenct linguistics. But one can trace, in language and thought, the unique ways that each language connects concepts with each other. Each “language-culture complex” has its own unique configuration of central concepts. So, for example, Japanese zen and the sensei are very different from the chutzpah and rabbi of Judaism. abundance & order. One well-known example is the concept of “peace.” In English and other European languages, it is understood as the “absence of war”: This is virtually a dictionary definition. (We may begin to see a certain irony, probably unintended, when people use the expression Pax Romana, “Roman peace,” the “orderliness” of the Roman Empire.) But in Hebrew, shalom means not the absence of war, but rather “wholeness, well- being,” from shalem “whole.” (Compare refuah shlemah “[I wish you] complete healing!” So when we ask Mah shlomkhem? “What is your peace?” we mean “What is your well- being?”—not “How orderly are you?” And when teachers do hishtalmut, they become “better rounded, more complete” in their profession—not “quieter, more orderly.” These connections are seen far beyond the one root shalem “complete”: Lots of Hebrew words beginning with the letter shin refer to ABUNDANCE and JOY. ebw xmw rw Nmw epw htw Kpw sated, “full” happy sing oil abundance drink pour It is true that words for orderliness as such also begin with this letter: rew wrw Nkw bw ebw Mw jpw gate, lesson root reside sit, settle oath put; name judge But of course it is the connection between the two concepts that is important. Further, all of the individual words and roots listed here have many well-established further connections throughout Hebrew language and thought. language bazaar “magic letters” in Hebrew preface page v initial consonants as key letters What evidence is there that initial consonants have such importance? For Hebrew, the evidence is found in how pervasively we find them to be meaningful, as in the seeming “coincidences” shown here—and how helpful these connections can be, even in practical language learning. And there is further, indirect evidence in their pervasiveness in other languages. In English, for example, they are nowhere near as pervasive as in Hebrew, but some of them exist—to an extent that might even be useful for foreign learners. Hebrew vs. English p/b. In English, p and b are the two clearest “key” consonants: Their primary meanings are “poke” and “bump.” respectively. Some examples: POKE, poker, pivot, prod, probe, prow, pine, pike, prong, pitch, picket, point, period, pixel, paint, picture, pill, pebble, pillar, peak, pyramid, pinnacle, perch, pedestal, pyre, pierce, pinch, plant, pellet, particle, pea, pimple, pock, pox, penny, plug, peck, prickly, prick, punch, pain, pity, patient, pathetic, penetrate, pimiento, pearl, penis, pecker, pollen, pin, pen, perish, persecute, poignant, plea, plead, pounce, pound, prod, pick, press, pole, pipe, post, paddle, peg peel, pull, push, put, puff, pant-V, BUMP, bulge, bloat, bunch, bloat, bend, bow-V, bounce, booth, battery, base, boat, body, back, brain, build, brick, board, bake, burp, boom, bowel, bulk, blot, blotch, bother, buttocks, butt, “bum” (Br.), bottom, breast, bust- bog, blotter, blog, bubble, balloon, ball, blimp, blob, bosom, big, bus, bold, N, bosom, boobs, belly, bloomers, breeches, bonfire, button, billiards, bulb, billow, bumper, bulldozer, buffer, baggy, briefs, blemish, blood, brow, bucktooth, brush, buffalo, buff, blunt, burlap, berm, bread, butter, basket, bucket, box, beef, beard, blister, booger, bunion, boot, booster, beer, bean, bath, bathroom, bottle, bag, baggage, bowl, box bonus, bead, blip, bullet, bee, bug, bird, Is a bean so different from a pea, big and round instead of pointed? Is bread necessarily big and round? Not in reality, but their names suggest a recognition of these features (at least as potentials) in the mind of the speaker. The more important point here is that these many examples suggest a reality of English, one which might even be useful for the learner of English. For example, the first time you heard the word berm, you might well have been helped by subconscious knowledge of the meaning of b. In Hebrew, the relationships are more pervasive across the whole vocabulary, as you will see here. But, for example, p and b have different meanings. Their primary meanings are “open” and “split,” respectively. “Open” is also the basis for “mouth,” and “face” as both noun and verb, as well as various words for surprise: “a wonder, surprise, suddenly, elephant, fear”, and also “redemption,” including the two holidays Purim and Pesahh “Passover.” death. In English, death is associated with all sorts of words for going “down.” “Down” is a universal metaphor, apparently, for anything negative. DOWN, drop, drip, dig, drill, dredge, drag, draw, deep, deep, dip, doom, DIE, dead, deaf, disaster, danger, depress, dry, destroy, drain, deplete, damp, dew, drink, drunk, drown, dribble, drought, December, defeat, depressed, desert, devil, drizzle, douche, dye, descend, dangle, drivel, dizzy, drug, dwindle, diabetes, disease, dirt, disgrace, dislike, “diss”, “dish”, dwarf, drape, dress, drawers, dull, drab, dumb, dunce, dark, deny, distress, disturb, doubt, dread, dissolve, dissipate, delay, detour, difficult, dike, ditch, divide, divorce, discard, distant, disorder, dynamite, damage, decapitate, damn, dirty, dung, diaper, diarrhea, demon, dastardly, deviant, disappear, decadent, derelict, dope, donkey, dog, duck, doll, distract, demented, docile language bazaar “magic letters” in Hebrew preface page vi In Hebrew, dying (met) is related to roots for being “pulled,” in effect “pulled off stage,” including the words for “erase, wipe out.” Here’s a taste of some of the deeper and more interesting relationships to be seen below involving other letters: jutting out & authority.
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