PART I: CHAPTER 24 ON THE LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET 1.24.1. Take note that, although the letters of the alphabet in the Hebrew language are twenty-seven in number, they should, in fact, be reckoned as twenty-two, since one should not include among them the five letters that correspond to their 'sisters' in pronunciation but differ from them in form, namely, the kaph, mem, nun, peh and ~adhe. The remainder, after omitting these, amount to twenty-two letters. One person has added to this group of letters six other letters, thereby making the total thirty-three letters. The purpose of this is to demonstrate the superiority of Hebrew over Arabic in its possession of a greater number of letters. These six letters that he has added to the basic number of letters are the letters n£l:J''':J, which have a different pronunciation with dagesh from the one they have with raphe. This is shown, for example, by the second beth of C~;:J:p (1 Sam. 16:6), which, on account of its being raphe, is pronounced differently from the first one, since this latter has dagesh. It is shown also by the second gimmel on~iJ (Josh. 2:6), which is pronounced differently from the first one and is like Arabic ghayn, by the second daleth of';; (1 Sam. 10:14), which is pronounced differently from the first one and is like Arabic dhiil, by the second kaph in n:Jj (Exod. T T 29:35), which is pronounced differently from the first one and is like PART I: CHAPTER 24 3TN:J TN' T")N':J377N 2ill7 ~~ ~'nN7N il1il TN 0737N 1.24.1. n~n:J T~''t1J37' T~)nN ~7N Nil37l'~ TN~ T~''tV37' il37:JO Nil1137 i'~)7N ~~ sNilnN':J 37~ ili'~n~7N 4~'nN7N ii7N Nm~ ~i'0~ 6~~7N' T')7N' O~~7N' ~N:J7N ~i11 7:J't1J7N ~~ Nil~7N:Jm 1i" :N~'n T~''t1J37' rmN Nil137:J 1~)~n ~i'N:J7N '~:!r~~ ~1:!r7N' 737;" ':IN ~'nN ilno ~'nN7N il1il il7~;' ~7N Oil~37:J ~N~N ~737 ~)N':J377N il~m ~"~7 N~'n " ;, Nil:J il7~;'7N 1137 ~'nN iln07N il1i11 il~'nN ~737 il~'nN il1N~T ~~ ~:J'377N nil:' ;;':J ~"n ~il~ ~"n7N 1137 7:!rN ~7N Nil~N~N ~n7N N1N 37~on N~ ~N7:J:J il't1J'"1~ Nil:J i'~) N1N 37~on ~n7N ~n7N ON':l:l T~ il~)Nn7N N:J7N ,m il~~'~ Nil:J i'~) Nm':J7 ~7'N7N 37'~O~ ~N7:J:J il~~'~ 7Nm,:J7 Nil37'~O~ ~N7:J:J Nil37'~O~ ~n7N l~rr T~ il~)Nn7N 7~l7N ,m, :il't1J'"1~ ", T~ il~)Nn7N 7N17N ,m, ~:J'377N ~~ T~l7N:J ~i11 ~7'N7N ,m, ~:J'377N ~~ 7N17N:J ~i11 ~7'N7N ~N7:J:J Nil37'~O~ ~n7N 37'~O~ ~7N:J~ Nil37'~O~ ~n7N rr~~ T~ il~)Nn7N ~N:J7N 1. *FEA I 2441, fo!' 94r. 11 2. FEA I 2437, fo!' 396v m.7. 11 3. FEA I 2437, fo!' 396v ml't::l.1I4. FEA I 2437, fo!' 396v O~::l7l't ~'nl't7l't. 115. FEA I 2437, fo!' 396v l'ti1n1::ll't. 116. FEA I 2437, fo!' 396v l't£l7l't.1I7. *FEA I 2441, fo!' 94v. .