The Hebrew Alphabet: A Mystical Journey

by Edward Hoffman, Karen Silver (Illustrations)

Judaism has always regarded Hebrew as a sacred language, the medium of divine communication. And its letters are no ordinary forms. The very word for letter, ot, means sign or wonder. The Hebrew A Mystical Journey reveals the spirituality and power of all 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, from aleph , which signifies creative energy, to tav , symbolizing wholeness and joy. Each concise, historical, and poetic letter profile, written by Judaica scholar Edward Hoffman, is accompanied by a lustrous illustration wrought in hues of olive, blue, and silver. An exquisite gift and introduction to a beautiful spiritual practice, this insightful meditation delves into the rich mystical heritage of the letters, offering a modern link to ancient times, when contemplating the Hebrew alphabet could enlighten the inmost soul.

Genres: Judaism, Nonfiction, Religion, History, Art, Philosophy

96 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1998

About the author

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Reviews

[Harry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a beautiful little book. However, the reader should be aware of the subtitle, "A Mystical Journey." Hoffman only explains the letters in light of the Zohar, the Kaballah and Chassidut. Sometimes the plain meaning of the letters are alluded to, sometimes not. For example, the meaning of Kaf, hand/palm, is not mentioned. Sometimes the egregious of all is that the letter Yud is not mentioned as the start of the Tetragrammaton, the most common name for God through Torah.
The book is beautifully illustrated by Karen Silver.

[Matty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely interesting, awesome mystical and revealing info for each letter.

[Mark Matzeder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated introduction to meditation on the Hebrew letters

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an introduction into the meanings of Hebrew letters and also contains artistic renditions of the letters. It's pretty fascinating, since the meaning of the letter itself also colors the word it begins. The Hebrew language is also tied to Kabbalah, which I'm diving back into trying to understand for a book project. I recommend this if you're curious at all about the meaning behind the signs of language.

[Scribblescribe · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a good book to begin to understand the mystical aspect of Judaism. It's a good intro to the letters. The downside is that it's not the complete picture and I feel it's lacking in information for this reason.

However, for what it's purpose is, it's good. I just want more.