The Wisdom in the Hebrew Alphabet: The Sacred Letters As a Guide to Jewish Deed and Thought
For more than a generation, Rabbi Michael L. Munk, as a sidelight to his busy schedule of educational and communal work, has fascinated audiences with his learned and provocative lectures on the Hebrew alphabet. In the process of opening eyes and raising eyebrows, he has convinced countless people that his contention is true: the Hebrew alphabet abounds in scholarly and mystical meaning. He has developed and proven a profound thesis. The alphabet -- if correctly understood -- is a primer for...
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For more than a generation, Rabbi Michael L. Munk, as a sidelight to his busy schedule of educational and communal work, has fascinated audiences with his learned and provocative lectures on the Hebrew alphabet. In the process of opening eyes and raising eyebrows, he has convinced countless people that his contention is true: the Hebrew alphabet abounds in scholarly and mystical meaning. He has developed and proven a profound thesis. The alphabet -- if correctly understood -- is a primer for life. Ethical conduct, religious guidance, philosophical insights, all are nestled in the curls, crowns, and combinations of the Hebrew letters. This is one of those rare books that is both interesting and profound, learned and readable. The wisdom and compassion of the author is evident in those subtle ways that do not intrude on the reader, but give him the satisfaction of knowing that a rich, warm, productive lifetime of experience is flavoring the text. Rabbi Munk was born in Berlin, the son of the illustrious chief rabbi of the Orthodox community. He was a leading battler against attempts to outlaw kosher slaughter in pre-Holocaust Germany, and pioneered in scientific research to prove the humaneness of shechitah. In London he founded the thriving Adath Yisrael Synagogue of Hendon; in America he was the founding principal of what is now the largest Orthodox girls school in the world, and he resumed his defense of pro-shechitah legislation in the nation's capital. After the war, he volunteered a year of his life to help the hapless survivors in Europe's Displaced Persons camps. A brilliant educator, author, and activist, Rabbi Munk has gained the respect and affection of thousands in a long and fruitful career
Letters of Approbation/[characters not reproducible]8In Memoriam10Author's Preface13Overview: Protoplasm of CreationI.Primacy of ContentII.Letters and UtterancesIII.World, Nations, Person16Prologue: The All-Encompassing Aleph-Beis: From Aleph to TavCompletionComplete Blessing and Tempered CurseConsolation Amid TragedyConfession and Total RegretFull Range of PraisePower of the Aleph-BeisThe Letters and a Philosophy of Life33Table of Scripts and Numeric Values42God's Oneness and Mastery43Divinity (king of the letters)MightGod, Torah and Israel are OneAdamAbrahamFrom Aleph to Eleph to AluphHumilityPurity in LearningCall to TeshuvahLink between Heaven and EarthBlessing and Creation; Duality and Plurality55Two Torahs: Written and OralTwo TabletsCommandments and ProhibitionsTwo Leaders: Moses and AaronTwo Genders: Adam and EveTwo Drives: Two Hearts ([characters not reproducible], free choice)Two Worlds: This World and the World to ComeReishis is Torah, Israel, ChallahUnderstandingDifferentiationBayis (house): a focal pointHoly TempleBayis denotes WifeHospitalityOneness and MultiplicityKindness and Culmination71Three Pillars: Torah, Worship and Kind DeedsGod's overflowing ChessedTorah Begins and Ends with ChessedAbraham Emulates God's ChessedBrotherly KindnessBlending of ContrastsThe Three PartnersSet of ThreeThree Divine GiftsDimensions and Concern78Four Dimensions and Spiritual StagesDefining [characters not reproducible]Lesson of the LettersDiscretion and TactCharity vs. ChessedChessed with Hand and HeartRich and Poor Benefit EquallyWealth and Contentment of the BenefactorDivinity, Gentility and Specificity85This World is Imbued with the DivineLarge and Small [characters not reproducible]Abram becomes AbrahamRepentance and MercyHashem Manifested in SilenceThe Missing [characters not reproducible]Five Apertures (Priestly Blessing)FemininityThe Weaker Arm (tefillin)Two New SongsThe Definite ArticleName of GodCompletion, Redemption and Transformation94Guarantor of RedemptionConjunction and ContinuityConversive VavFrom Anguish to Gladness and Vice VersaThe Many Meanings of VavComplete or Defective SpellingsPurimBroken VavSpirit, Sustenance and Struggle104Seven is the Focal PointSustenance and StruggleArmament: Measures of Self DefenseThe Seventh DayProvider of SustenanceSabbath and IsraelSabbath and the World to ComeEnjoyment on the SabbathTranscendence, Divine Grace and Life112GraceLifeSinStructure and SymbolismInterchangeable LettersGoodness118The Objective GoodRepentanceMan's Goodness and HumilityDiminished and Enlarged [characters not reproducible]DivorceCreation and the Metaphysical125HumilityInheritance of TorahFundamental Unit (the decimal system)Allusions to God and IsraelPrayerDeleted and Added [characters not reproducible][characters not reproducible] For EmphasisAs SpokesmanCrowning Accomplishment133Three CrownsName of ObjectsFor Like (comparison)End [characters not reproducible]; Suffix of PossessionSmall [characters not reproducible]Teaching and Purpose138Man's Learning and TeachingPurpose and TransitionGod the Master TeacherLearning with HeartGreat [characters not reproducible] and Small [characters not reproducible]Revealed and Concealed; Moses and Messiah143OmnipresentWhere God ResidesTeaching the RevealedMoses and the Messiah[characters not reproducible] of HistorySignificance of 40Faithfulness, Soul and Emergence151God is FaithfulServing God in Two Ways[characters not reproducible], soul, and [characters not reproducible], CandlePerpetuationFruitfulnessDownfall and Simultaneous SalvationInverted [characters not reproducible]Support, Protection and Memory159Support and EnclosureCreation of the Woman[characters not reproducible] Stands for [characters not reproducible]Mathematical DevicesGematriaos[characters not reproducible] Alphabetic SystemAcronyms (initials)AllusionsSight and Insight171Reflection of the UniverseMan's PersonalityTempted EyePrimeval LightEyes of GodSeventy Denotes SpiritualityWine Reveals One's Innermost SelfAllegorical Reflections on the Shape of [characters not reproducible]EsauRich Man, Poor ManSupport of Fellow ManSpeech and Silence180Man's EssenceA Time for Silence and a Time for SpeechConsistency of Mouth and HeartMosesCrucial WordsSeeing before SpeakingKabbalahHealingRighteousness and Humility189Righteousness: Divine and HumanRoads to RighteousnessHumilityThe Tzaddik in both WorldsHoliness and Growth Cycles194God's HolinessMan's HolinessAbstinence and ControlHakafah CyclesSacrificesMonkeyChoosing Between Greatness and Degradation199WickedAnyone can ReturnHeroic PenitentAnother Path to RepentanceGod's ReceptivenessThe HeadErroneously Applied to IdolsThe Passageway between Heaven and EarthDivine Power and Script; but also Corruption207Mastery and PeacePrayerful [characters not reproducible]Symbolism of its three headsThe RainbowTwo Kinds of [characters not reproducible]; Two Kinds of ScriptFalsehood[characters not reproducible], Shin--[characters not reproducible], SinEnlarged [characters not reproducible]Truth and Perfection214Distant NeighborsTruth is LifeGod's SealTruth from the StartCreations Depends on TruthThe Mark of Man's Final DestinationPerfectionEsther, the Last of the Twenty-two Saintly WomenEpilogue: A Return to Origin: From Tav to Aleph221Universal Cycle of ReturnSpiritual Cycle in the UniverseFaith in ProvidenceContinuous Cycle of GenerationsCycles in Religious Customs[characters not reproducible]: Celestial Order of the Holy LettersAppendixThe Ksav Ashuris Script used in Torah Scrolls232Three Tannaitic OpinionsThe Solution According to Mar ZutraA Novel SolutionIndex: Scriptural Verses/Subject237
