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In this lesson, you will learn the first six letters of the Hebrew alphabet: Alef, Bet, Gimel, Dalet, He, and Vav. These letters form the foundation of Hebrew reading and include some of the most common letters in the language.
| Property | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name | Alef (אָלֶף) |
| Sound | Silent — acts as a vowel carrier |
| Numerical Value | 1 |
| Block Form | א |
Alef is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. On its own it is silent — it serves as a carrier for vowel marks. When you see Alef with nikkud, you pronounce the vowel, not the consonant.
אָב (av) — father (Alef carries the "a" vowel)
אִם (im) — mother (Alef carries the "i" vowel)
אוֹר (or) — light (Alef carries the "o" vowel)
Cultural note: Alef is deeply symbolic in Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah). It represents oneness and the divine.
| Property | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name | Bet (בֵּית) |
| Sound | b with dagesh (בּ); v without dagesh (ב) |
| Numerical Value | 2 |
| Block Form | ב |
Bet is one of the three letters in modern Hebrew that changes sound based on the dagesh:
| Form | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| בּ (with dagesh) | b as in "boy" | בַּיִת (bayit) — house |
| ב (without dagesh) | v as in "very" | טוֹב (tov) — good |
Tip: At the beginning of a word after a pause, Bet usually has a dagesh (= "b"). In the middle or end of a word after a vowel, it is usually "v".
| Property | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name | Gimel (גִּימֶל) |
| Sound | g as in "go" |
| Numerical Value | 3 |
| Block Form | ג |
Gimel is always pronounced as a hard "g" in modern Hebrew, regardless of whether it has a dagesh.
גָּדוֹל (gadol) — big
גַּן (gan) — garden
גְּבִינָה (gvina) — cheese
Memory aid: Gimel looks like a person walking — imagine a leg stepping forward. The word Gimel is related to גָּמָל (gamal — camel).
| Property | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name | Dalet (דָּלֶת) |
| Sound | d as in "door" |
| Numerical Value | 4 |
| Block Form | ד |
Dalet is always pronounced as "d" in modern Hebrew. It looks similar to Resh (ר) — be careful not to confuse them.
דָּג (dag) — fish
דֶּלֶת (delet) — door
דָּבָר (davar) — thing / word
| Letter | Feature |
|---|---|
| ד (Dalet) | Has a small horizontal extension (a "foot") at the top right |
| ר (Resh) | Has a rounded corner with no foot |
Tip: Remember: Dalet has a distinct corner; Resh is rounded.
| Property | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name | He (הֵא) |
| Sound | h as in "hat" |
| Numerical Value | 5 |
| Block Form | ה |
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