Hebrew letter Tarot correlations

Pocono Platypus

The Alphabet of Creation

I have a book by Ben Shahn, published in 1954, a children's story. It is called the Alphabet of Creation. Shahn was a well-known illustrator and artist. In the story, each letter is a character asking God to be the one chosen for Creation. God loves all the letters and tells each one how it is special, but he chooses Beth for Creation -- for it is Beth "B'reshit" that the Torah begins with.

Next time I come to the computer, I will type up a small passage from the book.

For study I made 22 Hebrew letter cards and I am now arranging them in different ways alongside the Major Arcana -- very interesting.

I have numbered the Hebrew letters from 1 to 22, but I also want to number them that other way, which I cannot locate, like how you make the bigger numbers.
 

Pocono Platypus

Aleph and the Magician

I love AT and all you kind friends -- I just want to say that before I say this:

Aleph is my favorite letter, always has been, since the beginning -- its strong, flowing movement. Every time I draw it I am surprised (or disappointed when I draw it badly)

The Magician is Aleph. The Magician is my favorite of the Major Arcana. It is who I believe I am. (Besides being a Platypus, of course.)

For me there is a strong association between Aleph and the Magician.

But I can see why some would want to make the Fool, as Zero, as Aleph, and Beth as One as the Magician, because, based on the tradition I learned -- Beth is the beginning and the power of action and the coming into being.
 

Robbiegirl

Bet, or the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet or Aleph Bet also starts the word Biraysheet which is the first book of the Torah.. Biraysheet means in the Beginning.
So while Aleph starts out first.. Bet is quite powerful. Number 2.

Gimatreeah is the study of Numberology and the Kabblic focus is largely associated with Gimatreeah.
 

Pocono Platypus

Hi Robbie Girl,

Welcome to AT. I have been asleep for awhile, not following any posts, not looking at my Tarot cards either. Beit is one of my favorite Hebrew letters, but I still love Aleph the best of all because of its dynamic curves and strong forward motion. Beit, in contrast, is very structural, like a house, and you can build things with Beit.
 

jmd

Quite correct... Bereshet is the first word of the Torah, which is itself contained between Bet (the first letter of the first word) and Lamed (the last letter of the last word) - ie, Bet - Lamed. A good indication as to what the 32 paths of Wisdom might refer to...

Yet, the Alefbeit neither begins with Bet, nor ends with Lamed, but rather opens with Alef=1 and finishes with Tav=400.

For both the Jewish and Christian Kabalist, this may also be viewed as an indication that the Torah, though fundamental and necessarily preceded but what is unspoken (Alef), is to be supplemented by other texts (Midrash, the rest of the Old Testament/Tanakh, and, for the Christian, the New Testament), comprising of the letters from Mem to Tav.
 

Robbiegirl

The TanaCH is actually comprised of the Torah which is the T or Tav, the NA is for the Nuun which stands for Niveeim which are the Prophets and Cis the Caf sofeet which is the end or last Caf which stands for Kituvim which means writings such as Psalms etc.
 

Robbiegirl

In Hebrew BET means house or the word Bayit is a home.
Bet Shalom, the house of peace Bet Kinesset the house of the parliament or house of worship. But yes, the Aleph in its Capital form is very flowing ..the cursive form is a like a C with an i in front of it and not very interesting.
 

Pocono Platypus

I study Hebrew by doing caligraphy. I find a verse in the Torah that attracts me, then I write it over and over again, and I begin to understand things.
 

Robbiegirl

Do you understand the meaning of the passage? Should you need help with anything, I know Hebrew. I have also gone to all Orthodox schools and can possibly assist with other things if need be.
 

Pocono Platypus

in the rain

I need to change my profile. I am not in Texas now. I am in the rain country north of Seattle. I have been given one month's use of a perfect cottage where I can write and look at my Tarot and then I have a nice set of Hebrew books -- five volume JPS Torah, dictionary, siddur and Jewish cook book, plus the I Ching, Chinese dictionary, a book of Chinese poems in Chinese and English, plus various Loeb Classics in Latin and Greek, plus Latin and Greek dictionaries...... Back to Hebrew, I don't use the Jewish cookbook for cooking, but I have it next to my Torah because of the verse from perka avot, "ethics of the fathers" which says "eem ein chemach ein Torah, eem ein Torah ein chemach," translated to say, "Where there is no bread there is no Torah, where there is no Torah there is no bread." meaning that while we are seeking the truth, we should eat well too, if we can.

I am also looking for a girlfriend now, and the ladies seem to be interested.