א ← ת

Learn the Hebrew Letters: from Aleph to Tav

The Hebrew alphabet has 22 letters, and each one is also a number. The first nine letters are the ones (1–9), the next nine are the tens (10–90), and the final four are the hundreds (100–400). Five letters take a special “final” form when they end a word — their value stays the same.

Aleph

pronounced: silent / glottal

Oneness, the divine source, the ox — strength and leadership.

Bet

pronounced: b / v

A house — duality, blessing, and the creation of the world.

Gimel

pronounced: g

A camel — kindness, giving, and movement toward others.

Dalet

pronounced: d

A door — humility, openness, and the four directions.

Hei

pronounced: h

Revelation and breath — the divine presence in the world.

Vav

pronounced: v / o / u

A hook — connection between heaven and earth.

Zayin

pronounced: z

A sword — Shabbat, struggle, and spiritual refinement.

Chet

pronounced: ch

A fence — life (chai), transcendence beyond nature.

Tet

pronounced: t

A basket — concealed goodness, pregnancy, potential.

Yud

pronounced: y

A hand — the smallest letter, a point of divine wisdom.

כךfinal

Kaf

pronounced: k / kh

A palm — potential actualized, the crown of achievement.

Lamed

pronounced: l

A goad — learning and teaching, the tallest letter.

מםfinal

Mem

pronounced: m

Water — wisdom, the womb, the revealed and concealed.

נןfinal

Nun

pronounced: n

A fish — faithfulness, the fifty gates of understanding.

Samech

pronounced: s

A support — divine support, protection, and encirclement.

Ayin

pronounced: silent / guttural

An eye — perception, insight, and seeing beyond the surface.

פףfinal

Pei

pronounced: p / f

A mouth — speech, expression, and the power of words.

צץfinal

Tzadi

pronounced: tz

A fishhook — the righteous one (tzaddik), humility.

Kuf

100

pronounced: k

The back of the head — holiness and cycles of time.

Resh

200

pronounced: r

A head — leadership, beginnings, and choice.

Shin

300

pronounced: sh / s

Teeth — divine fire, transformation, the flame of the name.

Tav

400

pronounced: t

A mark or seal — truth (emet), completion, covenant.

How gematria works

To find a word's value, add up its letters. Take אהבה (ahavah, “love”): א=1, ה=5, ב=2, ה=5 — a total of 13. Remarkably, אחד (echad, “one”) also equals 13 — a classic example of how gematria links ideas: love and oneness share a number.

Numbers are written as letters too. 18 is יח (10+8) — which spells chai, “life.” That's why 18 is considered a lucky number in Jewish tradition. Two combinations are written specially: 15 and 16 become טו and טז instead of יה and יו, to avoid writing a divine name.

Ready to try it yourself? Open the calculator → or take the practice quiz →

Pronouncing the letters

A few sounds trip up every new learner. These tips will have you reading out loud with confidence.

The “ch” sound

Chet (ח) and Khaf (כ) make a throaty sound like the Scottish “loch” — never like “chair.” Try breathing out gently from the back of your throat.

Silent letters

Aleph (א) and Ayin (ע) are silent in modern Hebrew — they carry the vowel that comes with them. In ancient pronunciation, Ayin was a deep guttural sound.

Letters with two sounds

Bet, Kaf, and Pei each have a hard and a soft form: ב b/v, כ k/kh, פ p/f. A dot (dagesh) inside the letter marks the hard sound: בּ = b, ב = v.

Shin and Sin

The letter ש makes “sh” when the dot is on the right (שׁ, shin) and “s” when it's on the left (שׂ, sin).

Final forms (sofit)

Five letters change shape at the end of a word: כ→ך, מ→ם, נ→ן, פ→ף, צ→ץ. The sound and the gematria value stay exactly the same.

Reading right to left

Hebrew is read from right to left. The first letter of a word is the rightmost one — so שלום starts with shin on the right.

The vowels — Nekudot

Hebrew letters are consonants; the vowels are small dots and dashes called nekudot (“points”), written under or inside the letter. Torah scrolls are written without them — part of learning Hebrew is knowing the vowels by heart.

בַ

Patach “ah”

as in “father” — בַּר (bar)

בָ

Kamatz “ah / aw”

as in “father” — שָׁלוֹם (shalom)

בֵ

Tzerei “eh / ay”

as in “they” — בֵּר (ber)

בֶ

Segol “eh”

as in “bed” — אֶמֶת (emet)

בִ

Chirik “ee”

as in “see” — בִּר (bir)

בֹ

Cholam “oh”

as in “go” — טֹוב (tov)

בֻ

Kubbutz “oo”

as in “moon” — בֻּר (bur)

בוּ

Shuruk “oo”

as in “moon” — תּוּר (tur)

בְ

Shva “very short eh / silent”

at the start of a word — בְּרֵאשִׁית (bereshit)

אור החיים הקדוש

Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh zt״l

Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar (1696–1743), known as the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh, wrote one of the most beloved commentaries on the Torah. His book, Ohr HaChaim — “Light of Life” — draws out the depth of the verses through close reading, spiritual insight, and love of Hashem.

A tradition of blessings and salvation

Many in Jewish tradition cherish studying the Ohr HaChaim as a segulah — a spiritual merit associated with blessings, yeshuot (salvation and deliverance), and closeness to Hashem. These are expressions of religious faith and tradition, not a promise of a particular outcome. At the heart of the practice is sincere Torah learning: understanding his words and bringing their lessons into daily life.

A traditional account from Ascent of Safed

Begin with a physical book

Choose a Hebrew edition if you are comfortable reading Hebrew, or a Hebrew–English edition with translation and explanation. You can begin with a single short passage — you do not need to finish an entire portion.

1. Read the Torah verse
Open your book to this week’s parashah. Read one verse and its translation before turning to the Ohr HaChaim’s commentary.
2. Learn one explanation
Read slowly. What question is he asking about the verse, and how does he answer it? Ask a teacher or study partner about unfamiliar ideas.
3. Return regularly
Set aside a few minutes each day or a regular time each week. Review one insight and consider how it can shape your actions.

Hebrew–English edition

ArtScroll’s Ohr HaChaim includes the Hebrew commentary with English translation and explanation, for learning alongside the original text.

Buy Hebrew–English books

Hebrew edition

The Oz VeHadar Ohr HaChaim Hamevuar five-volume set at Eichler’s offers vowelized Hebrew text with explanations in Hebrew.

Buy Hebrew books

Preview the commentary

Explore the opening commentary on Bereishit on Sefaria before choosing a physical book. English translation availability varies by passage.

Read on Sefaria

Purchases are made directly with the bookseller. Check the edition, language, volumes, price, and delivery options before ordering.

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Pronunciation

Audio lessons for Hebrew reading and pronunciation, starting from the aleph-bet.