Although used for both secular and practical purposes today, the Hebrew alphabet, as many other ancient alphabets, may be considered to be of sacred origin.  This is true both in terms of the meaning of the letters, each of which has a cosmic reference, and in terms of the sound or vibration of each letter whose higher prototype represents the primary or primordial 'sounds' of Creation.

This view of language is both profound and mystical, and in this sense the Hebrew letters themselves may be sensed to be alive, vibrating with the pulse of Divine intention.  Their prototypes are part of the formative structure of Creation and their higher aspects partake of the holy.  When understood in this way, their presence adds sacred life to whatever context in which they appear.  They can also appear flat and lifeless when viewed in a non-sacred context.

Among the most holy combinations of letters and words within the Hebrew language are those found at the beginning of the sacred prayer called the 'Shema' – "Hear, O Israel, the Lord, our God, the Lord is One." This prayer, though belonging, historically, to the Hebrew people, has a place within human experience as a whole.  It is the call to awaken to the universal Covenant between mankind and God and it affirms the unity of God and the oneness of his people, Israel.   'Israel', understood here, is not the name of a nation or religion, but rather the name for the people of God - those souls everywhere who participate in the universal and sacred Covenant.   'Israel' is also the soul of man in its relationship to the Divine. 

The sacred aspect of language in its origins will one day be seen to be part of its capacity to define reality for people, as well as to be defined by the deepest strata of human consciousness and the sacred inner reality that supports it. This is true of all language and especially of those whose existence over thousands of years have given rise to cultures and civilizations. 

Whether viewed as sacred art or heard as an incantation or holy prayer, the Hebrew letters remain, today, a testimony to an ancient world of knowledge and wisdom, vibrating with an eternal quality of Life which infuses them and to which they belong.

 

Related Writings:

Prayer and the Covenant

Becoming a Holy People

The Sacred and Holy Covenant

 

 

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