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Alphabets Part 1: Hebrew

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Part of what I wanted to focus on when I began my Letter and Paper Arts topic here at Suite 101 is the beauty of the letter as both a visual form and a means of communication. The Alphabets series will give you a listing of facts about a variety of alphabets as well as five links to resources on the world wide web for each profiled alphabet so that if you wish to view the alphabet, or learn more about a particular alphabet you can click on the links. Alphabets are not just the written word to a culture, but very often entail a visual artistic symbolism which has a method of communicating beyond the sound of the language. Alphabets in general make a wonderful addition to any paper art, whether you are writing a letter, making gift wrap or simply embellishing another paper art with text.

This month's featured alphabet is the written system of Hebrew lettering.

1. Hebrew is written from left to right, unlike the English alphabet which is written right to left.
2. Hebrew is often called the "alefbet" due to its first two letters, "alef" and "bet".
3. Hebrew has many similarities to the Greek alphabet.
4. Hebrew has no vowels.
5. Each letter in the Hebrew alefbet has a numerical value assigned to it.
6. There is an entire school or discipline of Jewish mysticism known as Gematria which studies the hidden meanings in the numerical values assigned to words written in Hebrew.
7. Hebrew has two version of some letters and their useage is dependent on whether they fall in the beginning, middle or end of a word.
8. Hebrew in its most common written form is known as block print or Assyrian text.
9. Sacred documents written in Hebrew have a special writing form known as the STA "M alphabet to distinguish them from secular documents written in Hebrew.
10. When Hebrew is used to both write the body of a text, and there is also commentary, a special written form called Rashi is used to distinguish the commentary.

    This month's featured Hebrew Alphabet Links where you can view the alefbet, learn more about it's history and origins, as well as have fun or do tutorials are:

    1. Judaism 101: Hebrew Alphabet
    2. The Hebrew Alphabet Tutorial
    3. Standard Codes for Hebrew
    4. Word Search Wizardry
    5. Hebrew Alphabet

       I hope you have enjoyed these facts about the Hebrew Alphabet and will check back for Part 2 of the Alphabet Series to learn about more fascinating alphabets from around the world that you can use to enhance your letter and paper arts.

The copyright of the article Alphabets Part 1: Hebrew in Letter & Paper Arts is owned by Seshat. Permission to republish Alphabets Part 1: Hebrew in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.