The Holiness of Hebrew TB Shabbat 104

I fell in love with the Hebrew language when I was 16 years old. My parents sent me to Israel for the very first time on the Cleveland Israel study tour in 1968. When I returned home I enrolled in Akiva High School, the communitywide afterschool Hebrew program, to study Hebrew.  This has been a lifelong love affair. Every Shabbat I take time to read at least one chapter of a book in Hebrew. Sometimes the books are nonfiction and sometimes they are novels. Right now I’m in the middle of Amos Oz’s book A Tale of Love and Darkness.

Our sages have always considered Hebrew “The Sacred Language (Lashon hakodesh-לשון הקודש)” (see TB Sotah 32a). Moses Nachmanidies explains why in his commentary on Exodus 30:13. “Our Rabbi’s call the language of the Torah “The Sacred Language,” because the words of the Torah, and the prophecies, and all the words of holiness were all expressed in that language. It is thus the language in which the Holy One, blessed be He, spoke with his prophets and with his congregation… And that tongue He created his world, and call the names shamayim (heavens), eretz (earth) and all that is in them, His angels and all His hosts-He called them all by name (Isaiah 40:26)….”(Rabbi Dr. Charles B Chavel’s translation, Shilo publications, page 518-519)

 Even every Hebrew letter with its inherent holiness can teach us important lessons. Today’s daf TB Shabbat 104 explains the moral lessons each letter teaches. Let me share with you two examples.

“Gimmel dalet means give to the poor [gemol dalim]. Why is the leg of the gimmel extended toward the dalet (גד)? Because it is the manner of one who bestows loving-kindness to pursue the poor. And why is the leg of the dalet extended toward the gimmel? It is so that a poor person will make himself available to him who wants to give him charity. And why does the dalet face away from the gimmel? It is to teach that one should give charity discreetly so that the poor person will not be embarrassed by him.

“They further taught:
Shin: Falsehood [sheker]. Tav: Truth [emet].
Why are the letters of the word sheker adjacent (שקר) to one another in the alphabet, while the letters of emet are distant from one another (אמת)? That is because while falsehood is easily found, truth is found only with great difficulty. And why do the letters that comprise the word sheker all stand on one foot, and the letters that comprise the word emet stand on bases that are wide like bricks? Because the truth stands eternal and falsehood does not stand eternal.” (Sefaria.org translation)

Do you need further proof that every letter conveys important life lessons? Then, I recommend that you begin studying Hebrew. It’s never too late!