אלף בית Aleph-Bet. Torah resource.com Resources & elearning for the Torah Community. Learning to Write the Aleph-Bet in Block & Cursive.

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1 Torah resource.com Resources & elearning for the Torah Community אלף בית Aleph-Bet Learning to Write the Aleph-Bet in Block & Cursive by Tim Hegg

2 - Aleph א א Aleph has no sound of its own but originally was a glottal stop, like the beginning sound of uh-huh. - Aleph (cursive) אבא אדני אלהים א ב א א ד נ י א ל ה ים - Bet ב ב Bet has two different sounds, B if it has a dot (dagesh) in it [ ב] and [ב] V if it does not have dagesh - Bet (cursive) b = ב v = ב ב ית ב ר וך ב ן א ב א ט וב בן אבא טוב

3 - Gimmel ג ג Gammal in Hebrew means camel. Does the shape of the Gimmel remind you of a camel? Gimmel sounds like G as in go - Gimmel (cursive) = G ג ג מ ל ג ד ול ג ב ור גן גואל הגדה - Dalet ד ד Dalet makes the sound of D as in dog - Dalet (cursive) Horizontal stroke extends past the vertical leg of the letter = D ד ד וד י ד ר ך ד ן אדני הגדול הגדה

4 (נקודות) Vowel signs Vowel signs are written: Under the letter ב Beside the letter ב Under & ב י beside the letter Two vowels which say a as in fa ther ב ב ק מ ץ qametz פ ת ח patach Two vowels which say ee as in feet ב ב י chiriq qatan ח יר יק ק ט ן chiriq gadol ח יר יק ג ד ול Two vowels which say o as in hole ב cholam ח ול ם ב ו cholam vav ח ול ם ו ו

5 - Hey ה ה Hey sounds like H as in hat, but at the end of a word it is silent. - Hey (cursive) be sure there is a break here = H ה אברהם הגדה התורה ה ור ה ה ר צ י ון ה נ ה - Vav ו (cursive) - Vav ו Vav sounds like the letter V, and sometimes a vav is used to indicate a vowel. be sure the top stroke does not go past the horizontal leg = V ו ו ע ד ו אל ה י א ב ות ינ ו אני ואדי מצוות

6 - Zayin ז ז Zayin sounds like the Z in Zoo - Zayin (cursive) the horizontal stroke goes beyond the verticle leg = Z ז מזמור לדוד זקן ז ה ב מ ז וז ה ז ק נ ים - Chet ח Chet sounds like the rough, German ch in Ach!. It sounds like an h with the throat closed. - Chet (cursive) ה Note: no gap like the = ch ח Note: ת no foot like the ח יצחק משיח שמחה ר א ש ח ד ש ח ל ה

7 (נקודות) More vowel signs Two vowels which say oo as in food ב ב ו Qibutz ק ב וץ Shuruq ש ור וק Vowel which says long a as in fate or short e as ב get Tzayreh in צ יר ה Vowel which says short e as in get ב Seghol ס ג ול Vowel which makes a quick short e sound, as in petunia or is silent ב Sheva ש ו ה

8 - Tet ט ט Tet sounds like the t in toy - Tet (cursive) = t ט בטח טטפת חטא ט וב ט ר ף ל א ט - Yod י י Yod sounds like the letter y in yes and sometimes is used as a vowel letter. - Yod (cursive) = y י פרי להדליק טלית י ש ר א ל י צ ח ק י ד

9 - Kaf/Kaf soffit כ/ך (cursive) - Kaf כ/ך Kaf sounds like the ח when it is written without dagesh, and like the letter k when written with dagesh. Final kaf has the same sounds as initial or medial kaf. = ch = k כ כ Note: base horizontal does not extend beyond the verticle ברוך מלך מלכותו כ ר ע ים כ ן כ ש ר = L ל - Lamed ל ל - Lamed (cursive) אלף מלך ישראל ל ה ד ל יק ל ול ב ל א

10 - Mem/Mem soffit מ/ם (cursive) - Mem מ/ם = M מ Note that the mem soffit has a flat baseline without the corners rounded. ם המוציא שמע שלום מ ל ך מ ג ן ד ו ד מ ז וז ה - Nun/Nun soffit נ/ן = N נ נ/ן - Nun (cursive) Note that the nun soffit is longer than the vav ן) (ו, which is the only way it is distinguished בן ראש השנה אדני נ ו ת ן נ ר נ ב יא 10

11 - Samech ס - Samech (cursive) = S ס Note that the samech has a rounded baseline or corners which are cut off, distinquishing it from the mem soffit ם ס ס mem soffit samech סיני סליחה בסדר ס ד ור ס כ ה ס פ ר -Ayin ע (cursive) - Ayin ע Ayin is a SILENT LETTER, though in ancient times it may have had a deep, glottal stop, somewhat like the stopped throaty sound in uh-huh. In Arabic the the equivalent letter is a throaty G sound. שמע העולם ישוע ע ב ר ית ע ר ב ע מ יד ה 11

12 - Peh/Peh soffit פ/ף - Peh (cursive) = p פ = ph פ Note that the peh soffit cursive has the final tale curling downward and back toward the verticle stroke ף פ/ף אלף הגפן יום כפור פ ר י פ ס ח פ א ות = tz צ - Tzadi/Tzadi soffit צ/ץ - Tzadi (cursive) Note that the tzadi soffit cursive has the final tale curling upward ץ צ/ץ ארץ המוציא מצה צ י ון צ ד יק א ר ץ 12

13 = K ק - Kof ק (cursive) - Kof ק קדוש קדיש קידשנו י צ ח ק י ע ק ב ל ה ד ל יק = R ר - Resh ר (cursive) - Resh ר Note that the horizontal stroke of the resh does not cross the verticle stroke as is the case in the letter dalet ר ד dalet resh ארץ תורה ישראל ר ב י ר א ש ר וח ה ק ד ש 13

14 = Sh ש S, = ש - Seen/Sheen ש/ ש (cursive) - Seen/Sheen ש Note: in cursive if no dot is written the letter is assumed to be a Sheen ש מ ע ש מ ח ה ש מ י ם ישראל שבועות שדי = T ת - Tav ת - Tav (cursive) Note the similarities between no break break no foot ת ח ה h e y ת c h et t av foot שבת תלמיד בית ת פ ל ין ת ור ה ת וד ה 14

15 Complete Aleph/Bet א ב ג ד ה ו ז ח ט י כ/ך ל מ/ם א ב ג ד ה ו ז ח ט י כ/ך ל מ/ם נ/ן ס ע פ/ף צ/ץ ק ר ש ש ת נ/ן ס ע פ/ף צ/ץ ק ר ש ש ת = patach/qametz a as in ב / ב father = chiriq qatan/chiriq ב / ב י gadol ee as in feet = cholem/cholem vav ב / ב ו long o as in hole = qibbutz/shuruq oo as ב / ב ו in food = tzere a as in fate or ב e as in get = seghol short e as in ב get Vowels 15 = sheva very short e as ב in petunia aisle ai as in = ב י/ ב י = same as sim ple patach ב a = same as sim ple ב qametz a sometimes long o = same as sim ple ב seghol e

16 Additional Vowels say ay as in = ב י chataf patach same as sim ple ב = ח ט ף פ ת ח patach chametz chatuf sometimes ב = ק מ ץ ח ט וף long o, often same as simple chametz = same as simple seghol ב 16