In various places throughout the teachings of the Golden Dawn, it is emphatically stated that Hebrew letters are magical symbols. For this reason, each student should learn to form and write them properly. Good calligraphy was often lacking in the old Order, with some ancient manuscripts containing poorly formed Hebrew letters. Since the Hebrew alphabet served both as a writing system and as magical symbols of the Qabalah, students were taught to write these letters with precision. While this lesson will not teach Hebrew calligraphy, you will receive a list of the Hebrew alphabet with its correspondences to memorize for higher grades, along with instruction in drawing the Hebrew letters.

"In the Zohar, there is an eloquent legend about each letter of the alphabet, particularly how Beth, the second letter, came to be used as the first letter of the Bible's first word—Bereshith, meaning 'In the beginning.'"

The Zohar is a foundational text of the Dogmatic Qabalah. It contains numerous valuable documents and manuscripts for dedicated students.

"When the Divine Being willed to create the world, all the letters appeared before His presence in reverse order. The first ascended and said: 'Lord of the Universe! Let it please Thee to create the world by me, as I am the final letter of the word Emeth (truth), which is graven on Thy signet ring. Thou Thyself art called Emeth, and therefore it will become Thee, the great King, to begin and create the world by me.' Said the Holy One: 'Thou, O Tav, art indeed worthy, but I cannot create the world by thee; for thou art destined to be not only the characteristic emblem borne by faithful students of the law, from beginning to end, but also the associate of Maveth (death), of which thou art the final letter. Therefore the creation of the world cannot and must not be through thee.'

"After Tav had disappeared, Shin ascended and said: 'I pray Thee, Lord of the Universe, as bearing Thy great name Shaddai (Almighty), to create the world by me, by thy holy name that becometh Thee only.' Said the Holy One: 'Thou art truly, O Shin, worthy, pure and true; but letters that form lying falsehood will associate themselves with thee. Qoph and Resh with thee will make up SheQeR (a lie), falsehood, in order that it may be received and credited, come first with the appearance of truth which thou representest, and for this reason I will not create the world by thee.' So Shin departed, and Qoph and Resh, having heard these words, dared not present themselves before the Divine presence."

The pleading of the Hebrew letters continued until it concluded with Aleph and Beth.

"Then came Beth and said: 'Create the world by me, because I am the initial letter of Beracha (blessing) and through me all will bless thee, both in the world above as in the world below.' 'Truly, O Beth,' said the Holy One, 'I will surely create the world by thee only.'

"Hearing these words, Aleph remained in its place and went not into the Divine Presence, who therefore exclaimed: 'Aleph, Aleph! Why comest thou not before me as all the other letters?' Then replied Aleph: 'Lord and sovereign of the universe, it is because I have observed that with Beth being accepted, all others have returned as they went, without success. Why, therefore, should I come before thee, since thou hast already given Beth the great and precious gift all of us craved and desired? Moreover, it becometh not the monarch of the Universe to withdraw and take back his presents from one subject and give them to another.' To these words the Holy One responded: 'Aleph, Aleph! Thou shalt be the first of all letters and my unity shall be symbolized only by thee. In all conceptions and ideas human or Divine, in every act and deed begun, carried on and completed, in all of them shalt thou be the first, the beginning.'

"Therefore did the Holy One make the letters of the celestial alphabet capitals, and those of the earthly, small, each corresponding to one another. And so was the beginning of the Hebrew alphabet."

Let us now examine the process of manifestation. According to the legend of the Hebrew alphabet's birth, Aleph represents the beginning of all thought, both conceivable and inconceivable. Thought precedes all emotions and actions, and action is the end result of thought. Manifestation in the physical Universe comprises three letters: Aleph, Mem, and Shin. These correspond to the elements of Air, Water, and Fire respectively. United, these three form Earth, the final physical manifestation. Within these elements, Fire and Water act as opposing forces, while Air serves as mediator between them.

The letter Mem, representing Water, signifies spirituality or consciousness. Shin, representing Fire, symbolizes the threefold flames of Divinity, the Holy Spirit. In Hebrew, the term for Holy Spirit is Ruach Elohim (pronounced Roo-ach Eh-low-heem). These two letters, combined with Aleph, form the "Three Mother Letters." Through these three letters, the physical Universe came into being, and understanding them reveals the presence of all elements combined—Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. In future lessons, you will learn how these elements relate to the Four Worlds of the Qabalah and other Qabalistic correspondences.

Remember that when working with the Hebrew alphabet in Qabalah, you can correlate many different attributes from various systems of magic and religion.