The Hebrew Letters

Despite its apparent simplicity, the Hebrew alef-beit (alphabet) contains within it the deepest secrets of Creation. In this book, Rabbi Ginsburgh unveils before the modern English reader some of the infinite dimensions hidden beneath the surface of the holy letters.

The Kabbalistic classic, Sefer Yetzirah (Book of Formation), teaches that creative consciousness exists in three states (space, time, and soul), which are reflected in the form, name, and numerical value of each letter. Rabbi Yisrael Ba'al Shem Tov (founder of the Chassidic movement) taught that each letter also exists in each of the three dimensions of Worlds, Souls, and Divinity.

Through Rabbi Ginsburgh's treatment, based on these teachings, the alef-beit emerges from this work as the key to opening up the entire panorama of Jewish spirituality.

Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh is one of the foremost expositors of Kabbalah and Hassidism in our time. He heads Yeshivot and educational centers in Jerusalem, Hebron, and other cities in Israel. He has written over thirty books in Hebrew and English, and lectures widely in Israel and in the Diaspora. Rabbi Ginsburgh was born in S. Louis, Missouri in 1944, received his MA in mathematics from the Belfer Graduate School of Science (NY) in 1965 and made aliyah in the same year. He studied in yeshivot in New York and Jerusalem. He is well known for his clarity in elucidating even the most abstract concepts in Jewish mysticism and relating them to contemporary issues in science, psychology, politics, and the arts.