Seek the Roots: Page Six

The root words and the root characters of the Hebrew language

With the table on the previous page, you can click on any of the Hebrew letters to the right and hear what they sound like or how to pronounce them correctly. However it is by no means necessary for you to learn proper pronunciation in order to investigate the text we're exploring. It's highly doubtful

anyone is going to ask you to read these words out loud and even if we attempted it - the originators would probably laugh at our accents. Our amazing journey is to find the true message behind them - not speak the language.

You will soon discover ancient Hebrew is filled with words which are constructed from a 'root' word - adding letters to the 'root' word to make new words and new definitions. This is why the unique 'Root Character Dictionary' of the Seek the Roots project isn't initially sorted alphabetically. As you'll see, our dictionary is sorted first by the 'root' word, followed by alphabetical.
As a great example, once you learn this two letter Hebrew word:

means God - there is no real need to pronounce the word itself [click on it].
To comprehend the meaning, the proper pronunciation of any particular word is interesting, but totally unnecessary to get the actual message. But if you refer to the previous table, don't miss the fact this Hebrew word for God is composed of two letters which originally meant Leader/Power (aleph) and Shepherd/Teacher (lamed). The beauty of these ancient words is in their basic simplicity.

However, if we now glance at the first chapter of the Bible, that two-letter word isn't there. While the above word clearly means God in Hebrew, it is not the word highlighted purple in that text. If there is any word with multiple representations in this book, it is the various words for God. The second chapter will introduce a third word - 'yahweh' - but neither that word or the two letters above are in the 31 verses and over 350 words of the original first chapter. On the most influential page in the history of mankind God is referenced 32 times, but the word initially used is the Hebrew word 'Eloheem' - which is literally plural:

.
This particular word is normally written in English as Elohim or sometimes Elohem, but if you click on it and listen to the proper pronunciation it should probably be spelled Eloheem. Trying to push a foreign word into our alphabet (such as catsup or ketchup) often produces multiple spellings - none of them actually "correct". However, unlike the two character word for God shown above, this word is more correctly defined as 'the gods'. Comparing the two words explored here, the 'hey' character is added, normally indicating "the" or attention (much more on that, later) and then the 'yood-mem' combination indicating plural. [rule #1 reminder]

To further illustrate this definition, it is not at all difficult to find references within the English catechism of the faith to "Yahweh, our (particular) Eloheem", putting two Hebrew words together. Theologians who study ancient Hebrew use this fact to surmise the early Jews believed in many gods, just like the Romans and the Greeks of that period. We should not lose sight of the fact - during the time of these words, belief in Zeus or the twelve Olympian gods was very real. Most modern day Christians have no trouble with the apparent plurality of this word, however - interpreting it as simply one of the first obvious indications of the sacred Trinity. Thus, many of the current

English translations use "Lord" as the translation for "Yahweh". The plural intent of this ancient word Eloheem is validated when you consider this is a quite common rule in Hebrew composition. Adding the yood- mem combination to other Hebrew words is the precise equivalent to our own addition of an 's' or 'es' to almost any English noun to make it plural. In Hebrew, the "yood- mem" added means plural. It is as simple - and totally consistent - as that.

Rule Two

Which brings us to the second rule - another simple one. Understanding Hebrew words can be as easy as finding the root words, buried within them. There are a number of add-on characters which alter the meanings of the words they're added to. The most common ones are one character only, such as the 'hey' character we referenced within the word 'Eloheem'. Others are two characters, but in each case we will show you how the root characters identify their meaning.

If our purpose is to return to the thoughts, hearts, and minds during the time of this indescribably pivotal chapter - sometimes by exposing common misconceptions - then it is certainly appropriate to start at the beginning. We understand this can be difficult to accept. When nearly everyone is familiar with a misconception, everyone will be skeptical of anything different. This is a natural reaction. However, we want you to understand - everything we are about to share is easily verified, even by members of the clergy if they simply view the details. Anyone fluent in Hebrew can confirm these simple facts and Hebrew scholars are well aware of them. As we learn each word and verse, the beautiful consistency of Hebrew will make any misconceptions apparent.

Pronounced 'baresheet', the very first word is commonly translated into English as; "In the beginning". Unfortunately, there is a problem with that translation. In the text above we referred to starting at "the" beginning. As there is only one beginning, the term "the" is appropriate. This is meaningful as it makes the simple word "the" quite important. As with "the" Mona Lisa, it implies there is one, and only one.

There are two or three letters in the Hebrew alphabet with which you are going to get extremely familiar. Picture a man with his arms thrown up - trying to get your attention - and you have the picture-word roots of our English letter 'H'

as well as the Hebrew letter amusingly known as a " Hey!". In Hebrew you will come to know it well because when it is added to the beginning of a root word it means "the" - and that addition is very common. At the end of a root word - or elsewhere as in 'Eloheem' - the letter " Hey!" draws 'attention' within the word meaning. This occurs about 50 times in the first chapter alone - but there is no "the" - no Hey!" in the Hebrew letters of 'baresheet'. This word is a simply fantastic representative of the 'root character' method. Its six letters contain quite a background in this world where every letter had its own story. This is the way that story unfolds: (Note, we are using a vertical stack as it helps adjust to the unfamiliar right-to-left order);

beyt		family - inside - dwelling - civilization
resh		beginning - first - initial
alef		power - leader - strength (force)
shin		aggression - sharp - attack (those)
yood		throw - motion - work - effort (then)
tav		monument - symbol - sign - mark

        Each letter in this ancient alphabet carries a concept - a general idea which we try to capture with our English words. Each character deserves its own artistic representation - as none of our words even existed at that time - but the general idea for each is shown in the 'root character' alphabetic table. Using those concepts, one representation of the very first word in the Bible might easily read;
    civilization - beginning - strength, aggressive - effort - mark.
The actual historical meaning is buried within that phrase or something very similar. However, we've already shown that the phrase "in the beginning" is misleading. The beginning in 'baresheet' is "a" beginning, not "the" beginning. This may seem trivial, but it is a point which causes dispute as there are groups (such as the Mormons) who believe there are other worlds and other 'beginnings' - with more to come. A raw translation of this word would probably be something like; "during mankind's very beginning ...". We welcome your thoughts.
        The very first word in the Bible is also the original title for this chapter, as the word Genesis was added by the Greeks centuries later. When this chapter was written it was common practice to use the first word as the title of the book. If we are going to investigate the original, then "baresheet" or

is really the proper or original title. "Genesis" was the Greek word for "coming into being" - and 200 years before Jesus, 72 scholars (the Septuagint) translated the original Hebrew into Greek - assigning their new title or nickname. "Genesis" was the very first modification added to the original text, unintended by the Hebrew writers. And assuming it actually belongs? - is the very first misconception.

So, using our 'root characters' is there an English phrase that would be more fitting? Perhaps, but there is one particular phrase which is quite popular. With an equivalent expression in many other languages as well, it may normally be associated with fiction but there is actually nothing in the phrase that denies reality. And as the first word, original heading for these beautiful words - what a wonderful title.

Once Upon a Time ...