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3 Reasons Why Hebrew Is Not a Spiritual Language

Hebrew Is Not a Spiritual Language.

A Bit of Background

I love the Hebrew language. The script flows with tongues of flame that beckons me, as a westerner, to explore its exotic secrets. Just think about it. People spoke this language thousands of years ago, before even the letters we use in our languages were formed. I studied Hebrew in college but only remember a basic knowledge of its mechanics.

You may have seen posts flying around on the internet that claim Hebrew has special spiritual qualities that—if spoken or written in the right way—will grant you mystical powers.

3 Reasons Hebrew is Not a Spiritual Language

The Hebrew language is not spiritual or mystical, and here’s why.

1. Speaking Hebrew does not conjure mystical power.

Hebrew Is Not a Spiritual Language - Man Levitating

Even saying the name God gave for himself does not convey mystical power. God warns us not to take his name in vain because he wants us to limit its use out of respect and to prevent abuse by those seeking to claim his authority. See my previous posts:

2. Writing Hebrew does not conjure mystical power.

Girl writing Hebrew on a chalkboard

The Sefer Yezirah (“Book of Creation”) contains instructions on how to make a golem, an animated, soulless humanoid created by a mystic to perform a simple task. According to one version of the story, to make a golem come alive, you shape it out of mud and write the letters אמת (pronounced emét, which means “truth” in Hebrew) on the golem’s forehead. Erase the א (aleph) to spell מת (met), meaning “death,” and the golem returns to mud.

It doesn’t work. Go ahead. Try this at home. The cleaning bill is on you.

3. Hebrew letters themselves do not contain spiritual value.

Hebrew Is Not a Spiritual Language - The Power of Attention
The Power of Attention: Magic and Meditation in Hebrew shiviti Manuscript Art
at the Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, UC Berkeley, California. Photographer: Francesco Spagnolo

Kabbalists claim Hebrew is eternal, pre-existent to the Earth, and the letters themselves contain holiness and power. For example, the letter ח (het or chet) “is the traditional symbol of ‘Life’ and, ironically, of ‘sin.’ It is also the sign of transcendence and of Divine Grace, pointing to the possibility that a human being can transcend the limitations of physical existence” (Shekinah – A Language of Light).

Neither the Christian nor Jewish Bible say the letters they contain possess power, only the messages they convey.


Saying Hebrew itself contains the power of Yahweh
is like saying my wedding ring contains the love of my wife.


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