Page 124 - Coincidences in the Bible and in Biblical Hebrew

THE PURPOSE OF LIFE
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CHAPTER 6 THE PURPOSE OF LIFE 103
CHAPTER 6
With the letter L and its bizarre name, the Hebrew language directs one to
what it “perceives” to be the real purpose of life, the direction that one should
take—namely, learning new righteous ways until they become second nature.
Stated differently, the Hebrew language conveys the following message:

“We have come here, to this world, in order to learn. But learning we must
in such a fashion that the learned modify our very nature and becomes part
of it.”

This same theme is summarized in the verse from Isaiah: “Thus says the Lord
God, thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God, who teaches
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thee [melamdecha ] for thy profi t [literally, “to be useful”], who leads you by the
way that thou shalt go” (Isa. 48:17).
In other words, the letter used in the Bible for direction (or for purpose) also
has a name which means “learning,” implying that “this is the direction that you
need to take in conducting and molding your lives”!

Comments
1. The reader may perceive the above as preaching. It is not; nor is it intended
to be. What we wished to demonstrate here is that Hebrew letters, and their
linguistic properties, have hidden messages that the Hebrew language con-
veys. In this case, the common usages of the letter lamed (the Hebrew L), and
its name, are so at odds with one another, that one is led, nearly in spite of
herself or himself, to receive a very powerful message that biblical Hebrew is
attempting to convey.
2. The source of the root L.M.D (used in the sense of learning) is unknown.
However, it is known that in ancient times the malmad, a pointed rod, was
used to hurry up livestock. Perhaps this somehow explains the use of the
Hebrew letter lamed for direction. The association with learning is still vague,
until the above message is considered.

6.2 “Work,” “Angle,” “Messenger”
6.2.1 Melachah (Work)

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“Work” in Hebrew is melachah. This word has a special position in the Hebrew
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language. There are altogether thirty-nine basic types of “work”s (melachot) that
a Jew is forbidden doing on Shabbat and on holy Jewish festivities. The reason
is that each of these “work”s have, about them, an element of creation, intro-