The Koren Tanakh: The Authentic Biblical Experience

Moshe: The Humble Leader

See the small letter “alef” at the end of the first word? This is the first phrase in the book of Leviticus, “And the Lord called to Moshe”. Jewish tradition teaches that Moshe (Moses) was the most humble man. Since the alef represents “I” or “Number One”, Moshe felt it gave him too much importance, so when God called to him, he wrote the letter “alef” smaller than the rest of the letters. When someone sees himself as a small alef, he or she makes room for the Divine in his or her life. This is how the phrase appears in the Koren Jerusalem Bible – including the small alef. Check out The Koren Tanakh: The Authentic Biblical Experience for yourself!