“The [letter] alef has three different meanings.
One is aluf, which means a master or a chief… This lets the world know that there is a Creator… The universe did not simply emerge by itself… [and] God is the Aluf, the Master of the universe.
The second is ulfana, a school of learning or teacher… Not only [is] God the Creator of the universe, but also the Teacher of all mankind… Through the Divine wisdom of His [Torah], God establishes Himself in the world on the level of the ultimate Teacher.
The third meaning is …[alef written backward, which means], peleh—wondrous… [This] represents the esoteric or mystical level of Torah—Kabbalah and the teachings of Chassidic thought… These secrets of Torah comprise its greatest level.”