Why Do We Write Hebrew from Right to Left?

"All turns that you make should be only to the right" - how true for senior drivers among us! Reply

Someone dyslexic would be right at home reading right to left, would they not?
But this states Moses wrote the Torah, but in one verse in the English Bible, it states Moses was the meekness man upon all the earth. Did Moses write this about hisself? I saw something saying Moses could have dictated the Torah with someone else being the actual author. I mention all this, so a full picture can be referenced if you'd give me feedback on it. Reply

The Chatam Sofer explains that we should not look at each individual line; rather, we should look at the Torah as a whole. A Torah scribe makes sure to finish with just a few words on a new line, thus ending at the right side. In this case, we start writing the Torah on the right side, and then move toward the end, which is also on the right side.
Why is the right side given precedence in Judaism? In kabbalistic teachings, the right represents the attribute of chesed (kindness) and the left, gevurah (severity). Just as there is a general rule that the right takes precedence in Jewish life, so too, whenever faced with a situation where you need to decide between kindness or severity, kindness comes first.
Yes, but I put my shoe on the left first because my left foot is bigger than my right foot, my excuse.
But I totally understand the right-to-left story!
I love YOU all, what a blessing for me, that I get to read all this.
Karina Reply

Cunieform,which was written on clay was also right to left.Iraq is often thought of as the cradle of civilization.Where Abram is said to have come from.This would have preceded Hebrew. Reply

Is it true that Arabic is also read this way? Reply

Hmmm. The theory that left handed people succeed reading and writing Hebrew makes sense. Growing up. I did much better in reading and writing Hebrew. Being the lefty, I never had to deal with pen and ink stains like writing English! I love all the theories. Reply

G_d talks to us through our right brain !!! Think about that. Reply

What does The Torah and the Rabbis say about people who are left handed ? If we write front right to left, we should use the left hand not to smudge the writing ? Reply

Everything from the Middle East is from
Left to right then to the west it’s from left to right. Does it have a meaning like our sins are forgetting as far the East to the west? Reply

Thanks a lot for this article. I didn't know the reason for writing from Right to Left in Hebrew, but the explanation is awesome. Reply

What specific evidence is there to support the notion that Moses wrote the Torah in ink on parchment?? Reply

Was Moshe left-handed? That may be why we write Hebrew from right to left. A left handed Moshe would have written that way so as not to smudge the letters. Reply

I think the right-handed hammer on the left-handed chisel makes the most sense. Then the question becomes, why are most languages written from left to right? Perhaps those cultures never had stone writing. And perhaps most people view the world from left to right. There’s the marketing tale of Coca Cola in Atlanta sending a salesmen sent to the Middle East. He printed and distributed brochures showing a man dying of thirst on a sand dune, drinking a Coke, and jumping up and down with enthusiasm. But He sold no Coke. After he returned to Atlanta. He learned that Arabic is written right to left! Reply

If you have ever actually tried to write on a scroll, it is easiest to begin in the upper right hand corner and write to the left for about 4", when you would start another line. Your left hand can be used to keep the rest of the scroll to roll up and pretty much hide what you are doing.
If you try starting in the upper left hand corner and write left to right, you will find that the curling of the 'paper' will interfere with your writing.
While smudging can be a problem, the need to write slowly and reink your pen for almost every line will give the ink enough time to dry so you don't smudge your work.
It is also easier to recognize the point at which you need to start a new line when you write right to left. Reply

After reading and writing from left to right my entire life, I began to study Hebrew. To me it was much more comfortable to my brain working from right to left. Is is possible that the brain processes information from right to left, and therefore the Hebrew language is following the same flow? Reply

This may be coincidental, but Hebrew also is a concession to left-handed people. My nephew is a southpaw and they can clearly see what they are writing. As I pointed out, it may be coincidental, but lefties have sometimes not been treated so well, and it's nice that sometimes they are not let with the short end of the stick. Reply

Is this also the reasons the Jewish books and seforim are written from right to left? Reply

In reading the above, there is so much supportive reasons for writing Right to Left. A quick insight, only because I experienced this. We have two natures, the physical and spiritual. The physical heart is on the Left of our body, but the Spiritual heart is on the Right side and can be felt when annointed to do so. This experience did not last long, but it was enough to reinforce a desire to know G-d in a stronger way. Sadly, there are so many negative influences that take us on detours, away from seeking the Face of God, Whose blessings can bring us back to experience His Righteousness. Reply

Thank you so very much for all your informative information. Shabbat Shalom. Reply

Hebrew the right way Sunrise is from the east, the right Reply