HEBREW LETTERS
THE ALEPH BEIT, אב
The Aleph Beit was already in use at the time of King Solomon, about 3000 years ago.
The English word “alphabet” is derived from the Hebrew, Aleph Beit, אב, the first two letters.
Each of the twenty-two Hebrew letters has a sound, a form, a world, a soul and a Divine meaning.
Sound, “utterances” are vital to the Kabbalistic understanding of creation. The book of Genesis in the Torah informs us that the world was created through 10 Divine utterances. Each “Utterance” is one of the 10 sephirot in the Tree of Life.
There are no vowels in the Herew alphabet, the Aleph Beit אב.
When referring to the deeper meaning of each Hebrew letter we refer to them as autiot – אותיות.
Kabballah informs us that the entire cosmos was created from the 22 consonants of the autiot.
There are an infinite number of possible combinations of 22 Hebrew letters. (Mathematically expressed as 22!)
We know from modern astrophysicists that the cosmos is infinite, and continues to expand and create at a rate faster than the speed of light, and cannot be measured.
The autiot are seen as “signs” that point to deeper spiritual meanings and Divine truths.
From the ספר יצירה (Sefer Yetzirah), The Book of Creation, attributed to Abraham and translated by Areah Kaplan in modern times, we learn that the autiot are manifestations of Divine patterns of energy.
The ancient Kabbalists’ declared;
“Twenty-two foundation letters: He ordained them. He hewed them. He combined them. He weighed them. He interchanged them. And He created with them the whole creation and everything to be created the future”.
Seven Hebrew letters are written with “Tagin” תגין, in the Torah , תורה , the Five Books of Moses, which are the foundational texts of Judaism, referred to as “The Old Testament”, in the modern world.
Tagin, תגין are crowns. The letters with tagin;
ע ,ש ,צ ,ג ,ו ,נ ,ט
Tagin represent the highest level of God’s presence and the depth of Torah, תורה. God told Moses that the meaning of the Tagin would be revealed to Rabbi Akiva, who lived in the first century. Rabbi Akiva was executed by the Romans prior to revealing the meaning of the Tagin.
The first letter, Aleph, א
Sound:
א Aleph is the only Hebrew letter that has no sound in a word.
Yet, from Aleph arises the entire Aleph Beit of sound and meaning.
Form:
The diagonal line in א Aleph connects and unifies God, the hand that gives life, with humanity, the hand that receives life.
A Yod י above the diagonal, and a Yod י below the diagonal.
Worlds:
א, Aleph connects the energy of the non-physical world, Keter,כתר, with the energy of the physical world, Malkut מלכות.
Aleph is the ultimate beginning.
Soul:
The soul is represented by the Yod י above the diagonal in Aleph א.
Divinity:
In Kabbalah, the Hebrew letters Aleph א, Mem מ, and Shin ש are known as the three “mother letters” and are considered the primordial creative elements from which all of creation originates.
Aleph represents the intellect of man as created in the image of God. We are the Ultimate All from the Ultimate No-thing.
0 to 1
The second letter, Bet, ב
Sound:
The sound of Bet, ב is like the “B” in boy.
Bet, ב is God’s dwelling place in Malkut, מלכות The Kingdom of Earth.
ב signifies number 2, duality, male and female, spiritual and physical souls, and home,
Bayit – בית dwelling place.
It is also the first word in the Torah, B’rashith בראשית, In the beginning.
Throughout our existence in physicality, we live in dwelling places. We begin in the womb. Our souls reside in the fetus.
We exit the womb to begin our journey in the earth, Malkut, מלכות
Form:
Beit, ב is composed of three connected Vavs, ו in a square shape but open on the left, the way forward.
Our sages teach us that the shape, as the first letter of the first word in the Torah signifies that
we cannot know the beginning!
Worlds:
Beit, ב is a feminine energy and represents Gevurah גבורה in the Tree of Life. Gevurah imbues us with the
power to restrain from the desire for selfish behaviour. In the Tree of Life, ב connects the Sephirah ספירה Keter
כתר, crown, to the Sephirah Tiferet תפארת, the sun, the heart, or beauty.
Soul:
The open end of Beit, ב also signifies the soul’s journey to find completion. Upon completion, the open side of
Beit, ב will be closed with a fourth Vav, ו.
Divinity:
We are in the 6th millennial.
All will be revealed in the seventh Millennial. It will be a time of universal peace, spiritual enlightenment,
and
the return of all Jews to Israel.
The Mashiach, משיח is a time, an epoch,
not a person,
not a messiah.
Not Rabbi Joshua, Jesus.
Clearly, we are not close to the seventh Millennial.
We do not know when the Messianic age will arrive.
The third letter, Gimmel, ג
The letter Gimmel ג is derived from the word gimel, “giving and growth”.
Sound:
Gimmel ג sounds like the “G” in girl.
Form:
Gimel, ג is composed of two shapes, a vav, ו representing the leg, and a Yod, ׳ the foot of a man running.
Our sages teach us that the shape signifies a rich man running to assist a poor man.
In the Torah, Gimel is drawn with a third shape and three crowns called “tagin”.
Worlds:
Gimel, ג is a masculine energy and represents Chokmah in the Tree of Life.
Chokmah imbues us with the desire to nurture, to assist and to give to others who may be less fortunate.
Soul:
Gimel, ג, the act of nurturing another is intended to assist the receiver in establishing independence.
“Bestow kindness on your servant, I shall live”. King David, Psalm 119.
Divinity:
In the Torah, Gimel is drawn with three crowns called “Tagin”.
From the word “crowns” we can deduce that the tagin refer to the first three sephirot, Keter, Chockmah and Binah.
The fourth letter, Dalet, ד
The letter Dalet, ד is a door or doorway to the soul. Dalet, ד represents the selflessness of the soul.
Sound:
Dalet, ד sounds like the “D” in door.
Form:
Dalet, ד is a right-angle form. Physically, Dalet representing the ego of man, vav, ו, bent over, in supplication to his soul.
Worlds:
In the Tree of Life, Dalet, ד resides in the Sephirah of Malkut מלכות, the Kingdom of Earth. Dalet ד represents the conscious effort required to nullify ones ego in physicality. We are taught that we exist as “Something from Nothing”..
Soul:
Our souls continue to exist in each re-incarnation as a spark from God. Each physical existence is a minuscule moment in time.
In the Kabbalistic tradition, we are required to be willing to sacrifice our lives in physicality for our people.
Divinity:
In Kabbalah, Judaic souls are merged with God in absolute selflessness, referred to as the Collective Consciousness.
The fifth letter, Heh, ה
Heh ה represents thought, speech and action.
The number five, symbolises
five fingers, five senses and the five levels of the soul.
Sound:
ה is pronounced like the English “H” in the word Help.
Form:
Heh ה is formed by a Dalet ד and a Vav, ו.
Worlds:
ה resides in the Sephira ספירה of Binah בינה, understanding.
Soul:
Heh ה represents the five levels of the soul.
In descending order:
Yichida, יחידה the original emanator, God.
Neshama נשמה the intellect, wisdom and understanding.
Hayah, חיה the emotions.
Ruach, רוח the etheric soul.
Nefesh, נפש action in physicality.
Each of the five worlds is a complete Tree of Life, each one a soul level. One above the other.
Yichida, יחידה is the first and the highest level of the soul.
It represents the original emanator, God, the Creator, and transcends everything that is.
Yichida, יחידה
“The spark from God above”
The sages inform us that there are,
10 Tree of Life layers, one above the other, each tree comprising 10 Sephirot.
This is extraordinarily complex and beyond the understanding of man’s intellect.
The multi levels of the soul, as represented by the layers of the Trees of Life are receptacles.
Divinity:
The Torah comprises the 5 books of Moses. The Torah is the explicit expression of God’s will for the Judaic people.
The Torah is Light in the darkness. The word Light appears 5 times in the Torah, on the first day of creation.
The Judaic purpose in physicality is to find Light through the actions of righteousness.
The Judaic mission is to be “a light unto the nations”.
אור לגוים
The sixth letter, Vav, ו
Vav ו signifies our connection to God and the six days of creation.
The gematria of Vav ו is 6, representing connection, completion, and humanity.
Sound:
The sixth Hebrew letter Vav ו is pronounced like the English letters “Vav”.
Form:
Vav ו represents man standing upright. In the Judaic tradition, man does not bow. The double Vav, וו in the spelling represents two pillars in the Tree of Life, one on the left and one on the right.
Worlds:
Vav ו resides in the path that connects the sixth Sephirah, Tiferet תפארת beauty, with the ninth Sephirah, Yesod יסוד, the foundation of intellect and emotions, prior to entering physicality.
ו signifies that each of us is responsible for our own spiritual journey. In the words of the Baal Shem Tov,
“Never seek to imitate the spiritual path of another”.
We cannot vicariously atone for our misdeeds. We must rectify them. This will be dicussed more deeply in the 10 days from השנה רש Rosh Hashana to כיפור יום Yom Kippur. The 10 days between the Judaic Head of the Year and the Day of Repentance.
Soul:
In the Judaic tradition we exist as individual souls, all connected to one another through the power of good deeds, with one heart, in תפארת Tiferet.
Divinity:
The Torah is Judaic law. We are to receive God’s 613 commands from every dimension of creation.
Vav, ו imbues us with the power to seek redemption in every moment in the continuity of creation.
The seventh letter, Zayin, ז
Zayin ז is one of the seven letters drawn in the Torah with Tagin.
The gematria of Zayin ז is 7, representing the 7th day of creation, Shabat.
Saturday not Sunday.
Zayin ז signifies completion and connection to the Creator, distinct from the six days of physical creation.
As the 7th letter, Zayin embodies perfection.
Genesis, Chapter one:
And God saw that it was good, וירא אלהים כי טוב
Sound:
ז has a “z” sound, like zed in the English word “zebra,” and is pronounced “Zayeen”.
Form:
Zayin ז represents a golden scepter and the crown of a king.
Worlds:
Zayin ז signifies the harmonious union of masculine and feminine energies.
Zayin ז resides in נצח Netzach, Victory and in יסוד Yesod, Foundation.
Soul:
Zayinז in the sephirot in נצח Netzach, Victory and in יסוד Yesod, foundation is the crowning moment of creation in the bonding of male and female energies prior to entry into the physical world.
Divinity:
Zayin ז. From the concept of Tagin, “crowns”, we can deduce that the three spikes above Zayin refer to the first three sephirot, Keter, Chockmah and Binah.
The following blessing, transliterated as Vayvarech Elohim et Yom Hashvi are uttered on Sunset on Friday night when Shabat begins.
And God blessed the seventh day – ויברך אלהים את יום השביעי
The eighth letter, Chet, ח
The numerical value of eight is associated with transcendence and infinity.
Chet, ח begins the Hebrew word for life, Chaim, חיים.
L’chaim, לחיים means “To Life!” and is a common Hebrew toast wishing life and prosperity.
Sound:
The eighth Hebrew letter Chet, ח is pronounced like the “Ch” in Chanukah.
Chet, ח begins the Hebrew word for life, Chaim, חיים.
L’chaim , לחיים means “To Life!” and is a common Hebrew toast wishing life and prosperity.
Form:
Chet, ח combines the two previous letters, Vav, ו and Zayin ז.
Kabbalistic tradition views Chet, ח as the union of male and female, connected by a bridge.
Worlds:
Chet, ח resides in the sephirah of Binah בינה, understanding, and may be viewed as the bridge between
Binah בינה and Chockmah חכמה, wisdom.
Soul:
Chet, ח is a gateway beween the soul world and the physical world, through which we enter and depart each existence in physicality.
Chet, ח alludes to the sacredness of female and male connection and conception. Marriage takes place under a Chupa – חופה, a canopy which unites the Vav, ו and Zayin ז , groom and bride under the protection of God.
Divinity:
Chet represents the middle pillar of the Tree of life,
the Divine balance between
female on the left and male on the right and between source above and physicality below.
We strive to find the balance between source and physicality in Tiferet, תפארת, the heart.
The ninth letter, Tet, ט
The ninth letter, Tet ט is drawn in the Torah with Tagin, three crowns.
The numerical value of Tet ט, nine, signifies that we are complete within Yesod in the Tree of Life and ready to enter physicality.
Tetט begins the Hebrew word for good, tov – טוב.
Genesis, Chapter one:
And God saw that it was good – וירא אלהים כי טוב
Sound:
Tet ט sounds like the English “T” as in “tall” or “take”.
Form:
Tetט represents a vessel or a Judaic womb, Divinely intended to contain peace.
Worlds:
Tetט symbolises peace in the Tree of Life.
Tet ט resides in the path that connects תפארת Tiferet, the heart-center, to יסוד Yesod, Foundation
Soul:
In Kabbalah our task is to perfect and elevate our souls in the physical world through
Tikkun Olam, Good deeds.
Divinity:
Tet ט signifies our choice to find good in all situations, no matter how difficult.
On a lighter note, is a story about the author, Allan Price’s Lithuanian grandmother, Bassil Achber.
Bassil, in great discomfort whilst having a boil lanced was overheard saying, in Yiddish,
א דאנק גאט – Thank God! Thank God!
“Why are you thanking God”? She was asked.
“I am thanking God I don’t have two boils”. She answered.
And that is finding good in something difficult.
The tenth letter, Yod, י
The 10th letter Yud י represents infinity.
Yud, י is the first letter in the tetragrammaton, the unpronounceable name of God.
יהוה
Sound:
י is pronounced like Y(od) in the English letter “Yes”.
Form:
י Yud is “suspended” in midair and is contained within every letter in the Aleph Beit, אב.
Worlds:
י Yud is the Divine force that generates the Aleph Beit, אב and the entire Tree of Life.
Soul:
י Yud, the first letter in the tetragrammaton represents the Hand (of God) that give life to everything in creation.
Divinity:
Divinity is contained in the number 10,
the ultimate all and the ultimate no thing.
10 Sephirot in the Tree of Life
10 commandments
The duo decimal system and many more refernces to the number 10 in the Torah.
The eleventh letter, Kaph, כ
The numerical value of Kaph כ, is 20, it signifies willpower, the power of intention. The value of 20 implies completion in the Kabbalistic world.
Form:
כ Kaph is likened to the palm of a hand, representing God’s power to manifest from intention to physicality.
Worlds:
In the Tree of Life, Kaph כ is located on the 21st Path of Wisdom, which connects the sephirot of חסד Chesed, loving kindness to נצח Netzach, Victory.
Soul:
Kaph כ begins the word for כתר Keter. The experience of Keter, the first ספירה Sephirah in the Tree of Life is beyond speech and human understanding.
Kaph כ also begins the word for Kavanah, כוונה, the single mindedness of the focused mind.
Our sages tell us that prayer without Kavanah is like a body without a soul.
In Kabbalah, Kaph, כ is the desire to fulfil Gods purpose for creating us in physicality.
Divinity:
In Kabballah we are given the power to connect to God. We have only to apply the power through Kavanah.
The twelfth letter, Kaph, ל
The numerical value of Lamed ל is 30. The number 30 in the Torah marks the age at which individuals begin to uncover their purpose in life, indicating a transition from preparation to a position of strength and responsibility.
Lamed ל means to learn and to teach.
Sound:
Lamed sounds like the “L” in in the English world look.
Form:
Lamed ל is the only Hebrew letter that ascends above the line of Hebrew script.
The form of the Hebrew letter Lamed, ל symbolises learning, teaching, and spiritual aspiration.
Worlds:
In the Tree of Life, Lamed ל resides in the path connecting the sephirot of תפארת Tiferet, the heart, and יסוד Yesod, the foundation.
Lamed ל represents the path of initiation.
Soul:
Lamed ל represents the Judaic souls desire to learn Torah, which is considered to increase one’s intellect and analytical ability.
Learning in order to teach is considered as the highest purpose of the soul.
Divinity:
Lamed ל breaks through the level of rational intellect into the highest level of the Shekina שכינה, beyond כתר Keter.
Shekina שכינה is seen as a feminine emanation that interacts with the physical world and embodies Divine
love and presence within the Judaic people.
The thirteenth letter, Mem, מ
Mem מ is a symbol for water, מים, pronounced ma-yim.
Mayim מים, refers to the eternal life of the spiritual soul, emotions and purification.
The numerical value of Mem מ is 40.
Sound:
Mem מ sounds like the “M” in the English word Mom.
Form:
Mem מ is a square letter with a small opening at the bottom. The opening represents the vast unfathomable depths of the subconscious.
In Hebrew, מ is the first letter in the word מים, water, representing the flow of life, God’s presence in the תורה
Worlds:
Memמ resides in תפארת Tiferet, the heart, in the center of the Tree of Life.
Mem, מ represents water in Hebrew and symbolizes the flow of the spiritual water of life that sustained the
Garden of Eden, גן עדן.
Soul:
The Judaic soul strives to be free of blemish. The value 40, is frequently found in the Torah. In Kabbalah, the number 40 signifies transformation, purification, and the completion of a life cycle.
Divinity:
In the Kabbalah, the Hebrew letters Aleph א, Mem מ, and Shin ש are known as the three “mother letters” and are considered the primordial creative elements from which all of creation originates.
The letter Mem מ, the thirteenth letter of the alphabet, directly corresponds to the age of 13 when a Jewish boy has a Bar Mitzvah. The 13th year is when a Jewish boy is considered mature enough read a portion of the Torah, and take responsibility and live according to the commandments.
The fourteenth letter, Nun, נ
The letter, נ Nun is drawn in the Torah with Tagin, three crowns.
נ Nun is the 14th letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It has the numerical value of 50.
נ Nun opens the Hebrew word for soul, Neshama, נשמה.
נ is the 14th letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
Sound:
נ Nun is pronounced like the “N” in Noon’
Form:
The shape of the נ Nun, serves as a visual metaphor for a righteous man’s connection with Divinity.
Worlds:
נ Nun resides in the path connecting the sixth sephirah, Tiferet תפארת, to the seventh sephirah, Netzach נצח. The path represents the end of a physical cycle, the physical soul, and the reincarnation of the spiritual soul.
Soul:
In Kabbalah the meaning of נ Nun represents the release of the ego and connection of the soul to Divinity.
Divinity:
נ Nun signifies a man with the ability to know God, and to have within himself the ability to power to develop prophecy.
In Kabbalah, the number value of 50 symbolizes transcendence, spiritual freedom and elevation.
The fifteenth letter, Samech, ס
The letter, ס symbolises that the cycles of life are endless, and that the end is in the beginning.
The gematria value of the letter, ס is 60.
Sound:
ס samech sounds like the “S” in sun.
Form:
The circular form of Samech ס symbolizes completeness and wholeness: The numerical value 60, represents completion.
Worlds:
Samech ס resides on the 25th path of the Tree of Life, connecting Tiferet תפארת, Beauty, to Yesod יסוד Foundation. Yesod is completion of the intellectual and emotional being prior to entering the physical world.
Soul:
Samech ס denotes support given by God to His people.
Divinity:
The numerical value Samechס , 60 connects to the 60 letters in the “priestly” Blessing:
May (the Lord) יהוה bless you and keep you.
יברכך יהוה וישמרך
May (the Lord) יהוה look upon you and be gracious to you.
יאר יהוה פניו אליך ויחנך
May (the Lord)יהוה shine His countenance upon you and give you peace.
ישא יהוה פניו אליך וישם לך לום
The sixteenth letter, Ayin, ע
The letter Ayin ע is drawn in the Torah with Tagin, three crowns.
Ayin ע is the 16th letter of the Hebrew alphabet, meaning eyes, עין, and representing vision, insight, and perception. The gematria value of ע is 70.
Sound:
Ayin ע, like Aleph, is silent in modern Hebrew. It functions as a placeholder for a vowel.
Form:
The two sides of the ע represent our eyes connected to the brain.
Worlds:
Ayin ע resides in Binah – בינה, understanding, in the Tree of Life.
Soul:
The ten Sephirot can be divided into two columns.
Severity on the left
and
Loving kindness on the right.
In Kabbalah, the right eye is understood to possess five states of loving kindness.
The left eye possesses five states of judgement, severity.
Divinity:
The numerical value of Ayinע , 70 represents God’s perfect timing (7×10), in the order of creation.
The seventeenth letter, Pei, פ
Pei פ represents the power of words to create reality, as written in Genesis, “And God said…”
פ has the numerical value of 80.
.
Sound:
Pei פ sounds like the English “P” as in people when written with a dot, and “F” when written without a dot.
ף is used at the end of a sentence.
Form:
Pei פ symbolizes mouth and speech and is formed like the upper and lower lips of the mouth.
פ enables us to speak.
Worlds:
Pei פ resides in Da’at, דעת , the” hidden” sephira in the Tree of Life, meaning “to know”.
Da’at, דעת is the Divine power that enables us to communicate.
Da’at, completes the triangle of,
Chokmah Binah Da’at
ד ע ת ב י נ ה ח כ מ ה
Soul:
When reading the Torah, one is required to read and understand every letter in every word, as each letter contains deep meaning.
For example, the letters in the name Adam in Hebrew, אדם have many meanings.
א can mean intellect, as in “a being with intellect”.
ד can mean “doorway” as in a doorway to self-awareness of past , present and future,
and
ם can mean, water as in “a being with emotions”.
Divinity:
In the world of Kabbalah, Pei פ, represents the power of speech and Ayin ע, the power of sight.
Pei פ, and Ayin ע are how we actualize and elevate ourselves to the understanding of Divinity.
The eighteenth letter, Tzadi, צ
Tzadi צ, represents righteousness and is one of the seven letters in the Torah adorned with three “tagin”, crowns.
Tzadi צ has a gematria of 90.
ץ with a downward extension is used at the end of a sentence.
Sound:
צ is pronounced with a “ts” sound.
Form:
Tzadi צ resembles א Aleph.
Worlds:
In The World of Kabbalah,
א may be considered as the Master of the universe.
צ represents a righteous man.
The gematria value of צ ,90, represents total consciousness at all levels of the soul.
Tzadi צ resides on the 28th path of the Tree of Life connecting the sephirot of
נצח, Netzach “Victory”
with
יסוד, Yesod “Foundation”.
Soul:
The work of the Tzadik, the Righteous, is to is to “catch falling sparks”, to assist those who have not been able to rise to higher levels of consciousness of Divinity.
Divinity:
Tzadi צ is the absolute unity of man with God. Unity with God is “sealed” as the final word in Hebrew prayer, “Amen” in English is pronounced Omein in Hebrew, אמן, and implies all is One, trust and commitment.
The nineteenth letter, Kuf, ק
The letter Kuf, ק symbolizes the journey of the soul into מלכות the physical world, and the potential for elevating “sparks of holiness” from the physical world upward into the Tree of Life.
The gematria of ק is 100
Sound:
Kuf ק sounds like the English “K” in “kite”.
Form:
Our sages inform us that the half round shape of ק represents the head and the vertical extension downward represents the spine.
Worlds:
Kuf, ק resides in the 29th Path of the Tree of Life, connecting the sephirah of Netzach נצח “Endurance” with the sephirah of Malkut, מלכות the “Kingdom of Earth”.
Soul:
Kuf, ק is the first letter of the Hebrew word Kodesh קדוש, meaning “holy” or sacred.
100 represents completion and the highest level of God’s sacredness.
Divinity:
The Zohar informs us that “whoever makes an effort to purify himself receives assistance from above”.
We are being directed not to occupy our time with trivialities, rather to occupy out lives with intellectual pursuits and finding sanctity.
The twentieth letter, Rosh,ר
The letter Rosh ר is linked to the highest level of the intellect and consciousness of Divinity. It begins the Hebrew word for רוח הקודש Ruach ha Kodesh, “the Spirit of Holiness”.
The gematria of Rosh ר is 200.
Sound:
Rosh ר sounds like the English “R,” but in modern Hebrew is pronounced as a guttural or throaty sound.
Form:
The form of Rosh ר signifies ראש, the head, a leader at the top. ראש is the head of, or the beginning, as in ראש השנה Rosh Hashana, the head of the year. Its primary meaning signifies beginning, leadership and intellect.
Worlds:
Roshר resides on the path connecting the Sephirah of הוד Hod, Splendor, to the Sephirah of יסוד Yesod, Foundation, in the Tree of Life. The path is a bridge from the intellect to the emotional world, prior to the journey into physicality.
Soul:
Maimonides taught us that paranoia and anger inhibit our development of רוח הקודש Ruach ha Kodesh, “the Spirit of Holiness”.
Rosh ר, begins the Hebrew word for Healer, רופא. In Kabbalah we are taught that healing goes beyond the physical. רופא, the healer integrates mind body and soul. (Refer to Solomonichealing.com).
Divinity
The gematria of Rosh, 200 tells us that Halacha הלכה, the way forward, is to assist the poor whether with money or in understanding the Torah תורה, the Judaic laws of behaviour and ethics.
When we stumble, we may seek redemption, as is the purpose of the 10 days of meditation between
ראש השנה Rosh Hashana – the Head of the Year,
and
יומ כיפור Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement.
The twentyfirst letter, Shin,ש
The letter Shin ש is the “Eternal Flame”. It is written with Tagin in the Torah.
The gematria of Shin is 300, which can be reduced the numbers 30 or 3.
Sound:
Shin ש sounds like the English “Sh” in Ship.
Form:
In the Tree of Life, Shin ש means fire. Shin, ש represents the 3 vertical columns of the Tree. The fundamental forces of existence.
Worlds:
The 3 vertical columns of the Tree of Life are;
The Pillar of Mercy on the right.
The Pillar of Severity on the left.
The Pillar of Harmony in the middle.
The middle pillar represents the need to balance the opposing forces on the left and the right.
Shinש symbolises fire, purification, and transformation, linked to God’s name Shaddai
Soul:
Shin ש is engraved or handwritten on the Mezuzah מזוזה, a parchment scroll in a rectangular box, placed on the right doorframe at the entrance to Jewish homes. The Mezuzah contains a verse from the torah reminding Jews of their covenant with God.
Divinity:
In the Kabbalah, the Hebrew letters Aleph א, Mem מ, and Shin ש are known as the three “mother letters” and are considered the primordial creative elements from which all of creation originates.
Shin ש is the first letter of שכינה Shekhinah, Divine Presence, and שדי Shaddai, one of the names of God directly linking ש to God’s immanence in the world.
The twentysecond letter, Tav, ת
Tav ת is the last letter in the Hebrew Alphabet.
ת symbolises “The seal of Creation”.
ת is the symbol of truth, perfection, and completion. It marks the end of one human cycle and the beginning of another.
The gematria of the ת is 400
Sound:
Tav sounds like the “T” in Tall
Form:
Tav is formed by joining a Dalet, ד to a נ Nun, and represents the “Seal of God”.
Worlds:
ת Tav, the final path on the Tree of Life, represents the final stage of manifestation from Yesod יסוד, the foundation of the emotional and spiritual world, into our physical world, Malkut מלכות the Kingdom of earth.
ת signifies the end of a cycle from Aleph א is = 1 to Tav ת is = 400 symbolising entirety or totality.
Soul:
Tav ת represents Divine completion and truth.
ת, the final letter, contains the “secret” of reincarnation of the spiritual soul into each new physical soul.
Divinity:
In each new physical incarnation, we have to opportunity to rectify the blemishes of previous incarnations.
The essence of rectification in each physical life depends on ones Divine consciousness and ones behaviour in physicality.
In each physical incarnation into Malkut מלכת, the Kingdom of Earth, we are destined to experience events over which we have no control.
We are given the power of “free will”, the choice to overcome the ego in every situation in every incarnation.
Incarnations will continue until we elevate to a higher level.
Om Ein.
אמן