The Hebrew letter featured in this work is the Zayin

Variant spelling - zayyin.

ZAYIN is the 7th letter of the alphabet and has a numerical value of 7. The ZAYIN looks like a sword or a scepter. Zayin makes a sound like the Z in Zebra. Zayin means SWORD, TO ORNAMENT, TO SUSTAIN.

I represent the observance of the Sabbath (Zohar. 1984. Tr. Harry Sperling et al. New York: Soncino. 1:3a).

Zayin is one of 7 letters which may be adorned with TAGIN, or little crowns, in the TORAH, Tefillin or MEZZUZAH scroll. These are called the SHAYNAYZ GAYTZ letters letters [ Shin Ayin Tet Nun Zayin Gimel Tsade] Each one of these letters contains a Zayin. A TAG is composed of 3 strokes which themselves look like little Zayins. There is a wonderful story in Talmud, which describes Moses ascending to Heaven to find God occupied in affixing TAGGIN to the letters of Torah (Menachot 29b).

[Zayyin Heth Teth Yod Kaf Lamed : [this sequence teaches,] and if thou doest thus, the Holy One, blessed be He, will sustain [Zan] thee, be gracious [Hen] unto thee, show goodness [Metiv] to thee, give thee a heritage [Yerushah], and bind a crown [ Keter ] on thee in the world to come (Shabbat 104a).

He , Waw, that is the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He; (14) These letters form part of the Tetragrammaton (Shabbat 104a).

Sefer Yetzirah. The Book of Creation. divides the Hebrew Letters into 3 categories: 3 mothers – Aleph Mem Shin , 7 doubles – Beit Gimel Dalet Caf Pey Resh Tav and 12 elementals – Hey Vav Zayin Chet Tet Yud Lamed Nun Samech Ayin Tsade Kuf.
According to Sefer Yetzirah, God created the world by means of these letters. Zayin is one of the Elementals. “Twelve Elementals…their foundation is [that] He engraved them, and transformed them, and with them He formed 12 constellations in the Universe, 12 months in the Year and 12 directions in the soul, male and female.” And God “made the letter Zayin king over motion.” And indeed, two ZAYINs together spell ZAZ – to move. (Kaplan, Aryeh. 1990. Tr. Sefer Yetzirah. The Book of Creation. York Beach: Samuel Weiser. 5, 95, 209, 159). Zayin is one of the Elementals. “Twelve Elementals…their foundation is [that] He engraved them, and transformed them, and with them He formed 12 constellations in the Universe, 12 months in the Year and 12 directions in the soul, male and female.” And God “made the letter Zayin king over motion.” And indeed, two Zayins together spell ZAZ – to move. (Kaplan, Aryeh. 1990. Tr. Sefer Yetzirah. The Book of Creation. York Beach: Samuel Weiser. 5, 95, 209, 215).

ZAYIN is the first letter in the word Zohar – that consummate kabbalistic work attributed to Simeon Bar Yochai, a first century rabbi. It is the first letter in the word ZACHER – TO REMEMBER – which we are frequently exhorted to do in our Biblical and Talmudic literature. It the first letter of the word Zmirot – SONGS. “By singing we use the sword to cut through the barrier… between our soul and God” (Haralick, Robert M. 1995. The Inner Meaning of the Hebrew Letters. Northvale: Jason Aronson. 112)

If you ask in meditation the Zohars will come and encircle you – and you will feel safe. They can also be used to keep out extraneous thoughts during this time.

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This work is accompanied by the kabbalistic explanation printed above.

The original 5x7 watercolor painting of this image is available.

mat color:: amethyst, blue

stock number:: z2