REflections

"Twenty-two foundation letters:

He engraved them, He carved them,

Hepermuted them, He weighed them,

He transformed them,

And with them, He depicted all that was formed

 and all that would be formed."

(Sefer Yetzirah 2:2)                                                                                                               

In this series, I have combined the process of drypoint and aquatint on copper plates, engraving the beginnings of apersonal exploration of the Hebrew alphabet.  Regarded by some as a sacred language and a medium of divine communication, its letters are noordinary forms.  Delvinginto the mystical heritage of thefirstfive characters (from aleph to hei ) has been a profoundly enlightening experience.  On visualising the letters, one is invited into a form of contemplative meditation, revealing the spiritualpower that emanates from the individual characters.

ALEPH

  • First letter of Hebrew alphabet

  • Silent letter, yet from it arises the entire alphabet of sounds  

  • Symbolizing that everything in life first emanates from stillness and silence.

  • The primal force of creation that exists before any form can be visualized.

  • Represents the number one - unity/oneness

  • Meditate on the letter aleph to bring greater energy and creativity into your daily routine

BEIT

  • Second letter of alphabet, symbolizing numeric value of two 

  • Mystically associated with bayit, meaning house, dwelling place

  • Universal home, from which everything is born and nurtured.

  • Begins the hebrew word for blessing (berachah) 

  • Beit signifies the number two and duality (ie dichotomies like day and night, light and dark, high and low, fullness and emptiness, macsculine and femanine,, etc, etc)

  • Meditate on the letter beit for a greater sense of blessedness and being at home in the world.

GIMMEL

  • Gimel embodies the vital qualities of both kindness and growth.

  • Begins the Hebrew word for camel (gamal)  - an animal that is consistent with the idea of true assistance and service

  • The letter gimel is about two apparently opposing forces that blend to form a third, more complete, and perfect entity.

  • Emanating from the oneness of aleph and the duality of beit, there comes the synthesis known as gimel.

  • Meditate on the letter to foster growth in any aspect.

 

DALED

  • The fourth letter of the alphabet

  • Begins the Hebrew word for doorway (deled) and knowledge (da-at)

  • Hassidic view has it that there are countless gateways hidden around us in everyday life.

  • Gateways may be symbolic of choice, pathway. direction.

  • Meditate on the letter daled to open a door that may appear closed or hidden in your life.

HEI

  • The letter Hei, the fifth letter in the alphabet, is found twice in the hly name of God known as the Tetragrarammaton - Yud-Hei-Vav-Hei - and signifies divine revelation.

  • It's sound, resembling a mere exhalation, is symbolic of the fact that attentive focusing upon the breath is a method for spritual awareness and growth.

  • Signifying the number five, it alludes to the five dimension of the human soul: physical instincts (nefesh), emotions (ruach), the mind (neshamah), bridge to transcendant awareness (chayah), and cosmic unity (yechidah)

  • Meditate on the letter Hei for greater inner light and awareness.

VAV

  • The letter vav sigfnifies space, mass and physical wholeness. 

  • Representing the number six, it also indicates that every complete, self-contained object contains six dimensions - above and below, right and left, front and back.

  • Begins the Hebrew word for embryo (valad) implying containment.

  • The letter Vav is also the Hebrew prefix meaning "and" - that which joins together words sentences and ideas. It reveals that things seemingly separate can be seen to comprise a higher unity.

  • Meditate on the letter vav to strengthen your sense of connectedness.v