The Complete Dictionary of English and Hebrew First Names.

Talmud - R. Sheshet used to turn his face to another side and study. He said: We [are busy] with ours, and they [are busy] with theirs [They are engaged in listening to the public reading and we, more profitably, with more advanced study] (Berachot 8a).
R. Sheshet, when he bowed, used to bend like a reed [sharply, all at once], and when he raised himself, used to raise himself like a serpent [Slowly and with effort] (Berachot 12b).
A tanna recited in the presence of R. Sheshet: If one sees a serpent in a dream, it means that his living is assured [Because the serpent eats dust of which there is always abundance]; if it bites him it will be doubled; if he kills it he will lose his living. R. Sheshet said to him: [In this case] all the more will his living be doubled! This is not so, however; R. Sheshet [explained thus] because he saw a serpent in his dream and killed it [And he wished to give his dream a favourable interpretation] (Berachot 57a).
R. Sheshet was blind (Berachot 58a).
R. Sheshet used to revise his studies every thirty days, and he would stand and lean at the side of the doorway and exclaim, Rejoice, O my soul, Rejoice. O my soul; for thee have I read [the Bible], for thee have I studied [The Mishnah] (Berachot 57a).
And R. Sheshet? [How does he explain that?] - There it is unnatural, whereas here it is natural [Hence it is the same as feeding an infant]. R. Sheshetsaid, Whence do I rule thus? [another translaton - What is my source for this]? (Shabbat 123b).
Said Raba: This question was raised by a hard man, who is as hard as iron, namely R. Sheshet (Menachot 95b).
R. Sheshet caught sight of him [the Angel of Death] in the market place. Quoth he: Do you [seize me] in the market place like a beast? Come to [the] house (Moed Katan 28a). When he returned home he died (Frieman, Shulamis. 1995. Whos Who in the Talmud. Northvale: Jason Aronson Inc. 270).

The Hebrew Letters featured in this painting are Shin Shin Tav. Taken together, and reading from right to left, they spell SHESHET.

Each of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet has a special meaning and a story to tell. Here a few brief ones about the letters in this painting.

SHIN is the 21st letter of the Hebrew alphabet and has a numerical value of 300. SHIN means TOOTH, YEAR, REPEAT, TEACH. SHIN makes the sound SHHHHHH when the DOT is on the right, and SSSS when the DOT is on he left.
There are differing opinions about which components make up the SHIN. Kushner states that the VAV makes up the right arm, the Zayin the left, and Yud the middle. In the opinion of Haralick, the Yud the is on the right, the Zayin on the left and the Vav in the middle. It is the view of Ginsburgh that the SHIN is composed of 3 Vavs, each with a little Yud on its top. So, to make this letter your own, it will be necessary to take it into meditation and come to your own conclusion (Kushner, Lawrence. 1990. The Book of Letters: Sefer Otiyot. Woodstock: Jewish Lights Publishing. 72 Haralick, Robert M. 1995. The Inner Meaning of the Hebrew Letters. Northvale: Jason Aronson. 299 (Ginsburgh, Rabbi Yitzchak. 1992. The Hebrew Letters Jerusalem: Gal Einai. 313).
The Ancient Holy One is called Ayin (nothing) (Zohar. 1984. Tr. Harry Sperling et al. New York: Soncino 1984. Tr. Harry Sperling et al. New York: Soncino. 3:158b).
Shin 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 [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)
Sefer Yetzirah 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. The Shin is one of the mothers- that group from which emanated AIR (from Aleph), WATER (from Mem) and FIRE (from Shin). The 3 mothers in the universe are AIR, WATER and FIRE...HEAVEN was created from FIRE, EARTH was created from WATER, and AIR from SPIRIT (WIND) balanced between them. Aleph and Shin spell AISH - FIRE. Aleph represents AIR and Shin - FIRE. FIRE cannot exist without AIR (Kaplan, Aryeh. 1990. Sefer Yetzirah. The Book of Creation York Beach: Samuel Weiser. 5, 95, 145, 147, 159, 197).

TAV is the 22nd letter in Hebrew alphabet - the last letter. It has a numerical value of 400. TAV means MARK, SIGN. In 1500 B.C.E. the Tav was written as an X. Perhaps this contributed to its meaning. Tav makes a sound like the T in Tall. The Tav is composed of a Dalet and a Nun.
And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark [Tav] upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof (Ezekiel 9:4)
The letter Tav advanced in front and pleaded: May it please Thee, O Lord of the world, to place me first in the creation of the world, seeing that I am the concluding letter of EMeTh (Truth) which is engraved upon Thy seal, and seeing that Thou art called by this very name of EMeTh, it is most appropriate for the King to begin with the final letter of EMeTh and to create with me the world. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to her: Thou art worthy and deserving, but it is not proper that I begin with thee the creation of the world, since thou art destined to serve as a mark on the foreheads of the faithful ones (Ezekiel 9:4) who have kept the Law from Aleph to Tav, and through the absence of this mark the rest will be killed; and, further, thou formest the conclusion of MaWeTh (death). Hence thou art not meet to initiate the creation of the world (Zohar. 1984. Tr. Harry Sperling et al. New York: Soncino 1984. Tr. Harry Sperling et al. New York: Soncino. 1:2b).
God said to the Angel Gabriel: Go set a Tav - MARK - on the foreheads of the righteous so that they will be protected (Shabbat 55a).
The letters of EMET - Aleph Mem Tav, are located far apart in the alphabet, 1st, 13th and 22nd respectively, because TRUTH in found infrequently - at elongated intervals Shabbat 104a
They used to write a Taw for Teruma! (Yevamoth 115b).
But not to one who is wholly righteous? Is it not written, And begin [the slaughter] with my sanctuary, (Ezekiel 9:6) which, R. Joseph learned, should not be read my sanctuary but my sanctified ones, namely the men who fulfilled the Torah from Alef to Taw? (Avodah Zarah 4a).
Sefer Yetzirah divides the Hebrew Letters into 3 categories: 3 mothers - Aleph Mem Shin, 7 doubles - Beit Gimel Dalet Kuf 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. And God made the letter Tav King over Grace. and He bound a crown to it and combined one with another and with them He formed Jupiter in the Universe, Shabbat in the Year and the mouth in the Soul, male and female (Kaplan, Aryeh. 1990. Sefer Yetzirah. The Book of Creation York Beach: Samuel Weiser. 5, 95, 145, 147, 159, 176).
Truth encompasses everything from Aleph to Tav, from BEGINNING to END, from BIRTH to death: Emet - Aleph Mem Tav. Aleph Mem indicates - Eema - MOTHER (birth). Mem Tav means DEATH. Truth encompasses everything from BIRTH to DEATH (Chefitz, Mitchell. 2001. The Seventh Telling. New York: St. Martins Press. 217).

*

*

This work is accompanied by the kabbalistic explanation printed above.

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

mat color:: green

stock number:: nm19-163