The Complete Book of Hebrew Baby Names.

Hebrew Bible name - Gad was the 7th son of Jacob, the oldest son of Zilpah, a maid of Leah, brother Reuben, Simon, Levi, Judah, Issachar , Zebulun, Dan, Naftali, Gad, Asher, Joseph, Benjamin and Dinah, and of father of Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Etzbon, Eri, Arodi, Areli (Genesis 30:10-11; Genesis 46:16).

The Hebrew Letters featured in this piece are Gimel Dalet. Taken together, and reading from right to left, they spell GAD.

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 on this painting.

GIMEL is the 3rd letter of the Hebrew alphabet, has a numerical value of 3, and makes a sound like the G in Give. The Gimel is constructed of a Vav and a Yud. It means CAMEL or REWARD and is associated the phrase Gemilut Hasadim - ACTS OF LOVINGKINDNESS.
The The Bahir , which may be the oldest kabbalistic text, is attributed to R. Nehuniah Ben HaKana a first century kabbalist. In this text, R. Akiva states, the Gimel has three parts because it BESTOWS, GROWS AND SUSTAINS. The three parts are the head, the tail, and a pipe in the middle through which energy can pass. The GIMEL draws from above through its head and disperses through its tail (Kaplan, Aryeh. 1979. Tr. The Bahir York Beach: Samuel Weiser. York Beach: Samuel Weiser. lx, 8).
Gimmel Daleth, show kindness to the Poor [Gemol Dallim]. Why is the foot of the Gimmel stretched toward the Daleth? Because it is fitting for10 the benevolent to run after [seek out] the poor. And why is the roof [foot] of the Daleth stretched out toward the Gimmel ? Because he [the poor] must make himself available to him. And why is the face of the Daleth turned away from the Gimmel ? Because he must give him [help] in secret, [As though with averted face] lest he be ashamed of him (Shabbat 104a).
Gimel 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).
[The writing of the letters] must be kethibah tammah [perfect writing]; thus one must not write the Gimel as a Tsade or the Tsade as a Gimel as an Aleph, (Shabbat 103b).
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.
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.
According to Sefer Yetzirah, York Beach: Samuel Weiser. 5, 95, 159, 162, 174, 175), God created the world by means of these letters. Gimel is one of the Doubles. Seven Doubles: BGD KPHRT, Their foundation is Wisdom, Wealth, Seed, Life, Dominance, Peace and Grace. Seven Double, their foundation is [that] He engraved them, He cared them, He permuted them, He weighed the, He transform them, and with them He formed seven planets in the Universe, Seven days in the Year, Seven gates in the Soul, male and female: two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, and the mouth. And God made the letter Gimel King over Wealth and He bound a crown to it and combined one with another and with them He formed the Mars in the Universe, Wednesday in the Year, The left eye in the Soul, male and female (Kaplan, Aryeh. 1990. Sefer YetzirahYork Beach: Samuel Weiser. 5, 95, 159, 162, 174, 175).

DALET is the 4th letter of the alphabet, has a numerical value of 4, means DOOR and makes a sound like the D in Delight. The Dalet has the shape of an open door.
The letter Dalet consists of two lines, one from right to left on top. And the other straight down on the right side. The first line connects Chochma - Wisdom to Chesed - Love while the second line connects Chochma - Wisdom to Chesed. The vowel associated with Chochma - Wisdom is a Petach, while Segol is associated with Chesed. The word Dalet means DOOR, while the word Petachmeans OPENING. Since Chochma-Wisdom represents our hight perception of the Divine, it is the opening of God that enables Him revealing Himself. Segol is related to the word Segula, a remedy that works for no apparent reason. Segol thus parallels the Sefirah of Chesed, which gives freely, even without reason (Kaplan, Aryeh. 1979. Tr. The Bahir York Beach: Samuel Weiser. 113).
Talmud - It has been taught: Symmachus says: Whoever prolongs the word Ehad [one]. has his days and years prolonged. R. Aha b. Jacob said: [He must dwell] on the Daleth [Because the word does not mean one till he comes to this letter]. R. Ashi said: Provided he does not slur over the Chet Omitting its vowel and so make the word meaningless]. R. Jeremiah was once sitting before R. Hiyya b. Abba, and the latter saw that he was prolonging [the word Ehad] very much (Berachot 13b).
Gimmel Daleth, show kindness to the Poor [Gemol Dallim]. Why is the foot of the Gimmel stretched toward the Daleth? Because it is fitting for the benevolent to run after [seek out] the poor. And why is the roof [foot] of the Daleth stretched out toward the Gimmel? Because he [the poor] must make himself available to him. And why is the face of the Daleth turned away from the Gimmel? Because he must give him [help] in secret, [As though with averted face] lest he be ashamed of him (Shabbat 104a).
The conjunction of the two letters Gimel and Dalet indicates issuing forth Gimel, giving and Dalet receiving (Zohar. 1984. Tr. Harry Sperling et al. New York: Soncino 1984. Tr. Harry Sperling et al. New York: Soncino. 1:244b).
Four is a very important number in Kabbalah. There are four worlds - Asiyah - the World of Action, Yetzirah - the World of Feelings or Emotions, Beriyah - the World of Creation, Atzilut - the World of Emanation; four souls associated with the four worlds - Nephesh, Ruach, Neshama, Chaya; four letters in the name of God - Yud Hey Vav Hey; and four cups of wine at the Passover Seder.
When he went before Hillel, he accepted him as a proselyte. On the first day, he taught him, Aleph Beit Gimel Dalet [The first four letters of the Hebrew alphabet]. The following day he reversed [them] to him. But yesterday you did not teach them to me thus, he protested. Must you then not rely upon me? [As to what the letters are]. Then rely upon me with respect to the Oral [Torah] too [There must be a certain reliance upon authority before anything can be learnt at all] (Berachot 31a).

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This work is accompanied by the kabbalistic explanation printed above.

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

This is great Bar Mitzvah gift.

mat color:: blue

stock number:: nm1-54