The Hebrew letter featured in the painting is the
SAMECH.

Variant spelling - samekh - samek

SAMECH is the 15th letter of the Hebrew alphabet and has a numerical value of 60. It makes a sound like the S in Sun. SAMECH is shaped like a circle and means SUPPORT, TO TRUST, TO RELY ON.
Tradition tells us that the engraving of the letters of the 10 commandments went all the way through the tablets – from the front side to the back side. Therefore the Samech, since it is completely closed, should have fallen out. Because it did not, R. Hisda said that it stood there be means of a miracle Shabbat 104a).
U-kethabtam: it must be kethibah tammah [perfect writing]; thus one must not write the… Mem as a Samech or the Samech as a Mem, closed [letters] open or open letters closed (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. The Book of Creation., God created the world by means of these letters. Samech 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 Samech king over SLEEP. And He bound a crown to it, and He combined one with another and with them He formed Sagittarius in the Universe, Kislev in the Year, and Kivah in the Soul, male and female (Kaplan, Aryeh. 1990. Tr. Sefer Yetzirah. The Book of Creation. York Beach: Samuel Weiser. 5, 197, 209, 217).

In this painting of the SAMECH, the quality of SUPPORT is highlighted. Here the SAMECH is depicted as being supported by Emet - Aleph Mem Tav - TRUTH. In general, it is the SAMECH that does the supporting.

Meditating with the Samech has been an interesting experience for me. I had the notion that the Samech would roll around and generally have a good time. I had been repeatedly surprised to find that the SAMECH, for me, is very calm. My Samech definitely does not roll around – at least not yet. But it does lie down and I am able to sit in it as though it were an inner tube and float on the ocean. It also becomes a swing and we sway back and forth. Let me know of your experience with the Samech .

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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:: orange

stock number:: s5