Lamed (ל)

The letter Lamed stands for the number 30.

In this art the letter is representing the following ideas:

1. Lev (לב) - a heart; the love and passion that is at the root of alignment with the Devine and at the core of being able to play the role we were called to play. This sense of passion, what we are pulled towards, is a mark that we are on the right path.

2. Lehava (להבה) - a flame; echoing the idea of the the heart, the fire is the internal experience of that passion. It is when we align ourselves in a way that turns us in to G-d's eternal flame.

3. Liba (ליבה) - core; another way to refer to our soul, our Divine essence, and to the passion to fulfill the role we've been given. At our core we are all connected to G-d and to each other. We need each other to be able to trust the world we live in, once we do that, we can relax and let our core essence speak to us and guide us towards our own calling.

4. Limod (לימוד) - studying and/or learning; whether we are studying biblical texts or texts of our sages, or if we are learning from our own experiences in life -- without expanding our mind, our emotional capacity and our ability to become more mentally flexible, we will not advance anything that truly matters in our life.

5. Le-hitzamed (להיצמד) - to cleave to something; the need to stick to something, to commit to something, is something that we need to do full heartedly. We explore ourselves and the world we are in, and we find ways to root ourselves into that reality. We find ways to come closer to our essense. We find ways to get closer to G-d. We find ways to get closer to the people around us. We find ways to stand up for the value of truth and love -- the baseline of our reality.

   
   

The love of learning, the full heart yearning to expand our understanding and deepen our care - they all come together as tools in the service of our devine service, both elevating us and rooting us at the same time - like a tree deepening its roots so it can reach higher.

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In this alphabet art series I explore biblical and Jewish-spiritual ideas, as they reflect through the shapes or associated meaning of each letter.

This project is based on my personal musing and not on any Jewish teachings. Any connection to other teachings is unintentional.

My hope is that through this art we get a deeper glimpse into our realities, our worlds illusions and the hope that can be found in the power of the Hebrew letters.