Samech (ס)

The letter Samech stands for the number 60.

1. Selah (סלה) - a rock; the idea of a rock as the foundation we walk on is one that brings comfort and stability to our existence. In the spiritual realm, the idea of the rock is referred to G-d being the bedrock of our soul and the stable foundation our emotional and rational ebb-and-flow can count on. The play of sound between the word Selah, a rock, and Selah, a word that King David uses in his Psalms (which I translate as a wholesome vessel of the Divine presence, both allude to the same idea -- there is a presence that is far greater, all-encompassing, which we cannot grasp with our current senses. Just as one cannot see the entirety of the 'rock' earth has, not even from space, we can never actually grasp the fullness of the divinity of G-d.

2. Selicha (סליחה) - forgiveness; asking for forgiveness and trying to correct the wrongs that we have done in our past, is something that we need to do on multiple levels. We must fix the wrong we have done to others, we must forgive ourselves, we must fix the problems we see around us in the world, and we must return to our core, to our essence, to our own internal divinity and re-establish our relationship with G-d. In the drawing, this is represented as the golden filling crossing the letter both at its lower level and at its higher level -- symbolizing that the repentance and Teshuva need to be done on all levels in order to be complete.

3. Sod (סוד) - secret; like the peaking sun behind the rock, and behind the forgiveness process we are -- we all have a secret relationship with the Divine. We all have an entire hidden existence inside of us. If our external world is not aligned with this secret truth of ours, we will come to feel pain, tension and suffering. It is only when we learn to manage the relationship between our hidden parts and our external world that we can live in full alignment with ourselves, and with G-d. This is something we all know and is the underlying idea behind the phrase "the truth will set you free"

4. Sedek (סדק) - a crack; like the crack that was filled in gold across the letter, we all have our wounds and our own cracks and 'life battle scares.' Not hiding them, not being ashamed of them is a key component in being able to align our life with the Divine powers, and is a needed step towards healing and fixing ourselves. Once we recognize our own broken parts, we can start the process of returning towards the divine path - we can start walking towards the light.

________

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.