by Cynthia Benedict
Symbols, ideas and traditions have linked one generation of Jews to another throughout the ages. Symbols and their use and interpretations sometimes change; yet the use of symbolic objects continues to add meaning and richness to Jewish life.
Symbolic Ideas
The Western (Wailing) Wall—Symbol of Hope
Around 955 B.C.E. King Solomon built a Temple in Jerusalem. A stone wall surrounded the Temple. In 586 B.C.E. when the Babylonians destroyed the Temple and devastated Jerusalem, only a part of the western wall was left standing. When the Jews returned to Jerusalem half a century later, they rebuilt the Temple. The temple was destroyed again by the Romans in 70 C.E., but the Western Wall remained intact.
Since this wall had survived two major periods of destruction, the Jewish people regarded its survival as a sign that the wall was a holy place from which the Divine Presence (Shechina) never departed. Regardless of where they lived, Jewish people faced Jerusalem to pray that God would one day return them to their land and make them a sovereign nation again.
One May 14, 1948, the United Nations vote reestablished the nationhood of Israel.
Angels as Symbols of God
Angels were first mentioned in the Bible in the story of Adam and Eve who were banished from the Garden of Eden when they disobeyed God. The tree of eternal life was situated in the Garden and eating its fruit was forbidden. God placed cherubim, formless spirits, at the entrance to the Garden to bar the way to the tree with spinning swords of flame.
Later in the Bible, at the beginning of Jewish history, three angels appear in the story of Abraham and Sarah. They were God's messengers, angels in human form, who came to earth to carry out God's wishes. The Hebrew word malach means both "messenger" and "angel."
The idea of angels as guardians also appears in the story of King Solomon, are described by the Prophet Isaiah (seraphim) and are mentioned in the story of Job.
The story of Job refers to a heavenly court of angels. Some are God's messengers who roam the earth and report to God on doings in the world. The Jewish sages created a large body of literature, including songs and poems, about angels. They were also represented in the stories to answer people's questions about God and life in heaven and on earth.
One of the many stories about angels tells us that God is very far (seven heavens) away but still within reach because an archangel, an intermediary, is in charge of each heaven. Some angel's names change, but the four most often mentioned are Michael, Gabriel, Rafael and Uriel.
The idea of angels took hold of the public imagination, so much so that a time came when people began to worship angels and appeal to them, rather than God, for help. The sages prohibited this practice and began to speak less about angels. Angels continue to be seen as God's helpers, a force for good and a way of reaching God.
Tefillin
Tefillin are small, square boxes made of parchment or leather; two are attached to a long strap, called a Retzuah. One box, called the Shel Rosh (head) is worn above the forehead, and the other Shel Yad (hand) is worn on the left forearm. Both contain strips of parchment on which are inscribed passages from the Bible. The head piece has a letter shin 
stamped on it; the knot of the arm piece forms the letter yud 
. The strap of the head phylactery is tied in back into a knot shaped like a dalet 
. The three Hebrew letters form the word Shaddai, Almighty.
At the time it was first conceived, the idea of one God was difficult for people to grasp. Superstition was a potent force. Even when the ancient Jewish religion was well established, people still used amulets, or good luck "charms," to protect themselves against misfortune. Religious leaders tried to wean the people away from this practice. When this was not possible, the particular practice was given a religious meaning that satisfied both the people and their religious leaders.
The Jewish symbol of tefillin is thought of as an example of how the ancient practice of winding becomes something else. The singular of tefillin is tefilla, which means "prayer" in Hebrew. Each tefilla contains four selections from the Bible—two from the Book of Exodus and two from Deuteronomy.
The readings from Exodus show how Moses commanded the Jewish people never to forget that they were slaves in Egypt and to impress this fact upon their children as well. The command served two purposes. One was to keep alive the memory of Egypt and to remind them that God worked wonders to free them. The second was to build character by remembering the painful days of slavery and, thus, develop compassion for others. Moses told the people to make a "sign" on their hand and another "between their eyes" a reminder that they belonged to God's tribe.
The remaining two selections in the tefillin are from the Book of Deuteronomy. In the first selection, Moses articulates the one, central belief of the Jewish religion:
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your soul and all your might. And these words, which I command you this day, shall be upon your hearts; and you shall teach them to your children and talk of them in your home...when you lie down and when you rise up. And you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them upon the door posts of your house (mezuzah) and of your gates.
The first centuries B.C.E. and C.E., pious Jews walked the streets of Jerusalem wearing tefillin. The Greeks, believing them to be amulets, called them phylacteries, the Greek word for "amulet" or "protection." The word has passed into the English language.
Every day except Saturday and holidays, religious Jewish men wear tefillin during morning prayers. One box (the frontlet) is strapped between the forehead so it rests "between the eyes." The other is attached to the forearm by winding the straps around the arm seven times. The number seven is a symbol of the Creation, in which God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. Usually only men wear tefillin. Some scholars claim that women in earlier times may have done so, too. With this in mind, some devout women today have begun to wear phylacteries when they pray.
Home Symbols
Mezuzah
The mezuzah is a container made of wood, metal, glass, stone or ceramic, inside of which is a parchment with Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21 lettered on one side and the word Shaddai (Almighty) on the other. Usually the word Shaddai can be seen through an opening in the mezuzah or the word Shaddai or the letter shin is displayed on its front.
Many people date the mezuzah back to the days when the Jewish people were slaves in Egypt. It is known that Egyptians used to place a sacred document at the entrance to their homes. The word mezuzah means "doorpost" and refers to the sentence in Deuteronomy 6:22—"...inscribe them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
Originally an abbreviated version of the Shema—the first passage of which begins "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one"—was carved into the doorpost. Later it was written on a piece of parchment and affixed to the doorpost. Then the parchment was placed in a hollow reed similar to but smaller than bamboo and fastened to the doorpost. Finally (and currently) the inscribed parchment is placed in a special container, which may be elaborate or very simple in design, and is usually affixed outside on the right-hand doorpost as one enters the house. However, some people place the mezuzah on the doorpost of all "living" rooms in their home.
Some people think of the mezuzah as an amulet or good luck charm that helps to protect their homes. A more prevalent view is that the mezuzah does not protect us from external harm, but rather from our own wrongdoing. Maimonides claimed the mezuzah reminded us, when leaving the home, that worldly affairs were unimportant and, when returning, of God's unity.
Having a mezuzah on one's doorpost is considered a religious duty, and it is considered a mitzvah (good deed, acting of loving kindness) to make for or give a mezuzah to someone else.
Placement of a Mezuzah
"Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the World, who has sanctified us with your commandments, and commanded us to affix the mezuzah." "Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the World, who has kept us alive and sustained us and permitted us to reach this moment." |
Mizrah
A mizrah is a plaque, watercolor or oil painting, embroidery or needlepoint, drawing, collage or wallhanging that is placed on the inside eastern wall of the home so that one always knows the correct direction to face when praying. The hanging always has the word mizrah, the Hebrew word for east, on it in Hebrew letters.
The mizrah was commonly used in Eastern Europe and were often very elaborate in design. Presently their use has practically disappeared.
There are no religious laws governing the design, construction or hanging of the a mizrah—only that it should be hung on an eastern wall so that, when members of the household pray, they will face in the direction of the Land of Israel, the ancient homeland of the Jewish People and its capitol, Jerusalem, where the Temple stood.
Numbers As Symbols
Rabbis, as they interpret the Bible, tell that Abraham prayed in the morning, Isaac in the afternoon and Jacob at night. Hence, there are people who pray daily, three times a day.
Some Jews are mystics who try to bring themselves closer to God by study and meditation. They look for hidden meanings and symbols in the Torah, in the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet and in numbers.
Hebrew numbers are formed from the letters of the alphabet. Thus, alef (
/A) is 1, bet (
/B) is 2, and so on.
Three is a favorable number because three names of God are often found together in prayer books: Helper, Savior and Shield. It is also significant because three angels came to the tent of Abraham and Sarah and because Jonah was inside the whale's belly for three days. Also, the patriarchs, the founding fathers of the Hebrew nation, were three—Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Four applies to many of the basics. A tallit (prayer shawl) has four fringes, one at each corner. The physical universe has four directions—east, west, north and south—and is composed of four elements—earth, air, fire and water. The four main archangels who form the universe of angels are Michael, Gabriel, Uriel and Rafael. The matriarchs, the founding mothers, were four: Sarah, Rebbecah, Leah and Rachel.
Ten is a symbolic number because of the Ten Commandments and because of the story of Sodom. God planned to destroy the town because its inhabitants were wicked. Abraham agreed with God, and it was agreed that Sodom would be spared if ten righteous people could be found (and you know what happened!). Ten has come to stand for a quorum, or minyan, the minimum number of people needed for certain ceremonial acts.
Eighteen is spelled chet (
/8) and yud (
/10), which adds up to eighteen, the number symbol for life. The Hebrew word chai means life. Many people enjoy wearing jewelry bearing the chai symbol in the form of a pendant or pin. Eighteen is considered a "lucky" number, as is 36 (double-chai). Monetary donations in the amounts of $18 or $36 are not uncommon at birthdays and bar or bat mitvahs. The number eighteen is probably the most widely known symbolic Hebrew number.
One-hundred twenty is significant because it comes from the story of Noah in the Bible. In it, God declared 120 years to be the span of human life. Moses died at that age, which is seen as the ideal lifetime (you should live so long!).
Symbols of the State of Israel
The Shield of David
Also known as a Jewish Star or the Star of David (Magen David), this six-pointed star is formed from two triangles which overlap, one upside down, and is probably the most commonly recognized symbol associated with Judaism.
Although an ancient emblem used in many cultures, it is not certain when the Magen David was first used by the Jewish People as a religious symbol and is not known to have a direct connection to King David.
In 1354 in Prague, the cities' Jews were given the right to have a flag. The double triangle design was chosen as their symbol and displayed on the banner in the 1500s.
Why the Prague Jews chose the double triangle is not known. One theory is that, because intolerant Greek rulers controlled Jerusalem, the Jewish People were forced to fight for religious freedom. The design on the shields of Jewish warriors was a six-pointed star. The Greek letter delta looks like a triangle, and according to legend, one triangle stood for King David and the other for his descendent, the Messiah.
The six-pointed star has been identified as a decoration at the side of the menorah which, at the time, was regarded as the "Shield of David." The illustration of this star in a 1564 manuscript is described as a Magen David. The use of the star became more widespread, and it replaced the menorah as a popular symbol of Judaism.
Centuries later, the star entered Jewish history again. By the late 1800s, the Jewish People had been separated from the land of Israel for almost 2000 years. Theodor Herzl, a Jewish writer in Vienna, called for the rebirth of the Jewish nation on its ancient soil. In 1898 he founded a movement called Zionism, after Zion, an ancient name for Jerusalem. Christians used the cross as a symbol, Moslems a star and crescent. Herzl searched for a symbol for his movement and chose the Star of David.
Herzl could have chosen a shofar (ram's horn), which had been in use since the time of Moses; a palm tree, which was the symbol of the tribe of Judah; or other symbols associated with the Jewish holidays. But he wanted something new; something that would stand for the reborn Jewish nation. Herzl's assistant, David Wolfson, ordered a flag to be made in the blue and white of the tallit (prayer shawl) with the star of David in the center. Their search was over.
An unfortunate and infamous use of the Jewish Star was to separate Jewish people from the rest of the population during Hitler's campaign of annihilation. Jews all over Europe were forced to wear the star on their clothing. This facilitated rounding up those so "branded" and putting them on trains destined for death camps.
Today, the Star of David is worn as jewelry, decorates Jewish crafts and works of art and waves proudly on the flag of the State of Israel.
The Menorah
The seven branched candelabra (menorah) was created in the wilderness and later transferred to Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem. By the time the temple was destroyed in 70 C.E., the menorah had been a Jewish symbol for a thousand years.
The use of replicas of the menorah for religious purposes was prohibited for many years. Eventually, menorahs began to appear as symbols in mosaic designs on synagogue floors, walks and tombstones. Later, they were displayed in synagogues. Over centuries, the seven branches of the menorah came to symbolize the seven heavenly bodies and the seven days of Creation. The shape, a central shaft with three branches on either side, suggests a tree. The "tree of life" theme is common in Jewish thought , and the menorah, like the Torah, is sometimes referred to as a "tree of life."
The Knesset (Israel's parliament) stands in Jerusalem, the city where King David once ruled. Opposite the entrance is a very large menorah. The menorah is the emblem of the Sate of Israel, and the menorah today symbolizes the renewal of Jewish sovereignty and the rebirth of the Jewish nation.
Readings and Resources
- All About Jewish Holidays and Customs by Epstein
- Menorahs, Mezuzahs and Other Jewish Symbols by Chaikin
- Let's Learn About Jewish Symbols by Fishman
- The Jewish Party Book by Rockland