One 304,805-letter Word
beforetheeyesofallthehouseofisraelinalltheirtravelsandgodcalledtomosesspeakingtohimfromthetentofthemeetinghesaidspeaktothechildrenofisrael
בולעיניכלביתישראלבכלמסעיהםויקראאלמשהוידבריהוהאליומאהלמועדלאמורדבראלבניישראל
The first word of Leviticus, Vayikra, begins with the letter vav meaning 'and' and ends with an unusually small letter alef.
Vav (and) joins the last sentence of Shemot-Exodus to the first of Vayikra-Leviticus in a continuous flow like a torah scroll unwinding.
The medium is an integral part of the message. Public reading of the torah in synagogue must be from a spiraling scroll, not from a book.
Small alef relates to a primeval time when the entire torah was written as one continuous word like the on-going flow of everyday life.
When the single 304,805-letter word was divided into 79,847 words, double letters written as one were separated.
The small alef reminds us of its separation from the alef following it in the word written alef lamed אאל, 'to' as in 'God called to Moses.'
Scribes write Hebrew letters below a line. The only letter that breaks through the line rising above it is the lamed, meaning 'to learn'.
Small alef symbolizes the humility of a learner open to growing. Lamed invites the learner to break out of the box soaring to new heights.
When the torah scroll is rewound annually, lamed, the last letter of the torah, connects to beit, the first letter, to spell lev.
Lev means 'heart.' The heart of the torah is where the end of the torah flows into its beginning as an on-going stream of life.
SundayTrucks: We see from our bedroom window trucks making their deliveries to the corner grocery store early in the morning.
MondayAmericanPizza: Mel had pizza for lunch in Jerusalem where he teaches.
TuesdayBook: Miriam holds the first copy of Mel's new book that explores narrative blogart as being both postdigital and Jewish.
WednesdayRain: We were happy to wake up to the sound of rain in our parched land. We photographed the puddle from our bedroom window.
WednesdayRain: We were happy to wake up to the sound of rain in our parched land. We photographed the puddle from our bedroom window.
ThursdayShopping: We shopped for Shabbat at Avi's Kew Gardens Hills Fruit & Vegetable store across the street from out Petah Tikva home.
FridayBureakaBreakfast: We fed Moshe's mice staying with us until his wife Inbal (our granddaughter) and he could move into their new home.
FridayBureakaBreakfast: We fed Moshe's mice staying with us until his wife Inbal (our granddaughter) and he could move into their new home.
Mazel Tov on the book!
ReplyDelete