Tav (ת)

The letter Tav is the last letter of the Alphabet and stands for the number 400.

1. Tamid (תמיד) - eternal; as part of the holy temple and in every synagogue around the world, there is a candle that is always lit -- an eternal flame, representing the constant and unending presence of G-d in our reality, in our life.

2. Talmid (תלמיד) and Torah (תורה) - student and the Bible; being able to study the Bible and finding in it the relevant wisdom to help us on our path, as a Jewish practice that at its root is meant to help us come out of darkness and into the light. In this drawing, the letter Tav is the student, sitting in a place of shadows, while the commitment and the studying ignites the flame of his being. The sparks all around the student represents the new ideas and new connections to the spiritual world which unfold when one enters a path of study of the Bible when it is connected to the desire to do true Teshuva. The intention to learn and fix our lives is necessary to be able to extract the most precious gems out of the Holy text.

3. Tefillin (תפילין) - a small box with the Shema'a prayer in it, located where the third eye is said to be, and wrapped around the arm -- the practice of placing the Tefillin on is part of Jewish men's ritual in the morning prayer and is meant to be another method in deepening the connection with the Divine.

4. Tizmun moshlam (תיזמון מושלם) - perfect timing; all is in perfect timing when we view our reality through 'the clock of G-d.' The clock in the drawing represents the idea of divine timing and the twelve tribes of Israel. The hour 2 and 4 are highlighted, as the number 42 stands for the 42 steps on the way to achieving redemption, as well as being the number for the most important job in the world, and the most unappreciated job in the world -- being a mother. In Hebrew, אמא (Ima) = 42.

5. Toda (תודה) - thank you; a word that should be used to much more, towards ourselves, towards otehrs, and towards G-d. As I would like to also thank you for taking the time to read this far. I appreciate your time and I feel privileged that you chose to read these notes of mine. Thank you, and thank G-d for my reaching the end of the explanation for the last letter of the Alphabet.

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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.