Judaism is one of the oldest religions in the world, with the peculiarity of being monotheistic, that is, worshiping only one god. As for the Jewish symbolsThey are a sample of how this culture has advanced over the years to manifest its beliefs and traditions.
What are the Jewish symbols?
The Torah represents the manuscript in which most of these symbols of great importance in the culture are stored. It is one of the religions with the largest number of followers, reaching approximately 15 million people. The mayan symbols, have also meant a lot to the Mexican people, who support these emotionally charged customs from generation to generation. Next, the list with these allegorical representations of Judaism.
David's star
Within the Jewish symbols, it could be said that it is one of the most important for this culture. It sets the tone for all the people who are about to join in this religion. From the Middle Ages is when this figure begins to be associated with the Jews, on the occasion of decorating all architectural places to exalt their identity.
It also has other names to reach this representation such as the figure of David, Shield of David or Magen David. Any of the three meanings is contemplated to refer to this ancient symbol. Its history tells that the figure remained inscribed on the shield of King David, as a synonym of strength, gallantry and courage of all human beings.
It consists of the formation of two equilateral triangles that tend to join each other. The result is a fabulous six-point star in blue. It is usually on the flag with this color under a white background, so that the symbol stands out in all the places where it lives. Later, Islam and Christianity itself gave credit to the David's star exclusively for religious purposes.
David was the first king that God arranged on earth to take care of his interests. His personality led him to fight other fighters like Goliath in a space similar to a hexagram. For this reason it is understandable that the star remains within the Jewish symbols with great impetus, due to the struggle of this monarch to defend himself. This energy encompasses the vault of heaven and the earthly plane.
Menorah
The appearance of this figure accounts for Jewish symbols of great history for society. The menorah is a candelabra with seven arms that served as oil lamps to illuminate in the midst of darkness. Some researchers maintain that the object lay in the Temple of Jerusalem, until it became a cult tool, with a high sacred content.
When the menorah is lit, it heralds times of faith and hope. It is only enough to place a candle to implore the end of the war or attract prosperity to the nation. Christians highly value this object, because it is directly related to the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Menorah means "lamp" in the Hebrew language, although it has other synonyms referring to light, purity and hope. The first of them was built in pure gold, to be present in the Temple of Jerusalem. When God first appeared to him, he ordered the construction of a candlestick-like object to light lights in oil formulas. In the book of Exodus (25, 31) there is the following quote:
«Make a hammered, pure gold candlestick. Its base, its stem and its cups, calyxes and flowers, will form a single piece."
We can place this lamp of seven structures in any Tabernacle, that is, in the temples of a transportable nature to remember that God appeared in front of Moses, with the ordinance to build it. Of course there is the Jewish Tabernacle that refers somewhat to the events that occurred on Mount Sinai, with decorations on fabrics or curtains.
In the Bible there is no specific mention of a main menorah, because it counts the replica of another 10 more with floral motifs and raw material of domestic gold. King Solomon (son of David) ordered a commission of various presentations to distribute in his sanctuary. Having 10 lamps, he distributed them throughout the place: five on the left side and another five on the right.
It is not known for sure where the first Menorah was left. The Jewish religion relates that it was stolen by Titus (although later the doubt entered whether that lamp was real or forged). However, this candlestick reappeared shortly after it was supposedly stolen from the Vandals. Later, they transferred it to Constantinople.
But what do the seven arms mean? The seven days it took God to create the universe as it is known. Instead, light is that spiritual force that men possess. Other interpretations explain that the central arm corresponds to Saturday, because it is the most glorious event that all of Christianity celebrates with joy: the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
hanukiah
It looks similar to the seven-branched menorah, but instead of this number, add two more to make a total of nine. Known as the Hanukkah Menorah, it is used for eight-day, eight-night festivities. There are significant Jewish symbols, but Hanukkiah preserves the history for the birth of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. Every night there is at least one candle lit until the next day to commemorate the Festival of Lights.
Kippah
It is an elegant cap that is part of the Jewish clothing, used in most cases by men. Its use is varied, because some men choose to use it every day, while others prefer to be more orthodox with its placement on Saturdays or when they are about to access the Synagogue. If the man who belongs to this group is not Jewish, he is also obliged to have a Kippah so as not to disengage in this environment.
The manufacture of the Kippah does not follow a specific pattern, because it is a cap worn by practically all citizens who practice Judaism as their primary religion. However, its use is mandatory in the aforementioned contexts.
Chai
It is a nascent symbol of two others that belong to the famous Hebrew alphabet (chet and yod). When both graphemes come together they offer a different meaning than the original. The chai refers to "live", "life" or "living being". Culturally, it is a sign that is imposed on the medals to attract good luck or to be protected against all evil. For numbering purposes, it corresponds to number 18 for gematria activities. It is a very positive number, which manifests the candor and bliss of the Jews.
hamsa
It corresponds to another amulet for good luck in the shape of a hand. Its origin comes from the Middle East or North Africa. The Muslims maintained the custom of placing the hand of Fatima in the doorways of their houses as a sign of protection, so that the forces of evil do not have any penetration into the home.
The word has its origin in the Arabic language to refer to the number five, because they are the same number of fingers that the amulet has. The earliest uses of this large medallion come from ancient Mesopotamia.
Dreidel
It is a four-sided top used for the Festival of Lights or Hanukkah. On each side there is a letter belonging to the Hebrew alphabet, for example Nun (נ), Gimel (ג), Hei (ה) and Shin (ש). These spellings are not imposed by chance, because they serve as a reference to dictate the rules of the game. Later, scholars came to the conclusion that by forming a sentence with these initials, they translate to "a great miracle has just happened."
Among other interpretations that the Jewish symbols allow, this top houses the four provinces that were exiled as Babylon, Persia, Seleucid and Rome.
mezuzah
It is a famous scroll of great antiquity that has the verses of the Torah secured in a small box. At least in every home there is the Mezuzah on the doors, as part of the great respect that exists for the statutes found in the Holy Scriptures for this type of Jewish culture. It acquires greater relevance if it is present in schools or synagogues, as an essential element in all infrastructures that brings together a certain number of followers.
To place in history, it is opportune to indicate that these verses were written during Deuteronomy, whose titles respond to Shema Israel y Vehaya im shamoa. Not all Mezuzahs are meant to be in the same place. Each home is responsible for using the Jewish symbols, but in this special case it is essential that the words are written by an iron connoisseur of the Torah, because he is able to understand the meaning of the verses, until adapting the appropriate one for the home or school.
shofar
Of the entire list of Jewish symbols, the shofar is one of the most remembered along with the Star of David for presenting a horn shape. There is no certain shape or size, because the meaning is exactly the same for all cases. It usually resonates at the New Year's Party or any other prestigious event celebrated by the Jews.
YHWH
It is the abbreviation that gives way to the word Yahveh, the god of Israel that responds to this same name. Interestingly, the vowels in the Hebrew alphabet do not have the same value as the Latin alphabet, so they can be ignored in writing. If a person observes the initials with consonants «YHVH» refers to this authority of Israel. This God is known in other concepts as tetragrammaton. From this moment on, all the readings in honor of Yahweh have been performed with the omission of the vowels.
Eternal light
It fulfills the same function as the first seven-branched menorah or the nine-branched hanukiah, as it is a simple, one-piece lamp that carries light throughout the sanctuary. It is present in all Jewish synagogues as a sign of the power that the candle has to reflect everything around it, like filling everyone present with energy. It cannot be missing in any temple that has been built to honor the events in Jerusalem.
In the Festival of Lights or Hanukkah, it contains a hidden mystery as a result of the insurrection of the Maccabees to recover the first throne erected in Jerusalem. By achieving this goal, they reactivated the eternal light as a source of faith and hope. Some inconveniences arose so that the lamp did not last the necessary time, thanks to receiving constant refusals to give away the oil with which they kept the candles lit for a long time.
Eight days passed until the new amount of oil arrived so that the eternal light continued to burn for a while longer. The miracle of having found this substance to keep the light on is a great act of faith, making all Jews celebrate this ceremony by involving the hanukiah with the nine candles lit in full color.
Columns of Boaz and Jakin
These two infrastructures have a great history as they form part of the majestic temples built by King Solomon. They are the architectural complex that bears witness to the existence of the first Temple in Jerusalem, an enclosure where the main Menorah rests, responsible for lighting through its seven arms. They do not have direct participation in the support of the place, because their role is strictly ornamental.
Jakin's column is oriented to show the most masculine side of the universe such as indomitable strength, light and agile movements. Meanwhile, Boaz represents the opposite: moments of darkness, great episodes of darkness and elements linked to absolute solitude. Just when we bring both elements together, she presents a very interesting balance, in which she balances the two environments to make up the universe.
symbolic values of numbers
Gematria is an outstanding branch to understand the hidden or explicit meaning that Jewish numbers have. Each word is represented by a specific numerical value that is worth remembering. That said, each value next to its initial meaning:
- Number 3: Directly symbolizes love, although it recalls the first appearance of the three patriarchs: Isaac, Jacob and Abraham.
- Number 5: It refers directly to the five manuscripts that the Torah contains, in addition to remembering the Jamsa medallion that is placed at the entrances of the houses. All Tabernacles are made up of five pillars.
- Figure 6: It is the breaking point to manifest the first six days of universal creation.
- Number 7: This figure in other cultures is beneficial for those who believe in luck, in addition to evoking all the days that God took to create his world. They are the seven arms of the Menorah, the famous Jewish candlestick.
- Number 8: Represents the day in which God observes everything created in an extensive day. It is the duration of the Hanukkah Feast with all eight candles lit, day and night.
- Figure 9: Synonym of pregnancy and fertility. Period of time in the gestation of a new human being.
- Number 10: Alludes to the 10 commandments established by the Holy Church.
- Number 12: It is the totality of the Israelite tribes that contributed enough content for universal history.
- Figure 18: If you believe in good luck, then you are fully entitled to buy all medallions that contain the Chai as the primary number. Not necessarily Jews believe in this amount, but other religions such as Islam or Christianity that want to find good vibes.