'Mem' is for Miriam

You may remember my posts about the Hebrew letters Lamed and Hey. This time I created a papercut of the letter Mem, in this case as a teacher gift for 'Miriam'. Mem is the thirteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet and has the sound of "m" as in "mum". In gematria (a mystical tradition that assigns a numerological value to Hebrew letters) Mem represents the number 40. It is associated with the following: 40 days and 40 nights, 40 years in the wilderness, 40 days Moses was upon Mount Sinai, 40 days of Selichot (repentance before Rosh Hashanah) and more. The Mikvah, or Hebrew ritual immersion, must contain at least 40 seahs of water (a unit of dry measure of ancient origin used in Halakha) to be a mikvah.

As an abbreviation, Mem stands for metre. In the Israeli army it can also stand for mefaked, commander. In Hebrew religious texts, it can stand for the name of G-d* Makom, the Place.

Traditionally Mem has several related meanings: "waters", "people", "nations", "languages" and "tongues". The name of the letter probably signifies water itself (the Hebrew word for water is mayim). Its most ancient forms bore a resemblance to waves of water. In Jewish mysticism it is the letter of "water", symbolising the "spring" of the Torah.

Five Hebrew letters are formed differently when they appear as the last letter of a word (these forms are sometimes called sofit forms). Mem, like Kaph, Nun, Pe, and Tzadi, has a final form, used at the end of words: its shape changes from מ‬ to ם‬. The open form is said to represent the revealed truth of G-d, whereas the closed form is said to represent the secrets.

Additionally, the Mem represents the womb - רחם (rechem) - which ends with a closed Mem. The closed Mem represents the nine months when the womb is closed. The open Mem represents the period of childbirth, when the womb is open.

My letters are available unframed. They measure 12x17cm and fit perfectly into the mount of an IKEA 18x24cm RIBBA frame. Do let me know which initial you would like me to make next.

* Jewish people do not write G‑d's name in a place where it may be discarded or erased. Treating G‑d's name with reverence is a way to give respect to G‑d.

** This post has been shared on Wednesday around the World, Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop, Wordless Wednesday Link Up, {wow me} wednesday, Little Things Thursday, Creatively Crafty Link Party, Share Your Cup Thursday, All Seasons and Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday).