Unlocking the Secrets of the Letter Zayin: A Journey Through Torah and Kabbalah

The word "Zayin" translates to nourishment. The Talmud refers to food as "something that nourishes," which provides life force. The first word in the Torah beginning with Zayin is "Zera" (seed), the life force of all plants on Earth, and from these seeds, humanity is nourished: "Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant... Every tree whose fruit contains seed shall be food for you." Through seeds, food becomes perpetually sustainable.

The Talmud in Tractate Shabbat explains the essence and position of the letter Zayin: "If you do this, Hashem will provide your sustenance." Following the orderly creation from letters Aleph to Zayin, if everything is as it should be, Hashem provides food and sustenance for humans, plants, and animals. The letter Vav represents life's force, and Zayin represents this force's ability to obtain and nourish life.

In Gemel, we saw it symbolizes the receipt of abundance leading to growth but passively. In contrast, Zayin represents active giving, the thriving world of food provision. Food is created by a force that increases and moves. A seed planted in the ground develops into a plant that grows, sending roots and branches. We can say that Gemel is receiving abundance, while Zayin is providing abundance. Thus, the male is symbolized by this letter as he moves, works, and procures food for his family. The Sefer Yetzirah (Chapter 5, Mishnah 1) states that Zayin means movement and progression. Humans are born to toil; their work, effort, and movement are to bring food, and a plant's "struggle" to grow and bear food is called movement. Rashi glorifies the phrase (Psalms 50:12) "wild field life," naming plants "Ziz" for their movement. The field is inanimate, and suddenly it "moves." (In prophetic and Talmudic language, earth is feminine, Mother Earth, while plants are masculine, born from the earth to perform their work). Every movement involves the letter Zayin, whether slow like "slip" or "shift," or fast: "throw," "winnow," "quicken." An existence emphasized by its movement.

While "He" expresses the existence of a thing, as the meaning of the letter Hey, "this" expresses its manifest appearance before us. We either move towards it, or it moves towards us, creating the condition of "this."

In the letter Gemel, we also saw it expresses growth and its natural conclusion, weaning. The letter Zayin embodies the forces and effort to acquire and distribute food, and also the unnatural conclusion, cutting. Weapons, "Keliyim," end life unnaturally, not only in physical life but also in mental life. Therefore, the root "Zanot" is used for idolatry and immorality, cutting off the source of spiritual abundance and pursuing another, unbeneficial path. The letter Resh represents cutting, hence "cut" and "axe," actions that interrupt natural growth, of plants or people. The "Nazir" refrains from natural activities, part of sustenance and life. The purpose of Nazirite behavior is a temporary stop of normal life activities, "one who sees a Sota in her corruption should abstain himself."

Another connection between Gemel and Zayin is their composition from Vav. Gemel is made of Vav, symbolizing height and strength, relying on an inverted Yud representing acceptance of influence. Zayin is composed of Vav, the height and power of the male bringing food, with an additional protrusion in the opposite direction. This protrusion, "Ziz," signifies increased power and influence capability, like a plant protruding from the earth, called "Ziz."

Now it's clear that the word "Zug" represents male and female. The male brings food, and the female uses it to bring forth life as a reward. Between them lies the Vav connection and knowledge, as their union is both physical and emotional. They understand each other's deepest desires and needs.

It's fascinating to see the changing name of the seed: within the fruit, it's feminine, receiving abundance and using it, hence starts with Gemel. Upon leaving the fruit, it changes to Zayin, becoming a seed, performing its role in the earth, growing again inside the fruit, transforming back to seed. This mirrors the transformations of humans: growing from infancy, nourishing and providing, with their offspring eventually supporting others. A chain of giving and receiving.

The numerical value of the letter Zayin is seven, as explained by the Maharal (Gevurot Hashem), since six symbolizes the physical realm. The physical space has six directions: four cardinal directions + up and down, and the number seven that follows symbolizes the element beyond existing matter, which is the inner point that animates and sustains it, meaning the spirit. Its existence is not physical but spiritual, transcending the six sides of the material, holding all the vitality of the physical body composed of these six sides. Like the seventh day, providing spiritual essence to the six working days. Accordingly, it's evident that the letter Zayin, representing influence and life-giving, couldn't have a more fitting number than seven. Additionally, the letters of the number seven form the Hebrew word "satisfied," a description of something nourished and now full of abundance.

The letter Nun indicates the soul. According to this, the word "Zan" means providing abundance to the soul. This aligns perfectly with the act of feeding, which is giving food that revitalizes and sustains the soul. The organ "ear," or Ozen, carries this name because its main purpose is hearing and absorbing divine wisdom (hence the root "Sh.M.A" in Hebrew involves not only hearing sounds but understanding and internalizing). Therefore, the word "ear" is composed of Aleph, Zayin, Nun - wisdom, nourishing the soul. "To listen is better than a good offering," suggesting if wisdom nourishes the soul and we heed its voice, it's more significant than offering a sacrifice.