The letters featured in this piece are TSADE DALET. Taken together, and reading from right to left, they spell CHAD. This name has been transliterated into the Hebrew phonetically. There is no CH sound in Hebrew. The articulation of CH is indicated by placing an accent mark above and after the TSADE. Usually the TSADE is pronounced as a TS sound but with the accent mark it makes a sound like CH.
Each of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet has a special meaning and a story to tell. Here a few brief ones about the letters on this painting.
TSADE is the 18th letter and sounds like T and S pronounced at the same time. It is associated with the word TSEDEK - RIGHTEOUS. The TSADE is constructed of 2 letters - an elongated and curved or bent NUN on the left and a YUD on the right. The TSADE is one of 7 letters [ SHIN AYIN TET NUN ZAYIN GIMMEL TSADE] - the SHATNAYZ GAYTZ letters - which may be adorned with TAGIN, or little crowns.
DALET is the 4th letter of the alphabet, has a numerical value of 4, means DOOR and makes a sound like the D in Delight. The DALET has the shape of an open door.
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This work is accompanied by the kabbalistic explanation printed above.
mat color:: black
