

Alphabet Soup for the Soul - Part 7
WEEK 7: ז/Zayin is a weapon sharpened by opposition and debate, cutting through delusion, reaping what’s sown, whetting an appetite for more, when well wielded, satiating the soul for good. WORD: The name of the 7th letter as noun is a ‘weapon’ and as verb means ‘to nourish.’ It represents the promise of the Sabbath [7th] Day, the prophetic call to "sow swords into plowshares." WORD-PLAY: The seven-day festival, Sukkot, celebrates the fall harvest. It arises each year with


alphabet soup for the soul, part 6
WEEK 6: ו/Vav is the connecting tool, the tree-like stance that links heaven and earth, the pose that hooks up heart and mind, the 6th sense that knows puzzle, piece and place. WORD: A ו/Vav is “a hook,” and its function is conjunction, connection, hitqashrut / התקשרות. WORD PLAY: The 6th letter of the Hebrew Alphabet stands upright, like the first human beings whose origin is described on the 6th day of Creation, with the other creatures of the earth, and the idea of ‘us.’


Alphabet Soup for the Soul, Part 5
WEEK 5: ה/Hei is the unseen wind, sensed in spaces where faces meet, minds wonder, lips quiver with curiosity, and breath whispers, ‘come closer.’ WORD: ה/Hei is CURIOUS, learning for the sake of learning / Hitlamdut vTorah lishmaH. WORD-PLAY: This letter is many words in one. It is used as a prefix and a suffix in several, seemingly contradictory ways. When affixed to the front end of a noun, typically, we see the ה/Hei function as the definite article. It turns ‘a house,