Hebrew Art - The Judaica Art of Adam Rhine


Chalom Mem
"Chalom Mem"
Hebrew (Dream) Letter
Watercolor and Colored Pencil on Watercolor Paper

"Your kingdom is a kingdom spanning all eternities. Your dominion is everlasting from generation to generation." (Psalm 145:13)

The 13th letter is mem, constructed by the merger of the letters "kaf" and "vav." Mem begins the word "mayim" or "water." Its numerical value is 40, the exact number of days it rained when the Earth was flooded during the time of Noah.

Forty is an amount found elsewhere in the Torah. Moses ascended Mount Sinai for forty days, and the Jews spent forty years in the desert after leaving Egypt.

Mem also begins the word "Mitzvot" which are the 613 Commandments as given to us by G-d in the Torah. Only by learning and obeying the Mitzvot will we merit the arrival of the "moshiach" or "savior," a title which also begins with a mem.

"Chalom" in Hebrew means "Dreams," like that of Yakkov Aveinu (Jacob our Father) who dreamt of angels traveling up and down a ladder between heaven and earth. The gestural qualities of these paintings explore the dreamlike spiritual qualities of the Hebrew letters.



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