The Zodiac
16" x 16"
The 4-letter Divine name, known as the Tetragrammaton, or in Hebrew, Shem Havaya, (the Name of ultimate Being and becoming), has 12 different letter combinations. The mystics understood that each month of the year receives Divine influence of character and blessing through the 12 ways of forming these holy letters.
Rabbi Zvi Elimelech, known as the B'nei Yissachar wrote a lot about the subject. Each letter combination is based on a verse where the letter combination associated with that month is an abbreviation within a given verse. For instance, the first month of Jewish year, Nissan is associated with the regular letter combination of The holy Name, Yud, Heh, Vav, Heh, and is based on a verse from Psalms, Yismachu Hashamayim V'tagel Ha'aretz, May the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad."
The Name combinations move clockwise From Nissan at the top to the last month, Adar. The letter combinations also move clockwise in each inner circle according to the months of the year. There are a total of 144 letter combinations of the Divine 4-letter Name. The colors comprising the letters of all the Divine name permutations are shades of blues and whites representing the Divine attribute of Chesed, Loving Kindness. In a close-up view, the text that is used within the Divine letters comprise the text of the 7 days of creation from the first column of a Torah scroll.
The 13th century, Kaballist from Spain, Rabbi Joseph Gikatilla, in his monumental book, Shaarei Ora says that the yearly calendar of 12 months is separated into 4 quarters and the for each quarter, 3 permutations of the Divine names are “stamped” with each progressing letter of the Divine name. To illustrate this, the first 3 months of the Hebrew calendar, Nissan, Iyar and Sivan, the Divine letter permutation each begin with the letter yud and the next quarter of 3 months, Tamuz, Av, Elul, the Divine letter permutations each begin, (are stamped) with the proceeding letter of the Tetragramatton, namely the letter, Heh, and so on.
Furthermore, the Hebrew term for "constellation," “mazal,” which also means, “fortune”, like, “mazal tov”, “good fortune,” comes from the verse in Numbers 24:7,
יִזַּל מַיִם מִדָּלְיָו וְזַרְעוֹ בְּמַיִם רַבִּים וְיָרֹם מֵאֲגַג מַלְכּוֹ וְתִנַּשֵּׂא מַלְכֻתוֹ
Their boughs drip with moisture. Their roots have abundant water, their ruler shall rise above Agag, their sovereignty shall be exalted.
From here, we see that the term, “mazal” is derived from the conjugated verb, yizal, which means to drip, or to flow forth. It is in this light where the kaballists derive the idea that the Divine names are the conduit, or constellations from where blessings flow.
This art piece comes as a numbered and signed gicle art print.