GIMEL ג

SREDNJI STEBER

In the system of sefirot, we have the right pillar of giving, the left pillar of receiving, and the third, middle pillar of receiving with the intention of giving. In the Torah, this system is represented by the three patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Graphically, the gimel represents a walking foot. This is progress, movement in the world, change. The idea of walking is "departure and return". In essence, the entire creation is in the process of departure and return. The physical laws of nature also tell us about this. Every change, every force also triggers an opposing force that wants to return the departure from the initial state to its place. To understand the dynamics of departure and return well at all levels of creation means to understand life!

Gimel גימל is a related word to gemal גמל, which means camel. The camel represents the idea of movement and progress, especially in the Middle Eastern geographical space, when it comes to movement, progress through the desert.

Gimulat Hasadim and means to give love, to be merciful. Thus gimel represents giving. In the order of the Hebrew alphabet, gimel is followed by dalet, which represents the poor; thus the rich gimel ג gives to the poor dalet ד. This indicates the meaning of balance.

Gemul גמול means work, task. Gemula גמולה means compensation, retribution, payment. The whole idea of gimel is therefore giving in all its forms, whether as a reward or as a punishment.

Giving, of course, can be described with the concept of withdrawal and return. When a person withdraws from oneness, he becomes a receiver; he wants to receive that from which he was withdrawn. But if a person's reception is transformed into giving, as Kabbalah teaches, then a person returns to a permanent connection with the light, with the creator.

And then

The concept of retreat and return, retzo ve-shuv, is a didactic extension of tzimtzum. It is about limiting and limiting limiting! It is also worth emphasizing that the word retreat, escape is related to the word desire רצה. This, in turn, is related to the word earth ארץ. By withdrawing from Himself, the Creator created desire (earth).