Star of David

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The Star of David

The Star of David is a widely recognized symbol of Judaism, named after King David of ancient Israel, which consists of two superimposed equalateral trinagles. According to legend, the Star of David may have derived from the Shield of David (known as the Magen David in Hebrew, מָגֵן דָּוִד). It may also have evolved from the mysterious Seal of Solomon (five-pointed star) that was used in the ancient world as a talisman. However, the Star's pedigree as a common Jewish symbol did not become widespread until the late Middle Ages. Since that time, it has become one of the defining symbols of Judaism along with the more ancient symbol of the Menorah. The Star has been used to adorn the cover of the Torah and is found on Jewish synagogues and tombstones.

While the symbol has had a varied emotive history for the Jewish people due to its association with the Nazis during the Holocaust (when it was used to stigmatize Jews), the Star of David continues to be an heroic symbol for many Jews, and has been adopted on the flag of Israel with the creation of the modern State of Israel in 1948.

Meaning

There are several interpretations of the meaning of the Star of David. It is most frequently associated with the number seven (derived from the six points plus the center). This number has considerable religious significance in Judaism, which can be noted in several examples including the six days of Creation plus the seventh day of rest, as well as the Seven Archangels of God. In the same vein, the Star of David may have evolved as an abstract symbol for the Menorah (the more traditional symbol for Judaism that once stood in the Temple of Jerusalem), due to its association with light as well as its geometric organization into 3+3+1, which corresponds to the seven branches of the Menorah.

Another view of the Star of David locates its meaning in the name David itself In Hebrew spelling (דוד), David contains only three characters, two of which are "D" (or "Dalet", in Hebrew). In ancient times, this letter was written in a form much like a triangle, similar to the Greek letter Delta (Δ). Thus, the symbol may have been a family crest formed by flipping and juxtaposing the two most prominent letters in the name.

The hexagram is also known as the "King's Star" in astrological circles, and was an important astrological symbol in Zoroastrianism, which may represent the astrological chart at the time of David's birth or anointment as king.

History

While the exact origins of the symbol's relation to Jewish identity are unknown, a popular folk story has it that the Star of David is literally modeled after the shield of the young Israelite warrior David (later to be King David). In order to save metal, the shield was not made of metal but of leather spanned across the simplest metal frame that would hold the round shield: two interlocking triangles. However, no reliable historical evidence for this etymology exists.

The earliest archaeological evidence for the Jewish use of the symbol comes from an inscription attributed to Joshua ben Asayahu in late 7th Century B.C.E. Sidon. The earliest extant Jewish text to mention it is the Eshkol Ha-Kofer by a Karaite named Judah Hadassi, from the 12th century CE, which states: "Seven names of angels precede the mezuzah: Michael, Gabriel, etc. ... Tetragrammaton protect you! And likewise the sign, called the 'Shield of David', is placed beside the name of each angel."[1]

"Practical" Kabbalah makes use of this sign, arranging the Ten Sephiroth, or spheres, in it, and placing it on amulets.[2] However, the sign is nowhere to be found in classical kabbalistic texts themselves, such as the Zohar and the like. Therefore, its use as a sefirotic diagram in amulets is more likely a reinterpretation of a preexisting magical symbol.

According to G.S. Oegema, "Isaac Luria provided the Shield of David with a further mystical meaning. In his book "Etz Hachayim" he teaches that the elements of the plate for the Seder evening have to be placed in the order of the hexagram: above the three sefirot "Crown, "wisdom," and "Insight", below the other seven". [3] Isaac Luria influenced the becoming of the Star of David a national Jewish emblem by teaching that the elements of the plate for the Seder evening have to be placed in the order of the hexagram, but Gershom Scholem proved that Isaac Luria talked about parallel triangles one beneath the other and not about the hexagram. [4]

Kabbalistically, the Star/Shield of David symbolizes the six directions of space plus the center, under the influence of the description of space found in the Sefer Yetsira: Up, Down, East, West, South, North, and Center. Congruently, under the influence of the Zohar, it represents the Six Sefirot of the Male (Zeir Anpin) united with the Seventh Sefirot of the Female (Nekuva).

Mythology

The Star of David in the oldest surviving complete copy of the Masoretic text, the Leningrad Codex, dated 1008.

Jewish lore links the symbol to the Seal of Solomon, the magical signet ring used by King Solomon to control demons and spirits. Scholars once speculated that the hexagram may be a relic from Ancient Egyptian religious practices, adopted by Jews engaged in the occult and syncretism as early as the era of King Solomon. However such claims are unlikely due to the scarcity of evidence in Egyptian religious practices B.C.E. Where Hellenistic Gnostics and Egyptians did use pentagrams in their amulets (such as the "pentalpha" symbol), they did not use hexagrams. It is notably absent from the ancient papyri. Originally, the hexagram may have been employed as an architectural ornament on synagogues, as it is, for example, on the cathedrals of Brandenburg and Stendal, and on the Marktkirche at Hanover. A pentagram in this form is found on the ancient synagogue at Tell Hum.

Jewish lore also links the symbol to a magic shield supposedly owned by King David that protected him from enemies. The Shield of David is not mentioned in ancient rabbinic literature. A supposed David's shield however has recently been noted on a Jewish tombstone at Taranto, in Southern Italy, which may date as early as the third century CE. Likewise, a stone bearing the shield from the arch of a 3-4th century synagogue in the Galilee was found. [5]

The earliest Jewish literary source that mentions the "Shield of David" is the Eshkol Ha-Kofer by Judah Hadassi from the middle of the 12th century CE, where seven Shields are used in an amulet for a mezuzah. It appears to have been in use as part of amulets before it was in use in formal Jewish contexts.

A manuscript TaNaK dated 1307 and belonging to Rabbi Yosef bar Yehuda ben Marvas from Toledo, Spain, was decorated with a Shield of David.

In 1354, King of Bohemia Charles IV prescribed for the Jews of Prague a red flag with both David's shield and Solomon's seal, while the red flag with which the Jews met King Matthias of Hungary in the 15th century showed two pentagrams with two golden stars (Schwandtner, Scriptores Rerum Hungaricarum, ii. 148). The pentagram, therefore, may also have been used among the Jews. It occurs in a manuscript as early as the year 1073 (facsimile in M. Friedmann, Seder Eliyahu Rabbah ve-Seder Eliyahu Ztṭa, Vienna, 1901).

A synagogue in Karlsruhe, Germany, with the outline of a Star of David

In 1460, the Jews of Ofen (Budapest, Hungary) received King Mathios Kuruvenus with a red flag on which were two Shields of David and two stars. In the first Hebrew prayer book, printed in Prague in 1512, a large Shield of David appears on the cover. In the colophon is written: "Each man beneath his flag according to the house of their fathers... and he will merit to bestow a bountiful gift on anyone who grasps the Shield of David." In 1592, Mordechai Maizel was allowed to affix "a flag of King David, similar to that located on the Main Synagogue" to his synagogue in Prague. In 1648, the Jews of Prague were again allowed a flag, in acknowledgment of their part in defending the city against the Swedes. On a red background was a yellow Shield of David, in the centre of which was a Swedish star. [6]

The Star of David can be found on the tombstones of religious Jews going back hundreds of years in Europe, as it became accepted as the universal symbol of the Jewish people. Following Jewish emancipation after the French revolution, Jewish communities chose the Star of David to represent themselves, comparable to the cross used by most Christians.

Some Orthodox Jewish groups reject the use of the hexagram Star of David because of its association with magic and the occult. They do not recognize it as a Jewish symbol. Some Haredi groups, such as Neturei Karta and Satmar reject it because they associate it with Zionism.

Many Modern Orthodox synagogues, and many synagogues of other Jewish movements, however have the Israeli flag with the Star of David prominently displayed at the front of the synagogues near the Ark containing the Torah scrolls.

Use by the Nazis

The jude badge

A Star of David, often yellow-colored, was used by the Nazis during the Holocaust as a method of identifying Jews. After the German invasion of Poland in 1939 there were initially different local decrees forcing Jews to wear a distinct sign (e.g. in the General Government, a white armband with a blue Star of David on it, in the Warthegau a yellow badge in the form of a Star of David on the right side of the breast and on the back.)[7] The requirement to wear the Star of David with the word Jude (German for Jew) inscribed was then extended to all Jews over the age of 6 in the Reich and the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (by a decree issued on September 1, 1941 signed by Reinhard Heydrich [8]) and was gradually introduced in other German-occupied areas, where local words were used (e.g. Juif in French, Jood in Dutch).

Jewish inmates in concentration camps were later forced to wear similar Nazi concentration camp badges.

Modern Usage

The Magen David Adom emblem

In modern Israel, the Star of David is used by the Magen David Adom (MDA) (Red Shield of David), Israel's only official emergency medical, disaster, ambulance service. It is an official member of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

While the symbol has had a varied emotive history for the Jewish people due to its association with the Nazis during the Holocaust (when it was used to stigmatize Jews), the Star of David continues to be an heroic symbol for many Jews, and has been adopted on the flag of Israel with the creation of the modern State of Israel in 1948.

Footnotes

  1. www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view_friendly.jsp?artid=38&letter=M
  2. www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view_friendly.jsp?artid=38&letter=M
  3. G.S. Oegema, Realms of Judaism. The History of the Shield of David, the Birth of a Symbol. (Peter Lang, Germany, 1996) ISBN 3-631-30192-8
  4. Hatakh ha-Zahav, Hotam Shelomoh u-Magen-David (Poalim, 1990, Hebrew) p.156
  5. King Solomon-s Seal
  6. The National Flag at MFA
  7. Encyclopedia of the Holocaust (at Museum of Tolerance)
  8. Polizeiverordnung über die Kennzeichnung der Juden (came into force September 19, 1941)

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Friedmann, M. Seder Eliyahu Rabbah ve-Seder Eliyahu Ztṭa, Vienna, 190).
  • Oegema, G.S. The History of the Shield of David, the Birth of a Symbol. Peter Lang, 1996. ISBN 3-631-30192-8
  • Schwandtner, Scriptores Rerum Hungaricarum, ii. 148.
  • Teutsch, Ellen and Betsy Patkin Frankel. The Encyclopedia of Jewish Symbols. Publisher: Jason Aronson, 1996. ISBN 978-1568217420
  • Thiele, Shlomo Weiss. The Structure of Creation: The Star of David as a Blueprint of the Universe. BookSurge Publishing, 2006. ISBN 978-1419622540

External links

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