SHIN
by Karl D. Coke, PH.D.
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he twenty-first letter of the Hebrew alphabet is called the Shin (pronounced: sheen). This letter has the numeric value of 300. It has two sounds, sh and s. The first drawing of the Shin was meant to represent "teeth." You may find this letter over the section that begins with Psalm 119:161. Psalm 119 is divided into twenty-two sections, each of which contains eight verses. Each section represents one of the twenty-two letters in the Hebrew alphabet.According to the Chassidic Jews, Shin is the symbol of Divine Power, but also of corruption. The Shin stands high among the letters because it represents two names of God. Standing alone, the Shin represents God’s name, Shaddai, the All-Sufficient, Unlimited One, and, His name, Shalom, Peace.
The name, Shaddai, is made from the word dai, which means sufficient or enough. By placing the Shin before dai, you are saying that God, the Unlimited One, has fixed the measure of all things, established all boundaries, and has set all moral limits for man. God has revealed Himself through His name, Shaddai. He revealed Himself through the establishment of fixed laws in the universe to protect the integrity of creation. Creation is as He intended it to be! This is revealed by His name, El Shaddai (God Almighty).
Shin also stands for God’s name, Shalom, which denotes peace and perfection. God is the essence of harmony and perfection; therefore, His name is called the Arsheh Shalom, the Maker of Peace. God’s names not only describe His attributes but also serve as examples for man to imitate. This is especially true of the name, Shalom. Man must be a peacemaker. He must be like the middle prong in the Shin. The two outer prongs are like two adversaries while the middle one represents a man who, like God, serves as the peacemaker between the two.
Chassidic thought also suggests that the Shin looks like man in the proper position of praying. The middle prong represents man’s head while the two outer prongs represent his hands raised heavenward. The Torah tells us in Exodus 17:11 that as long as Moses held his hands heavenward, Israel prevailed. The Shin is a silhouette of Moses. It is not by magic that Moses brought victory. His hands were raised in faith that only God could bring the victory.
The Shin has three prongs. The Midrash says this alludes to: this world, the Messianic era, and the world to come; spirit, soul and body; the three primary colors; three sanctities: the Holy One (Blessed be He), the Holy Shabbat, and Holy Israel; and the completeness of man, who was brought into existence by three partners: God, his father, and his mother.
The Shin is also the shape of the valleys which surround the ancient city of Jerusalem (see photo). The left prong with the bottom represents the Hinnom Valley. The middle prong is the Tyropean (Central) Valley. The right prong is the Kidron Valley. Why? According to Deuteronomy 16:11, God chose Jerusalem as the place to put His name. Rabbinic sources tell us that this is why the letter shin is seen in the topography of Israel’s ancient capital city. Amazingly, then, even the geography of the city of Jerusalem declares the name above all names!