What this Hamsa said to me . . .

I am a Hamsa. I am narrative in clay form, a conversation between the past and the present, a five-fingered amulet, and a bearer of countless tales from an ancient lineage. My palm faces downward as if the universe's hand is gently guiding your way, good fortune that is steeped in the meanings of spiritual traditions, including those in the five books of Moses.

At my core, I embrace the Jewish value of the Tree of Life (עץ חיים/Eitz Chaim) as related in the Talmud in the story of the old man who was asked by the first-century BCE sage Honi why he bothered to plant a carob tree that would take 70 years to bear fruit. The old man answered, "Just as others planted for me, I plant for future generations."

Adorning the outreach of my hand is אמת ( emet ), the Hebrew word for truth. The emet is crafted from the Hebrew alphabet's first, middle, and last characters, symbolizing that truth is only true when told from the beginning through its end.

Wandering above these letters are the pomegranates, renowned for their many seeds. In Jewish folk art, these seeds symbolize the 613 commandments (מִצְווֹת / mitzvot) of the Torah, to be performed as a religious duty. I nurture this mitzvah imagery in its broader meaning of performing an act of human kindness.

The flickering flames at my fingertips are the Shabbat candles lighting the way to tranquility and harmony while marking the weekly moment when time stands still, and the sacred envelops the ordinary.

Fish are common Jewish folk art symbols drawing on many connections, including fertility, protection, and the power of transformation and growth. This school of fish is a continual reminder of another connection, the importance of community.

In my outstretched fingers, the spirals echo the Fibonacci sequence, the mathematical blueprint of the Kabbalistic quest to understand the universe's divine spark.

Turn me over, and you will find a declaration: "Abundance, Prosperity through Truth.” It reflects my clay maker's belief that the richness of life springs from the well of authenticity and honesty in our actions and deeds.

Thank you for inviting my story to resonate within your space, letting the symbols I bear deepen your connection to the ancient, the sacred, and a path of חי (chai/life) full of abundance and prosperity.