There is a certain word which resonates with me deeply. It is the word play. I think for adults some times it is misinterpreted , those involved in it are some times called childish but is this the case?
Play
It is said, I don’t know if it true, that Einstein said that play is the highest form of scientific research.
Let’s see how another tradition approached this wonderful word . In Hebrew
לְשַׂחֵק (Lesachek) is the verb for “to play”
Hebrew is a wise language. Within this tradition there is a notion called Tzeruf. Though Tzeruf is esoteric and mystical, I choose to abstain from this and treat it as a contemporary invitation to play and wonder. I believe that God is playful – He loves patterns- He loves riddles….
Tzeruf
Tzeruf means combination , joining, permutation . It treats letters as dynamic toys that can be deliberately re arranged, combined permuted . In Hebrew , letters of the alphabet are not considered arbitrary symbols , they are though to be fundamental blocks of creation. It is believed that God created the universe through a combination of these 22 letters. Leaving the mystical element, kindly aside, I would like to treat it a playground to explore creative problem when it comes to contemporary dilemmas.
2 such dilemmas that concern us all are the 2 following
1 freedom intimacy duo within personal relationships
2 perfectionism deadlines within the workplace
Love playground
Let’s start with the Love playground:)
Let’s take 2 words associated with it. These are :
Cherut meaning freedom חֵירוּת
And Yada meaning ידע deep knowing ( the ultimate intimacy indicator)
Tzeruf in Cherut
Cherut has 4 letters : chet חֵ, resh ר van י and tav ת
The word Charut ( חָרוּת ) has exactly the same 4 consonant letters with Cherut but a different vowel ( a as opposed to e) .Vowels in Hebrew are not separate letters they are dots, lines surrounding the Hebrew letters. It means engraved in stone .
Where is Tzeruf here? By changing the vocalisation you reveal a deeper pattern.( aha moment ) True freedom involves being aligned , having wise teachings and personal values engraved in you, Only then are you free from bad habits and distorted thinking.
Tzeruf and Yada
If we were to apply it in Yada , the root letters are the letters yod, daleth and ayin ( starting from right to left)
Based on the fact that Yada has 3 letters there are several possible permutations, such as:
1 The original one ( to know) -Yada
2 to appoint ( designate) fix time place – Ya’ad
3 witness testimony -ed’
4 ornament jewel -adi’
To take an example the word jewel
Adi (עָדִי or עַדִי)
Both words yada and Ai have the same letters but in
to know there is Yod dalet ayin sequence
in jewel there is ayin dalet yod sequence
If we were to pause, intimacy is linked to deep knowing, beautifying one’s soul and making time to set dates, moments of presence with other.
Tzeruf in Freedom – Intimacy dance
Having shed light on the words Cherut and Yada separately we will now examine their dance.
This is true fun, what happens when you start combining letters from both words
Let’s explore what deeper pattern these combos reveal about navigating freedom and intimacy with more ease
If we take the 2 words together we have 7 consonants
chet, resh, vav, tav ( from Cherut) and yod, dalet. ayin ( from Yada)
If we combine consonants from the 2 words some words or near words that arise are the following
Da’at is the deeper level of yada and true da’at brings freedom from confusion and ego.
It has 3 consonant letters ( dalet and ayin from Yada) and tav from cherut
It is the deep knowledge where you truly connect with another person when you don’t have to guess about the other’s feelings, fears, joys , being free from ego and games When someone is true to their values and has engraved deep principles and wise teachings ( cherut) vulnerability doesn’t get mishandled and one doesn’t want to flee from the relationship.
Another word is the word edut meaning bear witness
When you combine Cherut and Yada, you are a witness to each other, you reveal your authentic self
It takes 2 letters from Yada and 2 letters from Cherut
These are the consonants ayin dalet van and tav
If one continues this game, s/he could reveal further associations, providing an exhaustive list is not part of this article. It is more as an invitation to play
Having said these. Hebrew employs 2 other fascinating techniques that reveal deeper patterns, namely Avgad and Atbash
Avgad
Avgad is the technique where each Hebrew letter is replaced by the next letter in the Hebrew alphabet
For example Aleph becomes Bet, Bet becomes Gimel and so on. The last letter Tav wraps around and cycles back to the first letter Aleph.
Avgad and cherut – progression element
If we were to take the word cherut and we wanted to apply this technique, chet becomes tet, resh becomes shin vav becomes zayin and tav becomes Aleph
The resulting letter sequence is the sequence tet shin zayin and alef
This is not a standard word , the closest meaning association would be the hidden divine fire of unity , revealing how freedom elevates to higher spiritual state through shifted awareness
The shift symbolizes progression , freedom is not static it advances through spiritual ascend ( each letter moving forward).
Avgad and yada
Now let’s apply it to Yada
The resulting sequence is kaf he pe
Again this is not a real word, what it hints at is that true experiential knowledge doesn’t stay internal. It advances to action, revelation
Atbash – mirror substitution playful activity
Having said this, let’s move to Atbash, which is a technique that reverses the alphabet
Within this context,
Tav becomes Aleph
Shin becomes Bet and so on
This is a mirror reversal substitution game.
Instead of studying how it applies to cherut and yada in isolation
I will play one level higher and see how it relates to the words that emerge from consonants from both words
Da’at and Atbash
Above we found that such a word is the word Da’at
which is spelled from the consonants dalet ayin and tav
For da’at
qof> dalet
zayin> ayin
and aleph> tav
This forms the Hebrew sequence qof zayin aleph
The resulting sequence is not a real word , however poetically it could evoke transformation of knowledge into a higher encircled relevation
This is a hidden truth that is surrounded by layers of materiality and struggles yet revealed through nourishment effort and ultimate oneness ( negative connotation of circles)
From another standpoint cirles are protective mechanisms ( trust, empathy, mutual care) Without circles, revelation leads to chaos , hurt or loss of freedom ( people shut down, with draw or control) Within the circle you can be yourself and draw closer without fear of destruction .
Da’at mirroring
If we were to treat it as a mirror to da’at therefore, revelation is not always open. some times it is encircled for safety , sustained through challenges until unity emerges.
Accord – Alignment with Jung individuation
What happens if we bring these elements in creative fusion?
What is the deepest ‘riddle’ ?
The deepest truth is that the riddle freedom intimacy is not solved once . The answer is the dance itself. In this sense Freedom – Intimacy playground is the ultimate playground for Jung’s individuation, the Self within each person endlessly striving to united fragmented pieces and bring the conscious and the unconscious into creative unity. The 3 concepts mentioned above align within this process within. It is the re organisation of the psyche and active imagination is the tool used to promote this in Yung’s terms
When you align Cherut- Yada within oneself this manifests itself in outer relationships which become more and more harmonious without ever reaching ultimate resolution ( the catch)
Fill in the dots
From what has been written so far you are invited to treat answers as questions subject to verification from your inner deep knowledge, your wise counselor. Of course, being non perfect myself I realise there might be gaps in the argumentation, as well as that there are other perspectives when it comes to navigation of intimacy freedom
Feel free to play.!