All things Jewish-3

3. The Magen David Star

The Star of David is the symbol most commonly associated with Judaism today, but it is actually a relatively new Jewish symbol. The Zohar (vol. III 73a) states:

“There are three knots connecting [three entities] one to another: the Holy One, blessed be He; Torahand Israel.”

Magen David or Star of David

Meaning:

The Star of David or Shield of David (Magen David in Hebrew, מָגֵן דָּוִד with nikkud or מגן דוד without, academically transcribed Māḡēn Dāwīḏ by Biblical Hebrewlinguists, [maˈɡen daˈvid] in Modern Hebrew and Mogein Dovid [ˈmɔɡeɪn ˈdɔvid] or Mogen Dovid [ˈmɔɡen ˈdɔvid] in Ashkenazi Hebrew and Yiddish) is a generally recognized symbol of Jewish identity and Judaism.

Significance:

The double triangle of the Star of David (Magen David) symbolizes the connection of both dimensions of God, Torah and Israel: The external level of the soul connects to the external expression of God via studying the exoteric parts of Torah; the essence of the soul connects with God’s essence through the study – and application of – the teachings of Kabbalah.

Another explanation is that the six points of the Star of David symbolize God’s rule over the universe in all six directions: north, south, east, west, up and down.

The star is now on the flag of Israel. It became a Jewish symbol starting in late medieval Prague, and was adopted by the First Zionist Congress in 1897.

The Star of David was a sad symbol of the Holocaust, when the Nazis forced Jews to wear an identifying yellow star.