About WATER

Hebrew Name

מַיִם

English Name

WATER

Phonetic Spelling

MAH-YEEM

What does WATER mean?

Mayim, Hebrew word for “water,” first appears in the second verse of the Bible when “the spirit of God hovered over the water.”

כִּ֚י יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ מְבִֽיאֲךָ֖ אֶל־אֶ֣רֶץ טוֹבָ֑ה אֶ֚רֶץ נַ֣חֲלֵי מָ֔יִם עֲיָנֹת֙ וּתְהֹמֹ֔ת יֹצְאִ֥ים בַּבִּקְעָ֖ה וּבָהָֽר׃
For Hashem your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with streams and springs and fountains issuing from plain and hill;
KEE a-do-NAI e-lo-HE-kha m'-vee-a-KHA el E-retz to-VAH E-retz NA-kha-lay MA-yim a-ya-NOT ut-ho-MOT yo-tz'-EEM ba-bik-AH u-va-HAR
Deuteronomy 8:7

וְנָהָר֙ יֹצֵ֣א מֵעֵ֔דֶן לְהַשְׁק֖וֹת אֶת־הַגָּ֑ן וּמִשָּׁם֙ יִפָּרֵ֔ד וְהָיָ֖ה לְאַרְבָּעָ֥ה רָאשִֽׁים׃
When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, who made him her son. She named him Moshe, explaining, “I drew him out of the water.”
va-yig-DAL ha-YE-led va-t'-vi-AY-hu l'-vat par-OH vai-hee LAH l'-VAYN va-tik-RA sh'-MO mo-SHEH va-TO-mer KEE min ha-MA-yim m'-shee-TI-hu
Exodus 2:10

Description about WATER

Mayim, Hebrew word for “water,” first appears in the second verse of the Bible when “the spirit of God hovered over the water.” God does not explicitly command the creation of water, mysteriously present from the very beginning of time, reflecting its foundational role in the existence of all life. Although water was used in many aspects of the Temple service, it was only brought as a stand alone offering to God during Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles. Each morning throughout the holiday, water was drawn from the Siloam spring, brought into the Temple and then poured on the main altar. Afterwards, every night in the Temple courtyard, thousands of people gathered for the Simchat Beit HaShoeivah, “Rejoicing at the Place of the Water-Drawing,” a time of celebration, music and dancing. The life of Moses, the greatest leader of Jewish history, is inextricably linked to water. When only a few months old, he was placed in a basket by his mother and set adrift on the Nile River in order to save him from Pharaoh’s evil decree. Miraculously, Pharoah’s very own daughter finds him, adopts him as her son and names him Moses, since she “drew him out of the water” (Exodus 2:10). After fleeing Egypt, Moses meets his wife by a water well. Years later, Moses hits the rock in order to provide the nation with water, instead of speaking to it as God had commanded him to do. Tragically, this mistake cost Moses the opportunity to enter the Land of Israel, the land of life. Water is the source of life, but only if used in the service of God’s will.

Attribute of WATER

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