Part 3:Gimel or Gimmel verses 17-24
The third part is Gimel or Gimmel, which is the third letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
The following information is from the website BJE:Your Jewish Journey.
“GIMMEL is equal to the number three and is said to denote kindness.
The number three symbolises the three divisions of the Jewish people – Kohanim, the Priests, Leviim, the Levites, and the Israelites. These stem from the three Patriarchs, to form the three divisions of souls. The harmony that is a product of the unification of these three emphasises the equilibrium that is needed to find balance on a cosmological level.
GIMMEL is a form of the word ‘gamol’, meaning ‘to nourish until completely ripe’, or ‘to bring to maturity’. From this notion comes the expression gemilut chessed – an act of great kindness.
GIMMEL is comprised of a vav and a yud. As a whole the GIMMEL represents a rich man running after a poor man, being the letter dalet. The yud symbolises a foot which implies the giving of oneself to another. The yud is seen as the charity that is given to the dalet by the GIMMEL.
GIMMEL echoes the word for camel, ‘gamal’. The camel symbolises the gamol chessed – performer of kindness, as it carries with it the burdens of life on its journey through the desert, equipped with sustenance to help those travelling with it. Its name comes from the word ‘to wean’ and ‘a nursing infant’, signifying its independence as well as its need for nourishment” (“Gimmel”).
Some questions/thoughts after reading this section:
What is the difference between priests, Levites and Israelites? The priests, who were in the tribe of Levi, were specifically from Aaron’s line. The Levites represent the rest of the tribe of Levi, who were not specifically descended from Aaron’s line and who assisted the priests. The Israelites refers to the entire nation of Israel.
What is meant by “GIMMEL represents a rich man running after a poor man, being the letter dalet”? Hebrew is a symbolic or logographic language, where symbols are used to also represent an entire word, in addition to a sound. So the Gimmel has a sound, but the picture of Gimmel also is meant to represent a man running, in this case a rich man running after a poor man, which will be represented by the next letter in the Hebrew alphabet, Daleth or Dalet.
Works Cited
“Gimmel”. BJE: Your Jewish Journey. NSW Board of Jewish Education, https://bje.org.au/knowledge-centre/jewish-languages/hebrew-alphabet/gimmel/ , Accessed 28 May 2025.
Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 119.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.
Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.
© 2025 Angela Hormberg
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