In Hebrew, letters are also numbers, and they originated from pictograms. The letter ‘Ain (ע) represents the number seventy, and evolved from the pictogram for “eye.” Among the ancient Semites, saying “seventy” and saying “all” was equivalent.
ע
I was intrigued by the confluence of the concepts of multifaceted totality (seventy that also means everything) and the concept of seeing. Furthermore, seventy, in the Jewish tradition, represent the multifaceted humanity, “the seventy nations,” and Jerusalem is said to have seventy names...
There are fires in Jerusalem. The memory of the Roman fire that burned the rebellious city to ashes. The candles that sparkle in the Churches' darkness. The Holy Fire that once a year is lit at the tomb of the Nazarene. The flames that remember the departed souls and purify knives and pots for fit Jewish use....