While the previous letter (vav) is a symbol of God's light descending into our world (or yashar -"straight light"), zayin is an image of the "returning light" (or chozer), which ascends with such tremendous force that it reaches even higher than its point of origin. The smoke from the seven candles symbolises this returning light, our response of yearning for God, our longing to cling to Him. The name of "zayin" means "weapon" or "sword". In the form of the letter zayin, the ascending light spreads in both directions to form the crown at the top of the "sword". At the highest level of superconsciousness (keter, the crown), the awe and love of God are indistinguishable. The head of the sword looks in both directions, left symbolising awe, right symbolising the love of God. This "crown" is also a symbol of the woman of valour, who is the "crown of her husband" according to the Scriptures. This title does not refer to her in the sense of a great possession or decoration, but to her important function in their relationship: it is through her that he can attain the highest state of superconsciousness, she "fulfils his will" by bringing it to perfection. The perfection of complete fulfilment is expressed by the day of Shabbat, the seventh day of the week. Sarah has a large star above her head: her awareness of the purpose of creation, the Shabbat, lifts her above Abraham. In a certain sense (of prophecy) she is greater than Abraham: God said to Abraham "all that Sarah tells you, listen to her voice". Abraham has a crown of six stars above his head, his righteousness governing all the actions of the six days of the week, his work being the ongoing rectification of all creation, or participation in God's creativity. Zayin is the number seven which is rich in symbolic meaning. A few of these are shown on the painting: * The seven days of the week - the seven stars. * The seven candles of the menorah which are symbols of the seven shepherds of Israel: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph and David. * These seven candles also symbolise the seven archetypal levels of the souls of Israel. * The seven branches (three myrtle, two willows, one palm branch and one etrog, or citrus) which are shaken at the time of Sukot, the Feast of Tabernacles, in *The six directions of physical space and then brought to the heart, the centre, which makes it the seventh point. *The names in Hebrew of each of the important items on the Shabbat table have letters which have numerical values adding up to seven: the candle, wine, the meat, the fish and the challah (loaves). The sharp sword is not only a weapon, but an instrument which separates, penetrating into the most intimate recesses of reality, making the distinctions and choices which govern the selection of survival and destruction of species in nature. Thus, zayin is also a symbol of Divine sustenance, of God providing for the survival of all His creatures as if extending a sceptre to allow their existence. (Just as the king extended his sceptre to allow Esther to remain in his presence and speak to him.)