Star Of David - Suggested meanings for this symbol
Most people think the Star of David as being a Jewish symbol and technically, it is. The Star of David is a six pointed hexagram made with two triangles that interlock. You can usually find it on menorahs, kipot, mezuzahs and tallis bags. Isreal has a blue Star of David on its flag.
According to Jewish Rabbi’s, the symbol’s meaning is God’s rule over the universe in all six directions, north, south, east, west, up and down. There are also other meanings that have been given to the Star of David. One is that the six pointed symbol receives substance and form from it’s solid center. It’s thought that the inner core symbolizes the spiritual dimension which is surrounded by the six universal directions. This is also a very similar idea to Shabbat, which is the seventh day that gives balance to the other six days during the week.
In Kabbalah, the Star of David is thought to mean that the two triangles represent the dichotomies that are inherent in man such as good verses evil, spiritual verses physical, and so forth. It is also thought that the two triangles symbol the relationship between God and the Jewish people. The triangle that points upward to the top represents the good deeds which are sent up to heaven, and react in a flowing goodness which is sent back down to the world, which is represented by the bottom triangle.
A theory about the Star of David that has been found to be more practical, is that in the first century during the Bar Kochba rebellion, there was a new technology that was developed for shields using the triangle’s stability. Behind that shield were two triangles that interlocked which formed a hexagon pattern with points.
Another suggested meaning for the Star of David which is found to be a bit more sinister and unpopular, is that it shows the internal conflict that often affects the Jewish nation, which is represented by the two triangles pointing in the opposite direction.
Sadly enough, the Star of David was also used a symbol during the holocaust. The Nazi’s forced all Jews to wear the symbol to identify themselves.
There are many different meanings that have been given to this symbol over time, besides the ones on this page, and by doing a search on the web, you can find them. Over time though and more popularly now, it is mostly used by the Jewish people as a magic symbol representing good luck and a secularized symbol representing their identity.