The 15 Parts of the Hand

We saw the 15 values in speech (the Priestly Blessing); let us now discover them at the level of action, in the human hand.

The human hand is made of 15 distinct parts: 14 phalanges + 1 palm.

Thumb: 2 phalanges (proximal, distal). Index, middle, ring and little finger: 3 phalanges each (proximal, middle, distal). Palm: 1 part. Total: 2 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 1 = 15 parts.

The palm is the 15th part, the one that supports the other 14. According to the course, without the palm the 14 phalanges can do nothing: the palm is the load-bearing structure of the whole hand.

Mitzvot of the hand, according to the course: Birkat Kohanim (the kohanim raise their hands); the Tefillin, placed on the arm and hand; Tzedakah, giving with the open hand; Netilat Yadayim, the purification of the hands; prayer, raising the hands toward heaven.

Tzedakah and the 15 values. The Ari zal teaches that when a person gives Tzedakah to a poor person, four things unify the Name of G-d (יהוה): 1. the coin (round like the י); 2. the hand of the rich giver (5 fingers = ה); 3. the extended arm (shape of the ו); 4. the hand of the poor receiver (5 fingers = ה). י + ה + ו + ה = יהוה.

The hand is the main instrument of human action in the physical world. Parallel with creation, according to the course: the 15 non-metallic elements = the brain that directs; the 15 parts of the hand = the instrument that acts; the 15 words of the Birkat Kohanim = the speech that blesses; the 15 steps of the sanctuary = the spiritual elevation. Everything is articulated on the basis of 15 = י-ה.

The 15 parts of the hand are the extension of the human brain for acting in the world: “The hand thinks before acting,” directed by intelligence.

According to the course: 14 phalanges + 1 palm = 15; it is with the hand that we perform the mitzvot; the 5 fingers (ה) of each hand take part in the divine Name; the palm supports as the sanctuary supports; human action reflects the structure of creation (15 = י-ה).