Meditations on Ayin...
The 16th letter of the Hebrew Alehp-Beit is Ayin. Ayin is the Eye, but can also mean Spring or Fountain. Ayin as a word is first used in Genesis when the serpent tells Eve that when she eats of the fruit, her eyes would be open. The first time the letter is used in in the second verse of Genesis, in the word על, 'al, meaning upon. Ayin as the Eye represents the written Torah, the Torah we take in with the Eye, verses the spoken Torah, which is Pe, the mouth. Ayin is said to represent Kether, the Crown, which is the ever-open eye, G-d looking down at creation below. As Kether, it is the source from which all things come, or pour forth from a Fountain. Ayin is providence, G-d providing for us. In Aramaic, Ayin means Sheep. This represents G-d as the shepherd, providing for his sheep.
Ayin is the 16th letter, and has a value of 70. Both 16 and 70 reduce to 7, which is the letter Zayin, which represents the wife, as the Crown (Kether) of the husband. סוד, secret also equals 70 in gametria. Ayin is a silent letter, like Aleph, only guttural. It is hidden in this sense. Kether, as the Eye, is also hidden. It looks down on us, but we can't see it, because we wouldn't be able to handle it. 70 represents all the nations of the world, for after Babel, there were seventy. G-d looks down on all nations and provides for all nations. 70 is also the number of years of exile in Babylon, during which time, G-d looked after his people, so he could regather them. Sixteen, in normal form, is Yod-Vev, which is one of the names for G-d. Sixteen is usually written Tet-Heh instead, because of this. Sixteen, therefore, represents G-d, which is Kether as the Eye.
The form of Ayin is an elongated Nun or Vev with a Zayin (or in some scripts, Vev) coming down to it. This form is symbolic of G-d's blessing (born out of Beit) comes to the vessel which is Malkuth, the Kingdom. It is also the Crown (Kether) coming down to the Kingdom (Malkuth). As Zayin and Vev, Ayin represents the six days of Creation and the seventh as the Sabbat, the day of rest. This, too, is part of G-d's provision. Another way to look at Ayin si as two eyes. The head of the Zayin is the evil eye (Ayin Ra') and the head of the Vev or Nun is the good eye (Ayin Tov). We can choose which eye we look at the world through.
On the Ari's Tree, Ayin connects Binah, Understanding, to Tipherah, Beauty. This represents the Understanding which in needed to maintain a balance between Mercy and Judgement. On the Gra's Tree, Ayin connects Hod, Glory, to Yesod, Foundation, opposite Samech, which connects Netzach, Victory, to Yesod. The spoken Torah (Pe) comes down from Geburah, Judgement, and becomes the written Torah, coming out of Hod. The Torah primarily come to us in written form, through Yesod to Malkuth below.
On Kircher's Tree, Ayin connects Tipherah to Hod. This is the balance of Tipherah bringing provision and revelation to Hod, the intellect manifesting on earth. When we first come to Ayin, we are greeted by the Devil. The Tower is found in Ayin after the Fool has travelled on.
The Devil at Ayin represents our dependency on G-d's provision, but also the tendency to take it for granted.
The Fool, when he comes to Ayin, learns about G-d's provision, and is also blinded temporarily by the revelation of that provision.
Once the Fool is passed, we find the Tower in Ayin. The Tower is shown as a tower being blasted apart by lightning. The lightning is the Truth revealed in the sight of the Eye of G-d. The tower is our old ideas, which, when Truth blasts them apart, require change in our lives. We are temporarily blinded and shaken up by the Truth, but in the long run, the destruction of our old ideas helps us.
The first lesson of Ayin is provision. G-d provides for us in many ways. Start looking for how he provides for you, even when you are at the bottom, and think he's forsaken you. When Jonah was on the hill looking at Ninivah, knowing his people would hate him and that G-d hated him, G-d sent a vine to protect him. Start noticing the small things, and you will realize G-d cares for you. The response to this realization is Kavanah. You will turn to him, as he turns to you. The next step is to serve. G-d provides for you; let him use you to provide for others. Who needs your help? Give it. The next lesson is Ayin Ra' and Ayin Tov. How do you look at the world? If G-d provides for and cares for you, he cares for everyone, for Shiflut teaches us that everyone is equal. Start looking for the good in others and nurturing it. Start looking for the good in circumstances and learn from them. And let the Torah enter through your Eyes, that you might know G-d more fully.
~Muninn's Kiss