Sarajevo, San Antonio & Spock June 2001 1 | 2 | 3 | HOME In January 1996 St. Vincent issued a set of stamps (#2244-46A) depicting scenes and stars from the TV series Star Trek, which began in 1966. Several stamps depict Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner, who played Spock and Captain Kirk, respectively; both actors are Jewish. But what caught my eye and led me to some "research" was one stamp (#2245a), which featured Spock holding his hand in the Vulcan greeting. In his autobiography, I Am Spock, Nimoy noted he added this touch borrowing it from Orthodox Judaism. He remembered part of the services on the High Holidays when the Kohenim (members of the priestly class) bless the congregation. They hold their hands joined at the thumbs and forefingers separating the little finger and ring finger of each hand from the other fingers, forming a V shape. One interpretation of the resulting symbol is that it forms the Hebrew letter "shin" (), which is the first letter of one of the names of God (translated as "Almighty"). Links You Might Find Useful Leonard Nimoy, Internet Movie Database Aleichem's "Dreyfus in Kassrilevke," read by Leonard Nimoy, KCRW   This symbol can be traced back to the services at the Temple and imitated in the synagogues since then. Over time this ritual took on magical connotations (part of the ritual rules included a prohibition of even looking at the priests when they delivered the priestly blessings, as Nimoy recalled in his autobiography. Until next month, when this column will focus on Torah readings from the Book of Numbers, I would like to leave you with the words of the priestly blessing... "May God bless you and keep you! May God deal kindly and graciously with you! May God bestow divine favor upon you and grant you peace." HOME 1 | 2 | 3 | HOME © 2001, J-Stamps/Murray Frost. All Rights Reserved. froststamps@yahoo.com