Chai Symbol Pendant

One of the most well-known symbols of Judaism, Chai is a Hebrew word that means ‘life’ or ‘living’. The word is spelled with two Hebrew letters – ‘Chet’ and ‘yud’. Traditionally, every Hebrew letter has been assigned a numerical value. ‘Chet’ has been given the number 8 and ‘Yud’ has got a value of 10. Together, they make 18, which has become the number of Chai.

The Jewish culture has always placed a special focus on life; loving and celebrating life has been an integral part of Judaism. As such, the word Chai holds a lot of significance for the Jews and it has come to symbolize the value of life and hope that sustains it. It also represents the personal will to live and is a reminder to the Jews to live and protect life.