Samech

Samech, the fifteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, has the numeric value of sixty. There are sixty letters in the Birchat Kohanim, the Priestly Blessing, 600,000 souls left Egypt, King Shlomo (Solomon) had sixty guards that surrounded his bed, sixty queens in the Song of Songs and sixty tractates of the Oral Torah.

The word Samech means to lean, and is used in the traditional Smichut, rabbinic ordination.

The round form of the Samech symbolizes the full moon. The holiday of Tu B’Av, took place on the fifteenth day of the month, under a full moon. The maidens traditionally danced in the vineyards, and many matches were made. Samech’s shape also symbolizes the smooth, circular wedding ring: the sacred bond of marriage.