חי or Chai is the Hebrew word for 'living' or 'alive'. Often used as a symbol, this word is an important one in Jewish culture. Jewish culture ascribes great meaning to words.
The Talmud says that the world was created from the letters and words of the Bible. The significance of this particular word as a symbol seems to have originated in Spain and in the 18th century it featured heavily in amulets. According to the Kabbalah, Chai is the form of God that is the closest to the physical world, and in 16th century Greek rabbi Shlomo Hacohen Soloniki's commentary on the Zohar, he connects the word Chai with the Godly attribute of 'Ratzon', in English, will.
Several verses in the Bible use this word in a significant manner. Leviticus 18:5 reads וָחַי בָּהֶם 'VeChai Bahem', 'and you shall live by them' (them being the rules of the Jewish faith). Deuteronomy 30:15 is רְאֵה נָתַתִּי לְפָנֶיךָ הַיּוֹם, אֶת-הַחַיִּים וְאֶת-הַטּוֹב, וְאֶת-הַמָּוֶת, וְאֶת-הָרָע. "See, I have set before you on this day life and good, and death and evil", yet another occasion when Chaim (Hebrew plural of chai, meaning life in general) is used to channel Good. For these reasons, Chai has remained a mainstay of Jewish symbolism, and is considered meaningful in many ways and symbolic of our connection with God and life and goodness.
Also sometimes spelled Hai in English letters, the Chai symbol has found its way into mainstream Jewish culture both Sefardic and Ashkenazic. Chai necklaces are the most commonly accepted form of Chai jewelry, but there are also other pieces of Jewish jewelry featuring the word.
Chai in Gimatria, the calculation of the numerical values of the letters of a word, is 18, and that is the source of the significance of the number 18 in Jewish culture. Some Jews specifically donate multiples of 18 (18, 36, 54, etc) and call it 'giving chai' and some Jewish charities recommend donations of those multiples instead of a more standard number.
עַם יִשְרָאֵל חַי, "Am Yisrael Chai" "The nation of Israel lives" includes the word Chai. Several Jewish radio stations across the world feature the word in their title.
Many famous as well as ordinary people have worn or wear regularly a Chai necklace, which ties them into their Jewish heritage and makes a meaningful statement about their faith, their motivation, and their beliefs about God and life.
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