Lionel Ziprin (November 20, 1924 – March 15, 2009) was a poet who lived on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. He was also a grandson of the renowned Orthodox rabbi Nuftali Zvi Margolies Abulafia, who recorded a 15-LP set of Jewish liturgical music in a neighborhood yeshiva during the 1950s with noted ethnomusicologist Harry Smith.
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Born on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Ziprin has spent most of his life attempting to find a large record label to distribute these recordings, which did not receive much attention until a New Year's Day story about his quest was broadcast on National Public Radio. Following the broadcast, several prominent individuals—including musician John Zorn—expressed an interest in finding a mainstream distributor for his grandfather's recordings.
Ziprin married Joanna Eashe in 1950 and had two daughters and two sons from this marriage. His wife died in 1994.[1]
Ziprin wrote comic book scripts for Dell Comics in the mid-1960s, including issues of Kona Monarch of Monster Isle and several stories depicting combat during World War II.
Ziprin has been a kabbalist since before the 1960s, prior to even returning to Orthodoxy. He later shifted to a more ultra-Orthodox mode of Jewish observance. At times, he provided one-on-one tutoring for those who needed his assistance. Through kabbalah, Ziprin has helped at least a few individuals gain insight into their problems.[2]
At least one of his lessons is based on the pentagram and its relation to kabbalah.[2] According to Ziprin, the pentagram is the key to figuring out a magic square which possesses an odd number of squares, and thus is heavily integrated in Jewish mysticism and numerology. It is because of this that King Solomon's battle shield was purportedly emblazoned with this design. Below is a step-by-step explanation of how the pentagram is the solution key, along with two magic squares exhibiting the proper placement of numbers to form the solution, following the various steps and alternatives.[2]
| 8 | 1 | 6 |
| 3 | 5 | 7 |
| 4 | 9 | 2 |
| 10 | 23 | 1 | 20 | 15 |
| 22 | 5 | 19 | 14 | 9 |
| 4 | 18 | 13 | 8 | 21 |
| 17 | 12 | 7 | 25 | 3 |
| 11 | 6 | 24 | 2 | 16 |
The five line segments mentioned above will form a pentagram if their end-points are drawn as follows. Draw the circle with clock-face numbers around the periphery, outside of the circle. Now, within the circle, and making all points on the circumference, make a point at 7 o'clock. Draw a line to connect it to a dot at 12:30. Then draw a line from there to connect it to a point at 4 o'clock. Then draw a line to 9 o'clock. Then draw a line from there to connect to 2 o'clock. If you connect 2 o'clock with the initial 7 o'clock, you will produce a pentagram. Each line drawn corresponds to the step or alternative or secondary alternative, etc. when attempting to place the next consecutive number within a magic square.[2]
Mr. Ziprin died on March 15, 2009 due to complications of COPD.[1]
The character "Lionel Abulafia" in the novel The Cabalist's Daughter by Yori Yanover was inspired by Lionel Ziprin. In the novel, Abulafia is a 130-year-old rabbi with mystical powers.