The connection between the Name Shadai and the Shma explained above makes it easier to understand the association of Tefillin and Mezuzah with the Name Shadai, since the first two paragraphs of the Shma are written on the parchments placed inside of them.
In addition, for both Tefillin and Mezuzah, the connection to the Name Shadai is more pronounced since the letters Shin Dalet Yud of Shadai are also physically symbolized and visible for us to see even outside the cases of the parchments.
This is seen in Tefillin since the letter Shin of Shadai is embossed on the leather box of the Tefillin that is placed upon one’s forehead. The letter Dalet of Shadai is formed by the shape of the knot in the strap at that secures the Tefillin in place at back base of one’s head. The letter Yud of Shadai is formed by the shape of the knot in the strap of the second box of Tefillin that binds the Tefillin to one’s arm.
In addition, the way that the strap of the Tefillin is wound around one’s arm, hand and fingers, also corresponds to the Name Shadai. The shape of the letter Shin is formed in the way the strap is wound around one’s upper arm. (Then there are seven additional wrappings on one’s lower arm.) Then the shape of the Dalet is formed from the way the strap is wrapped on the back of the hand. Then the shape of the letter Yud is formed from the way the strap is wound around the fingers.
Seforim explain why the letter Shin is embossed on the head Tefillin, and why not just one, but two letter Shins are made, and why one is a seemingly regular Shin, formed by 3 letter Vov’s joined at their base, and why the other is more unusual, being formed by 4 letter Vov’s joined at their base. The explanation is that all of these things are intended to symbolize the way that the holy letters of the Ten Commandments were engraved on the Tablets, since the Tablets and the Ten Commandments are also reflected in the paragraphs of Shma and in the Tefillin.
An interesting idea brought in Seforim explains that the two letter Shin’s embossed on the head Tefillin hint to, and are a reminder of, all the 613 Mitzvos: Take the gematria of the two letters Shin’s, 300 + 300 = 600. Then take the number of the Vov components of the two Shin’s, 3 for one Shin and 4 for the other, i.e., 3 + 4 = 7. Then take the meaning of the word spelled by these two letter Shin’s, i.e., the word שש, Sheish, meaning the number 6. Then sum all of these hints together to get 600 + 7 + 6 = 613.
The verse “And the nations of the world will see that God’s name is called upon you and will fear you” (Devarim 28:10), is said by our sages to refer to the wearing of the Tefillin on the head (Talmud Menachot 35b). The letter Shin on the Tefillin is symbolic of G-d’s Name, and this is hinted in this verse, since the initials of the words ש’ם י’הוה נ’קרא, Sh’em Y’HVH N’ikrah, “the Name of Hashem is called (upon you),” are the letters Shin Yud Nun, which spell out the word שין, Shin, which is the name of the letter Shin written out.
However why is the letter Shin of Shadai used for this purpose, and not a letter of YHVH itself, for that is the Divine Name written in this verse, and also it is the Name that was embossed on the Tzitz, the headband ornament worn by the Kohan Godol, not the Name Shadai. Why not the same for Tefillin, and why is the Shin of the Name Shadi used instead?
Probably the answer it that the Name Y-H-V-H is considered too holy to be expressed outwardly in our everyday usage for wearing Tefillin, especially outside the Sanctuary, and therefore instead the letter Shin of the Name Shadai is used. Additionally, the letter Shin also stands for the word ש’ם, Shem, meaning Name, and it is understood that the Name indicated, although outwardly the Name Shadai, however inwardly it is also identified with the Name Hashem.
Moreover, it is important to note that even in the letter Shin, and indeed in all the letters of the Name Shadai, also hint to the Holy Name YHVH:
The letter Shin, gematria 300, is also the gematria of the Name YHVH when its four letters are permeated through the A-T Ba-Sh code, such that from Yud Heh Vov Heh they transform into the letters Mem Tzadi Peh Tzadi, and these sum to 40 + 90 + 80 + 90 = 300, like the letter Shin of Shadai.
The letter Dalet, gematria 4, stands for the 4 letters of the Name YHVH.
The letter Yud too signifies the Name Y’HVH, since it is the initial letter of that Name, and also because Yud, gematria 10, stands for the 10 letters of the Divine Names MaH, 45, SaG, 63, and AB, 72, which are various ways of spelling out the four letters of YHVH in expansive ways, the Yud being spelled with 3 letters, the Heh with 2 letters, the Vov with 3 letters, and the final Heh with 2 letters, thus each of these three expansive Divine Names is spelled with a total of 3 + 2 + 3 + 2 = 10 letters. [The Name BaN, 52, another way of expansively writing out the four letters of YHVH, is considered to represent a lower level of G-dliness then the other three Names, and it is spelled out with only 9 letters, since for the Name BaN the letter Vov is spelled with only 2 letters.]
Based on what was explained the connection of the Name Shadai to the Mezuzah on our doorposts is also more understood, since in the first two paragraphs of the Shma are also written in the Mezuzah. What was explained also enhances our understanding of why traditionally the Name Shadai is written on the outside of the Mezuzah parchment, where it may be seen even when the scroll is rolled up, and also reinforces the association of expression “Sh’omer D’alsos Y’isroel,” that G-d is “Guardian of the doors of Israel,” an acronym of Shin Dalet Yud, spelling the Name Shadai, referring to the protection that is merited to through the fulfillment of the Mitzvah of Mezuzah.
The idea of the protection given by the Mezuzah is also an idea inherent in the verse (Psalm 91:1) “Whoever sits in the refuge of the Most High, he shall dwell in the shadow of Shadai, the Almighty,” to which we merit through fulfillment of the Mitzvah of affixing the Mezuzah to our doorposts, drawing the connection to the Name Shadai into our dwellings, to permeate everything we do, and with this foundation we have the strength and ability, as we say in the Oleinu prayer, L’takein Olam B’Malchus Shadai, “To perfect the world though the sovereignty of Shadai, the Almighty…”
(To be continued.)
Super meaningful finds all. Nice too to bring in R’ Glazerson’s Torah codes, cutting edge proof of the Torah’s Divinity and with critical timely messages encoded deep in the holy text for us to see only now.
In a previous comment I mentioned the Zohar that discusses Psalm 20, Lamenatza’ach Mizmor L’Dovid, with 70 words corresponding to the last 70 years of exile, starting from when the state of Israel is reborn, 5708-5778/1948-2018.
It is interesting that in the last verse of this Psalm, Hashem Hoshiah Hamelech Ya’aneinu B’yom Korainu, “The King will answer us in the day we call,” the last word, Korainu, “we call,” which corresponds to this 70th year, 5778, in gematria is 357, and with 1 for the Kolel is 358, the equivalent of the word Moshiach.
More specifically adding the Kolel could be derived from connection to previous word, B’yom, gematria 58, which is one more than (3)57; or from connection to the word Hashem at the beginning of the verse, One is Hashem; or from connection to the word Lamenatzeiah, “For the Victor,” at the beginning of the Psalm, since the ending is inserted in the beginning and the beginning in the ending.
This Psalm is said daily in our prayers and in all times of need, and the last verse is recognized as being so special and so critical that it is inserted in many places in our prayers.
The Psalm may be said to hint to La”g B’Omer, the 33rd day of the Omer, since the first letter of the first verse is a Lamed, 30, and the first verse has 3 words, i.e., 33. Also the gematria of the first word Lamenatzeiach is 218, hinting to the 2nd month 18th day, Iyar 18, which is Lag B’Omer. The year 2018 may also specifically correspond to this day, the 2nd month 18th day, today.
As fixed in our morning prayers, after reciting this Psalm with last word Koreinu, with the Kolel equivalent to Moshiach, we immediately continue with the verse (Yeshaya 59:20) U’vo L’tziyom Goail, “And there shall come to Zion a Redeemer,” i.e., the Moshiach, and this too reflects the same theme and another way of specifically completing Kolel, especially since the word Goail, Redeemer, has an Alef, 1, the Kolel, in the middle, and letters Gimel Lamed, gematria 33, at the beginning and end, are exactly the same as in La”g B’Omer. The two words L’tziyon G’oail are also initials Lamed Gimel, 33, and the connecting first word of this verse U’vo, is gematria 9 = 3 x 3, again connected to La”g B’Omer, this special day.
The more one looks the more wonders one can see.
G’ood Yom Tov and L’echayim!
Lag is gematria 33, and the gematria of B’Omer is 312, and since it is possible to view the 12 (of 312) as 1 + 2 = 3, so again the word B’Omer hints to 33. Also in small gematria Lag is 6 and the small gematria of B’Omer is 6, together the two words are 66 = 2 x 33, or alternatively, the total small gematria is 6 + 6 = 12, and again 1+2 = 3.
Continuing regarding Psalm 20, the number 20 spelled out עשרים is gematria 620, the equivalent of Keser-Crown, the highest Sefira, and may allude to the 20 as in 20’18.
There are 150 Psalms in the Tehillim, and 20/150 = 0.133333…, thus Psalm 20 again hints to Lag 33rd B’Omer.
The word “Lamenatza’ach” at the beginning of Psalm 20 actually occurs 55 times in Tehillim, always at the beginning of a Psalm, and 55/150 = 0.366666…
Psalm 20 is the 11th time the word Lamenatza’ach occurs, and 11/55 = 1/5 = 20% corresponding to Psalm 20.
Interestingly 13333… + 36666… = 50, as in the number of days between Pesach and Shevuos associated with counting the Omer.
The exact three word first verse למנצח מזמר לדוד Lamenatza’ach Mizmor L’Dovid occurs 9 times in the Psalms. Psalm 20 is the 3rd of these 9, i.e., 33%, thus again highlighting the specially connection to Lag 33rd B’Omer.
The gematria of the first verse of Psalm 20, Lamenatza’ach Mizmor L’Dovid, is 555. It is possible this alludes to Hod she’b’Hod, since Hod is the 5th Sefirah starting and counting down from Chesed, as we do throughout the days of counting Sefirah. Counting from Malchus, from below to above, Hod is the 3rd Sefira, so Hod she’b’Hod viewed this way also alludes to 33.
Previously I translated the word למנצח LameNatza’ach literally as “For the Victor.” Seemingly this is connected to the Sefirah of Netzach, and while the neighboring Sefiros of Netzach and Hod are often interchangeable, it is possible to say that the word’s preface, the letter Lamed, making it “For the Victor,” more specifically alludes to the Sefirah of Hod, since the idea of Hod is to give Praise to and for the Victor.
The contextual meaning of LameNatza’ach as in standard translations is “For the Leader,” or “For the Choirmaster,” indicating at the beginning of the Pslam the instructions for the Conductor of the musical praises of G-d performed in the Temple. This idea of offering our recognition and praise to G-d is what the Sefirah of Hod is all about.
(To be continued.)
Thank you again for these wonderful insights. Staying connected to the big picture, 312 cubits is the dimension of the outer courtyard of the Future Holy Temple, may its presence be known now, and (312 and 33) for Lag B’Omer is 345, as in Moshe and Hashem, which I neglected to mention was encoded 3 times in the beginning of the Friday night Kiddush. As for the 150 Psalms, they correspond to the 150 days between Zot Channukah and Shavuot, so it’s also noteworthy that we starting counting the Omer .666, or 67%, of the way between these two holidays of maximum light, both connected to the sefira of Binah, using Psalm 67, and 67 is the gematria of Binah.
It is also interesting that of the 70 words in Psalm 20, the 33rd word is נדג, Nidgol, “we will raise our banner,” and this hints to Lag B’Omer since the last two letters are Gimel Lamed, same as La”g, and the custom on Lag B’Omer is to parade around with our flag raised and the like.
One of the meanings of the word formed by Gimel Lamed, גל, is an Uprising, a Heap, a Hill, and similarly the beginning of the word Nidgol, נד Naid, means a Heap, an Uprising, etc. Together then this word corresponds to a double heap, i.e., Hod she’b’Hod.
In the prayer Ona B’Koach the word associated with Lag B’Omer is נהל, Nahail, meaning Guide or Lead, which is similar to the word Nidgol, both start with a letter Nun and end with a letter Lamed, the small gematria of which are 5 and 3 respectively, and both referring to the Sefirah of Hod, the 5th Sefirah down from Chesed and the 3rd Sefirah up from Malchus.
The letter Heh in the middle of the word Nahail is the next letter adjacent to the Gimel and Dalit in the middle of the word Nidgol, and the range 3-5 again as explained above alludes to the Sefirah of Hod, with 345 being gematria לג בעומר La”g B’Omer and also משה Moshe [and also השם Hashem], also spiritually connected to R’ Shimon Bar Yochoi, and the idea of a Guide and Leader and Redeemer.
Later in Psalm 20 we find that the 42nd word is Hashem, alluding to the 42 letter Name of G-d, and the 43rd word (the first of the last 28 of the total 70 words) is משיחו Meshicho – and this is the 2nd of the 10 times the noun Moshiach occurs in Tehillim (two more times the root Moshach is used as a verb). Just as Psalm 20 as explained above is the 11th of 55 times Lamenatza’ach occurs in Tehillim, i.e., 1/5 of the way through, so too this mention of Moshisch is 1/5 of the way through all the mentions of Moshiach in Tehillim. Again 1/5 is 20% and this comes out in Psalm 20.
This increases and strengthens and gives Koach to the significance of the gematria of the last word of Psalm 20, Korainu, with the Kolel, being 358, the same as Moshiach – and by studying about this and by praying for this in a corresponding manner, with all the Koach we can, may we pave the way and merit to see the arrival of Hashem’s Moshiach very soon!
Thank you again Ezra.
[“Thank you,” תודה, Todah in Hebrew, has the same root as the Sefirah of הוד, Hod, and repeated Thanks is the idea of הוד שבהוד, Hod she’b’Hod.]
There are some minor typos in my comments, as for example in the first line in my above comment I wrote נדג, leaving out the last letter Lamed, נדגל – Shgios Mi Yovin – hopefully anyway it is understood and the main ideas are correct.
There are certainly even more depths to all of this as well, but it is necessary now to prepare for Shabbos.
Sholom U’Brocha!
In our counting of the Sefiras HaOmer, for each week of the seven weeks that we count, we refine and purify another one of the seven lower Sefiros, Chesed through Malchus.
In this auspicious year there is a special synergy since the seven times seven day Sefiras HoOmer cycle coincides with the regular weekday Sunday through Shabbos cycle, which also expresses the pattern of the seven Sefiros Chesed through Malchus.
Thus for example last week, Lag B’omer, Hod s’b’Hod, came out on Thursday, the 5th day of the week, a day that itself also corresponds to Hod, the 5th Sefirah from Chesed, and it is certain that the coincidence of the two cycles one with the other combines the strengths of each one to produce a spiritual resonance and an amplifying affect.
Last week we focused on the Sefirah of Hod, this week the focus is on Yesod, and the next week the focus will be on Malchus, starting from Chesed s’b’Malchus, on Sunday, 28th of Iyar, 2/28/5778, the 43rd day of the Omer, 5/13/2018 on the secular calendar.
There are interesting patterns in these dates, including that the numbers of Hebrew date 2/28 can allude to 22-8, and when 5 (Hod) is added to these two consecutive 2s one gets 77, thus when taken together there is a resonance to the numbers for the year, 5-77-8. For the secular date one can also see that by adding the 2 numbers, the 5 for the month and the 13 for the day, one gets 18, which resonates with the number of the year, 20-18.
Be that as it may, on this upcoming auspicious day, on Sunday, one week from today, Israel and good people all over the world will be giving special thanks to G-d and celebrating Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day, with all of the spiritual and physical power and might that this entails.
As stated above in a previous comment, the Sefirah of Hod is all about the idea of offering our recognition and praise to G-d, and Hod also broadly includes all sorts of expressions of acknowledgement and thanks, and also admission of mistakes and resolution to make amends.
The theme of Hod is inherent and evident in the name and the events in the life of the Biblical Yehudah, i.e., Ye-Hod-ah, who was the ancestor and model for Dovid and for Moshiach Ben Dovid, since the attribute of Hod is so critical and essential in the Divine Plan — though of course the relationship and interaction between all of the 10 Sefiros is also necessary and essential for the unfolding of the entire Divine Plan. It is clear though that the way to Malchus, Kingdom, has to be founded on Hod, or in other words, Hod is an important Yesod for Malchus.
Bli Neder at my next opportunity I would like add a bit more explanation to this and to some other previous comments.
In continuation to what I wrote regarding Psalm 20, Lamenatza’ach Mizmor L’Dovid, with 70 words corresponding to the last 70 years of exile, starting from when the state of Israel is reborn, 5708-5778/1948-2018:
It is interesting that this Psalm has 10 verses, corresponding to the 10 Sefiros, Keser through Malchus, all combined into one. The first verse Lamenatza’ach represents Kesser, Crown, and the last verse, Hashem Hoshiah Hamelech Ya’aneinu B’yom Korainu, “The King will answer us in the day we call,” represents Malchus, Kingship. Further, as was said, the last word, Korainu, “we call,” corresponds to this, the 70th year since the founding of the modern state of Israel, and with the Kolel, is gematria is 358, like Moshiach, the representative of Hashem’s Malchus in the world.
As noted previously this verse Hashem Hoshiah Hamelech Ya’aneinu B’yom Korainu is also recited a number of times in our daily prayers. One of these is in the morning service at the end of the Yehi Chovod prayer, which follows in between the daily recitation of Mizmor L’Sodoh, Psalm 100 (which is 2/3 or 66.6% through the 150 Psalms of Tehillim), and the Ashrei-Tehilah L’Dovid and the Halluya prayers (Psalms 145-150, the conclusion of the final 1/3 of Tehillim).
The prayer Yehi Chovod, as explained in a note in the Artscroll Siddur, is “a collection of verses, primarily from psalms, that revolves around two themes: the sovereignty of G-d and the role of Israel. Central to Tefilah (prayer) and to the purpose of creation is Malchus Shomayim, the Kingship of Heaven, which means that every being exists as part of G-d’s plan and is dedicated to His service.”
In particular, the Yehi Chovod prayer is a composite of 18 verses, corresponding to the Amidah, the Standing Prayer, also known as the Shmoneh Esrei, the 18 Benedictions.
Yet another note in the Artscroll Sidur, on the 8th of these 18 verses, “Hashem was King, Hashem is King, Hashem shall be King forever and ever,” explains that “This is one of the most familiar verses in the entire liturgy, but, surprisingly enough, it is not found in Scripture. Rather, each phrase comes from a different part of Scripture. In combination, the three phrases express the eternity of G-d’s reign.”
It comes out, since one verse is actually itself a composite of 3 verses, that the Yehi Chovod prayer is really a composite of 20 different verses. Similarly the Shmonah Esrei has an extra 19th blessing, V’lamalshinim, that was added against the Heretics, and also has a 20th section, Elokai Netzor Leshoni Ma’rah, that is added at the very end. Thus the Yehi Chovod prayer and the Amidah hint to both numbers 20 and 18, and therefore they also hint to this year 20-18.
Returning now to the last verse and the last word Koreinu, both of Psalm 20 and of the Yehi Chovod prayer, immediately after saying this as set in the order of the morning prayers we continue with the recitation of the Ashrei Prayer. Previously I explained a number of ways to connect the word Koreinu with 1for the Kolel to bring the gematria to 358, Moshiach. Another way would be to connect it to the word משיחו, Meshicho, which as I wrote is the 43rd word in Psalm 20, the first of the last 28 words. Another way would be to connect it to this very next letter א, Alef, gematria 1, at the beginning of the word and Prayer אשרי, Ashrei.
One of the points I want to make out of all this is that it is not just the Ano B’Koach prayer that is effective as a meditation to create a strong connection to Hashem, it is essentially the same for every one of our prayers, and every chapter of Torah we study, and for every Mitzvah we do. They are all infused with Divine Names and they all provide us with means to connect to Hashem and His Blessings. Literally libraries full of books have been written and can still be written without end about each of them.
(To be continued.)
In a comment above you wrote “…345, as in Moshe and Hashem, which I neglected to mention was encoded 3 times in the beginning of the Friday night Kiddush.” I see some encoding of both the name Moshe and the Name Hashem, but I’m not sure if what I see is what you intended. Could you explain that a bit more?
Very interesting. We wrote about 1820 as well. You can search for the appropriate articles.
Thank you for all the recent comments. In YoM HShishi. In H’ShMym. In B’yoM HSheviyi. There is also a 4th and 5th times in B’yoM HSheviyi again and in yoM HSheviyi
That’s what I thought you meant, the rearranged but consecutive letters Mem Shin Heh, for spelling either Moshe or Hashem. i saw more than 3 instances, and as you now say there are 5, so I wasn’t sure, and also because I thought you might mean encoding by equal distant skipping like the nice encoding of Yisroel in every 7th letter, which is even nicer because it connects Yisroel to he holiness of Shabbos, the 7th day, the theme of the plain text of the Scripture.
Incidentally although not encoded in this text this way, Moshe himself is also associated with the number 7 and Shabbos, since he is the 7th generation (Malchus) from Avrohom (Chesed).
As noted before, the number 20 when spelled out in Hebrew, עשרים, Esrim, is gematria 620, just like the word כתר, Kesser, Crown. You have also mentioned this several times and given several great hints connected with this number, not all of which I have read yet, or perhaps I have read but don’t remember at the present time, so forgive me if you covered some of this, and anyway repetition of some of the previously mentioned ideas can also be beneficial.
At any rate it is interesting to point out that the number 620 is also connected to the number 20 since 20 x 31 = 620, with 31 being one of the basic Names of G-d, א-ל, El. You discuss this Name of G-d in connection to the first two digits of the mathematical constant Pi (3.1), which converts a straight line into a circle.
The idea of an encompassing circle is also connected to the idea of the Sefirah of Kesser, and so too a crown is a precious circular hat, a symbol of Kingship, that rests on and encompasses the also circular head, and Kesser is also said to encompass like a circle all the other Sefiros.
Kesser is also associated with the number 20 because each world has 10 Sefiros, each of which has a root in the Sefirah of Kesser that encompasses them, and the 10 Sefiros in their revealed state plus the 10 Sefiros in their root, make a total of 20.
Also the number 10 corresponds to the 10 fingers, and that is why the letter י, Yud, with a gemtria of 10, is related to and originally was a pictogram of a Yad, hand, because there are 10 fingers on the two hands. The letter כ, Kuf, is gemtria 20, and note that the this letter is related to the palm of the hands, which has curved shape and is inclusive of all the fingers, reminiscent of an encompassing circle, like the Sefirah of Kesser that it represents. Also hinting to this the initial letter of the word כתר, Kesser, is also the letter כ, Kuf.
As you wrote at the beginning of this post, there are 57 verses in P’ Behar, and 78 in P’ B’chukosai, and here this year we read these two Parshios together, making this a wonderful hint to this auspicious year 5778.
When I read that I wondered what might be hinted in the previous Parsha, P’ Emor, with its 124 verses, that we read this past Shabbos. It comes out that 124 = 31 x 4, or 4 times the Name E-l, which is exactly 1/5 of 620, Kesser, and as I explained previously the idea of 1/5 or 20% is connected to the Sefirah of Hod, and this past Shabbos was associated with counting in the Omer the Sefirah of Malchus s’b’Hod.
Thank you for all the recent comments. In YoM HShishi. In H’ShMym. In B’yoM HSheviyi. There is also a 4th and 5th times in B’yoM HSheviyi again and in yoM HSheviyi
Regarding the hints to Hashem and Moshe in the verses recited for the Shabbas Kiddush (the end of Breishis 1:32, and 2:1-3), it is possible to find significant meaning in the number of letters that are skipped between each of the 5 times these hints appear:
Not including the letters of the hints themselves, between the 1st occurrence, yoM HShishi, and the 2nd occurrence, H’ShMym, there are 7 letters. This corresponds to the Shabbos, the 7th day, a reflection of the plain meaning of these verses about the holiness of Shabbos.
Between the 2nd and 3rd occurrence, b’yoM HSheviyi, there are 26 letters. This corresponds to the gematria of Hashem Y-H-V-H, as also hinted in the initials at the beginning of this text, Y’om H’ashishi V’ayechulu H’ashomayim. Also as per the Rabbinic addition of one hour before Shabbos and one hour after Shabbos, it is the practice to keep the Shabbos for 26 hours.
Between the 3rd and 4th occurrence, b’yoM HSheviyi, there are 24 letters. This corresponds to the 24 Books of the Bible, TaNach, and to the 24 letters of Boruch Shem Kevod Malchuso Leolam Voed, “Blessed be the Name of His glorious Kingdom forever and ever,” and also to the 24 ornaments of a bride, forthe Shabbat is called a “queen” and “bride” (and also to the regular 24 hours of the day).
Between the 4th and 5th occurrence, yoM HSheviyi, there are 33 letters, corresponding to La”g B’Omer, as explained previously, to the 33 years King Dovid reigned in Yerusholayim, and other significant ideas as shall B”N be explained at another occasion.
In some places on the web I have found it stated, mistakenly, that the Name Elokim occurs 33 times in the creation account in the beginning of the Torah. I was about to include that as a hint at the end of my last comment, but by counting for myself and by double and triple checking this proved to be wrong.
Instead, the truth is that in Breishis chapter 1 verses 1-32 there are 32 instances of Elokim, an average of one per verse, and in the Vayechulu paragraph, the beginning of chapter 2, verses 1-3, there are 3 instances of Elokim, again an average of one per verse, for a total of 35 instances of Elokim in the 35 verses of the Torah account of the initial Seven Days of creation.
(It is only after that, starting in verse 2:4, that the Name Hashem (YHVH) is openly introduced in the Scripture for the first time, “These are the generations of the heaven and the earth when they were created, on the day that Hashem Elokim made earth and heaven.”)
It is interesting to note that corresponding to this, in the Vayechulu paragraph itself there are 35 words, and since in various ways this can be doubled — for example since each word is repeated because this paragraph is said both in the Shabbos night Tefilah and then also at home in the Kiddush, or when reviewing the Parsha we do two times the text (and one time translation), or since at the Shabbos night service according to custom this is said by two people together give testimony to the Shabbos (since witness testimony requires two witnesses), and in other ways too — therefore this again hints to the number 70, and similarly 35 times the Name Elokim plus 35 verses adds up to 70, and thus this can also be seen as another allusion to the idea of the Seven Days of creation.
Anyway, the Name Elokim is still connected to Lag B’omer, as evident in Psalm 67, which you, Ezra, mentioned above, because for every night in our counting of the Omer we recite this Psalm with special intention to one word per night for each of the 49 words of the Psalm (not including the header, the first verse, Laminatza’ach Binginos Mizmor Shir), and the 33rd word, which we have special intention to on Lag B’omer, is the word Elokim.
Actually in these 49 words the Name Elokim occurs 5 more times (plus on time the word Elokainu) in this Psalm, including the 1st of these 49 words, and the 33rd word is the 3rd of these times that the Name Elokim appears.
Further, you noted that 67, the number of the Psalm, is gematria for בינה, Binah, Understanding, and to stress this connection even more, the Sefirah of Binah is in many places associated directly with the Name Elokim.
Also, clearly more than coincidence, the other two words that I wrote about that are associated with Lag B’Omer, the word נהל, Nahail, Lead , in the Ono B’Koach prayer, and the word נדגל, Nidgol, We Raise Our Banner, the 33rd of the 70 words in Psalm 20, are in gematria respectively 85 and 87, one less and one more than the word Elokim which has a gematria of 86. By adding or subtracting one for the Kolel each of these words can correspond to 86. Interestingly, the word כולל, Kolel, itself is gematria 86.
In connection to the Psalms, it is interesting to note that the word הילולה, Hilulah, Celebration, which is used to denote the commemoration of a special day, especially the commemoration of a Tzadik’s passing, as Lag B’Omer is the Hilulah of R’ Shimon Bar Yochoi, is also gematria 86.
Similarly the word הללוי-ה, Halleluya, Praise G-d, is also gematria 86. Halleluya is the first and the last word of a number of Psalms, and indeed it is the final word in the Book of Tehillim, and thus also intimately connected with the idea of Hod. [As I am about to upload this I see that Garth, in the most recent comment, paraphrased this verse at the end of Tehillim, Kol Haneshama Tehalel Y-a Halleluya, Let every being with a soul praise G-d; praise G-d.]
After all this about Elokim, it is also worthwhile to point out that 26 (the Name Hashem) + 7 (the Name Elokim in the Seven Days of creation) = 33.
In Ezra’s post a good case is made for the specialness of next Monday — the 14th of May, the day Israel actually completes the prophesied 70-year period until Moshiach in the Gregorian Calendar, which is also the date Donald J Trump has blessed Israel with the official transfer of the US embassy to Jerusalem.
It is certain that each day now we are getting closer and closer to revelation of Moshiach. In a previous comment I noted that last week we had the influence of the Sefirah of Hod, this week it is Yesod, and next week Malchus, starting from Sunday, Chesed s’b’Malchus, which coincides this year with Yom Yerushalayim, on March 13. The next day, March 14, as in the post, Gevurah s’b’Malchus, is indeed very special. The next day after that is also very special, being Tiferes s’b’Malchus, Rosh Chodesh Sivan. After that each day will continue to add ever increasing holiness, until we reach the Holy day of Shabbos, Malchus s’b’Malchus.
After that, as Ezra’s post continues, “we receive Shavuot, the day (time) of illumination, when our vessels are fully capable of receiving the light of Mashiach.”
It seems that Shevuos, the 50th day after Pesach, coming this year on Sunday May 20 (starting right after Shabbos on Saturday night), or on the Hebrew calendar the 6th of Sivan, is spiritually the mightiest of the upcoming days, being exactly 3330 years since the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai.
Outside of Israel, in the Diaspora, Shevuos is celebrated for two days, meaning also on Monday May 21, the 7th of Sivan, the 51st day after Pesach – and this may be more significant than usual because this is the 51st year since Jerusalem was reunited, as we will celebrate on Yom Yerusholayim.
Shevuos is also the Hillulah of Dovid Hamelech, and accordingly it must automatically be a very auspicious day for the descendant of Dovid, Moshiach Ben Dovid, and especially since Shevuos is also the Hillulah of the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Chassidic way, which is founded upon the Kabbalistic teachings of the Rashbi and the Arizal.
As Ezra pointed out, the 150 Psalms of Dovid’s Sefer Tehillim correspond to the 150 days from Zos Channuka to Shevuos, and that means that there is a special synergy then with the final Psalm, which starts with the verse “Halleluyah, praise G-d in his Sanctuary…,” and ends with “Let every soul praise G-d, Halleluyah” – and these elevated themes, sung unto G-d by Dovid Hamelech, will be completely fulfilled with the arrival and influence of Moshiach Ben Dovid.
There have been world shaking developments that took place today, significant things reported in the news, such as President Trump pulling the United States out of the Iran Nuclear Deal and an apparent Israeli attack on an Iranian base in Syria, and also significant things not yet reported in the news. The upcoming days will be very critical. Therefore it is a time for us to increase in learning Torah, performing Mitzvos and doing good deeds, and reciting Tehillim and increasing in our prayers to G-d.
Hashem Hoshiah Hamelech Ya’aneinu B’Yom Korainu.
That is actually quite amazing. Thank you so much for that It’s all G-d’s Design. I never looked into the digit strings within Phi and e, but the first 43 digits in Pi sum to 210 as in the 210 years in Egyptian Exile and the sum of the first 1000 digits, excluding the first 42 sum to 4240 or 10 x 424 (Moshiach Ben David).
You’ve given us so much to think about, thanks so much. Bizrat Hashem I find the time so share soon an important numerical sequence I learned about on Lag B’omer. BTW, whether 33 comes up, it relates someone to the first 8 words (33 letters) in the Torah whose gematria (3003) = the sum of the integers through 77.
Regarding the Torah reading for this coming Shabbos, which is the 42nd day of the Omer, Malchus s’b’Yesod, in Eretz Yisroel we read the Bechukosai, and in Chutz Lo’oretz we read the combined Behar and Bechukosai, as you noted.
It is interesting that Behar is the 32nd Sedrah, and Bechukosai is the 33rd Sedrah, and with this reading we complete Sefer Vayikrah, Leviticus, the 3rd Book of Torah.
In Sefer Vayikrah, at the beginning of Tazriah, the 27th Sedrah, which 27 = 3 x 3 x 3, or 3 to the 3rd power, we read the laws of a woman who gives birth (Leviticus 12:1-8), and we find the numbers 7, 8, 33, 14 and 66 mentioned explicitly:
A woman after giving birth to a male child remains ritually unclean for 7 days, the child is circumcised on the 8th day, and then she has a clean waiting period of 33 days before she can become purified. For a female child she remains ritually unclean for two weeks, i.e., 14 days, and then she has a clean waiting period of 66 days. When her purification period is complete for a male of female she brings a sin offering and achieves atonement and becomes pure. The whole process from the day of giving birth to a male takes a total of 7 + 33 = 40 days, and for a female 14 + 66 = 80 days. From this too it is evident that the number 33 indicates a level of completeness.
Also, immediately after the day of Matan Torah, 3330 years ago, after all Yisroel heard Hashem speak at Mount Sinai, the Torah at end of Parshas Mishpotim says (Exodus 24:12-18, Kaplan’s translation):
G-d said to Moses, Come up to Me , to the mountain, and remain there. I will give you the stone tablets, the Torah and the commandment that I have written for [the people’s] instruction. Moses and his aid Joshua set out. Moses went up on G-d’s Mountain… As soon as Moses reached the mountain top, the cloud covered the mountain. G-d’s glory rested on Mount Sinai, and it was covered by the cloud for six days. On the seventh day, He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud. To the Israelites, the appearance of G-d’s glory on the mountain top was like a devouring flame. Moses went into the cloud, and climbed to the mountain top. Moses was to remain on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.
It seems from this, as many commentaries explain, that of the 40 days that Moshe went up to receive the Tablets of the Covenant, there was first a 6 day waiting period, then on the 7th day G-d told him to ascend higher, and that implies that he was up on the highest level of the mountain for 33 full days and nights (after going up sometime, probably during daytime, of the 7th day).
The most prevalent opinion of our sages is that the day of Mattan Torah was also a Shabbos, also stressing the 7th day.
There is a famous saying of our sages that Hashem gave the 3-fold Torah (i.e., composed of 3 parts, Torah, Neviim and Ksuvim), to a 3-fold people (Kohanim, Leviim and Yisroalim), through a 3rd person (i.e., Moshe, the 3rd after his siblings Miriam and Aaron), on the 3rd day (see Exodus 19:16, and from context it is seen this is the 6th of Sivan, as in the hint on “Yom HAshishi,” in Breishis that we recite at the beginning of Shabbos Kiddush), of the 3rd month (Sivan, see Exodus 19:1). IIRC in the Midrash and commentaries there are many more 3’s given…
This too connects with the idea of that 3 , and especially a series of repeating threes, like 33, or 3330, is an indication of a sign of a certain level of perfection.
Also the idea of משולש, Meshulash, 3-fold, as explained by many commentators, implies superior quality. See for example in G-d’s covenant with Avrohom (in year 2018), on Genesis 15:9 ויאמר אליו קחה לי עגלה משלשת ועז משלשת ואיל משלש ותר וגוזל, “G-d said to him, “Bring for Me a prime heifer, a prime goat, a prime ram, a dove and a young pigeon,” and see Kaplan’s note:
Prime, Meshulesheth in Hebrew, literally “threefold,” “triplet,” or “third grade.” This denotes the best quality… Another interpretation is that the animals were to be three years old… Others say that they were to be part of a triplet… Finally, there are some who maintain that three of each animal were to be brought… (see there for references).
Note too that the word עגלה, heifer, the first of these animals, has in it the letters גל, 33, and the second animal עז, goat, is 77, the third animal איל, ram, has 3 letters and ends in ל, 30, the fourth תר, is gematria 600 = 3 x 200 = 30 x 20 = 300 x 2, and the fifth animal גוזל, begins and ends with גל, 33.
Similarly, see Exodus 14:7, that when Pharaoh chased after Yisroel to try to return them to Egypt, he took with him 600 chariots with chosen crews, as well as the entire chariot corps of Egypt, with שלשם, Sholishim, “supporting infantry” or “officers” for them all. Again the root Sholosh, usually meaning the number 3, is in context taken to mean not merely a number, but a qualitative indication of superiority.
Before I wrote about the 35 times the Name Elokim occurs in the Torah’s creation story. 35 is evenly divisible by 7, for 5 x 7 = 35. Also the gematria of Elokim is 86, and 35 x 86 = 3010, which is 7 more than the number 3003, i.e., 35 x 86 = the sum of the integers through 77 + 7 (in the manner of a Kollel). The number 3010 is also reminiscent of the number 31, the gematria of the Name E-l, which is also the first two letters of the Name Elokim.
You and many of your readers may have noticed that R’ Ashlag, spelled in Hebrew, is א-שלג, which is 1 (or Elef, 1000, which is 1 with 3 digit places after it) and three hundred thirty three, 333. Also a snow flake, שלג, Sheleg, is a natural and beautiful 6-sided star, which is similar to a Magan Dovid, the Star (and Shield) of David, composed of two 3-sided equilateral triangles, one pointing downward and one pointing upward. And R’ Ashlag is the one who gave over this predicted date for Moshiach’s arrival 3330 years after Matan Torah.
R’ Ashlag was a follower in the path of the Rashbi, the Arizal, and of the Baal Shem Tov, three great luminaries of the Torah and of Kabbalah, and he sincerely implored us to follow in this path as well.
At the beginning of my previous comment I did not mention that this upcoming Shabbos — the 42nd day of the Omer, Malchus s’b’Yesod, when we read Behar-Bechukosai, the 32nd and 33rd Sedros in the Torah, is also the 27th of Iyar, and again 27 = 3 x 3 x 3 = 3 to the 3rd power.
It is possible to connect the above ideas with the 3 paragraphs of Shma Yisroel:
As you discussed in a few of your posts, the three fundamental paragraphs of Krias Shma, which express the fundamentals of our faith, consist of exactly 1000 letters. That is marvelous meditation that almost no one is aware of.
Searching on the internet I found this mentioned on one other website, by well known Torah scholar and Kabbalist, who wrote (my translation from Hebrew): “The main beauty of Krias Shma is expressed in the number of its letters, for although no one writes about this, the paragraphs as they are written in the Torah have exactly 1000 letters (10 to the power of 3), and this certainly alludes to the 1000 Lights of Matan Torah, and hints to the Ten Commandments that are represented in the Krias Shma.”
It is indeed somewhat startling that in the libraries full of Seforim the exact 1000 letter count of Krias Shma is not mentioned, and it just goes to prove that that there is always more to discover, and that some of the choicest revelations can be made by practically anyone who tries.
I believe you have already basically covered most of this, but let me try to express it here this way:
The main meditation on the first verse, “Here O Israel, Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is One,” is to concentrate on understanding that G-d is One and that He is Master of the world. This is expressed in the letter א, Alef, since in gematria it equals One, and also since the same root אלוף, Alef, means Ruler or Master, as in the expression that Hashem is the Alufo [Alef] Shel Olam, Master of the World. The root wood Alef also has a meaning of Teaching and Instruction, as in the word אולפן, Ulpan, and this teaching of the Shma is the most essential teaching of all. And since the same root gives rise to the word אלף, Elef, meaning the number 1000, this enhances our understanding that Hashem is present in everything, in all the myriad details of the universe, and He unites everything together for His purpose. This is hinted in the 1000 letters of the Shma, which unite into one coherent theme, which directly hints back to Hashem, the Creator and Giver of the Torah, the One and Only G-d.
In addition, here I’d like to stress the hint in the initials of the first verse of Shma, ש’מע י’שראל י’הו-ה א’להינו י’הו-ה א’חד, Shma Yisroel Hashem Elokainu Hashem Echod, add up to 300 + 10 + 10 + 1 + 10 + 1 = 332, and with 1 for the Kolel = 333, and this connects with the numbers we have been discussing, and when multiplied by 10, corresponding to the 10 Sefiros, equals 3330, the number of years we are now from the giving of the Torah. I found that you already wrote this in a post from seven years ago.
In addition it is possible to say that since the 3 paragraphs have 1000 letters, then the average for each paragraph is 1000/3 = 333.333…
I have not yet found anywhere a mention however of the particular breakdown of the 1000 letters, as they are specifically divided among the three paragraphs of Shma, however according to my count the first paragraph has 205 letters, the second paragraph has 508 letters, and the third paragraph has 287 letters, and 205 + 508 + 287 = 1000.
As for what these particular numbers may signify, I have some ideas I am working on that may take me some time to properly express in writing. Meanwhile I’d just like to put this out and ask you and the readers to double check my counting and for some feedback about this if possible.
In connection to my previous comment, it is worth noting that the initials of the three paragraphs of Shma are ש’מע ו’היה ו’יאמר, the letters שו”ו, gematria 312, which is a number also discussed above.
It turns out in addition to what was said before, 312 = 2 x 156, i.e., two times the gematria of יוסף, the Biblical Yosef Hatzadik, the progenitor of Moshiach Ben Yosef, and today is Yesod s’b’Yesod (Yesod doubled), and it is certainly a Brocha Meruba to remember and mention this.
Arutz Sheva has an article today reporting that 6000 Jews visit Joseph’s Tomb in Shechem; Massive convoy of visitors, escorted by IDF, enters PA-controlled city of Shechem for pilgrimage to Joseph’s Tomb.
The number 6000 is interesting for many reasons, including because Yosef has a strong connection to this number, since the gematria of his name 156 = 6 x 26, and the Sefirah of Yesod is the 6th Sefirah from Chesed.
Regarding the 1000 letters of Shma, 205 in the first paragraph, 508 letters in the second paragraph, and 287 in the third paragraph, and the allusion and connection this has to the Torah portions we are reading at the present time:
The first paragraph of Shma has 205 letters, and the simplest possible word with this gematria is הר, Har, meaning Mountain. This word is evident in the word ב-הר, “In the Mountain,” which is the title of the first Sedroh, Behar, that we read this past Shabbos.
The second paragraph of Shma has 508 letters, and one of the simplest words with this gematria is חקת, Chukas, meaning Law or Statute – and this word is evident in the word ב-חקת-י, “(If you go) In My Statutes,” which is the title of the second Sedrah, B’chukosai, that we read this past Shabbos.
Together, the first two paragraphs of Shma, with letter counts hinting to Mountain and to Law, therefore clearly can be seen to be reflective of the great revelation of G-d on the Mountain of Sinai together with the giving of the Torah and Mitzvah Laws.
Corresponding to this, the first two paragraphs of Shma stress attachment to G-d on the highest levels, with love and reverence, and acceptance of the yoke of the obligations to study Torah and observe Mitzvos, just as was experienced by Israel at Mount Sinai, and during our recital of the Shma we therefore commemorate and relive this lofty experience.
The specific Mitzvos mentioned in these two first two paragraphs of Shma, putting on two boxes of Tefillin, one on one’s arm and one on one’s head, and affixing Mezuzahs on one’s houses and gates, also correspond to the great gifts given by G-d to Israel at Mount Sinai:
Most sanctified of all are the Two Tablets of the Covenant, the First Tablet with the basic commandments between G-d and man, which is symbolized by the Tefillin one places on one’s head, one’s intellect and inner sentiments, representing attachment to G-d, and the Second Tablet with the basic commandments between man and man, is symbolized by the Tefillin on places on one’s arm, representing one’s outer emotions, deeds and actions between man and his fellow man.
In addition, together with G-d’s gift of the Holy Tablets was His command to make the Holy Sanctuary, a building to house and protect the Holy Tablets, and to be a place for service and communion with G-d.
Corresponding to this in the first two paragraphs of Shma there is the commandment to affix Mezuzahs on the posts of our doors and gates, and this is symbolic of the Holy Sanctuary, since the Mezuzos in effect transform our mundane abodes into holy sanctuaries devoted to G-d.
The main differences between the two paragraphs of Shma is that the first paragraph is addressed to each person individually, while the second paragraph is addressed to the community all together, and that the first paragraph does not address the issue of sin and repentance, while the second paragraph explicitly discusses this.
Following the same pattern, at the onset of the revelation at Mount Sinai the fledgling nation of Israel stood united together as one individual, with one heart and one soul, and the First Set of Tablets were given – and this is illustrated by the first paragraph of Shma, in the singular, and with no mention of sin.
After the sin of the Golden Calf, and the smashing and destruction of the First Set of Tablets, Israel as a community repented and returned to full observation of the Mitzvos, and then the Second Set of Tablets were given – and this is illustrated by the second paragraph of Shma, in the plural, and discussing return to G-d and keeping Mitzvos even after sin.
More specifically, the mention of Tefillin in the first paragraph of Shma is symbolic of the First Set of Tablets, and the mention of Tefillin in the second paragraph of Shma is symbolic of the Second Set of Tablets.
Similarly regarding the commandment of Mezuzos in the first paragraph of Shma compared to the commandment of Mezuzos in the second paragraph of Shma:
The level of the Holy Sanctuary was affected by sin, and therefore this pattern was reflected in the building of the First Temple by Kings Dovid and Shlomo, when Israel was in its glory, on the level of Tzadikim, however, after the sinning by the people, the First Temple was destroyed, and only after repentance and return to G-d, Torah and Mitzvos, were the Jews able to build the Second Temple, led by Ezra and Nechemya. The First Temple is symbolized by the commandment of Mezuzos in the first paragraph of Shma, and the Second Temple is symbolized by the commandment of Mezuzos in the second paragraph of Shma.
In addition to the hints as mentioned above in the names of the Sedros Behar and B’chukosai – that we read yesterday, on the Shabbos that blesses this auspicious entire week that follows, in which B’ezras Hashem, we will see the unfolding of Hashem’s Sefirah of Malchus, Kingship – a review of the content of these Sedros also turns up correspondences between the topics written in them and the themes of first two paragraphs of Shma as described above.
Bli Neder this will be explained at the next opportunity, as well as some of the significance of the 287 letters in the third paragraph of Shma.
(To be continued.)
Before continuing with the correspondences between the topics written in Sedros Behar and B’chukosai and the themes of first two paragraphs of Shma, as I said I would do, it is noteworthy to point out some other hints to the number of letters in these two paragraphs.
The number 205, the number of letters in the first paragraph of Shma, is exactly one half of the gematria of the first word of the paragraph, שמע, Shma, which is 410, for 205 x 2 = 410.
This may hint to the obligation of reciting Shma is two times a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. Alternatively it may hint that there are actually two Mountains from which G-d’s Unity is proclaimed, one in the wilderness, Mount Sinai, where the Torah was given and near it the Mishkon, Tabernacle, was made and erected, and the second Mountain is in the Land of Israel, in Jerusalem, the Har Habayis, the Temple Mount, Mount Moriah, where the First and Second Holy Temples were built, which are hinted in the words of Shma as discussed above, and where the Third Holy Temple will be built soon in our days.
There is also a hint to the number 508, the number of letters in the second paragraph of Shma, in the beginning of the second paragraph of Shma, since it starts with the words והיה אם שמע תשמעו אל מצותי, Vhoyo Im Shomoa Tishmau El Mitzvosai, “And it shall be if you diligently listen to (and observe) My commandments,” and the gematria of the first word, Vhoyo, is 26 (same letters and gematria as the Name Hashem), the gematria of the second word, Im, is 41 – and thus the first two words together 26 + 41 = 67, Binah, Understanding – and the gematria of the third word, Shomoa, is 410 (same root and gematria as the word Shma from the first paragraph), giving 67 + 410 = 477 for the first three words, and then if we skip the next word, Tishmau (because it is essentially a repeat of the previous word, which is doubled to add emphasis), and add the gematria of the next word, El, 31, then we get 477 + 31 = 508.
It is also interesting that when reduced to the form of their small gematria, 205 = 2 + 0 + 5 = 7, and 508 = 5 + 0 + 8 = 13, and 7 and 13 are each significant numbers in their own right, and yet even more interesting, when these two numbers, 7 and 13, are joined together to form the number 713, they identically match the standard sum of the two base numbers, since 205 + 508 = 713. If the word count of either paragraph was changed by one letter this resonance would not be seen, so once again the Intelligent Design of the Torah is revealed.
In the natural sciences, especially in biology, in reference to the specific complexity of living cells and organisms, the term “Intelligent Design” is being used to indicate that life is way too complex to have arisen through blind chance and coincidence, and when honestly considered it is apparent that what we see is evidence that the universe and everything in it is Intelligently Designed by the Creator, G-d.
Similarly with regard to the complexity of the Torah, and the unfolding of its prophecies throughout history, the more one studies it the more one can see the evidence that this could have come about only through Intelligent Design, way beyond the realm of chance and coincidence.
The descriptive term “Intelligent Design,” however, really should be modified slightly, for it is not just plain “Intelligent Design,” rather it is clearly “Super Intelligent Design.”
(To be continued.)
Regarding the correspondence between Behar and the first paragraph of Shma:
Behar starts (Vayikra 25:1) with Hashem’s command to Moshe at Mount Sinai that when Israel would enter the Land they must celebrate a Shabbas L’Hashem, a Rest Dedicated to G-d, by agriculturally working the land for six years and then refraining from such work on the seventh year, the Shmita-Sabbatical year. This seven year cycle repeats for seven times, for 7 x 7 = 49 years, and then the 50th year, when agricultural work is also forbidden, is celebrated as a special Yovail-Jubalee year, and this cycle then repeats forever throughout time. On the Shmita and to a greater extent on the Yovail year freedom is proclaimed throughout the land and the people return to their families and properties and devote themselves to G-d.
A second major theme developed in Behar is the affinity and responsibility each member of Israel has one to another, such that certainly each man is forbidden to deceive or cheat his fellow, and even one who encounters financial difficulties and sells his property is still regarded as “your brother,” he must be given assistance to buy back his land as soon as possible, and in any event his land automatically reverts to him on the Yovail year. Similarly “your brother” who becomes impoverished you must come to his aid and he is to be given interest free loans, and even if his circumstances collapse to the extent that he sells himself as a slave, he may not be treated disparagingly with hard labor, and he cannot be a permanent slave, because they are G-d’s very own slaves that He took out of slavery in Egypt and they must eternally serve Him.
As explained above, the first paragraph of Shma is reminiscent of the great revelation of G-d on Mount Sinai, where the entire nation of Israel was united as one, on the level of Tzadikim before sin, and they accepted the yoke of heaven, accepting to keep the Ten Commandments and all the Torah Laws, and to be devoted and sanctified to G-d.
Just as there are geographical mountains and mountain peaks, and Holy Mountains, especially Mt. Sinai and Mt. Moraih, so too there are temporal mountains and mountain peaks. During the year on a weekly and monthly basis these “mountains” are Shabbos and Yom Tov, and for greater measures of time, marking the generations, these are Shmita and Yovail. On these “mountains in time” mundane agricultural work is replaced by spiritual pursuits and with increased leisure and opportunity to celebrate G-d’s goodness and bounty with one’s family and nation, and to study and pray with greater devotion and communion with G-d. Therefore the commandments of Shmita and Yovail written in Behar correspond to the first paragraph of Shma in a readily understandable manner.
In addition, the counting of 7 x 7 Shmita years and the celebration of the 50th year, Yovail, clearly parallel Israel’s counting of 7 x 7 weeks upon their Exodus from Egypt and then experiencing the giving of the Torah on the 50th day, which we are also commanded to commemorate each year at these times, Pesach through Shevuos.
These numbers are also hinted in the first paragraph of Shma, since it has it is composed of 6 verses that are said out loud, which is symbolic of working on the land for 6 days or for 6 years, and also a 7th verse, Boruch Shaim Kevod Malchuso L’olam Voed, that is said silently, which is symbolic of refraining from work on the 7th day of Shabbos or the 7th year of Shmita.
Also the word יובל, Yovail, as it is usually written fully with a letter Vov, is gematria 48, and with one more for the Kolel makes 49, and since the pattern continues on and on forever, we may allude to that by adding another one to hint to this 50th year.
Similarly the first paragraph of Shma is composed of 48 words, and in the first verse two letters are written extra large, letters Ayin and Dalit, and when we recite the Shma these large letters are focused on to spell in our minds a 49th word, עד, Eid, Witness, i.e., to Witness G-d, and these two letters can also be read in reverse (on the level of Keser) as a 50th word, דע, Dah, Know, i.e., to Know G-d.
Further, the Yovail year is proclaimed by the sounding of the Shofar on Yom Hakipurim in the Temple on Mt. Moriah, which Yom Kipur is the day Moshe brought the Second Tablets down from Mt. Sinai, and this is also connected to Mattan Torah on Mt. Sinai on Shevuos when the sound of the Shofar was heard. Similarly in commemoration of these special soundings of the Shofar we recite especially the first verse of Shma with an extra loud voice, which is reminiscent of the sounding of the Shofar on these Holy occasions.
Also in Behar we find that the commands concerning Shmita and Yovail, and the majority of the verses about aiding “your brother,” are expressed in the singular form, “you” in the singular shall count, “you” in the singular shall aid your brother, and so on. This corresponds to the format of the first paragraph of Shma in which it says “you” shall love “your” G-d, in the singular, and these words shall be upon “your” heart in the singular, and so on, and all the way through to the end, “you” shall write them on the doorposts of “your” house and on “your” gates, all in the singular.
Also in Behar there is no mention of sin and not keeping the Mitzvos, and there is no elaboration on the theme of reward and punishment, and this corresponds to the first paragraph of Shma, on the level of Tzadikim, as described above.
Behar ends (26:2), “My Sabbaths shall you observe and My Sanctuary shall you revere, I am Hashem,” and this corresponds to the mentioning of Tefillin and Mezuzah at the end of the first paragraph of Shma, since both Shabbos and Tefillin are called “Signs” (and that is the reason given why on Shabbos we don’t put on Tefillin, because keeping the Shabbos itself is a Sign just like Tefillin), and since the Holy Sanctuary is hinted to by the Mezuzah, as explained above.
A concluding note for now about the interesting Divine Providence evident in the 57 verses of Behar, is that these 57 verses may be understood to be yet another allusion to Shmita and Yovail, since 57 = 7 + 50, which perfectly corresponds to Shmita and Yovail, the 7th year and the 50th year, Holy Mountains and Sanctuaries in time.
(To be continued.)
One of the secrets I learned on this Lag B’omer was the significance of the primes (irreducible prime numbers). As you point out in the 3 paragraphs from the Torah that comprise the Shema, the first one consists of 48 words and 205 letters, which sum to 253. The largest and middle paragraph has 122 words and 508 letter which add up to 630 units. The final paragraph has 72 words and 287 letters. The connection to 72 Names is well known and I believe the 205 letters connects both to mountain (HaR of value 205) and to the 206 bones in the body since commentators have linked the Shema to the healing of the bones in our bodies yet they erroneously say there are 248 of them (as in the 248 total words in the Shema including the Baruch Shem. Nevertheless, the 72 words and 287 letters in the final paragraph add up to 359, the gematria of satan, and therefore this paragraph helps us overcome the satan (negative inclinations) within us, similarly to the 2 times this designation is found within the 42-Letter Name. Strengthening this connection between 72 and 359 is the fact that the 72nd prime is 359. And strengthening the argument of design intent in this is that the total for the two other paragraphs is 630 plus 253 or 883, which is the 153rd prime. 153 is a significant number unto itself, but notably 72 is divisible by 9 as 72/9 = 8 and so is 153/9 = 17 and (8+17) equals 25 as in the 25 letter first verse of the Shema. Moreover, the difference between 8 and 17 is 9, ergo the difference between 72 and 153 is 9 x 9 or 81. The number 9 is also built into the 42-Letter Name whose 2nd line (KRASTtN) is equivalent to 729 or 9x9x9 and notably this is one of the 2 incidences of satan (STtN)in the Name. The small gematria of the 42-Letter Name when divided by 9 gives us 70 plus Pi (73.14159…). So why 9? A connection to Chochma? So just to through out a little more odd math (divine intent) 7+2 as in 72nd prime = 9 as does 1+5+3 as in 153 prime = 9, as does their sum 225 (72+153) = 9; this is not slight of hand; it does not HAVE to work out that way. Moreover, 3+5+9 from 359 = 17 and 1+7 from 17 = 8, cross referencing completely the two heretofore unrelated primes. and then there is the fact that 1^3 + 5^3 + 3^3 = 153 and 7^3+ 2^3 = 351 or 153 reversed. I encourage all Kabbalist and gematria enthusiasts to look into the primes in relation to Torah Study.
Ezra, I just skimmed your new comment, and hope to have some feedback on that too soon. Meanwhile here is the next installment in continuation to my previous comments:
The connection of Shma to the birth of Israel upon the Exodus from Egypt, Pesach, and the 49 days of counting the Omer, until the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai on the 50th day Shevuos, is also hinted, as it says in the Zohar, in that the sum of the 25 letters of the verse Shma Yisroel, plus the 24 letters of ברוך שם כבוד מלכותו לעולם ועד, Boruch Shaim Kevod Malchuso L’olam Vaed, “Blessed is the Name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever,” is 25 + 24 = 49, and this corresponds to the 49 gates of Bina/Understanding, which is connected with the Kolel, the 50th year Yovail and the G-dly revelation of the 50th day.
The word Shma, which means Hear and Understand, is likewise by its literal definition connected to the Sefirah of Bina and Yovail.
Also the initials of the first two words ש’מע י’שראל, Shma Yisroel, are the same as the initials of ש’בת and י’ום טוב, Shabbos and Yom Tov, and also ש’נה ש’ביעי ש’מטה and י’ובל, Shona Shevi’i, Shmita [see note below] and Yovail.
Also the Shma is connected to the First Temple since the gematria of the word Shma is 410, and the First Temple stood for 410 years.
The 25 letters of the verse Shma Yisroel may also hint to Sedrah Behar, since Behar spans all verses of chapter 25 of Vayikra-Leviticus.
Also the 25 letters of the verse Shma may also be viewed as doubled to yield 2 x 25 = 50 letters, and thereby producing another hint to Yovail, since – similar to what was said above regarding doubling 205, the number of letters in the first paragraph, to get 410 – Shma is recited once in the morning and once in the evening, or once in thought and once in action, or once revealed and once in their root, or since Shma is on the level of Shabbos and “all aspects of Shabbos are doubled” as explained elsewhere.
Here it is fitting to point out that all 1000 letters of the Krias Shma can be understood to be hinted in the word שמע, Shma, by combining its first and last letters, since the first letter is Shin, gematria 300, and the last letter, the letter Ayin, normally gematria 70, is written extra large, and may be interpreted as increased 10-fold, as 700, and 300 + 700 = 1000.
The large letter Ayin, gematria 70 or 700, or understood as 7 x 7, also stresses the connection of Shma to Shabbos and Yom Tov and to Shmita and Yovail.
Here too it is fitting to point out that this large letter Ayin may also hint to the last 70 years of exile, the 70 years from the founding of the modern state of Israel until this auspicious year.
These matters could be expanded upon unlimitedly but let us return next to the explanation of the commotion between B’chukosai and the second paragraph of Shma, and then to a discussion regarding the Third paragraph of Shma.
Note: Incidentally, the word “Shmita” does not occur in Behar, but rather at the beginning of Devorim chapter 10, where the Torah commands even more brotherly love between one Israelite and another, to the extent that the Seventh year is also called Shmita, since then all personal loans are to be forgiven and Remitted, and one must not to be stingy about this which would be counted as sin, and in Devorim 31:10, where it says: “At the end of seven years, at the time of the Sbbatical year, during the Succcos festival, when all Israel comes to appear before Hashem your G-d in the place that He will choose, you shall read this Torah before all Israel, in their ears. Gather together the people – the men, the women, and the small children, and your stranger who is in your cities – so that they will hear and so that they will learn, and they shall fear Hashem your G-d and be careful to perform all the words of this Torah…”
In the note on these verses in Devorim 31:10 in the Artscroll Chumash it says: Hakhel/The king reads to the entire nation from Deuteronemy. Once every seven years – on the first day of Chol HaMoed [Intermediate Days] f Succos that followed the Sabbatical Year – the entire nation was commanded to come together at the Temple to listen to the king read to them from Deuteronomy. He read from the beginning of the Book to the end of the first paragraph of the Shema (6:9), the second paragraph of the Shema (11:13-21), and 14:22-28:69. These passages are all on the general subject of allegiance to G-d, the covenant, and reward and punishment. See there for more.
Regarding the correspondence between B’chukosai and the second paragraph of Shma:
B’chukosai starts (26:3) “If you follow in My decrees and observe My commandments and perform them; then I will provide your rains in their time, and the land will give its produce and the tree of the field will give its fruit…,” i.e., with the concept of the great reward that Israel will receive for keeping G-d’s commandments, starting with the bountiful agricultural produce of the land.
This corresponds with the beginning of the second paragraph of Shma, “And it shall come to pass, that if you continually hearken to My commandments that I command you today… then I will provide rain for your land in its proper time, the early and late rains, that you may gather in your grain, your vine, your oil…,” the same theme of reward for keeping the commandments, starting with the bounty of the agricultural produce of the land.
B’Chukosai continues with warning of punishment that will be meted out for not observing the commandments (26:14), “But if you will not listen to Me and will not perform all of these commandments… so that you annul My covenant, then I will do the same to you; I will assign upon you…” a litany of severe consequences and punishments, to the extent that the land will be overrun by enemies and the people destroyed and exiled.
This corresponds with the continuation of the second paragraph of Shma, “Beware lest your heart be seduced and you turn astray… Then the wrath of Hashem will blaze against you… and you will swiftly be banished from the goodly land which Hashem gives you.”
In B’Chukosai, after a series of 7 x 7 punishments for refusal to keep the commandments, the Torah states (26:40), “Then they will confess their sin and the sin of their forefathers, for the treachery with which they betrayed Me… I will remember My covenant with Jacob and also My covenant with Isaac, and also My covenant with Abraham will I remember, and I will remember the Land… I will remember for them the covenant of the ancients, those whom I have taken out of the land of Egypt before the eyes of the nations, to be G-d unto them. I am Hashem.”
Correspondingly in the second paragraph of Shma it says that after the exile Israel should return to doing the commandments and then they will be returned to their land: “Place these words of Mine upon your heart and upon your soul; bind them for a sign upon your arm and let them be Tefillin between your eyes. Teach them to your children, to discuss them, while you sit in your home, while you walk on the way, when you retire and when you arise. And write them on the doorposts of your house and upon your gates. In order to prolong your days and the days of your children upon the ground that Hashem has sworn to your ancestors to give them, like the days of the heaven on the earth.” That concludes the second paragraph of Shman, and as a note in the Artscroll Siddur explains, “Eretz Yisrael is the eternal heritage of the Jewish people, just as heaven will always remain above the earth. Alternatively, just as heaven always showers blessings upon the earth in the form of life-giving rain, so too Israel will be blessed in the land G-d has sworn to it.”
Another correspondence is that in B’chukosai all the verses refer to Israel in the plural form, always stressing the collective people, not in the singular as individuals. Similarly in the second paragraph of Shma, with the exception of some of the specific rewards for keeping the commandments and some of the specific commandments Israel will return to perform, the test is also written in the plural format, especially at the paragraph’s beginning and ending.
At the end of B’chukosai it says (27:1), “Hashem spoke to Moshe saying; Speak to the Children of Israel d say to them: If a man articulates a vow to Hashem…,” i.e., the laws of Erchin, voluntary contributions to the Sanctuary and their evaluations, the laws for when an individual person expresses a vow to donate to G-d’s Sanctuary. Near the end (27:30-33) are some laws of Maasair, which is the required tithing the land and cattle or flock. Then at the very end comes the final verse (27:34), “These are the commandments that Hashem commanded Moshe to the Children of Israel on Mount Sinai.”
The first and last of these verses are expressed in the plural form, addressing the Children of Israel as a group collectively, while all the details in between are expressed in the singular form to each individual. It is possible that this is because voluntary offerings cannot be required collectively of the congregation, they have to be individually initiated and fulfilled, and even the few laws of Maasair that are given here are focused on how an individual might want to exchange monetary value for the sanctified produce of the land (which, with conditions, one may do) or to exchange the sanctified cattle (which he may not do), because these things do not depend on the community, but rather the individual, so therefore the singular form is used in the Scripture.
While these laws do not have direct corollary in the second paragraph of Shma, nevertheless since the end of the second paragraph of Shma alludes to the return to keeping the commandments and to the land of our forefathers and the rebuilding of the Temple there, therefore it is understood that the laws of Erchin and Maasair will likewise return.
All of this is in the realm of Pshat, the plain meaning of these passages of the Torah, and as demonstrated herein B’Chukosai and the second paragraph of Shma overwhelmingly correspond one to another.
(To be continued.)
A few more amazing hints in the word Shma and in the first paragraph of Shma:
Interestingly, the word שמע, Shma, is gematria 410, as said above, and this is also the gematria of the word משכן, Tabernacle, the prototype of the Beis Hamikdosh that Moshe and Bnei Yisroel erected at Mt. Sinai and described at length in the Torah, and also the gematria of the word קודש, or קדוש, meaning Holy, and this fits in very well with what was explained above.
The statement of our sages, Kol Iska D’Shabbata Keful, “all things pertaining to Shabbas are doubled,” that was mentioned above, is from the Medrash on Tehillim 92, Mizmor shir l’yom haShabbos, and numerous instances of this are given there in the Medrash and in Seforim that discuss this.
Perhaps another instance of this can be found in the first paragraph of Shma, which as said corresponds to Shabbos and Yovai, since when we examine the set of relatively unusual doubled letters that occur in the first paragraph of Shma in the five words, לבבך, לבבך, ושננתם, לטטפת מזזות, i.e., ב ב נ ט ז, and we take the gematrias of these letters and the sum thereof, 2 + 2 + 50 + 9 + 7 = 70, we get more hints reminding us of Shabbos and Yovail and the large letter Ayin in Shma.
Amazingly, hints to the number of words and letters in all three paragraphs of Shma can be found in the first paragraph of Shma in the verse V’ohavto, “And you shall love Hashem your G-d,” and in the beginning of the next verse V’hoyu Hadevorim Ho’aileh, “And these words shall be upon your heart”:
For the words ואהבת את י-ה-ו-ה א-להיך בכל לבבך, we can count 1 for each of the first 7 letters, plus the gematria of the next four words, to get 7 + 26 + 66 + 52 + 54 = 205, the number of letters in the first paragraph.
The word לבבך, gematria 54, represents the number of regular words in the first paragraph, 48, plus the 6 words of Boruch Shaim Kevod Malchuso L’olam Voed, since 48 + 6 = 54.
Then the gematria of the words ובכל נפשך is 58 + 450 = 508, the number of letters in the second paragraph of Shma.
This is followed by ובכל מאדך, gematria 58 + 65 = 123, which hints to the 122 words of the second paragraph of Shma with the 1 more for the Kolel.
Then for the third paragraph of Shma the word מאדך, gematria 65, plus 1 for each of the four letters of the word, gives 65 + 4 = 69, the number of actual words in the third paragraph itself. When joined with 1 more for the Kolel, or 1 more for the word Emes, truth, this hints to a round number 70.
[Ezra in his latest comment said that in the third paragraph of Shma there are 72 words, but that is when the 69 base words are taken together with 3 more words, from the repetition of the last two words Hashem Elokaichem and the next word in the prayers, Emes].
Then at the beginning of the next verse the first two words are והיו הדברים, gematria 27 + 261 = 288, which hints to the 287 letters of the third paragraph, plus 1 for the Kolel.
The next word האלה, Ho’eileh, is gematria 41, and this can be understood to allude to all three paragraphs:
When multiplied by 10, i.e., 41 x 10 = 410, we get the gematria of the first word of the first paragraph, Shma.
The second word of the second paragraph, אם, Im, is itself gematria 41.
The initial of the third word of the third paragraph א’ל, El, with the initial of the next word מ’שה, Moshe, is א”מ, Alef Mem, also gematria 41.
The three times 41, once for each of the three paragraphs, gives 3 x 41 = 123, the same gematria as ובכל מאדך, U’vchol Meodecho, “with all your might,” which is the third of the three loves, “You shall love Hashem your G-d with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.”
(To be continued.)
One of the secrets I learned on this Lag B’omer was the significance of the primes (irreducible prime numbers). As you point out in the 3 paragraphs from the Torah that comprise the Shema, the first one consists of 48 words and 205 letters, which sum to 253. The largest and middle paragraph has 122 words and 508 letter which add up to 630 units. The final paragraph has 72 words and 287 letters. The connection to 72 Names is well known and I believe the 205 letters connects both to mountain (HaR of value 205) and to the 206 bones in the body since commentators have linked the Shema to the healing of the bones in our bodies yet they erroneously say there are 248 of them (as in the 248 total words in the Shema including the Baruch Shem. Nevertheless, the 72 words and 287 letters in the final paragraph add up to 359, the gematria of satan, and therefore this paragraph helps us overcome the satan (negative inclinations) within us, similarly to the 2 times this designation is found within the 42-Letter Name. Strengthening this connection between 72 and 359 is the fact that the 72nd prime is 359. And strengthening the argument of design intent in this is that the total for the two other paragraphs is 630 plus 253 or 883, which is the 153rd prime. 153 is a significant number unto itself, but notably 72 is divisible by 9 as 72/9 = 8 and so is 153/9 = 17 and (8+17) equals 25 as in the 25 letter first verse of the Shema. Moreover, the difference between 8 and 17 is 9, ergo the difference between 72 and 153 is 9 x 9 or 81. The number 9 is also built into the 42-Letter Name whose 2nd line (KRASTtN) is equivalent to 729 or 9x9x9 and notably this is one of the 2 incidences of satan (STtN)in the Name. The small gematria of the 42-Letter Name when divided by 9 gives us 70 plus Pi (73.14159…). So why 9? A connection to Chochma? So just to through out a little more odd math (divine intent) 7+2 as in 72nd prime = 9 as does 1+5+3 as in 153 prime = 9, as does their sum 225 (72+153) = 9; this is not slight of hand; it does not HAVE to work out that way. Moreover, 3+5+9 from 359 = 17 and 1+7 from 17 = 8, cross referencing completely the two heretofore unrelated primes. and then there is the fact that 1^3 + 5^3 + 3^3 = 153 and 7^3+ 2^3 = 351 or 153 reversed. I encourage all Kabbalist and gematria enthusiasts to look into the primes in relation to Torah Study.
Really excellent work and divine inspiration here. I’d posit to say that the One (1) added especially in relation to the Shema is the One of Echad.
With regard to the second paragraph of Shma, it has 9 verses, 122 words, and 508 letters.
The 9 verses consist of 1 header verse (upper Keser), 1 concluding verse (lower Keser), and 7 middle verses (corresponding to the Seven Sefiros, Chesed through Malchus), 1 + 7 + 1 = 9.
More specifically the number of words in the 9 verses is:
Verse 1– 20 words;
Verse 2 – 10 words;
Verse 3 – 6 words;
Verse 4 –11 words;
Verse 5 – 24 words;
Verse 6 – 17 words;
Verse 7 – 12 words;
Verse 8 – 5 words;
Verse 9 – 17 words.
Note that the beginning of the paragraph, verses 1-3, the good part, describing keeping the Mitzvos and serving G-d and the rewards for doing so, together have 36 words. This can be viewed as 36 = 17 + 17 + 2.
The next two verses, verses 4 and 5, the bad part, the warning about rebellion against G-d and the punishment thereof, have 35 words. This can be viewed as 35 = 17 + 17 + 1.
The next verse, verse 6, the initial return to G-d and performance of Mitzvos, represented by the Mitzvah of Tefillin, which are commandments performed with our own bodies, on our arms and heads, has a word count of 17.
The next two verses, verses 7 and 8, that discuss further Mitzvah observance, teaching children and others and Mitzvos like Mezuzah which are Mitzvos extending beyond our own bodies, have a word count of 17.
Then, wrapping up the paragraph, verse 9, the reward for all this, again has a word count of 17.
All together we see that the 122 words equal 3 + 119, or 17 x 7 plus 3, corresponding to 17 for each of the 7 Sefiros, Chesed through Malchus, plus 3, representing the three higher Sefiros, Kesser-Chochma-Bina, or Chochma-Bina-Daas. The number 17 itself is gematria of טוב, Tov, Good, and 17 can be seen to be composed of 10 + 7, so 7 x 17 equals 7 x 10 = 70 plus 7 x 7 = 49, and 70 + 49 + 3 = 122.
At any rate this shows the connection of the second paragraph of Shma to the idea of 7 x 7 = 49, which is connected with the Shabbos and with the giving of the Torah on Shevuos, and the ideas of the Shmita a Yovail, and the idea of the warning of 49 punishments discussed in B’chukosai, which as was said corresponds to the second paragraph of Shma. [Bechukosai has 78 verses, and 78 may be seen as 71 + 7, and it is possible to see the number 71 in reversed order, as the number 17, and that further connects to the ideas discussed above.]
Also significantly, the first verse has 80 letters and consists of 20 words, nice round numbers, for a total of 20 + 80 =100, and all of these numbers are related to the Sefirah of Keser. Further, the 20th word, נפשכם, Nafshechem, “Your Souls,” is gematria 490 = 7 x 7 x 10, and this again corresponds to the 49 days of Sefiras HoOmer. The word Nafshechem is also repeated as the 79th word, which is the 8th word in the second half of the paragraph from where it begins to discuss return to G-d.
In addition the 22nd word and again the 57th word is מטר, Mator, Rain, and this has adjacent letters Mem and Tes, also with gematria 49.
Further, the symbolic Mitzvos mentioned in both the first and second paragraph of Shma, are the Mitzvos of Tefillin, which are called אות, Os, and טטפת, Totofos, and מזוזה, Mezuzah, and these words start with letters Alef, Tes, and Mem, in gematria 1 + 9 + 40 = 50.
Also note that the 7th word from the end of the last verse of the second paragraph of Shma, לאבתיכם, La’avosaichem, “to your fathers,” is gematria 503, and together with the adjacent letter ה, Heh, at the end of the word Hashem, the 8th word from the end, we have 508, the total number of letters in the paragraph. Interestingly, the word next to Hashem, the 9th from the end, is נשבע, Nishba, meaning Sworn, “that Hashem has sworn to your fathers,” and the root of this word is also the same as Sheva, meaning the number 7. The word begins with letter Nun, gematria 50, so it also can be interpreted as 50 and 7, and therefore when joined as 507, plus 1 for the Kolel, the Name Hashen adjacent to it, is again the number 508.
Of major importance for us to stress this year, is that the 36th word, the last word in the first part, the good part discussing doing Mitzvos and the reward, is the word ושבעת, V’Sovoto, “and you will be full,” or “and you will be satisfied.” The rood of this word, Sovah, is also related to Shevah, the word for the number 7, and the full word V’Sovoto is gematria 778 – as in this auspicious year, 5778.
This is of course just scratching the surface but there is no time now for further explanations. Just very quickly regarding the third paragraph of Shma, in continuation to what was said above that the first two paragraphs are connected with the First Temple and the Second Temple respectively, it will be seen that the third paragraph, with the commandment of Tzitzis, corresponds to the Third Temple, to be built by Moshiach. Im Yirtza Hashem, it will be explained how hints to this may be hinted in Sedras Emor, the Torah reading immediately before Behar-B’Chukosai, as well s in the end of B’Chukosai itself, and in the next Sedrah, Bamidbar, which we read this Shabbos. With Shabbos and Yom Tov rapidly approaching, that will have to wait until next week at the earliest, B’ezras Hashem.
Hashem has shown us very amazing things and major developments in the world and in Israel this week, and G-d willing He will continue to show us wonders, as it is written (Micha 7:15), “Like the days of your exodus from Egypt I will show you wonders.”
Have a Good Shabbos and a Good Yom Tov!
Continuing from my previous comment on the second paragraph of Shma, in which the number 17 played a significant role, Ezra had already pointed out regarding Lag B’Omer and Shevuos, that from the 33rd day of the Omer until Shevuos there are 17 days, thus the number 17 is a complementary number to the number 33, since 33 + 17 = 50. It also can be seen that 17 x 2 = 34 [regarding which 3 + 4 = 7], the next number greater than 33. And the significance of the number 17 continues since when we add 17 to 50 we get 50 + 17 = 67, the gematria of Bina, Understanding, and then adding another 33 takes us to the complete number 100.
It is also significant that as Ezra pointed out numerous times the number 5778 is the sum of the integers from 1 to 107, and we can see the obvious relationship of the numbers 17 and 107.
Also the number 17 is the 7th prime number, which has significance in relation to the Shma as was discussed.
In addition, the number 17 can be viewed as 1 + 7 to obtain its Mispor Koton which is 1 + 7 = 8, which is the significant number with regard the Covenant of Milah, Circumcision, and also to the Mitzvah of Tzitzis, as shall soon be explained BE”H.
Further, the sum of the number of words in the first paragraph of Shma, 48, plus the number of words in the second paragraph of Shma 122, is 48 + 122 = 170, and 170 is the same as 17 x 10.
Interestingly, the number of words in the first and third paragraphs of Shma, 48 + 69 = 115, and if we add 7 more, i.e., 6 words for the first paragraph of Shma for the number of words in the silent verse Boruch Shem Kevod Malchuso L’olam Voed, and also add 1 for the word Emes said in immediate connection and continuation to the third paragraph of Shma, we get 115 + 6 + 1 = 122, which 122 is the number of words in the second paragraph of Shma.
The number of verses in all three paragraphs is 6 + 9 + 5 = 20, a number representing Keser, or if we count the verse Boruch Shem then we get 7 + 9 + 5 = 21 = 7 x 3, an average of 7 for the 3 paragraphs.
Previously there were discussed two hinted words in the first verse of Shma, עד, Eid, meaning Witness, and דע, Da, meaning Know, but it is also important to understand that there are many other hinted words as well that one can have in mind when reciting the Shma. For example, even the first word of Shma may be understood as שם ע, Shem Ayin, the Kabbalistic Divine Name 70, especially as we already explained the significance of the number 70 and its special connection to the themes of the Shma.
Another example is from the second word Yisroel, which may be understood as starting with the word יש, Yesh, meaning There Is, i.e., Existence, i.e., to understand that he Absolute Necessary Existence is Hashem. Also the word Yisroel may be understood to start with the word ישר, Yosar, meaning He Shall Rule, or the word with the same spelling Yoshor, meaning Honest and True, which these are inherent essential qualities of Hashem.
It is also possible to take the initial of the first word of the verse, Sh’ma, with the initial of the last word of the verse, E’chod – or alternatively the initial of the last word of the three paragraphs of Shma, E’lokeichem, or alternatively E’mes, and combine them to get the word spelled by letters Shin Aleph, שא, Soh, meaning Elevate or Uplift – as in the root word in title of the Torah reading for this past Shabbos, Parshas נשא, Nah-so, and this word too can be seen as initials for two words שמים, Shomayim, Heaven, and ארץ, Oretz, Earth, meaning it is our intention in reciting the Shma and in everything we do to Elevate and Uplift all the Heavens and the Earth.
It is also possible to view these letters in reverse (Ohr Chozer), spelling the word אש, Fire, with the understanding that G-d’s words are like Fire, etc., and we have to pray with Fire, so on and so forth, as the ideas connect and cascade and extend endlessly.
Similarly the initials of the intertwined verses שמע, Shma and ברוך, Boruch may be combined to form the word שב, Shuv, Return, as in Return to G-d, or Shev, Sit, to pray that Hashem so to speak Sits on His Throne and as He bestows blessings, existence and sustenance to all His creations in the heavens and in the earth.
The second paragraph of Shma discusses the rains from the heavens and the produce from the earth, and also ends with Hashem’s blessing to Yisroel that He will bless them and increase their lives and the lives of their families on the Land that He swore to their forefathers to give to them “as the days of the heaven above the earth.”
The third paragraph of Shma focuses on the Mitzvah of Tzitzis, and the Talis and Tzitzis also allude to the Heavens and the Earth, since the Talis is a garment that we spread out and encompass ourselves with and it thus represents the heavens – as we say in the verse we recite before putting on the Talis (Psalm 104:1-2), “My soul bless Hashem, Hashem my G-d, You are greatly exalted, You have garbed Yourself with majesty and splendor; cloaked in light as with a garment, spreading out the heavens like a curtain” – and since its four corners allude to the four corners and directions of the earth, as we recite in the prayer before Shma, “Hastily and speedily bring upon us blessing and peace; bring us to peace from the four corners of the earth,” and in many places.
The Mitzvah of Tzitzis is also hinted in the word אחד, Ehod, One, in the first verse of Shma, since – as our sages explain we should have intention when saying the Shma to Unite the א, Alef, signifying the One Hashem, and Crown Him as King over the ח, Ches, i.e., the 7 Heavens and the 1 Earth, and throughout all the ד, Dalit, 4 corners of the earth, and likewise – the Mizvah of Tzitizis consists of 1 garment, with 7 + 1 = 8 strings, on each of its 4 corners. How fortunate we are to have this amazing Mitzvah!
(To be continued.)
It is tempting to launch into some more amazing aspects of Talis and Tzitzis, but here I have an obligation to first clarify my previous comments where it was explained that Behar corresponds to the first paragraph of Shma, and that B’chukosai corresponds to the second paragraph of Shma, and it was stated that Emor, the Shabbos Torah reading immediately before Behar-B’Chukosai, corresponds to the third paragraph of Shma, as does also the end of B’Chukosai, and the next Sedrah, Bamidbar, which was read the Shabbos before Shevuos. The explanation of this:
Parshas Emor starts (Leviticus 21:1) with laws for a Kohan to not contaminate himself to a dead person except for “the relative who is closest to him,” i.e., his wife, as explained in the commentaries, and also his mother, father, son, daughter, brother, and virgin sister, i.e., 7 categories of people, and also an 8th category, anyone who is considered a Meis Mitzvah, when no one else is available to attend to the body for burial (see Rashi on Emor 21:4), and that is a critical aspect of the law, concern for and attachment for all Jews, to the extent that it overrides the normal ritual restrictions. These 8 categories can be seen to correspond to the 8 strings of Tzitzis that likewise consist of 7 plain strands of string with an 8th strand, the string of Techeiles, that joins with and wraps around all the others.
When having to mourn for a relative who dies the verse 21:5 instructs us that one must not tear
out the hair of our head or beard, and also not to cut one’s flesh, as was done by pagan practitioners of other religions, but rather the still practiced traditional Jewish approach to mourning and burial is that the mourner’s garment over his heart is torn, and this torn garment over the heart is reminiscent of the Talis that is worn over the heart, both physically and spiritually. Similarly the Jewish body is buried for eternity wrapped in a Talis, traditionally the same Talis the deceased wore during his lifetime. Essential indeed is one’s Talis, one’s garment for eternity.
[Talis and Tzitzis are also clearly reminiscent of the Kohanic garments, which are 8 in number, and by wearing Talis and Tzitzis we follow in the model of the Kohamin and their holy garments as servants to G-d. In addition Talis and Tzitzis are reminiscent of some of the significant aspects of the Mishkon/Sanctuary, where the Divine service is performed, and by wearing the Talis and Tzitzis we essentially transform ourselves into becoming a Mishkon for Hashem, in the manner of “Build for me a Mishkon/Sanctuary and I will dwell in you – in each and every Jewish person.” BE”H these ideas will be explained more at length soon.]
Aside from the sobering reference to death at beginning of Emor, there are many other aspects of the Sedrah that are also reminiscent of the themes of Talis and Tzitzis. For example, in a much more cheerful way, Emor also contains a listing of all the holidays, the special days throughout the year that are called Mikrah Kodesh, Holy, and these include the Holy Shabbos and 7 other Yomim Tovim that are called Mikrah Kodesh. In this listing Shabbos is Mikra Kodesh number 1, the First and Seventh days of Pesach are 2 and 3, Shevuos is 4, Rosh Hashana 5, Yom Kippur 6, the First day of Sukkos 7, and Shmini Atzeres, the Eighth Day Festival after the seven days of Sukkos, is number 8.
Thus here again we have the important pattern of the number 8, as expressed in Talis and Tzitzis, and here too the 8 Holy Days can be understood as 7 holidays with 1 more that connects them and unites them all together in a common theme. The distinctly recognizable 8th thread may be understood to correspond to Shmini Atzeres, the final and Eighth Festival, after which the yearly cycle repeats over again, or alternatively it could be hinted to by the Shabbos, which occurs weekly and intertwines with and wraps around the entire Holiday cycle, or alternatively the Mikrah Kodesh Holidays may be said to be bound together by Yom Kippur, with its special holiness, Kodesh Kedoshim, Holy of Holy, or alternatively by any of the other Holidays, for each one adds something unique and essential to all others. In addition the celebration of the Shabbos and the Holidays are all reminders of our going out of Egypt just as are the Talis and Tzitzis. Before it was said that the Shabbos and Holidays are Holy Mountains in Time, and in addition it can be said that they are also Holy Garments in Time, comparable in many ways to the Holy Garment of Talis and Tzitzis.
Emor also contains a number of hints connecting with the third paragraph of Shma, and indeed both Parshios even start with the very same first 4 words ויאמר ה’ אל משה, Vayomer Hashem El Moshe, And Hashem spoke to Moshe. Further the first two words Vayomer Hashem are gematria 257 + 26= 283, and adding 4 more for the 4 letters of the Name Hashem, or for the 4 corners of the garment of Tzitzis, the gematria becomes 283 + 4 = 287, which is the number of letters in the third paragraph of Shma that discusses the Tzitzis.
Further, the verse continues אמר אל הכהנים, Emor El HaKohanim, Say to the Kohanim, and the word Emor, the name of the Sedrah, is gematria 241, and with the letter Vov, gematria 6, which is sounded in this word, אמור – or alternatively with the adjacent letter Heh (5) from the end of the previous word Moshe and the adjacent letter Alef from the beginning of the following word El – it is gematria 247, and with 1 for the Kolel it equals 248, which is the number of positive commandments that the Tzitzis is a reminder of, and also the number of words in the recitation of the Shma as in the teaching of our sages.
The next word, HaKohanim, may be seen as consisting of two parts, the first part of the word is Hakohan, meaning “the priest” in the singular, which is gematria 80, and which corresponds to the 8 strings of Tzitzis, and the Yud Mem at the end of the word, making it plural, “the priests,” is gematria 50, which corresponds to the 5 knots of Tzitzis. The total gematria for the word HaKohanim is 130, which corresponds to the word אחד, One, and also אהבה, Ahava, Love, both gematria 13, and thus it is seen that this corresponds to the teaching of our sages o.b.m. that the Mitzvah of Tzitzis is inclusive of all 613 commandments, composed of 248 positive commandments and 365 negative commandments, as hinted in the word ציצית, Tzitzis, gematria 600, plus 8 strings, plus 5 knots, yielding 600 + 8 + 5 = 613, and as also self-evident in the words of the Torah itself in the third paragraph of Shma, the Parsha of Tzitzis, since it says there that we should look at the Tzitzis “in order that you remember and observe all of the Mitzvos of Hashem.”
Incidentally there are also other ways to view the Tzitzis as hinting to and representing all the Mitzvos, as BE”H shall be explained another time, however here it can already be pointed out that the third paragraph of Shma has 5 verses, 69 words, and 287 letters, summing to 5 + 69 + 287 = 361, and with the word אמת, Emes, True, recited in conjunction with this paragraph of Shma, we add 1 for the 1 word and 3 for the 3 letters to get 361 + 1 + 3 = 365, corresponding to the number of negative commandments, the number of Gidim (vaguely translated as “sinews”) in the body, and the number of days in the year.
Another last hint for now can be seen in Emor at the beginning of verse 21:6, קדשים יהיה לאל-היכם, Kedoshim Yiyu La’lo-hachem, “Holy shall you be unto your G-d,” since this also corresponds to the main theme of Tzitzis, as it says very similar to this in the third paragraph of Shma, Viyisem Kedoshim La’lo-hachem, “And you shall be holy unto your G-d,” and especially since these words are gematria 454 + 31 + 121 = 606, which is the same as the word ציצית, 600, with its 5 letters and 1 for the Kolel, 600 + 5 + 1 = 606, or alternatively, the words Kedoshim Yiyu La’lo-hachem, gematria 606, if we add 6 for the sounded Vov in the word קדושים, Kedoshim, or in the word לאלו-היכם, La’lo-hachem, plus 1 for the Kolel, we get 606 + 6 + 1 = 613, again the number of commandments of Hashem that the Tzitzis reminds us of.
(To be continued.)
In honor of Shabbos Parshas Shlach, which concludes with the third paragraph of Sham, the paragraph discussing Tzitzis, it is fitting to add some more amazing details of what can be understood about this Mitzvah, and of course the understanding should be brought down to action with increased enthusiasm in the observance of the Mitzvah by actually putting on and wearing Tzitzis.
Continuing from my previous comment:
There are also other hints to Tzitzis in Parshas Emor. For example, Leviticus 22:17-25 discusses which animals are acceptable as sacrifices, stating that they must be from three animals, the cattle, sheep or goats, and then there is a list of blemished animals that may not be offered or that are restricted in certain ways, and it is possible to view these as divided into 8 types of blemishes that are divided into three categories, including 6 kinds of blemishes in one category that are “blind, broken-limbed, or gashed, or has warts, mange or ringworm,” another category “with an extra or missing limb,” which can be viewed as essentially 1 kind of blemish of not having the normal number of limbs, and another category consisting of having [its testicles] “crushed – whether by hand or with an instrument, pulled loose, or severed,” which are essentially 1 kind of blemish. Thus there are a total to 6 + 1 + 1 = 8 kinds of blemished animals, and these can be said to correspond to the 8 strings of Tzitzis.
This is followed by the 8 verse section (Leviticus 22:26-33) that starts with Hashem’s command “A bull, or a sheep, or a goat when it is born, then it shall be 7 days under its mother, but from the 8th day forward it will be acceptable for an offering made by fire to Hashem…” This time restriction, permitting them for offerings only from the 8th day, clearly corresponds to the idea of Milah, Circumcision, which is commanded to be done on the 8th day, and it also corresponds to the 8 strings of Tzitzis, which are acceptable, as a special form of offering, for attachment to the corners of our garments to connect us and bring us closer to Hashem, which is essentially the same idea as sacrifices.
[The three types of animals mentioned in these verses, cattle, sheep or goats, are said by the commentators to correspond to various things, to which it may be added that in general they may also be said to correspond to the three paragraphs of Shma. Further, also in a general way, in the first paragraph of Shma itself they may correspond to the three types of love, “with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might,” or alternatively to the Tefillin on the head, and Tefillin on the arm, and the Mezuzah on the door. In the second paragraph of Shma they may correspond in a general way to the three types of reward that are mentioned, i.e., the proper amount of rain (for people and animals, aside from crops, need water from rain to drink, especially in the middle-east, in Israel, and for cleansing and the like), and produce for people, and produce for animals, or alternatively they may correspond to the three types of produce for people that are mentioned, “your grain, your wine, and your oil,” or alternatively, again the Mitzvos of Tefillin and Mezuzah which are repeated in the second paragraph.In the third paragraph of Shma they may generally correspond to the three times the word Tzitzis occurs, or alternatively to the three parts of the Talis, which are the garment itself, the corners of the garment, and the strings.]
This section in Emor continues (Leviticus 22:31-35), “And you shall keep My commandments, and do them,” which also has direct correspondence to the paragraph of Tzitzis which similarly states “and remember all the commandments of Hashem and do them,” and “remember and do all my commandments.” Then in Emor it says “And you shall not profane My holy name, but I will be sanctified among the children of Israel,” which also similar to this is stated in the paragraph of Shma, “and be sanctified unto your G-d.” Then in Emor it says, ending this section, “I am Hashem who sanctifies you. Who took you out of the land of Egypt to be your G-d, I am Hashem,” which also corresponds to what it says in the concluding verse of the paragraph of Tzitzis, “I am Hashem, your G-d, Who took you out of the land of Egypt to be o you G-d, I am Hashem your G-d.”
There is also another paragraph in Emor that discusses the oil for the Menorah, Leviticus 24:1-4. It is interesting that the word שמן, Shemen, Oil, is related to the word שמנה, Shmonah, meaning the number Eight, and thus this is also relating to the Mitzvos of Milah and Tzitzis. It is also interesting that the word שמיני, Shmini, Eighth, is gematria 410, the same as the word שמע, Shma. In addition, the oil for the Menorah is specified to be שמן זית זך, Shemen Zayis Zoch, Pure Olive Oil, which is 8 letters, like the first two words of Shma, שמע ישראל, again reminiscent of Milah and Tzitzis, and the initials of these words, Shemen Zayis Zoch, שזז, Shin Zayin Zayin, are gematria 314, the same as the Divine Name ש-ד-י, Shadai, Almighty, which is also connected to the Shma, and to the Mitzvos in Shma, i.e., Tefillin and Mezuzah, and which is also connected to Bris Milah and to Tzitzis, as BE”H shall be explained.
(To be continued.)
In addition to all the special hints discussed above, the Divine Name ש-ד-י, Shin Dalet Yud, Shadai, is also hinted in the Shma and in the Mitzvos associated with the Shma:
This is evident right in the first verse of Shma:
The initial letter of the first word of the verse ש’מע, Sh’ma, the letter Shin, corresponds to the Shin of Shadai.
Then at the end of the last word of the verse, the large letter Dalet of the word אחד’, EchoD, corresponds to the Dalet of Shadai.
The final letter Yud of ShadaI is hinted in the 4 times the letter Yud appears in the 4 middle words of the verse:
The initial letter Yud of the word י’שראל, Y’isroel, the Yud at the beginning of Y’HVH, the Yud in אלהי’ם, ElohIm, and the Yud at the beginning of Y’HVH.
The initial letter Yud of the word י’שראל, Yisroel has in it the Divine Name El, and may itself be considered a Divine Name due to the Divinity in Yisroel and in Torah, since the Jewish soul is considered “a portion of G-d above,” and Yisroel is initials “Y’esh Sh’ishim R’ibo O’siyos L’Torah,” “There are 600,000 letters in the Torah.”
The letter Yud of Shadai may also be symbolized by the occurrences of the letter Yud, in order, after the Dalet of Echod, in the next verses of the first paragraph of the Shma, where the letter Yud occurs 15 more times, the first of which are also as parts of Divine Names:
The next letter Yud is 8 letters after the Dalet of Echod, the first letter of the Name Y’HVH.
The next letter Yud is 15 letters after the Dalet, in the Name א-להי’ך, Elohe’cho, Your G-d.
The next letter Yud is 42 letters after the Dalet, in the first word of the next verse, והי’ו, V’hoYu, And It Shall Be, a word which has in it the letters YHV of YHVH.
The next letter Yud is 48 letters after the Dalet, in the next word הדברי’ם, HadevorI’m, The (Hashem’s) Words.
The next letter Yud is 60 letters after the Dalet, at the end of the word אנכי, AnochI, I Am, also referring to Hashem, and in some contexts considered a Divine Name in its own right.
Afterward there are 10 more times the letter Yud occurs in the first paragraph of Shma.
All together the letter Yud occurs 4 + 15 = 19 times in the first paragraph of Shma. These occurrences of the letter Yud and the numbers associated with them are significant, and therefore they may be understood to correspond to the letter Yud of the hinted complete Name Shadai at the beginning of the Shma.
In the second paragraph of Shma the first letter Yud is the 3rd letter of the first word והי’ה, V’hoyoh, And It Shall Be, which has all four letters YHVH of the Divine Name only in a different order, and this letter Yud may also be said to correspond to the letter Yud which is the 3rd letter of the Name Shadai.
All together in the second paragraph of Shma there are 42 occurrences of the letter Yud, and thus in the first and second paragraphs together there are 19 + 42 = 61 occurrences of the letter Yud. This is significant since 61 is the gematria of initials Alef Samech as in the words א’ין ס’וף, Ein Sof, Unending and Infinite, another attribute and Name for Hashem. Also the small gematria of 61 is 6 + 1 = 7, corresponding to the 6 days of the week and Shabbos the 7th day, and also 61 is the 18th prime number.
In the third paragraph of Shma the letter Yud occurs 35 times, making the total for all three paragraphs 19 + 42 + 35 = 96, which this too is significant since 96 = 2 x 48, and similarly 96 = 3 x 32, and 96 = 8 x 12, etc., and these numbers too are also very significant for the topics we are discussing.
It is also possible to say that in general the three paragraphs of Shma correspond to the three letters of Shadai:
The first paragraph of Shma, starting with a letter Shin, corresponds to the Shin of Shadai.
The second paragraph of Shma, starting with a 4 letter word that has all 4 letters of the primary Name of Hashem, YHVH, corresponds to the Dalet of Shadai.
The third paragraph of Shma, which starts with words וי’אמר י’-ה-ו-ה, VaYomer YHVH, where the Divine Name Y’HVH, which starts with a Yud, is the primary speaker and subject (unlike the first two paragraphs which are Moshe Rabbeinu’s words to Yisroel), and this too can be said to correspond to the Yud of Shadai.
Alternatively, even the first word of the third paragraph, VaYomer, may be considered as starting with a letter Yud since the only letter that precedes it is the conjunctive letter Vov, “And,” so its beginning may be understood as “And Yud,” i.e., the Yud that corresponds to the final Yud in the Name Shadai.
Regarding the number of occurrences of the letter Yud in the Shma it is possible to add:
Each of the special 4 letter Yud’s in the first verse of Shma may be viewed as having greater significance than the other letter Yud’s in the Shma (just as the two letters in the same verse, Ayin and Dalet, are written as larger than normal letters due to extra intentions in them), and it is understandable this could be so since this first verse is like the Kesser, Crown, for all three paragraphs of Shma, and therefore it is fitting to give it special doubly important status.
Accordingly, by counting each Yud in the first verse as doubled, i.e., for example, by considering it both in its revealed state and as it is in its root, therefore the gematria for each of these Yud’s may be counted as not just 10 but as 20.
Alternatively, if each of these four letter Yud’s is considered as spelled out fully, יוד, Yud Vov Dalet, they also may be counted as having a gematria of 10 + 6 + 4 = 20, again twice the normal value of 10.
Alternatively, these letter Yud’s may be considered as permuted into the adjacent letter Cuf, with gematria 20, as is done when writing the shifted letters for the three clearly Divine Names in this first verse of Shma, YHVH Elo-hai-nu YHVH, are written as כוזו במוכסז כוזו, in the code of being shifted over one letter more in the Alef Beis, as is traditionally done when these mystical letters are written the reverse side of the Mezuzah parchment with the Shma.
When this is done it comes out that the total gematria of all the letter Yud’s in all three paragraphs of Shma would be 92 regular level Yud’s with gematria 10 plus 4 Kesser level Yud’s with gematria 20, yielding 92 x 10 = 920, plus 4 x 20 = 80, for a sum of 920 +80 = 1000, which exactly corresponds to the total 1000 letters in these three paragraphs of the Shma.
Alternatively, instead of doubling the 4 Yud’s in the first verse, it is possible to count 4 missing Yud’s that are implied, but not written in the text, in the third paragraph of Shma:
The first 3 of these 4 may be included in one’s intentions because 3 times the word ציצת, Tzitzis, is written with only one letter Yud, however our sages made a point of saying that the gematria of the word Tzitzis should be calculated as if it were written with two letter Yud’s, ציצי’ת, i.e., 90 + 10 + 90 + 10 + 400 = 600, so certainly we may attach other significance to these three words Tzitzis, and to a certain extent count them in our mental calculations.
The 4th missing letter Yud may possibly be implied from another saying of our sages on the words וראיתם אתו, U’r’esem Oso, “and you shall see it,” which in the plain interpretation refers to seeing the string of the Tzitzis that is dyed blue, however our sages have interpreted the word Oso as if it means that by wearing Tzitzis you so-to-speak “shall see Him,” i.e., the holiness of Hashem. Based on this, and on the fact that it is Hashem’s own words that are being transmitted in this passage, it is possible to have intention in this word Oso as if were written with a Yud instead of a Vov at the end, אתי, OsI, so that the phrase has a meaning of “and you shall see Me,” i.e., that by wearing Tzitzis one may come to experience a direct personal relationship with Hashem, especially as symbolized by the intended letter Yud.
It is noteworthy that the Divine Name Shadai occurs 9 times in the Torah, 4 times in Nevi’im, and 35 times in Kesuvim (2 times in Ruth, 2 times in Psalms and 31 times in Job), for a total of 9 + 4 + 35 = 48 times. These 48 Scriptural occurrences of the Name Shadai also correspond to the first paragraph of Shma with its 48 words.
In the Torah, in addition to the 9 times the Name Shadai is written, there is also another 5 times that the name of the leader of the tribe of Reuben, Elitzur son of Shda’or, is mentioned, and the Name Shadai may be part of his father’s name שדיאור,Shda’or, meaning “Shadai is Light.”
There is also 1 possibly related word שדין, Shadon (Job 19:29), with an additional final letter Nun, that is written with a letter Yud but read as with a letter Vov, that may also be related to the Name Shadai.
Counting those extra times the Name Shadai appears in these words, that would bring the total Scriptural occurrences of the Name Shadai to 48 + 5 + 1 = 54, which is the number of words in the first paragraph of Shma when counting the 6 words of the silent verse, Boruch Shem Kefod Malchuso L’olam Voed.
The Name Shadai, represents Almighty G-d, who is Infinite, Transient, Supernatural and Super-rational, and symbolic of this the gematria of Shadai, 314, is associated with the mathematical constant Pi, which begins with digits 3.14, and continues forever with an infinite series of decimal places consisting of seeming random digits. Pi is an irrational (super-rational) number and a transient number, and it is the basis of the formulas for calculating the circumference of a circle, the area of a circle, and so much more, which is why it is so essential and vital for the creation and measurement the universe and nature, and therefore its association with the Name Shadai even to us mere mortals seems to be entirely fitting.
[In The Genesis Prayer, chapter 18, under the caption “G-d in Pi,” Ezra writes that the Name Shaddai is found 10 times in the Torah, whereas as said above there are only 9 times that it appears in Torah.
It seems that perhaps what was counted as the 10th time was the word שָׂדָי, Sodai (Devorim 32:13), where the three consecutive letters of the word, Sin Dalet Yud, with a letter Sin instead of Shin, form a different word that means “of the field” (“He carried them over the earth’s highest places, to feast on the crops of the field”), or according to some, “of the spoilers” (“to feast on the crops of the spoilers”). There are other instances too in Neviim and Kesuvim that these three letters, Shin or Sin Dalet Yud, are written together as a word or as part of a word, however since in the plain meaning of the text these are not Divine Names, therefore they are not included in the numbers given in the discussion here.]
(To be continued.)