The 70 Souls of Israel, the 70 Nations of the World, and the Jewish Calendar

In honor of the passing of Maran, Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef, of Blessed Memory, on the day of this writing:

As already mentioned in the introduction to Book 5, there is an interesting parallel between the 70 souls of the Jewish people that descended to Egypt and the calendar. Leah's children are seven in total, six men (the first six sefirot/ the first six days of the week) and one female (malchut, Shabat).

The counting of the omer/ weeks of the year. Leah children and grandchildren are 33 in total, including Yocheved, the hidden descendant. (See Rashi). Bilhah's (Leah's maidservant) descendants are 16, bringing the total number to 49. Dina again plays a special role, she's number 33, like Lag Ba'omer.

Book 4b then included Rachel, Joseph and Binyamin (which are mentioned next in the verse in Vayigash) as parallel to the weeks of Pessach/Shavuot, weeks 50, 51 and 52. (See Introduction to Book 1 as to why the last three weeks of the year represent the end of one cycle as well as the beginning of the next).

The remaining descendants of Rachel, her grandchildren, are 12 in total, and appear to parallel the months of the year. This would follow the notion that Joseph's progeny were supposed to parallel Jacob's, and it is well known that each of Jacob's sons, the Tribes, represent a month of the year. Because of the test Joseph faced with Potiphar's wife, he ended up having only two sons instead of twelve. However, not by coincidence, Benjamin has ten sons, all named after Joseph. 

Zilpah's descendants are seven in total, like Leah's children, one for each day of the week. 49 (52), 12, and 7 are the numbers most associated with the months, weeks, and days of the calendar. 

The listing of the 70 souls that descended to Egypt is in Chapter 46 of Genesis, which can be found here:

http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/showrashi/false/aid/8241/jewish/Chapter-46.htm 

There also appears to be a parallel between the 70 souls that descended to Egypt and the nations of the world, which we read about in this week's portion. Verse 8 in Haazinu states: "When the Most High gave  nations their lot, when He separated the sons of man, He set up the boundaries of peoples according to the number of the children of Israel." This is also mentioned in the Zohar, Shemot 5)[1]

- The sons of Japheth are 7, which parallel the children of Leah (or the descendants of Zilpah).

- The grandchildren of Japheth are also 7, which also parallel the children of Leah (or the descendants of Zilpah).

- The descendants of Shem are 26, which parallel the grandchildren of Leah.

- The descendants of Ham are 30, which parallel the descendants of Rachel (14) plus those of Bilhah (16). 

Below is Chapter 10 of Bereshit, with numbers added by the descendants: 

1. And these are the generations of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and sons were born to them after the Flood.  

2. The sons of Japheth were Gomer and Magog and Madai and Javan and Tubal, and Meshech and Tiras. (Sons of Japheth: 7)

3. And the sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz and Riphath and Togarmah. (3)

4. And the sons of Javan were Elishah and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. (4)

(Descendants of Japheth: 14)

6. And the sons of Ham were Cush and Mizraim and Put and Canaan. (Sons of Ham: 4)

7. And the sons of Cush were Seba and Havilah and Sabta and Raamah and Sabtecha, and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. (7)

8. And Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty man in the land. 

(...)

13. And Mizraim begot the Ludim and the Anamim and the Lehabim and the Naphtuhim,

14. And the Pathrusim and the Casluhim, from whom the Philistines emerged, and the Caphtorim. (7)  

15. And Canaan begot Zidon his firstborn and Heth.

16. And the Jebusites and the Amorites and the Girgashites.

17. And the Hivvites and the Arkites and the Sinites.

18. and the Arvadites and the Zemarites and the Hamathites, and afterwards the families of the Canaanites were scattered. (11)

(Descendants of Ham: 30)

22. The sons of Shem were Elam and Asshur and Arpachshad and Lud and Aram. (Sons of Shem: 5) 23. And the sons of Aram were Uz and Hul and Gether and Mash. (4)

24. And Arpachshad begot Shelah, and Shelah begot Eber. (2)

25. And to Eber were born two sons: one was named Peleg, because in his days the earth was divided, and the name of his brother was Joktan. (2)

26. And Joktan begot Almodad and Sheleph and Hazarmaveth and Jerah.

27. And Hadoram and Uzal and Diklah.  

28. And Obal and Abimael and Sheba.  

29. And Ophir and Havilah and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan. (13)

(Descendants of Shem: 26)

The following is a link to Chapter 10 of Genesis: http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/8174

Observation: Interestingly, Nimrod is usually not included in the counting of the nations of the world. Instead "Plishtim," the Philistines are included. If one groups the Philistines with Canaan instead of  Mizraim (after all, historically they dwelt in the Land of Canaan), then the 30 descendants of Ham can be further subdivided int two groups:

- Put, Canaan and their descendants (including Plishtim) total 14, which parallel the descendants of Rachel.

- Cush, Mizraim and their descendants (not including Plishtim) are 16, which parallel the descendants of Bilhah.

---

[1] http://www.chabad.org/kabbalah/article_cdo/aid/1381811/jewish/Included-in-the-Seventy.htm

Levitical Cities and Constellations

Haazinu as a Reflection of the Torah Portions from Bereishit until Haazinu Itself

1. Bereishit. "Give ear O heavens... may the earth hear." (portion describes creation of heaven and earth)

2. Noah. "May my teaching drop like rain... dew... storm winds... raindrops (portion describes the Flood)

3. Lech Lecha. "When I call out the Name of Hashem, ascribe greatness to our G-d." (portion describes Avraham, first to call out the Name of Hashem, and influence others to ascribe greatness to our G-d).

4. Vayeira. "... perfect is His work... a G-d of faith..." (Isaac was a "perfect offering," and Abraham and Isaac were tested in their faith by the Akeidah)

5. Chayei Sarah: "Corruption is not His - the blemish is His children's, a perverse and twisted generation." (portion describes Sarah's death and difficulty with burial, which could make Abraham question Hashem's promise, but he doesn't. It also describes the generations of Ishmael.

6. Toldot. "... O vile and unwise people? Is He not your Father, your Master? ... created you and firmed you?" (vile and unwise is a reference to Eisav in this portion, who foolishly gave up the birthright and then lost his father's blessing. The portion also describes how Isaac became established, and the establishment of Yaakov through the blessing he received.

7. Vayetzei. "Remember the days of yore... Ask your father and he will relate to you..." (portion contains the story of Yaakov, which serves as a sign and for a guiding point for all subsequent generations.

8. Vayishlach. "When the Supreme One gave the nations their inheritance, whe He separated the children of man, He set the borders of the peoples according to the number of the Children of Israel." (portion contains meeting between Yaakov and Eisav, and the division of the land. Eisav goes to Seir, and Yaakov remains in the Land of Israel.)

9. Vayeshev. "For Hashem's portion is His people; Jacob is the measure of His inheritance." (portion describes Yaakov settling in the Land of Israel, His inheritance. It also describes how Yaakov's inheritance would develop, through Yehudah and Yosef).

10. Miketz. "He discovered him in a desert land, in desolation, a howling wilderness, He encircled him, He granted him discernment, He preserved him like the pupil of his eye (Joseph is protected by Hashem, Who finds him in desolation; Hashem gives him discernment to interpret Pharaoh's dream and rise to power)

11. Vayigash. "He was like an eagle arousing its nest, hovering over its young, spreading its wings and taking them, carrying them on its pinions." (Portion describes how Yaakov and his sons come down to Egypt, carried by Hashem.)

12. Vayechi. "Hashem alone guided them, and no other power was with them." (Before passing away, Yaakov gives blessings to his sons. Immediately prior to this, the Schinah leaves him temporarily, and the Midrash states that Yaakov is concerned that perhaps they are not all serving Hashem. They say to him "Shmah Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad." Hashem alone guides them. At this point, Yaakov says "Baruch Shem K'vod Malchuto L'Olam Va'ed and blesses them.)

13. Shemot. “ripe fruits from the field, honey from a stone, oil from a flinty rock” - this is a reference to the suffering and work of Jews as slaves (children taken from stones of birth stools; embittered life through mortar and bricks (1:13 - 1:15)

14. Vayera. cattle and other animals, blood of grapes "Dam... chamer" (plagues: blood, due to the mortar (Chomer), wild beasts, and plagues also inflicted animals)

15. Bo. became fat and kicked, contemptuous of the Rock of its salvation (Pharaoh, whose name is related to “overgrown.” He had a tremendously overgrown ego)

16: Beshalach. They would provoke His jealousy with strangers, they would anger Him with abominations. (the complaints of the erev rav, amalek)

17. Yitro. they would slaughter to demons without power, G-ds whom they knew not, newcomers recently arrived... (Yitro worshipped every possible idol, but then later he was a "newcomer" joining the Jewish people at Sinai.)

18. Mishpatim. You ignored the Rock Who gave birth to you, and forgot G-d who brought you forth (the Jewish people make a pact with Hashem, "Na'aseh VeNishmah," which basically represents the birth of the Jewish people, and even includes with "Dam Habrit" - reference to a circumcision. Nadav and Avihu and the elders see the Throne of Hashem (likeness of saphire brickwork), yet eat and drink. This was a big offense.   

19. Terumah. Hashem will see and be provoked by the anger of his sons and daughters (the giving to the Mishkan, which came from the people's heart, provokes Hashem to act kindly towards his children)

20. Tetzaveh. I shall hide my face... what their end will be, a generation of reversals - this is the only portion since Moshe is introduced that his name does not appear (this is also usually parasha before Purim, which is deeply connected to this connected of Hashem hiding his face, a story connected to the end of days, and one in which there is a major reversal, for the good)

21. Ki Tissah. "They provoked me with a non-G-d, so shall I provoke them with a non-people, with a vile nation shall I anger them." (Story of the sin of the golden calf; this was actually started by the erev rav - this non-people which Moshe brought out of Egypt with the Jews)

22. Vayakhel. "For fire will have been kindled in My nostrils and blazed to the lowest depths. It shall consume the earth and its produce, and set ablaze what is founded on mountains." (The portion describes the construction of the mishkan, which included the altars for incense and burnt offerings; the mishkan was the revelation of Hashem into the lowest depths, and later founded on the mountains of Shiloh and Jerusalem)

23. Pekudei. "I shall accumulate evils against them." (The portion describes the accumulation/accounting of the monies given to the Mishkan)

24. Vayikra. "bloating of famine, battles of flaming demons, cutting down by the noontime demon... the teeth of beasts... the venom of those that creep on the earth." (reference to all the different kinds of sacrifices, which sacrficied different beasts (same word), had specific times, and also involved flour, oil, salt, and blood)

25. Tzav. "On the outside, the sword will bereave, while indoors there will be dread, even a young man, even a virgin, a suckling with the gray-haired man. (description of different sacrifices, some brought indoors others outside; consecration of kohanim, every young man son of Aharon, and Aharon himself, a gray-haired man)

26. Shmini. "I had said, "I will scatter them, I will cause their memory to cease from man" (Nadav and Avihu are killed after entering the Mishkan and offering a foreign sacrifice)

27. Tazria. were it not that the anger of the enemy was pent up, lest his tormenters misinterpret; lest they say, 'Our hand was raised in triumph, and it was not Hashem Who accomplished this!" (woman delivering baby has pent up pain and feels tormented; portion also describes tza'aras, the spiritual disease that greatly humbles those that felt too haughty)

28. Metzorah. "for they are a nation bereft of counsel, and there is no discernment in them"  (this portion also describes tzara'as, and the cure for it, which was must be performed through the counsel and discernment of another, the Kohen)

29. Acharei Mot. "were they wise they would comprehend this, they would discern it from their end, [lit. "Acharitam"] (the importance of proper Yom Kippur service is discerned from the deaths (ends) of Nadav and Avihu.

30. Kedoshim. "For how could one pursue a thousand, and two cause 10,000 to flee, if not that their Rock had sold them, and Hashem had delivered them?" (the portion speaks of performing comerce and business (sales and deliveries) with proper ethics)

31. Emor. "For not like our Rock is their rock - yet our enemies judge us" (the portion describes how Kohanim are separate and must behave differently; furthermore, the portion describes how a son of an Egyptian judged how the show-bread was offered in the Temple, and ended up "blessing" Hashem.

32. Behar. "For their vineyard is from the vineyard of Sodom, and from the fields of Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of gall, so clusters of bitterness were given to them." (The portion talks about how fields [and vineyards] have to be put to rest during the Sabbatical years and the Jubilee years)

33. Bechukotai. "Serpents'' venom is their wine, the poison of cruel vipers." (portion contains blessings and a series of curses; if the Jews obey, then wine and other products will be obtained with little difficulty; if they don't obey, they receive punishment after punishment, that would appear to be cruel, were it not for the fact that they were necessary)

34. Bamidbar. "Is it not revealed [hidden? - internet translation] with Me, sealed in My treasuries?" (portion describes census - we are counted because we are dear to Hashem, we are his treasuries.

35. Nasso. "Mine is vengeance and retribution at the time their foot will falter, for the day of their catastrophe is near, and future events are rushing at them." (the portion contains the story of the Sotah, which contains vengeance, retribution, foot-faltering, catastrophe and threats of future events; events "rushing" could also be a reference to the Nazir (who creates vows to avoid negative future events) as well as the princes of each tribe that rushed to bring offerings to Hashem during the inauguration of the Temple)

36. Beha'aloscha. "When Hashem will have judged his people, He shall relent regarding His servants, when He sees that the enemy power progresses, and none is saved or assisted." (Moshe despairs from the people's complaints, and Hashem seeing that he is alone, provides for 70 elders to assist him in judging the people; similarly Miriam is judged but Hashem relents and lets her back in the camp)

37. Shelach. "He will ask where is their G-d, the rock in whom they sought refuge." (portion of the spies; instead of focusing on what Hashem commanded them, they sought refuge and desired to stay in the desert; portion also describes unintentional idolatry)

38. Korach. "the fat of whose offerings they would eat, they would drink the wine of their libations? Let them stand and help you! Let them be a shelter for you!" (portion describes Korach and other Levites' desire to offer sacrifices and libations in the place of the Kohanim; Moshe makes a meeting time the next day for them to offer incense sacrifices. They are all consumed; Korach and his group are swallowed by the ground)

39. Chukas. "See, now, that I, I am He - and no G-d is with me. I put to death and I bring life, I struck down and I will heal, and there is no rescuer from My hand. (portion describes red cow, which is the only was Hashem prescribes for purification from contact with the dead; portion also contains Miriam's death, lack of water, punishment of Moshe and Aaron, and attack from Amalek; portion also contains plague from fiery serpents and cure from looking at copper fiery serpent, whose healing power came from Hashem)

40. Balak. "For I shall raise My hand to heaven and say, "I live forever." (portion describes Balaam's attempt to destroy the Jewish people, which Hashem prevented, a sign of the eternality of the Jewish people; Pinchas also raised his hand to heaven and saved the people from the plague caused by the sin of Bal-Peor.

41. Pinchas. "If I sharpen My flashing sword and My hand grasps judgment, I shall return vengeance upon My enemies and upon those that hate Me shall I bring retribution (portion describes the great act of Pinchas, who avenged Hashem's vengeance.

42. Mattos. "I shall intoxicate My arrows with blood and My sword shall devour flesh, because of the blood of corpse and captive, because of the earliest depredations of the enemy." (portion describes war against Midian, exacting revenge for their previous actions)

43. Maasei. "O nations - sing the praises of His people, for He will avenge the blood of His servants; He will bring retribution upon His foes, and He will appease His Land and His people. (portion describes journeys in the desert, as well as the conquering of the Land of Israel and the apportioning of the Land. It also describes the Levitical cities and the Cities of Refuge)

44. Devarim. "Moses came and spoke all the words of this Song in the ears of the people, he and Hoshea son of Nun." (portion starts "These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel..."; in this portion, Moshe reprimands the people, like in Haazinu)

45. Vaetchanan. "Moses concluded speaking all these words to all Israel." (in this portion, Moshe goes over many of the fundamental parts of the Torah, including the Ten Commandments and the Sh'mah)

46. Ekev. "He said to them, "Apply your hearts to all the words that I testify against you today, with which you are to instruct your children, to be careful to perform all the words of this Torah (in this portion, Moshe urges us to perform the entire Torah, even those commandments one might step over with one's heels; portion also contains the verse, "It shall be that if you forget Hashem, your G-d, and go after the G-ds of others... I testify against you today..." (8:19))

47. Re'eh. "For it is not an empty thing for you, for it is your life, and through this matter shall you prolong your days on the Land to which you cross the Jordan to possess it." (portion describes blessings and curses related to mitzvot; sanctity of the land; and many mitzvot related to daily life and the Land.)

48. Shoftim. "Hashem spoke to Moses on this very day, saying." (portion describes appointment of judges, a king, prophecy, all things that indicated that we will have important people to function like Moshe in every generation)

49. Ki-Tetzeh. "Ascend to this mount of Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, which is before Jericho, and see the Land of Canaan that I give the Children of Israel as an inheritance. (Moab represented evil qualities, which Moshe, by being buried opposite it, would counteract. Moshe seeing the Land of Israel also brought tremendous blessing to the Land. The portion begins by laws related to when a soldier "sees" a beautiful captive; the Torah formulates a way in which to counteract a desire for sin; the portion also contains the most commandments, including the commandment to remember to destroy the memory of Amalek, who is quintessential evil).

50. Ki Tavoh. "and die on the mountain where you will ascend, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor, and was gathered to his people" (the portion contains many curses, associated with death and destruction)

51. Nitzavim. "because you trespassed against Me among the Children of Israel at the waters of Meribath-kadesh, in the wildereness of Zin; because you did not sanctify Me among the Children of Israel. (the portion begins with the entire Jewish people being present before Hashem [and before Moshe], and contains also warnings against idolatry and other transgressions; the people are responsible for revealed sins (those performed in front of others) and must combat them)

52. Vayelech. "For from a distance shall you see the Land, but you shall not enter there, into the Land that I give to the Children of Israel." (In this portion, Moshe says, "I can no longer go out and come in, for Hashem has said to me, "You shall not cross this Jordan. Hashem, your G-d, He will cross before you..."

The Tanach and Recent Jewish History

The Vilna Gaon famously stated that each Torah portion in the Book of Deuteronomy represents a century of the Sixth Millenia, from the year 5,000 to the year 6,000. Explaining this statement would probably be a book in and of itself.

The 24 Books of the Tanach also appear to be arranged in such a way that each section represents a period in Jewish history. As we come closer to the "end of times," we also appear to be more and more connected to the end of the Tanach. In "The Kabbalah of Time" (Book I) we explained just how much the Holocaust and the creation of the State of Israel parallel the events recounted in the Book of Esther (the Purim story) and the return of the Jewish people to their homeland in the times of Ezra.

Nowadays, our current events seem to be very similar to the events in the times of Nehemia. For example, the following section seems to be straight out of today's newspapers:

Now the cry of the [poor] people [in Israel] and their wives was great about their brothers, the [rich] Jews. There were some who were saying, "Our sons and our daughters and we, are many; now we shall buy corn and eat and live." And there were some who were saying, "Our fields and our vineyards and our houses we shall pledge, so that we shall buy corn for the hunger [since the rich do not give any of their property up to us for our support]. (...)

[The Jewish leader announces:] Since the day that he commanded me to be a governor in the land of Judea, [] my brethren and I have not eaten the food allotted to the governor. But the early governors who were before me burdened the people and took from them for bread and wine above forty silver shekels. Also, their servants ruled over the people, but I did not do that because of the fear of God. Also, I adhered to the work of this wall (...)

The wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Ellul, after fifty-two days. Now it came to pass when all our enemies heard that, all the nations around us became frightened, and they fell very low in their own eyes, and they knew that this work had been performed by our God (...)

It was written in [the report to the international authorities], "It is heard among the nations, and Gashmu says that you and the Jews are plotting to rebel; therefore, you are building the wall.

The above is in fact not out of a newspaper, but from the Book of Nehemia, Chapter 5 (1-3; 14-16)and Chapter 6 (6, 15, 16), recorded some 2,500 years ago.

Om a side note, here again we see the prominence of the number 52. The 25th of Elul is the date of the Creation of the World, often the first day of the year and the counting of the "annual omer," the 52 weeks of the year.

Here is another part of Nechemiah (Chapter 13) that appears quite relevant to today's current events:

23. Also in those days, I saw the Jews who had married Ashdodite, Ammonite, and Moabite women.		כג. גַּם | בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם רָאִיתִי אֶת הַיְּהוּדִים הֹשִׁיבוּ נָשִׁים אַשְׁדֳּדִיּוֹת עַמֳּנִיּוֹת מוֹאֲבִיּוֹת:
24. And half their children were speaking Ashdodite, and they did not know how to speak Hebrew, and [so it was] with the language of every people.

Pi and the Kabbalah of Time

B"H

In this blog, we've been presenting two patterns found in the calendar: cycles of weeks (based on the Counting of the Omer) and cycles of 22 days (based on the Three Weeks of Mourning).

It was recently brought to my attention that the number Pi, so essential to mathematics, is approximately 22/7. And so it is with the calendar. For every Pi (3.14...) weeks of the calendar we complete, we fulfill one cycle of 22 days. Pretty amazing...