Jewish Time

Abraham Joshua Heschel's book The Sabbath concisely and wisely explains the significance of the weekly celebration. One passage spoke volumes to me about why we consecrate this period of time in our busy week:
"For where shall the likeness of God be found? There is no quality that space has in common with the essence of God. There is not enough freedom on the top of the mountain; there is not enough glory in the silence of the sea. Yet the likeness of God can be found in time, which is eternity in disguise." (p.16).
Time in Judaism is marked by the holidays and festivals that reflect the seasons, cycles of return, the journey of our lives. Time is very important in Judaism. God gave us the ability to wield our powers and abilities in space, and we apply those to the work we do in the lives we lead. Time, however, is God's own domain. God blesses us when we take the time to be in God-time, and the Sabbath is one such opportunity. In this Time we pray, reflect, express gratitude, and experience some of that eternity.

Gematria-Hebrew Numerology

I love the study of Gematria. To those of you who are unfamiliar with it, each Hebrew letter is assigned a numerical value, and when words are composed, one can add up the values of the letters to come up with new words and meanings, as well as coming up with other words that have the same value. I have some nifty books, one of which is by Benjamin Blech called The Secrets of Hebrew Words (Jason Aronson 1996). My copy has a photo on the cover of a Torah scribe with long white beard, working diligently on his scroll.
The word that stood out for me today is "Soul" or Neshamah in Hebrew. On page 130, Mr. Blech asks: "Why must the soul be sent down to earth if, as tradition teaches us, Elohai neshamah she-natata bi tehorah hi, My God, the soul you have given me is pure (this is part of the blessing said when awakening in the morning). What need has it for the long journey of life before it returns to its source?"
When this is examined using Gematria, NeShaMaH is SheMoNaH, or the number 8. This number stands for the covenent of bris, circumcision, the partnership of God and humans. God created the world in seven days, and did as much as S/He would do, then left the rest for humanity to carry out. Through this specific effort, humans would EARN their place in eternity.
The effort entails studying God's will as transmitted through MiShNaH (Oral Law), and through the MiShNaH, NeShaMaH/soul will succeed in extending God's 7 days of creation through SheMoNaH and beyond.
Quite clever, don't you think?!
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