Rabbi’s Study
5770 equals 9! Rashi explains that at 100 she was
Multiply it. Add or devoid of sin as is a twenty year old and
subtract it. Divide it. that at 20 she was possessed with the
Manipulate the digits same innocence as a seven year old.
in any way shape or Each number reflected the life and
form. It’s not going to legacy of our founding matriarch.
give you 9. If you can
get it, then please And so we can apply the same formula
send me your to the reported lives of two other biblical
formula. personalities we recently encountered in
our ongoing Torah readings. Abraham
But in the meantime, here is a simple lived 175 years. And so reviewing our
answer. Transpose 5770 into its Hebrew founding Patriarch’s spiritual growth, we
letter - TUFF, SHIN, AYIN, you get can conclude that the 5, reflects the first
TAISHA, which is Hebrew for 9 and so years of his growth which was immersed
5770 truly equals 9. in paganism and idolatry. His father was
in the idol business and stories abound
Dates, places, people and things about Avraham and his battle of
contain intriguing secrets. The challenge conscience with the very idea of idolatry.
is to go beyond the known, the obvious, The 2nd period until 75, was his spiritual
the stated and discover the seemingly search and his eventual discovery of the
secret but essential content of what true omnipotent G-d. And then the next
appears to be blank and unstated. 100 years his leadership of that new
tribe called the Hebrews, IVRIM, his
Sefer Berashit, the Book of Genesis, group on one side and the majority of
which we are now reading, is filled with the world still fixed on paganism. 175
the stated and unstated, filled with such years, not only the number of years
messages. We have numerous lived but a summary of his three stages
personalities in different places, doing of development! Yes, even an Abraham
different things at different times but wasn’t born a finished product. He was,
who, at the same time, share so many as we are, a work in progress.
things in common. The Torah records
their lives but does so in a very We can apply the same formula to even
interesting and illuminating way. a Yishmael. He lived 137 years which
might illustrate three stages in his life.
Take Sarah, whose death notice The first 7 years were under the
contains one of the most well known of guidance of Avraham with whom he
Biblical dates. Upon her death the Torah lived with his mother Hagar until the
records the years of her life, mind you advent of Yitzchak and his subsequent
not her death, Chayai Sarah, as 100 exiling. And the next 30 years was a
years; 20 years and 7 years, leaving us reflection of thirty years of
to do the arithmetic that she lived 127 rebellion against the Abraham value
years. All of the commentators question system and his decline into the
the terminology and the accepted predicted ‘pereh adam’, the wild and
interpretation is that her life can be seen reckless lifestyle normally associated
in three stages of development. Each with Yishmael and his descendants. The
number is a report of a defining next 100 years however was the life of
characteristic of her life. repentance and reconciliation attributed
4 Cheshvan/Kislev 5770
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