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January 31, 2008 - 24th day of the month of Shevat, 5768
Issue #5
Weekly teaching of Ancient Jewish Wisdom Featured CD: The Gathering Storm
Rabbi Lapin Media Appearances New! Radio Show of the Week: Turning Pets into People
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Issue #5
= SHeMoNeH = 8
Last week we discussed how the number eight represents the importance
of human creativity. We saw how God invites every one of us to involve
ourselves in the world and help improve nature. This underlying
symbolism of the number eight is also captured in another Hebrew word
almost identical to the word for eight. If you drop the last letter of the
Hebrew word for “eight”, you get the Hebrew word for “oil”. As I explain
in my Genesis Journeys series, Hebrew is the Lord’s language, and so
while in English there is no connection between “not” and “note”, in
Hebrew, words that are similar are related.
= SHeMeN = Oil
* The standard form of the letter Nun is used, as opposed to the final Nun, in order to emphasize
the similarity between the two words.
How does oil reflect the lesson of eight? Well, God placed crude oil
deposits deep into the earth. For animals, oil is at best a completely
useless substance. For the animals that fell into tar pits created by the oil
deposits, it was not only useless, but downright harmful. In its natural
state crude oil is not very useful for humans either. However with the
human participation necessary to purify, refine, and extract the energy
God stored in it, oil has made possible lighting, Lear jets, and
Lamborghinis. Much like the symbol of the circumcision that we
discussed last week, oil is a creation of God’s that requires human effort to
bring it to its full potential. Thus, it has the same root as the word for
eight.
If you’ve ever wondered why it is that the English word “eight” is spelled
with a silent “gh”, the answer lies in Hebrew. In Hebrew, the language in
which God spoke to Adam, each letter of the Hebrew alphabet has an
attached, intrinsic numerical value. This would be equivalent to saying
“A” when we mean “1”, “B” when we mean “2”, and so on. In Hebrew, the
letter with the numerical value of eight, Chet, is pronounced gutturally,
like ‘ch’ in Bach. This guttural sound in the word for eight has been kept in
many languages, such as German (acht), although it is no longer
pronounced in English.
Once you’ve grasped that the significance of the number eight is man
transcending the natural world, you won’t be surprised to see it cropping
up in other places. The Tabernacle was dedicated by the Jews over an
eight day period, as was the first Temple in Jerusalem. Hannukah, the
festival of lights, is a celebration of the victory of the Maccabees over the
Greeks (roughly 2,200 years ago) and the rededication of the Temple
(which also took eight days). Not surprisingly, the holiday revolves
around the theme of oil. Greek culture idolized the human body, as can be
seen in their statuary. It should come as no surprise that they outlawed
the Jewish practice of circumcision, which implies that the human body is
imperfect. The heroic Jewish resistance fighters who rejected and routed
the Greek culture are referred to as the CHaSHMoNAIM. Do you see the
root of “eight” (SHeMoNaH) preceded by the eighth letter of the Hebrew
alphabet, Chet? These Jewish fighters were fighting for the belief that
nature can be improved upon by human cooperation and participation
with God, so they were naturally referred to as “The Eights.”
Edited by Ari Lapin
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Genesis Journeys
The Gathering Storm: Decoding the Secrets of Noah
One Audio CD
Answers these questions:
What parenting technique Noah used that resulted in his
children being saved
Why the dimensions given for the ark are vital for your
life
What is the hidden meaning of the entire “begat” section
of Genesis
What are similarities between our own days and the days preceding the Flood
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Turning Pets into People
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2/28/2008 9:42 AM