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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
The Perfect Number
By Rabbi Yonason Goldson
There are no coincidences in Creation
“And on the seventh day G-d completed all His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done.”
— Genesis 2:2
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
At first glance, the Torah's narrative of creation appears self-contradictory. If the Almighty completed His work of creation on the seventh day, as the verse implies, why does Scripture not reveal what He created on that day? And if the Almighty set aside the seventh day, as the verse also implies, why does Scripture not record that He completed His work with Day Six, rather than Day Seven?
The answer, explain the sages, is that on the seventh day G-d created rest, without which the world would have remained forever incomplete.
But what does this mean? Why did the Almighty have to create rest, which is merely the abstention from creative activity? And why did the process of creation require a day of rest in order to attain completion?
In his philosophical masterpiece The Path of the Just, Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto explains that the purpose of creation was to give man pleasure. To that end, the Creator fashioned a physical universe wherein man would have the opportunity to earn his eternal reward by choosing good and refraining from evil in accordance with divine law. Consequently, had the Almighty simply ended the process of creation at the close of the first six days, He would have left the world without any template for discerning the pattern and purpose underlying its very existence.
In short, the seventh day represents the goal toward which mankind should direct all worldly efforts. For this reason the Sabbath day is called mei'ein olam habah — a taste of the World to Come.
In the grand scheme of things, work for its own sake is as pointless as no work at all. As King Solomon says in Ecclesiastes, "What profit has man from all his labor in which he toils under the sun?" The obsession with the accumulation of wealth and the illusion of material productivity in a temporal world blinds us to the true purpose of human existence. The seventh day provides a counterpoint, allowing us to recover our spiritual perspective. Without it, every day would stand alone. Because of it, every day acquires true meaning and significance as part of a greater, spiritual whole.
Based upon the design of Creation, we understand that the number seven itself represents perfection in nature. It is not coincidental that visible light comprises seven distinct bands that show themselves individually as the colors of the rainbow but combine to form the white light of illumination. Neither is it coincidence the musical scale comprises seven distinct notes, whereby white noise becomes blended into the most sublime music.
Similarly, the pattern of seven weaves itself into almost every aspect of Jewish life. The festival of Passover lasts seven days, echoing the creation of the world as it celebrates the birth of the Jewish nation and the earth's reemergence of from the dormancy of winter. The festival of Shavuos follows seven weeks later, commemorating the metamorphosis of the Jews into a spiritual nation through their reception of the Torah at Sinai. And the festival of Sukkos again lasts seven days, symbolizing the opportunity provided us by the Creator to begin the new year in a state of purity comparable to the perfection of Eden.
The Hebrew word for seven — sheva — shares its grammatical root with the word soveya, which means "satiety." The true rest of the Sabbath day derives from the satisfaction we take in a life well-lived, a life of toil not in pursuit of wealth, power, or temporal pleasure, but a life directed toward the fulfillment of spiritual ideals. For those unfortunate souls who labor only for the sake of material goals, there is no rest in this world and no rest in the World to Come.
Ironically, the greatest corruption of the symbolism of perfection and satisfaction presents itself in the form of the swastika, whose name derives from the same etymology as sheva and soveya. Originally a far-eastern symbol for abundance, the swastika takes its form from four sevens positioned around a common point, suggesting the abundance and satiety represented by the number seven cast forth to the four corners of the earth.
With their Aryan ideology of a master race, the Nazis twisted the ideal of striving toward spiritual perfection into a superficial caricature. Convinced of their own perfection, they committed themselves to the obliteration of all higher purpose and moral values.
Such thinking remains among human society to this day. However, the way we defend ourselves against this kind of distortion is by sanctifying the seventh day and experiencing it as the anniversary of creation, learning its lessons of humility and harmony, and appreciating it as the defining symbol of man's potential to become the Almighty's partner in the creation of a perfect world.
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Comment by clicking here.JWR contributor Rabbi Yonason Goldson teaches at Block Yeshiva High School in St. Louis, MO, where he also writes and lectures. Visit him at http://torahideals.wordpress.com .
© 2009, Rabbi Yonason Goldson
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