The 7, a truly awe-inspiring symbol, holds profound significance throughout the Torah and in Jewish literature through the generations. It is not merely a number, but a profound symbol that encapsulates the rhythm of time. Consider the seven days of creation, the seven days in a week with the Sabbath as the seventh day, and the seven festivals in the Jewish calendar year. In our Torah portion, Parashat Behar, we learn of the Sabbatical year, a complete year akin to a Sabbath, during which the land lies fallow every 7 years. This is the power and beauty of the number 7 in Jewish tradition.
Moreover, the Torah reveals a profound concept after every seven Sabbatical cycles (7*7), totaling 49 years. The 50th year, the Jubilee year, is a year that transcends the regular order of time. It is a year of rest, freedom, and renewal. All slaves are released, and even the land returns to its original owners. This is a year above the regular order of time, a year that brings peace and hope. Here, we see an allusion to the secret of how the Holy One, blessed be He, manages His world throughout the long course of history.
The Talmud reveals that just as the land rests one year out of seven, so does the world renew itself after every seven thousand years.
Seven thousand years form a complete historical cycle. However, we should delve into the words of the sages. In that case, we understand there could be 7 Sabbatical cycles, and then every 50,000 years, we have a "Great Jubilee" of 1000 years.
So, we have an entire historical unit that is 50,000 years old. The question arises: how many of these units are there? How many times in 50,000 years?
The Talmud tells us in tractate Avodah Zarah that the Holy One, blessed be He, has 18,000 worlds. If so, we need to multiply 18,000 * by 50,000, which equals 900 million. This means that the divine-encompassing history spans 900 million years. I'm not talking about the geological eras of billions of years since the Big Bang. Still, the Torah hints that our history is a small unit within a larger span. Indeed, we speak very little about this. Why? Because if we talk too much about it, it might lead us to disregard the present. Therefore, the Torah left this within the realm of secrets. On the other hand, we must understand that our lives are integrated within a more extensive, divine framework far beyond our usual human perception.
Moreover, the Torah reveals a profound concept after every seven Sabbatical cycles (7*7), totaling 49 years. The 50th year, the Jubilee year, is a year that transcends the regular order of time. It is a year of rest, freedom, and renewal. All slaves are released, and even the land returns to its original owners. This is a year above the regular order of time, a year that brings peace and hope. Here, we see an allusion to the secret of how the Holy One, blessed be He, manages His world throughout the long course of history.
The Talmud reveals that just as the land rests one year out of seven, so does the world renew itself after every seven thousand years.
Seven thousand years form a complete historical cycle. However, we should delve into the words of the sages. In that case, we understand there could be 7 Sabbatical cycles, and then every 50,000 years, we have a "Great Jubilee" of 1000 years.
So, we have an entire historical unit that is 50,000 years old. The question arises: how many of these units are there? How many times in 50,000 years?
The Talmud tells us in tractate Avodah Zarah that the Holy One, blessed be He, has 18,000 worlds. If so, we need to multiply 18,000 * by 50,000, which equals 900 million. This means that the divine-encompassing history spans 900 million years. I'm not talking about the geological eras of billions of years since the Big Bang. Still, the Torah hints that our history is a small unit within a larger span. Indeed, we speak very little about this. Why? Because if we talk too much about it, it might lead us to disregard the present. Therefore, the Torah left this within the realm of secrets. On the other hand, we must understand that our lives are integrated within a more extensive, divine framework far beyond our usual human perception.
