Kabbalah and Numbers

November 13, 2005 - 11 Cheshvan 5766

Yesterday's Torah Portion was Lech Lecha - Genesis 12:1 to 17;27. It is the story of Abram/Abraham. Abraham Aveinu, the Patriarch. It is always hard to connect to the energy of Abraham Aveinu. Abraham was the first to hear G-d, the first to experience the energy. In Torah, Abraham is referred to as a Hebrew. The note on Hebrew - I use Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan's The Living Torah for all my studies - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0940118351/qid=1131837840/sr=1-6/ref=sr_1_6/102-0354049-9496163?v=glance&s=books anyway, the note on Hebrew says -" Literally, the 'sons of eber' in Hebrew Ivri'im - literally, 'Eberites', 'Sons of Eber'." Abraham was a Hebrew, according to Torah. An energy. In the Sephirot, the Ten Energy Emanations upon which Kabbalah is based, Abraham is the Partiarch associated with Chesed, right column, mercy.
The story, the narration, the parable, exists on another level. I'm not going to deal with the literal story here. These are my thoughts on the Parashat after Shabbat .
One thing I'm keeping track of in my studies is the women, as they are named. This is very important, yet is something which is not expounded upon in most midrash. (she says to herself - you go girl ). In the Torah Portion of Lech Lecha, Sarai (shin reish yud) changes to Sarah (shin reish hei). The yud becomes a hei. Abram becomes Abraham with the addition of the hei. Hagar (hei gimmel reish), Sarai's maidservant who gave birth to Ishmael is also named. Sarah gave birth to Isaac (Yitzach). It was after the hei. Only after the hei could Abraham and Sarah produce offspring together. This is an energy manifestion. The bringing down of energy .
I study each weeks portion with Rabbi Ginsburgh www.inner.org. Rabbi's gift is gematria - Hebrew numerology. Kabbalah is very mathematical, very geometric. That is how I first became interested in Kabbalah about 35 years ago. The Hebrew letters, the numbers, and the mathematical proofs within this esoteric knowledge more than fascinates me. It fills me with absolute joy and awe, and a knowing that this knowledge must be pursued, and loved, and pondered upon. Because somehow, that spark within me knows, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that there are truth answers within. In this week's audio lecture on Lech Lecha, http://www.inner.org/audio/lectures/parsha/Breishit.htm#Lech Rabbi Rinsburgh reveals 2 mathematical formulae. The first are the 'Covenant Numbers'. To quote Rabbi "The number of times that the word 'covenant' appears in each context form an important quadratic series call the 'covenent numbers.' "
In other words, every time there is a Torah portion which deals with 'covenant', this mathematical formula is in play. Now, I'm not a mathematician. But I do love numbers. Numbers are important. So, when I'm studying, and I see a number, I know - ah ha, this is important. Rabbi Ginsburgh is a brilliant Kabbalistic mathematician, perhaps the most brilliant we have on the planet at this time. I thank him with every cell of my being for his teachings. Thank you Rabbi Ginsburgh. www.inner.org. The 'covenant numbers' are 1,3,7,13 and the mathematical progression of the series, which I admit I don't completely understand, but Rabbi does, and that's good enough for me. Like I said in the beginning, it is always difficult to connect to the energy of Abraham, because his existence is on a higher plane. When it is explained mathematically, it just proves to me, as a student of Kabbalah and energy, that this method of calculating energy manifestions is not only mathematical, but totally quantum.
It thrills me. Another one of Rabbi's mathematical meditations deals with Abraham's ages when each of 2 covenants was given. This is really totally ultra unbelievably fabulous, because here with get to deal with the plain numbers, not permutations of words and letters. So this is a definite, here it is, right here, don't you see? Let me just give a little more data. In the first covenant, the word 'covenant' appears one time. In Hebrew, the word for one is echad which = 13. In the second covenant the word 'covenant' appears 13 times. Ah ha. Rabbi says Echad defines oneness from " the point of singularity to the full expression of oneness." Let me not get too quantum here. Just stick with the data. Back to the ages of Abraham. First we are presented with the importance of echad and the number 13. This is a constant throughout the metaphors within Torah. I love it when the numbers are at play. There's a Doctor Who episode about that. Abraham's ages were 70 at the first covenant and 99 at the second covenant. 70+99 = 169. 169 = 13 squared. Rabbi takes it a step further, he always does.
70 squared = 4900. 99 squared = 9801. 4900 + 9801 = 2 x 70 squared + 1. Fascinating. Awesome. Mathematical. Quantum. Proof of existence? Proof of a Universal Oneness? ahhhhhh.
To connect to the musings of yesterday - songs and words. The same images are in this Torah portion. We have walking, lots and lots of walking ( LOL I'm laughing at my own choice of words because Lot, Abraham's brother ,is in this portion) . Land, always the Land , famine, wealth vs poverty, rebellion, sun and darkness. Angels and birth.
All the greats use the same metaphors to touch us, to bring forth that energy of oneness, that all must mean something, must'nt it?
These are the connections I look for when I study, because it is important for somebody, somebody to bear witness.{thank you my friend Jo for bringing that visual metaphor into my awareness} And after all, isn't the main aim of a student of spirituality and Kabbalah to bring it to Malchut? That's why I'm doing this. Presenting this information in the context of connection and energy. It is too important to be ignored. The Concealed is being Revealed, and we are responsible.
Thank you Rabbi.
Thank you UM for making me a blogger. It was the best birthday present ever. My daddy was right :-)
Shavuah Tov
Good Week.
Shalom
Vicke

The above are my Kabbalistic thoughts. I will blog them as I study.
Since I am a student, it is during Shabbat that I have the most insight. Therefore, my postings on the Torah Portion will usually come after the Shabbat.

In NO WAY do I imply or inferr that those I muse about, Springsteen, or whomever, are involved with the study of Kabbalah. The goal here is to present and analyze data, and to share thoughts. By sharing my quantum musings.

THE SUM OF THE PARTS IS GREATER THAN THE WHOLE.

Today's BBC World news - Headline "McCartney in live space broadcast "
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4425686.stm
Funny, interesting and quantum. Paul is singing to Space. That's pretty cool when you're somebody who remembers The Beatles first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.