The Significance of The Number Thirty-Six (36)
By Hillel ben David (Greg Killian)
While studying Chanukah, I noticed that we light exactly thirty-six candles during this festival. I decided to examine this number and its meaning.
Candles:
1
12
123
1234
12345
123456
1234567
12345678
A total of 36
candles!
Thirty-six is THE number of redemption, since it is the number that represents the 'Hidden Light' that was created on Day One of creation.
As an aside, and to lend a perspective to the number thirty-six, consider that 1225 is a unique number; it is both a square and a triangular[1] number: 1225 = 352 = ∆49. Thirty-six as a triangular number, for those not familiar with this terminology, is illustrated by the the number of candles in the above figure, which forms a triangle.
Square numbers symbolize completeness, maturity, and inter-inclusion, the properties of rectification. Whenever the numerical value of a number of words together equals a square number, it tells us that these words go together and complete one another.19[2]
The only 2 numbers before 1225 that are both a square and a triangular number are (the trivial) 1, and 36; 36 = 62 = ∆8. Because 1225 is an odd number, it shares another property with 1 that 36 does not have: it has a midpoint. The midpoint of 1225 is 613, the total number of commandments.
Let's start by taking a look at a Chanukah insight from Rabbi Daniel Lapin:
... The Talmud says the following: HaShem made this light - a certain type of light. It was too penetrating. So He only let it last for thirty-six hours. And after thirty-six hours He took it away and hid it for sometime in the future that has not yet come. And He replaced it with a weaker merely physical aspect of that light. But that as long as that light was there, for those thirty-six hours, Adam by means of that light was able to see from one end of the world to the other, and from the beginning of time to the end of time. So that light was the light of total understanding. Isn't that what light signifies? The Talmud says anytime that the word "light" is used anyway in the Torah or Rabbinic text "light" always means knowledge and wisdom and understanding.
Remember that we do not "use" the Chanukah light. This is a reminder that this is not physical light. The miracle of the Chanukah oil burning for eight days with the oil of one day, occurred in 3597 A.M., this was the 36th centuries after the creation of the light of the first day of creation. Here is our number thirty-six again!
The word light is the twenty-fifth word of the Torah, another allusion to Chanukah which occurred on Kislev 25, and the word light occurs thirty-six times in Torah[3]. In the Torah we read that on the first day, G-d created light:
Bereshit (Genesis) 1:1-5 In the beginning G-d created the heavens
and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the
surface of the deep, and the Spirit of G-d was hovering over the waters. And
G-d said, "Let there be light,"
and there was light. G-d saw that the light was good, and he separated the
light from the darkness. G-d called the light "day," and the darkness
he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning--the
first day.
However, it was not until the fourth day that He created the luminaries, which give light:
Bereshit (Genesis) 1:14-19 And G-d said, "Let there be lights in the
expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and
days and years, And let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. G-d
made two great lights--the greater light to govern
the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He
also made the stars. G-d set them in the expanse of
the sky to give light on the earth, To govern the day
and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And G-d saw that it was
good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the fourth day.
From this sequence of events, we can ascertain that the light of the first day is different from the light that we receive from the sun, moon, and stars.
In the Talmud we see the thirty-six hours of special light during creation:
Chagigah 12a But was the light
created on the first day? For, behold, it is written: And G-d set them in the
firmament of the heaven,[4] and it is [further] written: And there was
evening and there was morning a fourth day[5] — This is [to be explained] according to R.
Eleazar. For R. Eleazar said: The light which the Holy One, blessed be He,
created on the first day, one could see thereby from one end of the world to
the other; but as soon as the Holy One, blessed be He, beheld the generation of
the Flood and the generation of the Dispersion,[6] and saw that their actions were corrupt, He
arose and hid it from them, for it is said: But from the wicked
their light is with holden.[7] And for whom did he reserve it? For the
righteous in the time to come,[8] for it is said: And G-d saw the light, that
it was good;[9] and ‘good’ means only the righteous, for it
is said: Say ye of the righteous that he is good.[10] As soon as He saw the light that He had
reserved for the righteous, He rejoiced, for it is said: He rejoiceth at the
light of the righteous.[11] Now Tannaim [differ on the point]: The
light which the Holy One, blessed be He, created on the first day one could see
and look thereby from one end of the world to the other; this is the view of R.
Jacob. But the Sages say: It[12] is identical with the luminaries;[13] for they were created on the first day, but
they were not hung up [in the firmament] till the fourth day.[14]
We can see that the light of the first day is different from the light that we normally experience because it says that with this light one could see thereby from one end of the world to the other. This light was separated out for the righteous in the world to come. The Bnei Issachar says that the original light of creation was hidden in the thirty-six Chanukah lights. Here again we have light and the number thirty-six connected, just as we see them connected at Chanukah.
Midrash Rabbah -
Bereshit (Genesis) XI:2 AND G-D
BLESSED THE SEVENTH DAY, AND HALLOWED IT. R. Ishmael
said: He blessed it with manna and hallowed it with manna. He blessed it with
manna, for every day of the week there descended one ’omer
[per person], but on the eve of the Sabbath two
’omers. And He hallowed it through manna, which did not descend on the Sabbath
at all. R. Nathan said: He blessed it with manna and hallowed it with a
blessing. R. Isaac said: He blessed it with manna and hallowed it through the
man who gathered [sticks].[15] He blessed it with [the distinction of]
robing.[16] R. Huna said: A man must change [his
garments on the Sabbath]. R. Hiyya said in R. Johanan's name: A man must mingle
[his garments].[17] Abin b. Hasde said: He must let [his cloak]
hang down.[18] R. Jeremiah and R. Ze'ira were walking
together [on the Sabbath], R. Jeremiah's cloak being
tucked up, whereupon R. Ze'ira pulled it down. This shows that one must let his
cloak hang down. R. Liezer said: He blessed it in the platter of a lamp, and
this happened in my case. I once lit a lamp for the Sabbath night, and when I
came at the termination of the Sabbath I found it still burning and not at all
diminished. He blessed it with the light of a man's face: the light of a man's
face during the week is not the same as it is on the Sabbath. He blessed it in
respect of the luminaries. R. Simeon b. Judah said: Though the luminaries were
spoilt[19] on the eve of the Sabbath, yet they were
not smitten until the termination of the Sabbath. This agrees with the Rabbis
but not with R. Assi,[20] who maintained: Adam's
glory did not abide the night with him.[21] What is the proof? But Adam passeth not the
night in glory (Ps. XLIX, 13).[22] The Rabbis maintain: His glory abode with
him, but at the termination of the Sabbath He deprived him of his splendor[23] and expelled him from the Garden of Eden,
as it is written, Thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away (Job XIV,
20). As soon as the sun set on the night of the Sabbath, the Holy One, blessed
be He, wished to hide the light, but He showed honor to the Sabbath; hence it
is written, AND G-D BLESSED THE SEVENTH DAY:
wherewith did He bless it? With light. When the sun
set on the night of the Sabbath, the light continued to function,[24] whereupon all began praising, as it is
written, Under the whole heaven they sing praises to
Him (ib. XXXVII, 3)[25]; wherefore? Because His light [reaches]
unto the ends of the earth (ib.).[26] R. Levi said in the name of the son of
Nezirah: That light functioned thirty-six hours,[27] twelve on the eve
of the Sabbath [i.e. Friday], twelve during the night of the Sabbath, and
twelve on the Sabbath [day]. When the sun sank at the termination of the
Sabbath, darkness began to set in. Adam was terrified, [thinking,] Surely
indeed the darkness shall bruise [E.V. ’envelop’] me (Ps. CXXXIX, 11): shall he
of whom it was written, He shall bruise thy head (Gen. III, 15), now come to
attack me![28]
From the above reference, we can see that the light of the first day of creation functioned for thirty-six hours, until the end of the first Sabbath. Then G-d hid it away for the righteous. There is a further allusion to this thirty-six hour light which we find in the birth of Moses. In Shemot we read:
Shemot (Exodus) 2:1 A man from the house of Levi married
a daughter of Levi. The woman conceived and gave birth to a son. She saw that
he was good and hid him for three months.
Sota 12a When Moshe was born, the house was filled with light. It is
written here, "... And she saw that he was good ..." and there it is
written, "G-d saw the light, that it was good... "
The fact
that the same word describing the Hidden Light of creation
("good") is also used to describe Moshe himself, may, on the surface,
seem insignificant. However, the Hakhamim saw in this a connection between the Supernal light and Moses, the
future leader of the Jewish people.
What makes
this connection even more significant is the date of Moses’ birth: 2368 from
creation, thirty-six years after Egyptian bondage actually began. (According to
the Torah, Pharaoh did not feel free to enslave the Jewish people until after
all of Yosef's brothers died. The last brother to die was Levi, in the year
2332 from creation.) 2368-2332 = 36. Furthermore, just
as the light of creation was hidden after shining for thirty-six hours, the
light that was revealed through the birth of Moshe after thirty-six years of
enslavement was also hidden. Chanukah comes to
teach us every year of the thirty-six hours of supernal light. This historical
perspective allows us to look down through the spiral of
time to see this light in the past, present and the future.
It is through
a historical perspective that incorporates all relevant issues of the past,
present, and future, that the Hidden Light of creation comes alive, through the
thirty-six lights of Chanukah. And this was the message that Moses was
hand-picked by HaShem Himself to reveal. In fact,
according to tradition, Moses taught the entire
Torah to the Jewish people within thirty-six days![29]
The Chanukiah[30] reminds us of the miracle of oil
that burned in the menorah for eight days. The
menorah, the symbol of Chanukah, represents the understanding that lies below
the surface. When HaShem would teach Moses a new law,
He would speak to him from on top of the atonement
cover over the Holy Ark, within which the Written Law had been placed. However,
for the explanation of the law, Moses turned southward towards the menorah.[31]
The
menorah was not the only implement of the priestly
service that contained the message of thirty-six. For example, the robe worn by
the High Priest while serving in the Tabernacle[32] contained thirty-six bells sewn
onto its hem:
Zevachim 88b Our Rabbis taught: The robe [me'il] was entirely of blue, as it
is said, And he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue. How were
its skirts [made]? Blue [wool], purple wool and crimson thread, twisted
together, were brought, and manufactured into the shape of pomegranates whose
mouths were not yet opened and in the shape of the cones of the helmets on
children's heads. Seventy-two bells containing seventy-two clappers were
brought and hung thereon, thirty-six on each side. R. Dosa said on the
authority of Rabbi Judah: There were thirty-six, eighteen
on each side….
R. ‘Inyani b. Sason also said: Why are the sections on sacrifices
and the priestly vestments close together? To teach you: as sacrifices make
atonement, so do the priestly vestments make atonement. The coat atones for
bloodshed, for it is said, And they killed a he-goat, and dipped the coat in
the blood. The breeches atoned for lewdness, as it is said, And thou shalt make
them linen breeches to cover the flesh of their nakedness. The mitre made
atonement for arrogance. How do we know it? — Said R. Hanina: Let an article
placed high up come and atone for an offence of hauteur. The girdle atoned for
[impure] meditations of the heart, i.e., where it was placed. The breastplate
atoned for [neglect of] civil laws, as it is said, And thou shalt make a
breastplate of judgment. The ephod atoned for idolatry, as it is said, Without
ephod there are teraphim. The robe atoned for slander. How do we know it? —
Said R. Hanina: Let an article of sound come and atone for an offence of sound.
The head plate atoned for brazenness: of the head plate it is written, And it
shall be upon Aaron's forehead, whilst of brazenness it is written, Yet thou
hadst a harlot's forehead.
These
bells, says the Talmud, atoned for Lashon hara,
derogatory speech about others, a sin of very serious
proportions and one for which a person can lose his portion in the Olam HaBa,
the World-to-Come.
It is the
Chanukah vision, the message that shines from the lights of the menorah, that
symbolizes that which the Talmud teaches. In a very real sense, each section of
the Talmud corresponds to one light from the menorah kindled throughout the eight days. Perhaps this why it contains thirty-six
tractates, consisting of the Torah that was taught over in thirty-six days, by
the man born thirty-six years after the darkness of exile
began.
The number of righteous men is never less than thirty-six. The Hebrew letters that make the number thirty-six are: לו.
Succah 45b Hezekiah further stated in the name of R. Jeremiah who said it in the
name of R. Simeon b. Yohai, I have seen the sons of heaven[33] and they are but few. If there be a
thousand, I and my son are among them; if a hundred, I and my son are among
them; and if only two, they are I and my son.
Are
they then so few? Did not Raba in fact state,[34] The row [of righteous men immediately]
before the Holy One, blessed be He, consists of eighteen
thousand, for it is said, It shall be eighteen thousand round about?[35] — This is no difficulty: The former number
refers to those who see Him ‘through a bright speculum, the latter to those who
see Him through a dim one.[36] But are those who see Him through a bright
speculum so few? Did not Abaye in fact state, The world never has less than thirty-six
righteous men who are vouchsafed a sight of the Shechinah every day, for it
is said, Happy are they that wait lo[37] [for Him] and the numerical value of lo is
thirty-six? — There is no difficulty: The latter number[38] refers to those who may enter [the
Presence] with permission, the former[39] to those who may enter without permission.
It is clear that light, Chanukah, and creation are related. What is not yet clear is just where in the Chanukah lights the hidden light of creation can be found, we have information on how to get there. If one studies the Babylonian Talmud, of which there are thirty-six tractates or sections[40], one will eventually merit the "Great Light."[41]
No festival so lends itself to the challenge of the Age of Illumination as does the holiday of Chanukah. If in doubt as to which lights are being celebrated, one need only to consult our sacred literature and find that that these eight days are dedicated specifically to Inner Light, the internal illumination that brightens the soul.
The Rokeach, Rabbi Eliezer of
Those few who have succeeded in perceiving this light are the legendary lamed-vav'niks, the thirty-six righteous men concealed from recognition in every generation. [In Hebrew, letters are also used as numbers. The letters lamed and vav are the numerical equivalent of thirty-six]
Midrash Zuta, Eichah 1:1 "Rabbi Shimon the son of Pazi said, 'The numerical value of
ayekah ["where are you"] is thirty-six.'"
We find the number thirty-six in the gematria for the word איכה, ayekah:
א = 1, י = 10, כ = 20, ה = 5
The numerical value of איכה, therefore, is thirty-six. Ayekah is first found in:
Bereshit (Genesis) 3:9 But the HaShem
G-d called to the man, "Where are you?"
The Talmud gives us the gematria for this word:
Sanhedrin 104a And Hezekiah was glad of them, and showed them the house of his
precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices,
and the precious ointment etc.[42] Rab said: What is meant by ‘the house of
his precious things’? — His wife, who mixed the drinks for them.[43] Samuel said: He showed them his treasury.
R. Johanan said: He showed them weapons which could destroy other weapons. How
[eicah] doth the city sit solitary![44] Rabbah said in R. Johanan's name: Why was Israel smitten with ‘eicah’?[45] Because they transgressed the thirty-six
injunctions[46] of the Torah which are punished by
extinction.[47] R. Johanan said: Why were they smitten with
an alphabetical dirge?[48] Because they violated the Torah, which was
given by means of the alphabet.[49]
The word ayekah can be split into two words. Aye, which means "where" and kah, which is a difficult word to translate and seems to have different meanings in different contexts. However, the numerical value of the word koh is twenty-five, the number that represents "light." When looked at this way, the word ayekah literally means, "where is the light?"
Midrash Rabbah -
Vayikra (Leviticus) XXI:7 What is
written just before the present text? And the Lord said unto Moses: Speak unto
Aaron thy brother (ib. 2). R. Abin explained that He said to him: ' Go, comfort
him with kind words"; as you may infer from the analogous expression in
the text, Bid Jerusalem take heart (Isaiah XL, 2).[50] That he come not at every time-’eth
Leviticus Ioc. cit.). R. Judah b. R. Simon observed: It pained Moses greatly to
say this. He thought: Alas! Has my brother Aaron perchance been ousted from his
privileged position? [What is meant by] ’At every time (‘eth)’? "Eth’ may
be after a while, as might be supposed from the expression: ’ That he come not
at every time (‘eth).’ "Eth ‘ may be after one day, as in the text, Thou
shalt drink also water by measure... from time (‘eth) to time-’eth (Ezekiel IV,
11).[51] ’’Eth’ may be after a year, as it says, And
it came to pass, at the return of the year, at the time-le'eth (II Sam. XI, 1).
"Eth’ may be after twelve years, as in the text,
Until the time (‘eth) that his word came to pass (Ps. CV, 19).[52] ’’Eth’ may be after seventy years, as it
says, That He would accomplish for the desolation of Jerusalem seventy years
(Dan. IX, 2), and it says, Until the time (‘eth) of his own land come (Jer.
XXVII, 7).[53] "Eth’ may mean forever, as can be
inferred from the text, Thou hast put gladness in my heart more than when
(‘eth) their corn and their wine increase (Ps. IV, 8).[54] Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to Moses:
' It is not as you suppose! It is neither the ’eth after a while, nor the ’eth
after one day, nor the ’eth after a year, nor the ’eth after twelve years, nor
the ’eth after seventy years, nor the ’eth that means forever, but at all times
when he wishes to enter he may enter, provided only that he enters in the
prescribed manner.’ R. Judah b. R. Eleazar said he must, when entering, wears thirty-six
bells and thirty-six pomegranates.[55] Our Rabbis say: Seventy-two bells and
seventy-two pomegranates.
Midrash Rabbah -
Bamidbar (Numbers) V:4 Another
exposition of the text, CUT YE NOT OFF, etc. What is written in the verse
above? And the Lord spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron (Num. IV, 17). Why, asked
R. Levi, should Aaron be mentioned here?[56] Because He gives a hint to the sons of
Kohath, saying to them in effect: ‘Take good heed not to be irreverent when you
enter the place where the ark is; for if you would behave with irreverence
towards it, take a lesson from the sons of Aaron. The sons of Aaron,’ said He,
‘entered without permission, and what does Scripture state concerning them? And
there came forth fire from before the Lord, and
devoured them Leviticus X, 2). Do you, therefore, in your turn, take note, lest
what befell them befall you! 'For this reason He wrote, ‘And the Lord spoke
unto Moses and unto Aaron.’ Our Rabbis say: Why was Aaron mentioned here?
Because when the sons of Kohath were given orders about carrying the ark they
were afraid and began to protest to Moses, saying: ‘Behold we shall all die as
the sons of Aaron died!’ So the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: ‘In the
same way as I safeguarded Aaron-as it says: Herewith shall Aaron come into the
holy place, etc. Leviticus XVI, 3)-so will I safeguard the families of Kohath
that they may not die.’ Hence it is written: CUT YE NOT OFF... BUT THIS DO UNTO
THEM. And wonder not that the Holy One, blessed be He, should have provided a
safeguard for them that they might not die, for we find that even for the wicked He provided safeguards that they should not die.
When the Holy One, blessed be He, defined for Moses the thirty-six
transgressions, mentioned in the Torah, which are punishable with kareth,
Moses said to the Holy One, blessed be He: ‘Sovereign of the Universe! If men
commit any of these sins shall they be so punished? ' So the Holy One, blessed
be He, said to him: ‘Let them receive the forty
stripes and escape the penalty of excision.’ This precisely accords with what
we have learned[57]: All who have incurred the penalty of
excision, and have been flogged, obtain remission from the punishment of
excision; for it says: Forty stripes he may give him, he shall not exceed;
lest... thy brother should be dishonored (weniklah) before thine eyes (Deut.
XXV, 3), which teaches that having received his flagellation (nilkah)[58] he is again ‘thy brother’. These are the
words of R. Hananiah b. Gamaliel. Now if, when a person commits a
transgression, his soul is taken from him on account of it, does it not follow
with even greater force that, if one performs a mitzvah, his soul will be
granted to him? And why did the Torah make him liable to receive the forty
stripes? Because he transgressed a law of the Torah
which was given after forty days[59] and so brought the penalty of death on
himself, who was created in forty days[60]; let him therefore be flogged with forty
stripes and have his punishment [of excision] remitted; just as happened to Adam, who sinned and incurred the penalty of death and
received forty penalties-for the world was cursed on account of his sin with forty curses; ten for Adam,
ten for Eve, ten for the serpent, and ten upon the earth,-and the Holy One,
blessed be He, prolonged his day, for though it says: For in the day that thou
eatest thereof thou shalt surely die (Gen. II, 17), he lived nine hundred and
thirty years, not completing the ‘day’ of the Holy One, blessed be He.[61] Now, if He instituted a protective measure
for the wicked, how much more so for the righteous! This explains: CUT YE NOT
OFF, etc.
Midrash Rabbah -
Devarim (Deuteronomy) IX:8
Another explanation: R. Levi said: It is like the case of a pregnant woman who
was thrown into prison and gave birth to a son there. When the child grew up
the king once passed by the prison, whereupon the lad began to cry out: ‘My
lord king, why am I kept in prison?’ and the king replied: ‘You are kept here
for the sin of your mother.’ So Moses pleaded: ' Master
of the Universe, there are thirty-six transgressions[62] punishable by extinction enumerated in the
Torah, for the commission of any one of which a man is liable to be put to
death. Have I then transgressed any one of them? Why dost Thou decree death
upon me?’ G-d replied: ‘You are to die because of the sin of the first man who
brought death into the world. [Thus Scripture says], BEHOLD (HEN)! What is the
force of HEN? For the sin of him of whom the expression ’ hen ' is used [in
Scripture], Behold (hen), the man is become as one of us (Gen. III, 22).
Jacob is intimately associated with the number 36. We find 36 in the Gematria for his first wife, לאה, Leah:
ל = 30, א = 1, ה = 5
Through Leah, Jacob became the father of
After Jacob married Leah, he was permitted to marry his first love, Rachel. Rachel died at the age of thirty-six.
Jacob was away from his home and parents for a total of thirty-six years:
Megillah 17a Why are the years of Ishmael mentioned? So as to reckon by them the
years of Jacob, as it is written, And these are the years of the life of Ishmael,
a hundred and thirty and seven years.[63] How much older was Ishmael than Isaac? Fourteen years, as it is written, And Abram was
fourscore and six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram,[64] and it is also written, And Abraham was a
hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him,[65] and it is written, And Isaac was threescore
years old when she bore them.[66] How old then was Ishmael when Jacob was
born? Seventy-four. How many years were left of his life? Sixty-three; and it
has been taught: Jacob our father at the time when he was blessed by his father
was sixty-three years old. It was just at that time that Ishmael died, as it is
written, Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob...so
Esau went unto Ishmael and took Mahlath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son
the sister of Nebaioth.[67] Now once it has been said, ‘Ishmael's
daughter’ do I not know that she was the sister of Nebaioth? This tells us then
that Ishmael affianced her and then died, and Nebaioth her brother gave her in marriage.[68] Sixty-three and fourteen till Joseph was born[69] make seventy-seven, and it is written, And
Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh.[70] This makes a hundred and seven. Add seven years of plenty and two of famine,[71] and we have a hundred and sixteen, and it
is written, And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How many are the days of the years of
thy life? And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my sojournings
are a hundred and thirty years.[72] But [we have just seen that] they were only
a hundred and sixteen? We must conclude therefore that he spent fourteen years
in the house of Eber,[73] as it has been taught: ‘After Jacob our father had left for Aram Naharaim two years.[74] Eber died’. He then went forth from where
he was[75] and came to Aram Naharaim. From this[76] it follows that when he stood by the well
he was seventy-seven years old. And how do we know that he was not punished
[for these fourteen years]? As it has been taught: ‘We find that Joseph was away from his father twenty-two years.[77] just as Jacob our father was absent from
his father’. But Jacob's absence was thirty-six years?[78] It must be then that the fourteen years
which he was in the house of Eber are not reckoned. But when all is said and
done, the time he spent in the house of Laban was only twenty years?[79] — The fact is that [he was also punished]
because he spent two years on the way, as it has been taught: He left Aram
Naharaim and came to Succoth and spent there eighteen
months, as it says, And Jacob journeyed to Succoth,
and built him a house, and made booths for his cattle;[80] and in Bethel he spent six
months and brought there sacrifices.
as Jacob approached the borders of
Bereshit
(Genesis) 32:24 Yaakov took them and
crossed them over the river and all that was with him. Yaakov remained alone
...
Chullin
91a And Jacob was left alone.[81] Said R. Eleazar: He remained behind for the
sake of some small jars.[82] Hence [it is learnt] that to the righteous
their money is dearer than their body; and why is this?
Because they do not stretch out their hands to robbery.[83]
G-d said to Jacob, ‘For endangering yourself for
a small container, I Myself will repay your children with a small container to
the Chashmonaim [at the time of Chanukah].’[84]
However, the container Jacob returned for was no ordinary container, nor was it empty:
From
where did Jacob get this jar? When he picked up the stones from under his head
and returned them in the morning, he found a stone that had a jar of oil in it,
and he used it to pour on the top stone. When it refilled itself, Jacob knew it
was set aside for G-d. He said, "It’s not right to leave this here
..."[85]
Fleeing for his life Jacob left Be’er Sheva for
Bereshit
Rabbah 68:12 Jacob has arrived! The great Jacob who, like the
sun, sheds light on the universe!
There Jacob slept the night with a stone as a pillow, and there he dreamt prophetically of a ladder that reached into heaven. The next morning, Jacob took the stone he had slept on and built a monument to commemorate his prophetic vision.
After building the monument, Jacob then anointed it with oil, miraculous oil he had miraculously found at a holy place for a holy purpose. Fifteen hundred years in the future, in the same holy spot, Jacob’s descendants would also miraculously find miraculous oil ... oil they would merit to discover, because an ancestor called "light" traveled back across the river for it!
And in returning for the small little jar of oil that never diminished, Jacob battled with a "stranger" the entire night.
Bereshit (Genesis) 32:25 Jacob remained
alone, and a man battled with him until the morning light. When he saw that he
could not overcome him he touched his hind thigh and uprooted the thigh of
Jacob ...
The battle was not a typical fight between two men. The night was Jewish history and its long bitter exiles; the angel was all the enemies of the Jewish people that would try to extinguish the light of Torah and the people meant to be a light unto nations. Jacob’s victory was the eventual redemption of the Jewish people, and the Hidden Light of creation:
Bereshit
(Genesis) 32:28 He said to him, ‘What is your name?’ He
answered, ‘Jacob.’ He said, ‘No longer is it Jacob, but Israel,
for you fought with G-d and with men and overcame.
No longer is it Jacob ... "He strove with an angel and overcame it; he
cried and pleaded to him"[86]
B’ch"o vayischanen
l"o... ("he cried and pleaded to him") can be read as, on the
twenty-fifth (Kislev) there will be a chayn
(i.e., Chanukah) of thirty-six (numerically equal
to thirty-six).
Even the gid hanashe where the angel injured Jacob before taking his leave, is tied to the holy oil of Chanukah[87], conceptually and numerically ...
gid hanashe = 3+10+4 + 5+50+300+5
= 377 ... 3 + 7 + 7
= 17 ... 1 + 7
= 8
This is the same gid hanashe that Joseph had removed before his brothers eyes:
Bereshit
(Genesis) 43:16 Slaughter and prepare ...
Chullin
91a Prepare ... Remove the gid hanashe in front [of the brothers].
* * *
Thirty-six is considered middle age. The Talmud spells this out based on the wording of Tehillim 90:10:
Yevamoth 97a And where no symptoms of a saris developed, how long [is one regarded
as a minor]?[88] — It was taught at the school of R. Hiyya:
Until he has passed middle age.[89]
Tehillim (Psalms) 90:10 The length of our days is seventy years--or
eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for
they quickly pass, and we fly away.
* * *
If you count the total number of candles that we light on Chanukah, you'll find it comes to thirty-six. If you count the number of days from the 25th of Kislev, the day when Chanukah begins, till the end of Tevet, that number is also 36.
* * *
This study was written by Hillel ben David
(Greg Killian).
Comments may be submitted to:
Greg Killian
1101 Surrey Trace SE
Tumwater, WA 98501
Internet address: gkilli@aol.com
Web page: http://www.betemunah.org/
(360) 584-9352
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[1] A triangular number is a number obtained by adding all positive integers less than or equal to a given positive integer.
[2] One of the most beautiful and simple examples is from the beginning of the Torah. The combined value af Adam (אדם) and Chava (Eve - חוה) is 64 = 82
[3] Bereshit (Genesis) 1:3 (2), 1:4 (2), 1:5, 1:14, 1:15 (2), 1:16 (3), 1:17, 1:18, 44:3, Shemot (Exodus) 10:23, 13:21, 14:20, 25:6, 25:37 (2), 27:20, 28:30, 35:8, 35:14 (2), 35:28, 39:37, Vayikra (Leviticus) 8:8, 24:2, Bamidbar (Numbers) 4:9, 4:16, 6:25, 8:2, 27:21, Devarim (Deuteronomy) 33:8
[4] Gen. I, 17.
[5] Ibid., v. 19.
[6]
I.e., the generation which built the
[7] Job. XXXVIII, 15.
[8] I.e., the Messianic era; cf. Avot II, 16.
[9] Gen. I, 4.
[10] Isa. III, 10. E.V. ‘that it shall be well with him.
[11] Prov. XIII, 9. E.V. ‘the light of the righteous rejoiceth.’
[12] I.e., the light created on the first day.
[13] V. Gen. I, 14f (E.V. ‘lights’).
[14] Cf. Gen. Rab. I, 14, and Rashi to Gen. I, 14.
[15] V. Num. XV, 32. The sanctity of the Sabbath was thereby emphasized.
[16] A special cloak should be worn on the Sabbath.
[17] If he cannot afford a complete change, he must have something different to mingle with his weekday attire.
[18] Instead of tucking it up as on the weekdays, when he works in the fields.
[20] More correctly: R. Jose.
[21] I.e. the primeval light, which was smitten immediately he sinned, before the Sabbath.
[22] E.V. ’But man abideth not in honour’.
[23] By hiding the primeval light. Others: He deprived Adam's countenance of its luster.
[24] At night--this primeval light is meant.
[25] This derives yishrehu from shir to sing. E.V. ’He sendeth it forth under, etc.’
[26] On this night.
[28] Under cover of darkness.
[29] Seder Olam Rabbah 10
[30] The Chanukah menorah.
[31] HaEmek Davar
[32] Shemot 28:31
[34] So in Sanhedrin 97b (where the entire passage is reproduced with some variants); the text here is in slight disorder.
[35] Ezek. XLVIII, 35.
[36] They receive only a clouded vision of the Divine Presence.
[37] Isa. XXX, 18.
[38] Thirty-six.
[39] Two, R. Simeon b. Yohai and his son.
[40] Bnei Yisaschar
[41] Tanchuma, Noach 9
[42] Isa. XXXIX, 2; cf. II Kings XX, 13.
[43] He permitted his wife (‘his treasure’) openly to wait upon them, disregarding the modesty which should have kept her within her own quarters (Maharsha).
[45] I.e., brought to such a dirge.
[46] V. Ker. I, 1.
[47] The numerical value of vfht is 36.
[48] Lamentations is written in the form of an alphabetical acrostic.
[49] I.e., its words are formed from the alphabet. Possibly this alludes to the belief that the letters themselves are endowed with certain powers; v. p. 446, n. 9.
[50]
Lit. ' Speak to the heart of
[51] The expression from time to time is explained in a preceding verse to mean a day.
[52] The reference is to Joseph's release from prison which took place when he was thirty years of age, he having spent there twelve years from the age of eighteen, a year after his sale to the Egyptians; M.K.
[53]
The fall of
[54] Which occurs always.
[55] Cf. Ex. XXVIII, 33. For the Bamidbar (Numbers), cf. Rad.
[56] Actually it is natural for Aaron to be mentioned, since the passage treats of priestly duties (v. supra, IV, 12). Possibly the difficulty is, why should this be introduced as a fresh passage, with a renewed mention of Aaron, instead of being recorded as a continuation of the previous one.
[57] Mak. 23a (Sonc. ed., p. 164).
[58] Play on niklah and nilkah.
[59] Cf. Ex. XXIV, 12, 18.
[60] The Hakhamim held that the fetus develops into human shape in forty days.
[61] I.e. the full thousand years. For a thousand years in Thy sight are but as yesterday (Ps. XC, 4). Thus ‘day ' was made to mean a day of HaShem, and he did actually die on that ‘day’.
[62] Ker. I, 1.
[63] Gen. XXV, 17.
[64] Ibid. XVI, 16.
[65] Ibid. XXI, 5.
[66] Ibid. XXV, 26.
[67] Ibid. XXVIII, 6-9.
[68] Which shows that Ishmael died just about the time that Isaac blessed Jacob.
[69] It is reckoned by the Talmud that Jacob had been with Laban fourteen years when Joseph was born. V. Gen. XXXI, 41.
[70] Ibid. XLI, 46.
[71] V. Ibid. XLV, 6.
[72] Ibid. XLVII, 8,9.
[73] [So Rashi: cur. edd., ‘the fourteen years he spent . . . are not reckoned’.]
[74] [So Rashi: cur. edd. introduce passage with: ‘Jacob lay hidden in the house of Eber for fourteen years’.]
[75] This is the reading here of the Bah. The reading of the text is unintelligible.
[76] [By calculating the years Eber lived, v. Gen. XI, 17.]
[77] He left when he was seventeen, he was thirty when he stood before Pharaoh, and seven years of plenty and two of famine passed before he saw his father.
[78] He left when he was sixty-three and returned when he was ninety-nine.
[79] V. Gen. XXXI, 41.
[80] Gen. XXXIII, 17: a ‘house’ for one summer, and two ‘booths’ for two winters.
[81] Ibid. XXXII, 25.
[82] He had already taken across that which he had (ibid. 24), but he must have returned for some small vessels.
[83] And whatever they acquire by their toil and honest dealing is therefore very dear to them.
[85] Yalkut Reuveni, VaYishlach
[86] Hoshea 12:5 - Rashi
[87] Ohr Torah 10
[88] If two pubic hairs did not appear.
[89] Lit., ‘most of his years’, i.e., until he is thirty-six years of age. Man's span of life is taken to be seventy years (cf. Ps. XC, 10).