Shavuous Holiday/חג שבועות

By Rabbi Avraham David, great grandson of the Strettyner Rebbe

Numerical Interpretation of  Torah with aid of Gematria.  Bible Code. Questions/Comments  212-372-7553. online at www.codeoftheheart.com 
©2006 Dvar Torah 5766   “Study Gematria and Sharpen Your Mind”  

The Promise (Prophecy) of  the First Commandment

The First Commandment says, ohscg ,hcn ohrmn .rtn lh,tmuv rat  lhekt v hfbt
“II am Hashem, your G-d, Who has taken you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery.”[1] The Gematria of this Passuk is 2495. Another Passuk with the same Gematria is found in Yehoshua, where it says,   ktrah ,hc kt v rcs rat cuyv rcsv kpb tk  tc kfv “Nothing of all the good things of which Hashem had spoken to the House of Israel was lacking; everything came to pass.” [2] This was stated by the Prophet after “Hashem gave to Israel the entire land that He swore to their forefathers to give; they inherited it and dwelled in it.”[3] As noted previously, current events are influenced by the Parsha of the week. As this week is Shavuous, the Ten Commandments have an impact on world events. Last week, Ehud Olmert visited the United States and had a private meeting with President George Bush. At the meeting we are told that Ehud Olmert said that Israel was unilaterally prepared to give back much of the West Bank to the Palestinians. This past summer Israel gave back parts of the Gaza and evacuated it’s citizens. Did it lead to peace? Did it stop the violence? Unfortunately it did not. Moreover, the new democratically elected Hamas party not only does not recognize the State of Israel but it has sworn to destroy it. If we look at the West Bank and Gaza we see many Arabs living in abject poverty. Of course, the whole world blames Israel for their condition. However, the real reason is a Biblical prophesy. The Torah says, “and your enemies who dwell upon it will be desolate”(Leviticus 26:32). As we see that the Palestinians have made themselves enemies of Israel,  they are living proof of the Torah’s
prophecy. If they want their destinies to improve, they should read the Torah, believe in it   and become our best friends. What about G-d’s promise to our forefathers ? Will we once again inherit the entire land as promised to our forefathers? We know from the Torah that our right to inherit the land of  Israel is conditional upon our observance of  the Biblical commandments. In Deuteronomy, the Torah tells us that Hashem will return us from our exile in the end of days.[4] In fact, what has happened in the past several years is simply God’s plan. Another Passuk with the same Gematria of 2495 can be found in Micah , where the Prophet says,  u,mg ubhcv tku v ,ucajn ugsh tk vnvu

vbrd rhngf omce hf , “But they do not know the thoughts of Hashem and do not understand His counsel- for He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.”[5]  According to Artscroll commentators, “ at the time of the war of Gog and Magog, before the ultimate redemption, the conquerors will exult in Zion’s obvious guilt, and the enemies of Israel will gloat over her degradation. However, they will not realize that G-d is bringing them together to be trampled.”[6] All the nations are gathering against Israel, forcing them to dismantle settlements and to give back land. Iran is threatening to wipe Israel off the map. But as noted above, we must not lose hope as Hashem keeps His promises. If we observe our Torah, Hashem will surely redeem us and give us the entire land as He swore to our forefathers.                   

 We finally finished counting the rnug Omer, and are now ready to celebrate the holy days of Shavuous. According to Reb Menachem Mendel of Rimanov (1745-1815) the definition of the Omer is a state of readiness. He says that Adam was also known as the Omer. “Adam was the receptacle that Hashem had prepared for receiving holiness.” As we count the Omer , we are also preparing ourselves to listen to the Ten Commandments and to receive holiness.  The last count of 49 days showed the Sefirah (emanation ) of  ,ufknca ,ufkn K, kingship in the kingship. It is the lowest level of the 10 Sefirahs and we, earthlings made of dust can communicate with God through this Sefirah. Moreover, when we put on Tefilin (phylacteries) we also reach this level. We see an allusion to this with the aid of the codes. The Torah says, uhvu lsh kg ,utk o,raeu, Bind them as a sign on your arm and they shall be..(Deuteronomy 6:8). The encoded letters spells (rearranged) ,ufkn, malchus, kingship. After finishing the Omer we are privileged to hear the Ten Commandments read on the first day of Shavuous. It is like we are all prophets that day. With the aid of the codes, we see a link between prophecy and the Omer. The Torah says uc rcst oukjc gsu,t uhkt vtrnc 'v ofthcb vhvh ot, “If there shall be prophets among you, in a vision shall I make Myself , God, known to him; in  a dream shall I speak with him”(Numbers 12:6). The encoded letters spells the term, rnugv , the Omer, which is the exact word we use in our prayers. May we all merit Divine Communication based on our count of the Omer and may we witness the final redemption in our days.           

A refuah shlaimah to my father , Yaakov Zev Ben Malka , who is recovering from stroke at Vanderbilt Nursing Home, Staten Island, NY

Shabbat Shalom ouka ,ca & HHappy Shavuous