 Parshat Ki Tisa U'S'FUNEI T'MUNEI CHOL Beachcombing the G'matriya Beach with the help of "Otzrot Yisrael", one of the CDs of the "Responsa Project" of Bar Ilan University. Water plays a significant role in Jewish History and in Jewish Life. 3620 is a G'matriya shared by two p'sukim that show us the prominence of water in very different ways. B'reishit 24:11 tells us that Eliezer tewthered the camels outside the city, near the well, in the early evening, when the water drawers would usuallygo out to the well. In our sedra, Sh'mot 30:20, the Torah states that when the Kohanim come to the Mishkan they shall wash with water and they shall not die... or when they approach the Mizbei'ach to offer a sacrifice... Water was a significant element in several "stories" of the Avot and Imahot, and it became an important"ritual" component of daily Jewish lives. With a GM (G'matriya match) of these two aspects of water, a full picture of its status is indicated. And along the same lines, here is a further G'matriya match which asks you to see the overall value of water in Judaism. Shmot 30:21, pasuk following the one mentioned above, the Torah states that they (the kohanim) shall wash their hands and feet and they shall not die, and this shall be a law for them and their descendantsthrough the generations. Bamidbar 12:15 states that Miriam was isolated outside the camp for seven days... A word of caution about G'matriya, specifically the homemade variety that appear in this Treasures in the Sand column. Don't read too much into them. They are not meant to say something new. They are meant to be a nice "numerical confirmation" of existing ideas. They point to ideas to be explored. Try any of them withoutthe G'matriya. They still "work". [The Ki Tisa Homepage] |