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forgiver of iniquity and purposeful sin….”(Numbers 14:17). In a The mystical approach proposes that events which transpire at
traditional Torah scroll, the Hebrew word for “magnified” (yigdal) any given moment leave deep impressions on that moment in the
begins with an enlarged letter yud at the beginning of the word. very fabric of time, or to use the Talmud’s phrase, “for generations.”
Paradoxically, the incredibly powerful yud in its usual form is the Somehow the crying on that ninth of Av was embedded in all future
smallest of the letters; as the Midrash states, it is “the little that occurrences of the same calendar date. If time is viewed as strictly
contains much” (Bereishit Rabbah 9:7). Moses realized the severity linear this proposition makes no apparent sense. Though one might
of the sins committed by the ten spies and the people. The enlarged admit that cause and effect demand that the crying on that night
letter yud symbolizes Moses beseeching God to go beyond the letter have a profound effect on the future, it would not necessarily be felt
of the law by magnifying whatever small merit the people had in on every ninth of Av in the future. However, if time is envisioned as
order to offset their obvious deficiencies. a spiral, the notion that what occurs on a particular calendar date
will effect the same date in the future makes more sense, for if time
God answered Moses’ prayer in the affirmative – “I have forgiven
because of your words” – but then seems to hedge His acceptance spirals ever upwards then the same point is passed every year, albeit
with the following bitter rebuke of “all the men who have seen My on ever higher levels of the spiral. Thus, every moment in time is
glory and My signs that I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness both entirely new and yet profoundly influenced by the past which
and have tested me these ten times and have not heeded my voice” it echoes.
(Numbers 14:22). Once again the number ten appears in this portion, The Talmudic discussion actually takes place in the context of the
in this instance, to denote that this is the tenth time the people have statement that over the course of history five misfortunes took place
“tested” God. Moses, knowing this, prayed when saying “yigdal,” on the ninth of Av, including the destruction of both Temples (Ta’anit
that the aspect of yud (ten) should be magnified so that God could 29a). Since this statement was written in the Talmud, many more
forgive the people. terrible events have occurred on this date, including the expulsions
from England in 1290 and Spain in 1492, as well as key events during
Yud is the first letter of God’s four-letter name and signifies His
Presence in every point of reality. Graphically this is symbolized by World War One and Two. The uncanny number of calamities that
the yud’s form being a stylized point. In Psalm 145, often referred to have befallen the Jewish people throughout history on the ninth
by its first word “asherei,” King David prays to God: “Open up Your of Av leaves no doubt as to God’s harsh response to the crying on
hand and satisfy the desire of all living things.” The Hebrew word that auspicious night. It does leave us though to contemplate and
for “hand” (yad) has the same root as the letter yud. The Sages teach try to comprehend the spiritual and material truth underlying this
that the verse’s deeper meaning is revealed when instead of reading phenomenon and how it impacts on time and history.
it as “open up Your hand,” it is read as “open up Your [aspect of] One way of explaining this phenomenon is by comparing time to
yud.” God’s greatness is revealed in that He not only provides for all space. According to Einstein gravity operates through the curvature
but also “satisfies the desire of all living things” – even those who of space. The greater the mass the more space is curved, thus creating
defy Him. the pull of gravity. This explains how the planets’ rotation around
the sun and the moon’s orbit around the earth actually works. The
According to tradition, God tested Abraham ten times. Abraham’s
final test was the Akeidah, the Divine command to sacrifice his son pull of gravity caused by the sun’s tremendous mass warps space in a
Isaac. The Midrash states that after the ordeal was over, Abraham manner that creates the planets’ orderly circuits around it. The same
– who had not protested even once during the test – turned to God holds true for the moon’s rotation around the earth.
and requested that He show his descendants mercy as his reward.

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