Numbers are ubiquitous, as much a part of our environment as the air we breathe. In this stunningly unique work, we learn how numbers are more than just instruments of counting, prices, and mathematics: numbers are the reflections of deep spiritual truths.
Following the format of the classic ArtScroll bestseller The Wisdom in the Hebrew Alphabet, this book examines the symbolism in the Hebrew numbers as exquisitely expressed in many areas of Jewish thought and practice.
Jewish Wisdom in the Numbers draws heavily upon the foundational principles of the Maharal while incorporating hundreds of other Torah sources as well. It offers a richly rewarding experience as we gain a new understanding of essential Jewish concepts, viewed through the prism of numbers.
Why is 7 such a beloved number in Judaism? What is the connection between the 39 forbidden labors on Shabbos and the 39 lashes? What is the journey from 49 to 50 in counting up to the festival of Shavuos? What do the numbers of the 248 positive and 365 negative commandments symbolize? In these brilliant essays, we see the wholeness of Torah thought, the beauty of G-d's world, and our own place in it.
Jewish Wisdom in the Numbers is based on the scholarship and research of Rabbi Yehoshua Hartman, a student of HaGaon Rav Yitzchak Hutner zt'l, a world-renowned educator, and the highly acclaimed author of the annotated Machon Yerushalayim edition to the works of the Maharal of Prague. The essays were written by Osher Chaim Levene, a London-based writer and director of Orah, a Torah program for women and post-seminary girls within London's Jewish community, who combines magnificent, lyrical English with a rare talent for clarifying complex concepts. Together, they have produced a masterful classic that will endure for generations.