The symbolism of the number seven
It's not only in Kabbalah that the number seven plays a role in Jewish thought.
I recall many years ago when one of my daughters was in primary school, that the girls were given a competition to say how many sevens they could find in the Tanach and Jewish tradition. She was disappointed to only come second having identified well over 200!
Indeed the number seven plays a significant part in our tradition and practice.
Of course it all started in last week’s Torah reading that told of the seven days of creation. Did you notice that we commenced reading Bereshit on Simchat Torah that for us outside Israel is the seventh yom tov day in the seventh month? And from a Torah perspective – the single day of Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah is also the seventh and final yom tov day when the festivals are counted as per the Torah prescription. Pesach (2), Shavuot (1) and Succot (1 plus 1), interspersed by Rosh Hashanah (1) and Yom Kippur (1).
However, it is specifically in the reading of this Shabbat, that in the aftermath of the story of Noah and his ark, the number seven comes to the fore in the natural order, beyond those days of creation.
Following the elaborate description of the deluge associated with Noah, which occupies half of the parashah that bears his name, we are told of God’s promise to humanity: “I have set my bow amidst the cloud, and it will be the token of a covenant between Myself and the earth” (Bereshit 9:13). No such deluge will occur again.
Many have sought to determine the symbolism of the rainbow that we see as a natural phenomenon. Perhaps however, an answer lies in the famed seven colours of the rainbow, combined with rabbinic interpretations of the symbolism of the number seven.
“Ein davar sheb’kedushah pachot me’asarah – a matter of holiness is not recited with less than 10.”
This fundamental concept of a minyan required for recitation of certain prayers is more broadly interpreted to mean that holiness is associated with the number 10 – to cite but one example one might look at the kabbalistic concept of the 10 sefirot seen as the basis of existence (or the 10 days of repentance culminating in Yom Kippur).
On the other hand the sages adopted the Aristotelian concept that physical matter has four elements: earth, water, air and fire. So if four symbolises physicality and 10 holiness or spirituality, seven lies in between.
Indeed we all know that Shabbat is the holy day of the week, and the seven rings of the tefillin strap on the arm join the spirituality of the Shema in the tefillin boxes to the physicality of our arm that does physical work. The mix of spirituality with physicality is a secret underlying many sevens in our tradition.
The Torah considered Adam’s life in Eden as originally primarily spiritual. Ten generations later, humanity had descended to a lifestyle lacking all vestige of spirituality: “The earth was corrupt before God and the earth was filled with hamas – violence” (Bereshit 6:11). (As an aside one might note that there is more than meets the eye to that word Hamas we regrettably hear so often.)
The message of the rainbow was that the number seven – the product of the merging of the physical with the spiritual – is intrinsic to nature itself. And when light (spirituality) is viewed through the prism of water (the fundamental element of physical life) – that intrinsic reality is revealed in its resplendent glory. God promised that the world would never again be subject to the destructive upheaval (implied in the word “mabul” used for “flood” in the biblical account but not synonymous with it) but humanity’s side of the covenant is to ensure that one does not descend to a life totally devoid of spirituality.
And the mitzvot that are the obligations of Jews aside, the path to ensuring this involves another seven – the seven Noahide laws.
Jewish tradition has no interest in imposing the 613 mitzvot on the rest of the world. Only Jews are privileged to carry out those God-given obligations – any gentile wishing to carry them out has the option of conversion (which has its fundamental basis that the convert will carry out the laws) but at least in some instances is otherwise actually halachically constrained from their observance.
Judaism does however believe that all of humanity are obligated to observe seven basic principles. Idolatory, blasphemy, murder, theft and sexual immorality are prohibited as is the consumption of flesh taken from an animal while it is still alive. There is also a requirement to establish just laws including a court system to govern each community. Broadly speaking these add up to a faith-based moral and just society that respects humans and even animals.
As a general rule – even if not in every detail – those Noahide principles underpin the Judeo-Christian heritage of so much of Western society including that in which we in Australia find ourselves.
Let me conclude with a suggestion whether for the Shabbat table or any other time while in lockdown with little to do. Set yourselves the task of reviewing what you can of Judaism, our heritage – how many sevens can you identify in Torah/Tanach/halachah?
Shabbat shalom,
Yossi
Yossi Aron OAM is The AJN’s religious affairs editor.
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