Eight Is Not Seven!
Numbers are a language. The number eight communicates the idea of transcendence.
Split!
This week’s parsha begins with the words, “And it came to pass on the eighth day.” It refers specifically to the dedication of the Mishkan, the portable Sanctuary in the desert. For seven consecutive days, Moses initiated Aaron into the High Priesthood and the service within the Mishkan. After these seven days of initiation, Moses formally dedicated the Mishkan at which time a fire descended from heaven to consume their offerings.
A question can be raised as to why the Torah divides the eight days of dedication into two separate Torah portions. The first seven days of initiation are discussed in the preceding parsha, whereas the eighth day is mentioned in the beginning of this week’s parsha. Why couldn’t the Torah discuss theses eight days in one section?
Numbers in Leviticus
Numbers have meaning.
The number one symbolizes unity: one G-d, one Torah and one Israel.
The number two represents either duality (such as the two inclinations of man) or harmony (such as the two tablets).
The number three relates to the notion of synthesis of two disparate entities through which a third and new entity is created.
An example of this is the Torah itself. The Talmud associates the Torah with the number three (it is divided into three parts, given in the third month to a people divided into three etc.) because it creates the synthesis between G-d and the physical world.
The number four represents the stages of development from conception through birth, in both the physical world as well as in the spiritual world. Indeed, the entire process of creation undergoes these four stages of development. First there is an idea (conception). The next stage is for the idea to be given some basic form. The third stage is where the basic form is allowed to mature and develop to the point that it is ready for the fourth stage of birth. Thus, we have four letters in G-d’s name, to represent the process of creation which comprises four stages. And therefore Kabbalah tells us that there are four spiritual worlds that channel G-d’s energy into our physical world.
The number five corresponds to the five levels of the soul and of human experience. The soul of a person can manifest itself either in action, emotions, intellect, will or delight.
The number six is the representation of space (north, south, east, west, up and down) and time (six work days of the week), without its inner spiritual dimension.
The number seven represents the totality of time and space, where the six dimensions of time and space are infused with an inner spiritual core.
If one were to take six equal objects and places them in a circle, there will be a space—equal to the size of one of the objects—in the center of this circle. Each of the six objects will touch and be touched by the one in the center. No other configuration will yield this phenomenon. This symbolizes the role of the number seven as the core and “soul” of the other six. Similarly, in the realm of time, the Shabbat is the soul and spiritual essence of the other six days of the week.
Thus, the number seven is considered to be the most beloved and cherished number, because it represents the peak of perfection. The Torah was thus given to the Jewish people after seven generations (from the Patriarch Abraham through Moses). Indeed, the Midrash underscores the sublime nature of the number seven when it states: “All sevens are beloved.”
Going Beyond Perfection
On the surface it would seem that one cannot go beyond the state of divine perfection associated with the number seven.
Yet, this Torah portion speaks of the fact that the dedication of the Mishkan (portable sanctuary) occurred on the “eighth” day (i.e., after seven days of preparation).
Commentators point out that this was to represent that the divine experience that was expressed through the dedication of the Mishkan was one of the order of eight; it transcended perfection!
Indeed, the number eight is the symbol of going beyond the order—even the spiritual order—of existence that is represented by the number seven. The number eight is not just seven plus one, but it is of an entirely different order. Eight is the symbol of the miraculous and transcendent. Eight is the force that enables us to go beyond the constraints of logic and the parameters of nature.
Hence the circumcision rite occurs on the eighth day. Circumcision is not a rational initiation ceremony that a mature adult enters into, but it is our way of connecting an infant—and the infant, non-rational aspect of our personality—with its Creator. This procedure reveals an inner bond between a Jew and G-d that transcends and defies logic.
Qualitative Difference
We can now understand why the dedication of the Mishkan occurred on the eighth day; the day after the seven days of initiation. The Mishkan’s purpose was to house the Divine that transcends nature.
When a Jew entered the Mishkan—or the permanent Sanctuary built in Jerusalem, known as the Beit Hamikdash—he or she was exposed to the Divine that transcends the G- dly energy that one can perceive in any other part of the world. Not only did the Mishkan help to channel the awareness of the Divine throughout the creation, it also revealed an aspect of G-dliness that transcends the divine embedded within nature.
The Eight Strands of the Messianic Harp
Our sages also inform us that the harp that our ancestors used in the Temple consisted of seven strands. However, the harp that we will be using in the third Temple, built by Moshiach, will consist of eight strands. Although in general terms the Mishkan already exposed us to the transcendent aspect of the Divine, nevertheless this cannot compare to the revelation that will occasion the coming of Moshiach. Hence, the harp used in the past consisted only of seven strands even though the Mishkan is associated with the eighth day, because ultimately the number eight was reached only after the process of seven.
The explanation of the above is that even when we speak of eight there are basically two ways of explaining it that reflect two dimensions of transcendence.
The first and lower level is the eight that is connected to the seven. It is like the person who reaches the realization that there is something above logic through the medium of logic itself. In this mode, the number eight is a product of seven. Seven dictates that there is an elusive eighth number.
The Messianic age will introduce a new dimension of spirituality. It will introduce us to the number eight that totally transcends the number seven. It will be the revelation of the Divine that logic cannot demand; it is revealed from above.
Down to Earth
In more down-to-earth terms, the Messianic age will not only bring about the perfection of nature—hence it is also identified as the Sabbatical era—it will go beyond that. Moshiach will instill the order of nature with a palpable realization of the transcendent and heretofore supra-rational aspects of Divinity. Rather than using logic to reach the realization that there is something beyond logic, the transcendent aspect of G-d will manifest itself and permeate even the realm of logic.
This means that in the Messianic age the Divine reality and our own reality will coincide. We will be able to see things through the perspective of G-d.
From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Shemini by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
