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The
Number Eight (8)
The
Significance in the Scriptures From
Outside Sources
In
Mathematics
& the Bible
64
(8X8)
Sixty-four (64) is the square of 8,
the cube of 4,
and the sixth power of 2.
It is the smallest number with exactly seven divisors.
It is the lowest positive power
of two that is adjacent to neither a Mersenne
prime nor a Fermat
prime. 64 is the sum of Euler's
totient function for the first fourteen integers. It is also a dodecagonal
number[1]
and a centered
triangular number.[2]
64 is also the first whole number that is both a perfect square and a
perfect cube.
Since it is possible to find sequences of
64 consecutive integers such that each inner member shares a factor with
either the first or the last member, 64 is an Erdős–Woods
number.[3]
In base 10, no integer added up to its
own digits yields 64, hence it is a self
number.[4]
64 is a superperfect
number—a number such that σ(σ(n))
= 2n.[5]
64 is the index of Graham's
number in the rapidly growing sequence 3↑↑↑↑3,
3 ↑3↑↑↑↑3 3,…
The
number 8 is very significant such that it is used 73 times in the
Bible. It is the symbol of Resurrection and Regeneration. In Bible
numerology, 8 means new beginning; it denotes “a new
order or creation, and man's true 'born again'
event when he is resurrected from the dead into eternal life.”
The
number 8 in the Bible represents a new beginning, meaning a new order or
creation, and man's true 'born again' event when he is resurrected
from the dead
into eternal life.
Like
the Old Testament Passover lamb, Jesus was selected as the Lamb to take
away
man's sins
on the Hebrew day of Nisan 10 (April 1, 30 A.D. - John 12: 28 - 29). He
was crucified on Nisan 14 (Wednesday, April 5 in 30 A.D.). His
resurrection occurred, exactly as he stated, three
days and three nights
after he was buried, which was at the end of the weekly Sabbath day that
fell on Nisan 17 (seventeen symbolizes victory).
Nisan
17 was also the eighth day, counting inclusively, from the time Christ
was selected as man's sacrificial Lamb. All this bears record of Jesus'
perfect sacrifice
and His complete victory over death.
Boys
were to be circumcised on the 8th day. The number 8 symbolizes
circumcision of the heart through Christ and the receiving of the
Holy Spirit
(Romans 2:28 - 29, Colossians 2:11 - 13). Those in Christ are becoming a
new creation, with godly character being created by the power of God's
Spirit (2Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 2:10; 4:23 - 24).
After
the 7 weeks of the spring harvest, the next day, the 50th day, is Pentecost.
This day is also the eighth day of the seventh week. This 8th and 50th
day combination pictures the
first resurrection
when the saints will be raised from the dead and made immortal
(1Corinthians 15:20 - 23, John 3:3 - 12, Revelation 20:4 - 6). After the
7 days of the Feast of Tabernacles there is an 8th day, called the Last
Great Day; also known as Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah in the
diaspora.
Forty
different people wrote the Scriptures. Forty is a number composed of
five (symbolizing grace) times 8 (symbolizing a new beginning). It is
therefore only by God's grace and love that man will someday be given a
chance for a new beginning, as promised in the Word of God.
Appearances
of the Number Eight (8)
The
New Testament was penned by only eight men (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John,
James, Peter, Jude, Paul).
Abdon
(in the East) was a Judge of Israel who served 8 years (Judges 12:13 -
14).
The
most joyous Feast period of the year is the eight day period of the
Fall Feast of Tabernacles
followed immediately afterward by the Last Great Day; also known as
Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah in the diaspora.
Abraham,
the father of the faithful, had 8 sons total. They were Ishmael, Isaac,
Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah.
David was the eighth
(and youngest) son of Jesse, from the tribe of Judah. Like King Saul and King Solomon, David reigned for 40 years in one of the highest and most prosperous periods in Israel's history - called by many, “The Golden Age” of
Israel.
Timekeeping
Eights (8)
One
method of timekeeping used in Israel was called a 'watch.' Watches were
time periods in which guards were placed on duty. Although days were
initially divided into 6 equal watch periods (Judges 7:19), by the time
of the New Testament days were divided into 8 equal parts (Matthew
14:25, Mark 6:48).
Night
Watches: First
watch - Sunset to 9 p.m. Second watch - 9 p.m. to Midnight Third watch -
Midnight to 3 a.m. Fourth watch - 3 a.m. to Sunrise
Day
Watches: First
watch - Sunrise to 9 a.m. Second watch - 9 a.m. to Noon Third watch -
Noon to 3 p.m. Fourth watch - 3 p.m. to Sunset
How
is the Number Eight (8) Related to Jesus' Resurrection?
Jesus
showed himself alive
eight times after his resurrection from the dead. His first appearance
alive was to Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9 - 11). He then showed himself to
two disciples traveling to Emmaus (Luke 24). Next, he appeared to all
the disciples except Thomas (John 20:19 - 24) then a week later to all
them when Thomas was present (John 20:26 - 29).
According
to the apostle Paul, Christ also was seen by 500 believers at one time
(1Corinthians 15:4 - 7). Jesus also met his disciples at the appointed
place in Galilee (Matthew 28:16 - 17) and on Galilee's shores (John 21:1
- 24). His final meeting was on the
Mount of Olives,
where he gave his followers instructions before ascending to heaven
(Acts 1).
Additional
Info on Biblical Meaning of Eight (8)
God
saved eight people on the ark in order to have a new beginning for
mankind after the flood. Since the meaning of four is derived from God's
creation of everything, 8 (4 + 4) pictures the new creation after the
flood.
Eight
is the number of Jesus, whose name in the Greek adds up to 888.
The number eight in the Bible signifies
Resurrection and Regeneration. It is the number of a new beginning.
Eight is 7 plus 1 and since it comes just after seven, which itself
signifies an end to something, so eight is also associated with the
beginning of a new era or that of a new order. In the bible one can find
many examples which bring forth and which associate the number eight
with a new beginning.
One such example is of Noah. When the
whole earth was covered in floods, it was Noah the eighth person who
stepped out and took the responsibility of starting a new era of life,
to commence new order of things. The resurrection of Christ is also one
fine example of this. The resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate new
beginning. It is said in The Bible that Jesus rose on the first day of
the next week from the day he was crucified. Thus. again it was Eighth
day which was chosen by God. The eighth day marked the beginning of new
life form. Thus, we can see that the number eight in the Bible signifies
resurrection and new beginning. Not only this, there have been eight
different resurrections in the Bible. Out of which three can be seen in
the Old Testament, three can be seen in the Gospels and the remaining
two can be read in the Acts 9 and 40. There were eight miracles of
Elijah as told in the Bible. And God made eight covenants with Abraham.
According to the Bible, Eight has a
special meaning for God, as He chose the eighth day to mark the
beginning of the new week. Everything that has a new beginning in the
Bible has the number eight associated with it. Eight is the personal
number of Jesus. When we add together the letter values of the name
Jesus in the Greek we get 888. Jesus was called The Christ, the numeric
value of this title is 1480 (185 x 8). He was Savour which has the
value 1408 (2 x 8 x 88). Jesus is also Lord which again, is a multiple
of eight being 800 (100 x 8). Messiah has the numeric value 656 (82 x8).
Jesus also called himself the Son of man. The term occurs 88 times and
is valued at 2960 (370 x 8). Jesus said "I am the truth": the
numeric value of "the truth" is 64 (8 x 8). The last book in
the Bible is the Revelation of Jesus Christ which has exactly 888 Greek
words. All the Dominical names of Jesus Christ are marked by eight as a
multiple if the laws of Gematria are applied to them. It can be seen as
follows: Christ, 1480 (8x185), LORD, 800 (8x100), Our LORD, 1768
(8x221), Savour, 1408 (82x 32), Emmanuel, 25600, (83x50), Messiah, 656
(8x82), Son, 880 (8x110).
The number 8 has been traditionally been
associated with the entrance into the Covenant of God by the historic
Christian Church, which has followed the Bible blindly. This kind of
understanding can come from God Himself who had commanded Circumcision -
the Sign of the Covenant - to be performed on the Eighth Day. Thus once
again, the number eight has exemplified the beginning of a new era in
the Bible. Following are the LORD’s covenants with Abraham: (were
eight in number; seven before Isaac was offered up, and the eighth when
he had been received "in a figure" from the dead).
Gen 12:1-3, sovereignty.
Gen 12:7, the seed.
Gen 13:14-17, Divine assurance, rising
and walking on resurrection ground.
Gen 15:13-21, the limits of the land; the
400 years; the 4th generation.
Gen 17:1-22, invincible grace.
Gen 18:9-15, human failure and
imperfection.
Gen 21:12, Spiritual blessing headed up
in the seed.
Gen 22:15-18, resurrection blessing.
In the Bible there is a mention of a
feast. The Feast of Tabernacles. This feast is to last for seven days,
followed by the eighth day. The number eight associated with this feast can show us that
this feast was to celebrate a new beginning. The number 888 is the
ultimate symbol of the lord himself as mentioned in the Bible. The
resurrection of Jesus Christ on the eighth day along with the mention of
eight people who were saved in the Noah’s Ark are a sign of the
concept of revivification, restoration and a revival of a new era and
order that is associated with the number eight. Apart from this, eight
is used in the bible in other places also which don’t really have a
link with a new beginning like the eight songs in the Old Testament, the
Eight Miracles Of Elisha and the Seth lines of names, the sum of which
is 3168, which again is a multiple of eight.
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The
Significance of The Number Eight
(8)
By
Rabbi Dr. Hillel
ben David (Greg Killian)
The
WATCHMAN
I.
Introduction
In
this study I would like to examine the meaning and significance of the
number “eight”. The number eight always alludes to a departure from
the “natural” world, and
entry into the supernatural world.
There
are exactly sixty-four days between Purim
and Lag
B’Omer. Sixty-four days is equivalent to eight multiplied by
eight. The number eight represents the spiritual world. The
multiplication of eight by eight represents the totality of the
spiritual world. Purim and Lag B’Omer are one holiday
that is broken up into two
parts. The holiness of this single holiday begins on Purim. On this day HaShem
reveals his hidden guidance of this world.
We then spiritually refine ourselves in sequences of eight until we
reach the eighth of the eighth, which is Lag B’Omer. We then merit
to discover the secrets
of Torah. The period between Purim and Lag B’Omer is the time we
master our spiritual understanding of HaShem and his Torah.
This
uniquely Jewish concept of man having the ability to transcend his
nature is represented by the number eight.
The
value of the Hebrew
letter
ח,
chet, is eight. חית,
Chet is also the Hebrew word for fence. To understand the number eight,
we need to examine the letter ח,
chet. Rabbi Michael L. Munk in, The Wisdom in the Hebrew Alphabet,
tells us the following:
“The
number seven
symbolizes the complete purpose of human existence, combining the
spiritual level of the Sabbath
with the physical
effort of the week. Going beyond seven, the number eight symbolizes man’s
ability to transcend the limitations of physical existence. Thus, with a
gematria of eight, ח
stands for that which is on a plane above nature, i.e., the
metaphysical Divine. The study of the Torah and the practice of its commandments
are the ways by which Israel
can strive to exalt human spirituality towards the realm above the
natural (Maharalz).”
The
first use of the number eight is in Bereshit 17:12.
Bereshit
(Genesis) 17:12
And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised
among you, every man child in your generations,
he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger,
which [is] not of thy seed.
Strong’s
defines “eight” or “eighth” as:
8083
shemoneh, shem-o-neh’; or shemowneh, shem-o-neh’; fem.
shemonah, shem-o-naw’; or shemownah, shem-o-naw’; appar. from
8082 through the idea of plumpness; a cardinal number, eight (as if a
surplus above the “perfect” seven); also (as ordinal) eighth:-eight
([-een, -eenth]), eighth.
This
first use of the number eight reveals that the number is intimately
connected with circumcision.
The
value of the Hebrew letter פ,
pey, is 80, which is 8 x 10. פ
also contains the meaning of
eight.
II.
The Temple
Service
The
number eight is involved in various aspects of the Temple
service, as noted by R’ Bachya:
1.
The
eight holy vestments of the High
Priest. Shemot (Exodus) 28
The
Midrash
highlights this:
Midrash
Rabbah - Vayikra (Leviticus) X:6 AND
THE GARMENTS (VIII, 2). R. Simon said: Even as the sacrifices have an atoning
power, so too have the [priestly]
garments atoning power, as we have learnt in the Mishnah[1]: The High
Priest officiated in eight garments, and an ordinary priest
in four,
namely in a tunic, breeches, a mitre, and a girdle. The High Priest
wore, in addition, a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, and a head-plate;
the tunic to atone for those who wear a mixture of wool and linen,[2] as it is said, And he made
him a coat [tunic] of many colours (Gen. XXXVII, 3)[3]; the breeches atoned
for unchastity [lit. the uncovering of nakedness], since it is said, And
thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover the flesh of nakedness (Ex.
XXVIII, 42); the mitre atoned for arrogance, since it is said, And thou
shalt set the mitre on his head (ib. XXIX, 6); the girdle was to atone,
some say, for the crooked in heart,
and others say for thieves. R. Levi said the girdle was thirty-two
cubits, and he [the priest] wound it towards the front and towards the
back[4];
this is the ground for stating that it was to atone for the crooked in
heart.[5]
The one who said [the girdle was to atone] for thieves [thought that]
inasmuch as the girdle was hollow it bore resemblance to thieves, who do
their work in secret;[6] the breastplate atoned for
those who pervert justice, as it is said, And thou shalt put in the
breastplate of judgment (ib. XXVIII, 30); the ephod was to atone for
idol-worshippers, since it is said, And without Ephod or teraphim (Hoshea
(Hosea) III, 4).[7]
As for the robe, R. Simon, in the name of R. Nathan, said: For two
things [i.e. sins]
there is no atonement,[8]
yet did the Torah provide atonement for them, namely, unintentional
manslaying,[9]
and evil speech,[10]
and the Torah provided means of atonement. How is it atoned for?-By the
bells of the robe, since it is written, A golden bell and a pomegranate,
a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the skirts of the robe round
about. And it shall be upon Aaron to minister, and the sound thereof
shall be heard (Ex. XXVIII, 34 f.): the implication is, let this sound
come and make atonement for the other sound.[11] There is no atonement for
one who unintentionally slays a human being, but the Torah provides a
means of atonement. How does he obtain atonement?--By the death of the
High Priest,
as it is said, But after the death of the High Priest the manslayer
may return unto the land of his possession (Num. XXXV, 28). The
forehead-plate was to atone, some say, for the shameless,[12] others say for
blasphemers. He who said for the shameless deduced it from the daughters
of Zion: it is written here [of the forehead-plate], And it shall be
upon Aaron’s forehead (Ex. XXVIII, 38), while there it is written,
Thou hadst a harlot’s forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed (Jer.
III, 3).[13] He who said [the
forehead-plate was to atone] for blasphemers [derived it] from [the case
of] Goliath.[14]
Here it is written, And it shall be always upon his forehead (Ex.
XXXVIII, 38), there [in the case of Goliath] it is written, And the
stone sank into his forehead (I Sam. XVII, 48).
The
Kohen Gadol,
or High Priest, had eight vestments made especially for him. These
included a pair of linen pants, linen, checkered tunic, a linen turban,
and an embroidered sash. Over the tunic, he wore a blue, woolen,
sleeveless robe called a Me’il. The bottom of the Me’il had a design
of blue woolen pomegranates and golden bells which would tinkle as he walked.
Over the Me’il he wore an Ephod, an apron-type of garment with
shoulder straps. It was woven from five
different types of threads. A golden breastplate called the Choshen, was
connected to the Ephod. Twelve
different jewels corresponding to the twelve tribes,
were embedded in the Choshen. Each of the stones had a different tribe’s
name engraved on it. The eighth vestment was a golden head plate called
a Tzitz. It was worn on the High Priest’s forehead. The regular Kohen
only wore the first four
vestments when he did the service in the Mishkan,
the shirt, pants, sash and a hat. Because the Kohanim could not even
wear shoes, there was a special chamber called the Beit HaMokad, where
the Kohen could warm his feet before doing the service on the cold
floor. One of the reasons for the great amount of attention and detail
paid to the clothing was to impact upon the Kohen’s appreciation of
his responsibilities. The unique uniform that had to be worn would
impress upon the Kohen the uniqueness of his mission as representative
of the nation. The garments also served as atonement for specific sins
that the nation had transgressed collectively as a group. For example,
the Me’il atoned for the sin of Lashon HaRa, evil slander. The Choshen
atoned for improper judgment, the pants for immorality, the hat for
arrogance, the belt for jealousy, the Ephod for idolatry, and the Tzitz
for chutzpah.
The
High Priest changes garments eight times on Yom
Kippur in his attempt to transcend the physical.
2.
Eight varieties of spices, four for the oil of ointment, and four for
the incense.
Shemot
(Exodus) 30:23-24 “Take
the following fine spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much
(that is, 250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant
cane 800 shekels of cassia--all according to the sanctuary shekel--and a
hin of olive oil.
Shemot
(Exodus) 30:34-37 Then
HaShem
said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices--gum resin, onycha and
galbanum--and pure frankincense, all in equal amounts, And make a
fragrant blend of incense,
the work of a perfumer. It is to be salted and pure and sacred. Grind
some of it to powder and place it in front of the Testimony in the Tent
of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy
to you. Do not make any incense with this formula for yourselves;
consider it holy to HaShem.
3.
Eight poles for carrying the vessel in the Sanctuary:
Two
for the Ark,
Two
for the Table,
Two
for the Golden Altar, and
Two
for the Copper Altar.
Shemot (Exodus) 25
4.
Eight musical instruments, accompanying the psalms
of the Levites during the service, i.e., seven
instruments and the choir itself, for a total of eight.
Stringed
instruments - Psalm 4:1
Flutes
- Psalm 5:1
Gitis
- Psalm 8:1
Machalas
Le’annos - Psalm 88:1
Yedusun
- Psalm 39:1
Harp
- Psalm 33:2
Lyre
- Psalm 33:2
Voices
5.
From the eighth day, after their birth,
onwards, animals could be offered as sacrifices in the Temple.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 22:27
6.
The harp of Messianic days has eight strings, while the harp of the world
to come has ten
strings.
Midrash
Rabbah
- Bamidbar (Numbers) XV:11 TAKE THE LEVITES (VIII, 6). Halachah:
How many cords should there have been in the harp upon which the Levites
played? R. Judah said: There were seven cords in the harp, as may be
inferred from the text, Fulness of (soba’) joy in Thy presence, sweet
melodies in Thy right hand (Ps. XVI, 11)[15]: do not read ‘soba’’
(fullness of) but sheba’ (seven joys).[16] Similarly, David says,
Seven in the day[17] do I praise Thee, because
of Thy righteous ordinances (ib. CXIX, 164). In the days of the Messiah
it will be made of eight cords; for so in fact says David in the melody,
For the Leader; with string-music; on the Sheminith--eight- stringed
(ib. VI, 1). In the time to come it will be made of ten;
for it says, O God, I will sing a new song unto Thee, upon a psaltery of
ten strings (ib. CXLIV, 9). Who ordained the instruments for them?
Shmuel (Samuel) and David; as it says, Whom David and Shmuel (Samuel)
the seer did ordain in their set office (I Chron. IX, 22).[18] It was they who
established the divisions
for the singing.
*
* *
Bereshit
(Genesis) 24:67
Source:
Baal HaTurim
When
Yitzchak
took Rivka as a wife, the Torah writes that he took her, “into the
tent.” This word (ha’ohelah) is written eight times in the Torah.
The
eight times it is mentioned allude to the eight places where the Divine
Presence was destined to rest among the Jewish
people.
The
seven
places where the Divine Presence already rested were:
1)
The Mishkan
(the sanctuary) in the desert,
2)
Gilgal,
3)
Shiloh,
4)
Nov,
5)
Givon,
6)
the first Beit
HaMikdash, and
7)
the second Beit HaMikdash.
The
eighth place will be the third Beit HaMikdash which will be built in the
Days of Mashiach.
III.
Torah Commandments
Several
of the Torah’s commandments involve the number eight.
1.
There are eight threads, made up of two groups of four that make up the tzitzith.
Bamidbar (Numbers) 15:37-40
2.
Circumcision
(Brit milah) is to take place on the eighth day.
Bereshit (Genesis) 17:12
Brit
milah acts as a threshold of sorts for the new baby, over which he
crosses to enter into the world ABOVE mazel. Accordingly, the
brit milah, whose significance is the metaphysical modification of our physical
nature, occurs on the eighth day.
The
eighth day - the day of circumcision.
The
eight days of Chanukah
- “The candle of HaShem
is the soul of man.”[19]
The
circumcision of the foreskin of the lips on Chanukah.
The
circumcision of the foreskin of the ears on the eighth day of Succoth.
The
circumcision of the foreskin of the heart on Yom
Kippur, the eighth day of the High Priest’s separation.
3.
The Torah is given after completion of seven weeks following the exodus
from Egypt.
The
Torah represents the metaphysical covenant with Israel.
4.
We celebrate the eighth day of Succoth
as a Sabbath
called Shemini
Atzeret and Simchat Torah in the Diaspora.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 23:36
5.
Chanukah
is eight days long.
The
oil, which should have lasted one day in the Chanukah miracle, lasted
for eight. HaShem’s message was that the military victory should not
be explained in material, political or in other physical
terms. The number eight points to the intervention of the supernatural.
It reminds us that the invisible hand of HaShem
is at work in all human enterprises, no matter how mundane.
Our
Sages explain that there is particular significance in the fact that the
Chanukah menorah has eight lamps, and that we celebrate the festival
for eight days. In the Holy
Temple, the golden Menorah kindled each day in the Sanctuary had
only seven lamps. The number seven
represents the natural cycle of time: the seven days of the week,
corresponding to the six
days of Creation and the seventh, the Sabbath Day. Throughout history,
since HaShem created the world,
time has
been measured according to this seven-day cycle.
The number eight, however, represents a level that is higher than
nature, and above time. This is the level of the miraculous, which is
not bound by the laws
of nature. It is especially fitting that we celebrate the miracle of
Chanukah with eight lamps, culminating on the eighth day... for the
number eight is also associated with the revelation of Mashiach,
may he come speedily, in our days!
In
order to appreciate the nature of the Chanukah miracle, we should
examine other, similar miracles. Let us begin with the first Temple, the
Mishkan.
The
parasha of the Mishkan does not conclude with the finishing touches to
the construction of the edifice and its vessels, nor even with the
commencement of the sacrifices during the seven days of dedication. The
whole enterprise peaks on the eighth day,
Vayikra
(Leviticus) 9:4
“for today God is revealed to you”.
Without
this eighth day, the entire construction of the Mishkan is meaningless:
“For
all seven days of dedication ... the Shechinah did not rest there, and Bnei
Israel were saddened and said to Moshe, ‘Moshe Rabeinu, all the
labor that we performed [was] in order that the Shechinah should dwell
amongst us...”.[20]
Even
after Bnei Israel had completed all the preparations as commanded, the
Mishkan remained an empty shell until the moment of revelation:
Vayikra
(Leviticus) 9:22
“And a fire
came out from before God and consumed the burnt
offering and the fats, and the entire nation saw and they
rejoiced, and they fell upon their faces”.
Correspondingly,
we find in the case of the first Temple:
II
Divrei HaYamim (Chronicles) 7:1-3 “And
when Shlomo had finished his prayer,
the fire descended from heaven
and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of God
filled the House ... and all of Bnei Israel saw the descent of the fire
and the glory of God upon the
House, and they prostrated themselves upon the floor, and
bowed and thanked God for He is good, for His mercy is forever”.
So
long as HaShem’s glory is revealed in the Temple, it is not
permissible to enter the Holy of Holies at will. It is instructive that
immediately following the divine revelation in the Mishkan, at the
moment Nadav and Abihu sacrificed their ‘strange fire,’ “a fire
came out from before HaShem and consumed them”.[21]
However, after the destruction of the first Temple, when HaShem’s
glory is no longer apparent:
Eicha
(Lamentations) 5:18
“for Mount Zion which is desolate; foxes walk there”
Strangers
enter the Temple
without suffering any harm:
Eicha
(Lamentations) 1:10
“For she has seen Gentiles
coming into the Temple - those concerning whom You commanded ‘They
shall not come into your congregation’”.
How
remote is the era of the destruction from that eighth day when Aaron’s
sons were punished! HaShem’s
glory, which was once manifest so clearly, is perceptible no longer. For
this reason, when the nation returned from Babylon
to build the second Temple,
once again some sign was required to indicate that the Shechinah, as it
were, had returned.
In
the book of Maccabees we read as follows:
II
Maccabees 2:1
“And now that our hearts desire to celebrate the day of the
rededication of the altar ... you shall celebrate it, like the day upon
which Nehemiah found the holy fire when he returned to build the Temple
... For when our fathers were exiled, the holy Kohanim
secretly took the fire
and hid it ... and it came to pass after many days that the king sent
Nehemiah to Jerusalem
... they could not find the fire, and found only freezing water instead
... and it happened that when they offered God’s sacrifice, he
commanded them to sprinkle some of the water on the wood and on the
sacrifice which was upon the altar, and they did so. When they had
finished, and the sun
shone upon the earth and the clouds were scattered, behold a heavenly
fire ignited the sacrifice, and the entire nation surrounding it was
astonished, and the Kohanim and all the nation fell upon their faces ...
and the Kohanim sang praise and thanks to God.”
Aside
from this miracle which took place at the time of the rededication
of the Temple, the Gemara
describes another miracle which occurred daily in the Temple and which
was similar to the miracle of the cruse of oil both in terms of form as
well as character:
Shabbat
22b
“It was testimony to the entire world that the Shechinah rested with
Israel. What was this testimony? Rav said: This refers to the western
lamp (the western-most light of the menorah in the Temple), which
received the same amount of oil as all the other lamps, and from which
the Kohen
would light
the others, and it lasted the longest.”
According
to the Gemara,
in Yoma 39a, this miracle occurred even during the period of the
Second Temple, up until the death of Shimon Ha-Tzadik (and of Yeshua
HaMashiach).
In
all of the above cases, the significance of the miracle is that it bears
testimony to the fact that the Shechinah dwells
amongst Israel.
The necessity of the sign
comes about as a result of the nature of the Divine Presence in general.
In order to clarify this issue, let us turn our attention to the sphere
of prophecy.
Thus
the miracle, which follows the construction of the Temple, expresses the
same Divine will, which stands at the foundation of:
“and
I shall dwell
amongst them.”
It
is only through this miracle which testifies that the Shechinah dwells
amongst Israel that there is any significance to the command:
“Let
them make Me a Sanctuary.”
At
the beginning of the period of the second Temple, the ‘western light’
bore faithful testimony that the Shechinah dwelt amongst Israel. But
once Yeshua, and Shimon Ha-Tzadik, died, the light no longer remained
lit.
When
HaShem took pity on His nation and the Chashmonaim prevailed, they
purified the Temple and rededicated the altar. But where was the
testimony? Where was the Shechinah? If there were no heavenly sign,
what would all the efforts of the Maccabees be worth? In this context,
the significance of the miracle of the cruse of oil becomes apparent.
After the Temple
had been defiled, this tiny cruse bore witness that the Shechinah dwelt
amongst Israel.
In
light of the above it becomes clear that although the actual event which
was celebrated was the rededication of the altar, our Sages understood
that the significance of this rededication rested on the miracle of the
cruse of oil. This miracle returned the glory of the nation to its
stature from the days of Shimon Ha-Tzadik. In the words of the Penei
Yehoshua:
Shabbat
21b”Therefore
it would seem that the crux of the miracle was that it was performed
only to show God’s love for them ... For this reason this miracle,
too, was performed for them concerning the lights,
which was testimony for Israel
that the Shechinah dwelt
amongst them, as we have explained with regard to the western light. But
after the death of Shimon Ha-Tzadik, even the western light sometimes
was extinguished. Therefore a miracle was performed regarding this exact
matter, at that time
which was a time of Divine favor, in order to show that they had
returned to their original status of being beloved in God’s eyes. This
appears to me the correct interpretation.”
Hence,
it is not surprising that the story of the miracle of the cruse of oil
is absent from the books of the Maccabees. For it was not for this
miracle that Chanukah
was established, but rather for the rededication of the actual altar.
But following the desecration of the Temple
by the wicked
Antiochus, the miracle of the oil represented the awaited signal from HaShem,
which imbued the dedication of the altar with its significance. A close
inspection of the books of the Maccabees reveals an emphasis of these
motifs, the desecration of the Temple by the Hellenists and its
purification by the Chashmonaim.
During
the time of Antiochus, HaShem’s glory is absent from the Temple:
II
Maccabees 5
“And Antiochus destroyed all the holy vessels with a wicked hand ...
and were it not for God’s anger against His nation because of their
many sins,
the hand of God would have struck him as it did Heliodoros when he went,
by order of Silikus, to rob the treasury of the Temple. But because God
did not choose His nation because of His
city, but rather chose His city because of His nation, and because
He watched over His nation, therefore He watched also over the Temple.”
And
with the victory of the Chashmonaim, they returned and purified the
Temple and rededicated the altar, and for this reason Chanukah was
established:
II
Maccabees 10
“From God this thing came about, to purify the Temple on the very day
upon which the gentiles had defiled it, which was the twenty-fifth
day of the month of Kislev. And they celebrated a festival
of eight days to God ... and sang songs of praise and thanks to God Who
gave them salvation,
to purify His Temple. And a decree was sounded throughout the cities of
Judea, to celebrate this festival each year.”
Chanukah
celebrates not merely the rededication of the altar, but also the glory
of God, which once again became manifest in the Temple. This is why the
book of Second Maccabees (ch. 1) compares it to the day of the
dedication of the Temple in the time of Nehemiah, when the miracle of
the hidden fire
occurred. On Chanukah the Chashmonaim regained the same level of HaShem’s
love as they had enjoyed at the beginning of the period of the second
Temple.
The
conclusion, which arises from the above discussion, is that there is no
contradiction between the Book of Maccabees and the version recorded by
the Sages.
The
book of Maccabees makes reference to the historical event upon which
Chanukah was established. From this perspective, Chanukah was indeed in
honor of the rededication of the altar by the Chashmonaim, but our Sages
perceived the profound significance of the moment. After the defilement
of the Temple by Antiochus, this rededication would have been hollow
without that essential heavenly signal, the miracle of the cruse of oil,
which bore testimony to HaShem’s Presence amongst Israel.
In
the Nazarean Codicil we have another association of the Shechinah with
the eighth day:
Luqas
(Luke) 9:27:36
I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death
before they see the kingdom of God.” About eight days after Yeshua
said this, he took Peter, John, and James with him and went up onto a
mountain to pray.
As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes
became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two
men, Moses and Elijah, Appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Yeshua.
They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to
fulfillment at Jerusalem.
Peter and his companions were very sleepy,
but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two
men standing with him. As the men were leaving Yeshua, Peter said to
him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three
shelters--one
for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he
was saying.) While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped
them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from
the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.”
When the voice had spoken, they found that Yeshua was alone. The
disciples kept this to themselves, and told no one at that time what
they had seen.
Notice
again, that we have the Shechinah, the glory of HaShem,
associated with the eighth day. From Peter’s desire to build three
Succoth,
tabernacles, we can surmise that this is the eighth day of Succoth
which is called Shemini
Atzeret.
Keep
in mind that HaShem
and Yeshua are to be in place of the Temple:
Revelation
21:22
I did not see a temple
in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
So,
this transfiguration could be seen as the Shechinah filling the “Temple”.
Bava
Kama 60b May
our eyes
merit
seeing the return of God to Zion with mercy, and the fulfillment of God’s
promise: “And I shall build it with fire,
as it is written, ‘And I shall be unto her (Jerusalem)
a wall of fire round about, and My glory shall be within her’”.
So
on the eighth day Of the Mishkan’s dedication, fire from HaShem
appeared.
On
the eighth day of the Temple’s dedication, fire from HaShem
appeared.
The
one day supply of oil in the Menorah
lit by the Maccabees, burned for eight days.
Yeshua
was circumcised on the eighth day, Shemini
Atzeret. (See my study on the birth
of Yeshua)
IV.
Mashiach and the Number Eight
The
book of Ruth
is surely the most poignant book of the Tanak. The Messianic allusions
are numerous. Since this book concerns itself with the goel, the
kinsman-redeemer,
we would expect this book to have many allusions to the number eight.
The
Yalkut Shimoni[24] points out that every verse in Ruth
begins with a ו,
“vav”, except for eight verses. Rabbi Hiya expounds: this
hints at Ruth’s deep attachment to the Covenant.
The digit eight (and its decimal multiples) do signify the
Covenant. It surely is noteworthy that the Megilla proper
(excluding the five
verse epilogue which is a genealogical addenda) is composed of exactly
80 verses.
The
entire account of the first seven
days of creation
requires only eighty verses. In John chapter one, we see that The Word
created everything during those seven days.
V.
Torah Portions
Several
Torah portions are associated with the number eight (8):
1.
There is a Torah portion in the annual
cycle, Vayikra (Leviticus) 9”1 - 11:47, which is
named “Shemini” or “eighth”. The Haftorah for Shemini is II
Shmuel (Samuel) 6:1 - 7:17.
The
Torah portion of Shemini opens with a description of the eighth and
final day of the consecration of the Sanctuary,
the day when the Divine Presence first rested therein. The name of the
portion, Shemini, means “eighth” and alludes to the special
significance held by the number eight.
2.
The Torah portion for the eighth day of Passover,
celebrated outside of Israel, is Devarim (Deuteronomy) 15:19 -
16:17 and Bamidbar (Numbers) 28:19-25. The
haftorah is Yeshayah (Isaiah) 10:32 - 12:6
3.
The Torah
portion for the eighth day of Succoth,
known as Shemini Atzeret, is Devarim (Deuteronomy) 14:22 - 16:17
and Bamidbar (Numbers) 29:35 - 30:1. The haftorah for this
portion is I Melakim (Kings) 8:54-66.
VI.
Events of the Eighth Day
The
Mishkan,
the Tabernacle in the wilderness,
was inaugurated on the eighth day:
Vayikra
(Leviticus) 8:33 - 9:24
Do not leave the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for seven
days, until the days of your ordination are completed, for your
ordination will last seven days. What has been done today was commanded
by HaShem
to make atonement
for you. You must stay at the entrance to the Tent
of Meeting day and night for seven
days and do what HaShem requires, so you will not die; for that is what
I have been commanded.” So Aaron and his sons did everything HaShem
commanded through Moses. On the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron and his
sons and the elders of Israel.
He said to Aaron, “Take a bull calf for your sin
offering and a ram for your burnt
offering, both without defect, and present them before HaShem.
Then say to the Israelites: ‘Take a male goat for a sin
offering, a calf and a lamb--both a year old and without defect--for a
burnt offering, And an ox and a ram for a fellowship offering to sacrifice
before HaShem, together with a grain offering mixed with oil. For today
HaShem will appear to you.’” They took the things Moses commanded to
the front of the Tent
of Meeting, and the entire assembly came near and stood
before HaShem. Then Moses said, “This is what HaShem has commanded you
to do, so that the glory of HaShem may appear to you.” Moses said to
Aaron, “Come to the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your
burnt offering and make atonement for yourself and the people; sacrifice
the offering that is for the people and make atonement for them, as
HaShem has commanded.” So Aaron came to the altar and slaughtered the
calf as a sin offering for himself. His sons brought the blood to him,
and he dipped his finger into the blood and put it on the horns of the
altar; the rest of the blood he poured out at the base of the altar. On
the altar he burned the fat, the kidneys
and the covering of the liver from the sin offering, as HaShem commanded
Moses; The flesh and the hide he burned up outside the camp. Then he
slaughtered the burnt offering. His sons handed him the blood, and he
sprinkled it against the altar on all sides. They handed him the burnt
offering piece by piece, including the head, and he burned them on the
altar. He washed the inner parts and the legs and burned them on top of
the burnt offering on the altar. Aaron then brought the offering that
was for the people. He took the goat for the people’s sin offering and
slaughtered it and offered it for a sin offering as he did with the
first one. He brought the burnt offering and offered it in the
prescribed way. He also brought the grain offering, took a handful of it
and burned it on the altar in addition to the morning’s burnt
offering. He slaughtered the ox and the ram as the fellowship offering
for the people. His sons handed him the blood, and he sprinkled it
against the altar on all sides. But the fat portions of the ox and the
ram--the fat tail, the layer of fat, the kidneys and the covering of the
liver--
These they laid on the breasts, and then Aaron burned the fat on the
altar. Aaron waved the breasts and the right thigh before HaShem
as a wave offering, as Moses commanded. Then Aaron lifted his hands
toward the people and blessed them. And having sacrificed
the sin
offering, the burnt
offering and the fellowship offering, he stepped down. Moses
and Aaron then went into the Tent
of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people; and
the glory of HaShem appeared to all the people. Fire
came out from the presence of HaShem and consumed the burnt offering and
the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they
shouted for joy and fell facedown.
The
eighth day began the inauguration of the Mishkan.
It was on this day that the Divine Presence finally descended and “inhabited”
the Mishkan.
For, the number eight always alludes to a departure from the “natural” world,
and entry into the supernatural world.
*
* *
Bereshit
(Genesis) 17:9-14
Then God said to Abraham,
“As for you, you must keep my covenant,
you and your descendants after you for the generations
to come. This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you,
the covenant you are to keep: Every male
among you shall be circumcised.
You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign
of the covenant between me and you. For the generations to come every
male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including
those born in your household
or bought with money from a foreigner--those who are not your offspring.
Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be
circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant.
Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will
be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
*
* *
1
Shmuel (Samuel) 17:12
Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse, who was from Bethlehem
in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and in Saul’s time
he was old and well advanced in years.
*
* *
II
Divrei HaYamim (Chronicles) 29:15-17
When they had assembled their brothers and consecrated themselves, they
went in to purify the temple
of HaShem,
as the king had ordered, following the word of HaShem. The priests
went into the sanctuary
of HaShem to purify it. They brought out to the courtyard of HaShem’s
temple everything unclean that they found in the temple of HaShem. The
Levites took it and carried it out to the Kidron Valley. They began the
consecration on the first
day of the first month, and by the eighth day of the month
they reached the portico of HaShem. For eight more days they consecrated
the temple of HaShem itself, finishing on the sixteenth
day of the first month.
*
* *
I
Tzefet (Peter) 3:18-20
For Mashiach
died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring
you to God. He was put to death in the body
but made alive by the Spirit, Through whom also he went and preached to
the spirits in prison Who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently
in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few
people, eight in all, were saved through water,
Midrash
Rabbah - Bereshit (Genesis) XLIX:13 AND
HE SAID: OH, LET NOT THE HaShem BE ANGRY... PERA DVENTURE TEN
SHALL BE FOUND THERE (XVIII, 32). And why ten? So that there might be
sufficient for an assembly [of righteous men to pray] on behalf of all
of them.[25]
Another reason, why ten? Because at the generation of the Flood eight
righteous people[26] yet remained,’ and the world
was not given a respite for their sake. Another reason, why ten?
Because he thought that there were ten there, viz. Lot, his wife, his four
daughters and four sons-in-law.[27] R. Judah b. R. Simon and
R. Hanin in R. Johanan’s name said: Here ten were required, while in Jerusalem
even one would have sufficed,[28] as it is written, Run ye
to and fro in the streets of Jerusalem... and seek... if ye can find a
man, if there be any that doeth justly (Jer. V, 1); and thus it says
too, Adding one thing to another, to find out the account (Eccl. VII,
27). R. Isaac said: How far can an account be extended [for one city]?
As far as one man [29]
*
* *
Yechezkel
(Ezekiel) 40:28-31
Then he brought me into the inner court through the south gate, and he
measured the south gate; it had the same measurements as the others. Its
alcoves, its projecting walls and its portico had the same measurements
as the others. The gateway and its portico had openings all around. It
was fifty cubits long and twenty-five
cubits wide. (The porticoes of the gateways around the inner court were
twenty-five cubits wide and five
cubits deep.) Its portico faced the outer court; palm trees decorated
its jambs, and eight steps led up to it.
It
is interesting to note that the following phrase is repeated three
times in the book of Yechezkel; in Yechezkel (Ezekiel) 40:31, 40:34, and
40:37:
Its
portico faced the outer court; palm trees decorated its jambs, and eight
steps led up to it.
*
* *
Revelation
17:7-11
Then the angel
said to me: “Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery
of the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven
heads and ten
horns. The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up
out of the Abyss and go to his destruction. The inhabitants of the earth
whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation
of the world
will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is
not, and yet will come. “This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven
heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. They are also seven
kings. Five
have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come,
he must remain for a little while. The beast who once was, and now is
not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his
destruction.
*
* *
The
Arizal explains that numbers have their origins in the supernal
spiritual worlds. Single digit numbers correspond to the physical realm
Asiyah, the sefirat Malkhut. Tens correspond to the angelic realm
Yetzirah, the sefirat Tiferet. Hundreds correspond to the Neshama realm
Beriah, the sefirat Binah, Imma. Being that hundreds emanate from the
realm of Imma, they are the source of blessing. Therefore, all offerings
are the rectification of 100% of the produce offered.
*
* *
This study was written by
Rabbi
Dr. Hillel ben David
(Greg
Killian).
Comments
may be submitted to:
Rabbi
Dr. Greg Killian
6970
Axis St. SE
Lacey,
WA 98513
Internet
address: gkilli@aol.com
Web
page: http://www.betemunah.org/
(360)
918-2905
Yoma VII, 8
Prohibited in Deut. XXII, 11.
Y.T. explains that this coat was similar to one made of the forbidden
mixture. The verse, however, seems out of place; perhaps one should
emend as in J. Yoma VII, 5: the tunic... Linen, while some say, to atone
for bloodshed. The present verse rightly follows since it was this coat
which stirred up the hostility of Joseph’s
brethren. The proof-text there. however, is: And they dipped the tunic
in blood (v. 31).
T.J. ‘ this way and that ‘.
Since the numerical value of לב
(heart) is thirty-two.
Hide the stolen goods in hollows and caves.
Rabbenu Gershom (to ‘Ar. 16a): In the absence of the Ephod something
is lacking to expiate the sin of teraphim, i.e. idols. Cf. Ger;. XXXI,
19, 30.
‘ No atonement by means of sacrifice.’ ‘Ar. 16a.
V. Num. XXXV, 9 ff.
Slander, calumny, back-biting.
Sc. of evil speech.
Lit. ‘ bold-faced’. v. Ab. v, 20 (Sonc. ed.), p. 73, n. 8.
Addressed to Jerusalem,
personified as a woman, i.e. the daughter of Zion.
Who blasphemed, V. I Sam. XVII, 45.
E.V. ‘In Thy presence is fullness of joy, in Thy right hand bliss,
etc.
Each cord is a separate joy.
I.e. on a seven-stringed harp. E.V. ‘Seven times a day’.
This refers to the various of officials in the Sanctuary.
Mishlei (Proverbs) 20:27
Rashi
Vayikra 10:2
Shemot (Exodus) 25:8
Ibid.
Ruth 608
Ten is a quorum for public prayer.
Noah, his three
sons, and their wives.
But he was mistaken in thinking them righteous (M.K.).
But not even one was to be found.
Mah.: Translating, the righteousness of one man saving one town.
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More Facts About the Number Eight (8)
• The Scriptures were composed by 40
different people. Number 40 is 5 times 8. In terms of Bible 5 is
“God’s grace” and 8 has a meaning of new beginning, as a result,
it is a God’s grace that gives a person a second chance for new and
happy life and Scriptures are meant to help a person find a way to a new
beginning.
• Total
number of days of Yom
Tov in
a year in Israel
• Number
of days of Chanukah
•Number
of days of Pesach
(Diaspora)•
The transfiguration also took place on the eighth day (inclusive
reckoning) after the first announcement of Christ's
"sufferings," and it was the showing forth of the
"glory" which should follow at His coming again.
•
Pesach (Passover) lasted eight days outside of Israel.
•
Eight is the first cubic number, the cube of two, 2 x 2 x 2. We have
seen that three is the symbol of the first plane figure, and that four
is the first square. So here, in the first cube, we see something of
transcendent perfection indicated, something, the length and breadth and
height of which are equal. This significance of the cube is seen in the
fact that the "Holy of Holies," both in the Tabernacle and in
the Temple, were cubes. In the Tabernacle it was a cube of 10 cubits. In
the Temple it was a cube of 20 cubits. In Revelation 20 the New
Jerusalem is to be a cube of 12,000 furlongs. Dr. Milo Mahan is inclined
to believe that the Ark of Noah, too, had a kind of sacred Shechinah in
"the window finished in a cubit above.”
•
The miracles of Elijah were eight in number, marking the Divine
character of his mission.
•
There were eight songs in the Old Testament outside the Psalms.
•
The miracles of Elisha were double in number, viz. Sixteen, for his
request was, "Let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me"
(2 Kings 2:9).
•
The use and significance of the number eight in Scripture is seen to
recur in marvelous exactitude. It may indeed be said that Eight is the
dominical number for everywhere it has to do with the LORD. It is the
number of His name, IHSOUS.
•
In the book which relates to His great Apocalypse or Revelation, there
are in the introduction which sets forth the glory of the Lord, to be
revealed in the day of the Lord, eight references to the Old Testament
on which the claims of His Lordship are based It will be noted,
moreover, that these are not given at haphazard. Our attention is called
to their importance by the order in which they are given. They are
arranged in the form of an epanodos, the first being from the same book
as the eighth, the second corresponding in the same way to the seventh,
the third to the sixth, and the fourth to the fifth. Thus the Divine
seal of superabundant perfection is there set on the Scriptures, which
declare the Lordship of Jesus.
Sh’moneh - The Number 8 in Hebrew
In
written communications, letters and numbers serve to express the
thoughts and ideas, wants and needs of people. In Hebrew and also Greek,
the entire alphabet served as both letters and numbers. In Hebrew this
is called Gematria or by its Greek name Isopsephia. Therefore, in the
Hebrew language, every letter has a meaning; also, a numerical value.
This has tremendous significance, in that numbers become very relevant.
Continuing with the importance of the number 8 in ancient Hebrew, the
8th letter in the Hebrew Alphabet is Chet.

This
eighth letter, Chet, has an ordinal or positional Gematria and it's
standard Gematria are the same (8). It is the number of new life/new
beginning. Raised to its triplicate, 888 is the numerical name of Jesus
in the Greek New Testament text. The literal meaning of this letter is a
"fence," "hedge" or "chamber." The
symbolic meaning is "to make private" or "to
separate." In ancient Hebrew the 8th letter was drawn as a fence,
and the word picture it gave was Brother [Gen 24.29] because the word
brother is "a strong fence" (that protects). As an example,
the following understanding of the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet
brings us to understand the significance of the number 8, especially as
it is incorporated into the 888 listed above.
The
First letter of the Hebrew Alphabet, called in Hebrew, the Aleph-Bet, is
the Aleph, drawn as shown here. The literal meaning of aleph is ox or
bull. The symbolic meaning of this letter is: God, strength, strong
leader. It shows God's mastery and oneness.
In the ancient Hebrew, it was drawn like the head of an ox which is part
of the original meaning of the letter. The literal meaning is
"strong leader, strength, master, 1 or 1000. This is the example of
ancient wisdom in the scriptures that read: "Be not unequally yoked
together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with
unrighteousness?" 2 Cor. 6:14.
A young, inexperienced oxen would be yoked with a full grown ox
accustomed to ploughing, and the younger would learn from the older
because of the latter's size and great strength, he would literally drag
the young ox around in the proper direction as commanded by the
ploughman.
The Gematria of the letter Aleph is 1 and always means God. Yeshua/Jesus
said, "I and my Father are ONE" (John 10:30). In the full
spelling it's Gematria is 111, which is the same Gematria as "The
Lord My God" (Ps 38.15) and "Children of the Living God"
(Hos 1:10).
This first letter of the Hebrew alphabet that stands for God, when
written out is amazing and shows the deep complex and integrated design
of the word of God that millennia later, would become flesh, alive and
living in the person of Yeshua/Jesus Christ. Can we believe the accuracy
of the "New Testament" Greek text? Can it be traced back to
the ancient Hebrew teaching. Of course.
The aleph spelled full by its Gematria of 111 gives us a bed rock solid
truth. When multiply the number 8, the number of new life, new
beginnings by Aleph, the first letter, we arrive at the number 888 which
is "Jesus" in the Greek text of the New Testament! This ties
the person of Jesus directly back to the first letter of the Hebrew
alphabet and God Himself! The first and "Greatest" commandment
is that we love God with all our heart, mind and strength.
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Why Are You Seeing
Number Eight (8?
If you are wondering why you are seeing
number 8 everywhere you go, then we have a couple of answers for you.
First of all you should know that you are
blessed if you notice that number 8 is appearing with frequency in your
life. Your guardian angels are using this number repeatedly because they
are trying to catch your attention this way.
All you need to do if you notice number 8
that is appearing constantly in your life is to stop for a while and to
think about its symbolism. Number 8 is the number that will bring
abundance, joy and prosperity into your life.
However, you should keep in mind its
biblical meaning as well.
We have told you that in the biblical
sense number 8 means that you will start a new phase in your life.
According to the Bible, number 8 is a symbol of new beginnings and very
often this number was in a close connection with Jesus Christ. That’s
why we can tell you that this number is a holy number that will change
your life and make it much better.
If you are seeing number 8 very often,
you will get energy and strength that will help you on your spiritual
journey. Your angels will come to you because they want to give you
encouragement and motivation to keep going forward in your life. They
have seen your abilities and they are sure that you can make great
success in your life.
We hope that you enjoyed reading this
article about number 8 and we are sure that this number will change your
life completely. If you are blessed, you will receive this number from
the universe and you will get the chance to change your life.
If you take into account the biblical and
the prophetic meaning of number 8, you will get to know that this number
is a very important spiritual number and it will make your faith
stronger than ever before.
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Symbolic
Meaning of the Number Eight
Circumcision:
The Sign of God's Covenant
This
is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy
seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.
And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall
be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
And he that is eight days old shall be
circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he
that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger,
which is not of thy seed.
Genesis
17:10f
The
historic Christian Church has traditionally associated the Number
8 with the entrance into the Covenant of God. This understanding
comes from God Himself who commanded Circumcision - the Sign of
the Covenant - to be performed on the Eighth Day.
God used the same language - אות
ברית (Ot B'rit, Sign of the
Covenant) - when He gave the Rainbow (Genesis 9.13):
I
do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a
token of a covenant between me and the earth.
Genesis
17:10f
The
word "rainbow" (קשת,
qeshet) used in this verse sums to the Number 800
which also is the value of the Greek words "Lord" and
"Faith." It also is the value of the final letter of the
Greek alphabet, Omega (cf. Eight
and the Resurrection below). This is the essence of Faith -
trusting in the Lord who will see us through to the very end,
signified by Omega. This lifts us above our present state to
behold our Shepherd who is Lord above all.
Given
the extreme significance of Circumcision as the Sign of the
Covenant, it is no wonder that the Rabbi's have long expounded on
the spiritual significance of the Number Eight and its relation to
God's Covenant. For example, on page 134 of his book Alef-Beit,
Rabbi Yitzchak declares:
The
Torah prescribes that the circumcision of a male child take place
on the eighth day from birth. These eight days always include at
least one Shabbat, the seventh day, which corresponds to the
experience of perfect harmony with nature. The eighth day of
circumcision represents the power of the soul to contact that
light which totally transcends nature. Through circumcision the
Jew is given the power, throughout his life, to overcome all the
obstacles nature may seem to place in the face of his service of
G-d.
The
transcendence associated with the Number Eight - recognized by
both Jews and Christians - ultimately manifests in the everlasting
New
Beginning found in the Resurrection
of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The
command to circumcise all male children was obeyed by Joseph and
Mary after the Birth of Jesus:
And
when eight days were accomplished for the
circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS,
which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the
womb.
Luke
2:21
The
contextual connection between the Number 8 and the Name of Jesus
is amplified in this, one of the greatest alphanumeric identities
linking the Greek and Hebrew languages to each other and the
central doctrine of historic Christianity:
Jesus
Iesous
|
|
=
888
=
|
The
Salvation of our God
Yeshoth
Elohenu
|
|
The
many numinous ramifications of this Number are discussed in the
Gematria Reference under the Number 888.
God
expanded upon the spiritual meaning of this "circumcision of
the flesh" when He commanded us, saying "circumcise
yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your
heart" (Jeremiah 4.4), and again in Romans 2:28
For
he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that
circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew,
which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in
the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but
of God.
Romans 2:28
All
three concepts of Circumcision, Baptism, and Resurrection come
together in Colossians 2:11f
In
whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without
hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the
circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also
ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God,
who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your
sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened
together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting
out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was
contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his
cross;
Colossians
2:11f
Yet
physical circumcision remains the characteristic sign of the First
Covenant given in the Torah as the mark of the Jews. All these
ideas cohere under the category defined by the quintessentially
Jewish Number, the Number 613:
613
= The First Covenant = In the Torah = Circumcision
Circumcision
on the Eighth Day is a supernatural typological
prophecy of the renewal that comes through entrance into God's
Covenant, which manifests as Baptism in the New Testament, and
ultimately as a symbol of the everlasting life given though the
resurrection of Christ.
Eight,
Baptism, and the Ark
Baptism
is the Sign of the Covenant in the New Covenant. Like
Circumcision, it involves a "cutting off" of the flesh -
only now it is a symbol of being crucified with Christ,
"buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ
was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we
also should walk in newness of life" (Romans 6.4). God
reveals the connection with the Number 8 in 1 Peter 3:18ff:
For
Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust,
that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh,
but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached
unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when
once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while
the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls
were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism
doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the
flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection
of Jesus Christ:
1
Peter 3:18ff

Octangular Baptismal Font in Pisa
There
is a strong typological association between Noah's Flood which
washed away the wicked people of the world and Baptism which is
the symbol of the washing away of our wicked sins. The correlation
is simply astounding - it is a typological prophecy that everyone
can see fulfilled in Christian Baptism. Of particular beauty is
the correlation with the Baptism of Christ when the Holy Spirit
descended upon Christ in the form of the Dove - there very animal
released by Noah from the Ark as the sign of the new
beginning! We have multiple independent converging lines of
association between Baptism, Salvation through the Flood,
Resurrection, and the Number Eight that points clearly to the
deliberate design and Teaching of God's Wisdom. It is for this
reason that the Church has traditionally designed baptismal fonts
as octagons.
Eight
and the Resurrection
But
Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when
Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have
seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his
hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of
the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
And after eight days again his disciples were
within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being
shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then
saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands;
and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not
faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him,
My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou
hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not
seen, and yet have believed.
John
20:24
The
Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the ultimate new
beginning. In the perfect Wisdom of God, it occurred on
Sunday, simultaneously the First Day and the Eighth Day
of the Week. It is the temporal equivalent of the Octave,
established from the foundation of the World to teach us forever
the glory of the resurrected Lord of the Universe. This is
reiterated yet again in Christ's appearance to Thomas on the Eighth
Day after his resurrection. And what teaching did Christ
give us? When I was an unbeliever, I thought that Christ was
teaching blind faith when He said "blessed are they that have
not seen, and yet have believed." How could this be anything
but blind belief? The answer is as obvious as it profound. Faith
is not blind - Faith is the fulfillment of Christ's
promise that "blessed are the pure in heart, for they
shall see God." In plain English, the reason people
need proof is because they are blinded by their sins and lack of
faith. They are so cut off from God and Truth that they can not
receive the witness of the Holy Spirit! They fulfill the words of
Christ from Matthew 12:39:
An
evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there
shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly;
so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the
heart of the earth.
Matthew
12:39
Thomas
was called Didymus which means twofold or twin (S# G1324).
The natural reason for this was because it was the Greek
translation of his Hebrew name
(Tawom,
Twin, S# H8380
- note the phonetic similarity to the English). The supernatural
reason is because the fundamental characteristic of doubt is
double-mindedness (see James 1:8), and this is what was
enscripturated in the record of Doubting Thomas.
Oh! The glory of God's Wisdom! Finally, two elements of this story
link to the Number 800:
Then
saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands;
and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not
faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and
said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith
unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed:
blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed
John
20:27
We
have the pair of identities:
Faith
Pistis
|
|
=
800
=
|
Lord
Kurios
|
|
The
Risen Lord is the object of our Faith. It is by joining ourselves
utterly to the Lord through faith, even unto death - the
Omega Point of our natural lives - as Ruth
with Naomi, that we can focus the mind, heart, and hope on the
ultimate outworking of God's Creation - again symbolized by Omega
- so that we can walk through this world in perfect peace. This is
the marriage of the Soul with God! Note that this links to the
Rainbow = 800
given as God's original sign of the covenant and the last letter
of the Greek language, Omega.
All
these ideas are both recognized and expounded upon in the
traditional Jewish understanding of the Letter Chet. For example,
on page 136 in his book Alef-Beit, Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh
declares (emphasis mine):
At
the level of Divinity, the number eight alludes to the absolute
Infinity of G-d. ... Whereas at the level of Souls, circumcision
gives one the power to overcome obstacles, at this level of
awareness G-d's true Infinity links one, in covenant, to His very
Essence.
When
linked to Infinity, overcoming obstacles, even death, the
secret of resurrection, becomes self-evident and
"second nature." When absolutely connected to the
Infinite One, there can in truth be no obstacle.
To
really appreciate the significance of this quote, it must be
remembered that it comes from a Jewish Rabbi who is not trying to
support the text of the New Testament, wherein we find the
extremely strong Christian witness to the relation between the
Number 8 and Resurrection.
Eight,
Octaves, and New Beginnings
It
is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not
consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new
every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
AV
Lamentations 3:34-34
The
verses above are two of the Chet
Alphabetic Verses from Lamentations (vss 23 . 24).
Of
particular interest is the Chet KeyWord חדש
(chadash,
new, S# H2319)
which relates to the fundamental symbolic meaning of the Number
Eight in Scripture established by God in the Seven Days of
Creation. The Eighth Day is the first day of the
new week, precisely as the Octave is the Eighth Note
that begins the musical cycle anew on a higher level. This meaning
coheres with the shape of the Arabic Number 8 - the Figure Eight -
which is an image of the physical shape of the standing wave of
the Octave. All this naturally (and supernaturally!) integrates
with the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Three
numbers are closely associated in Scripture with the ideas of
Marriage, Resurrection, New Beginnings. Each has the form of an
Octave: N x 7 + 1. Specifically, the first,
third, and seventh octaves, which are given by N = 1, 3, and 7:
First
Octave: New Beginnings:
|
8
= 1 x 7 + 1
|
Third
Octave: Number of Spokes:
|
22
= 3 x 7 + 1
|
Seventh
Octave: Pentecost:
|
50
= 7 x 7 + 1
|
|
|
The
idea of the octave is very enlightening here. Books 8 (Ruth) and
22 (Song of Solomon) are deeply integrated on the idea of
Marriage, which is the ultimate biblical symbol of our entrance
into God's Covenant and the ultimate outworking of His Covenant
when Christ receives
His Bride. The Number 22 - the Number of Spokes on the Wheel
and letters in the Hebrew alphabet - is the third Octave.
Pentecost, which represents the fullness of God's Time, sealed by
His Spirit is the Seventh Octave, in perfect harmony with God's
use of the Number Seven
in Scripture. These identities are discussed more in the Spoke
8 Pentecost
article. They point to the everlasting Wisdom of God descending
from above. The Key is knowing Jesus (888)
and the power of His Resurrection (8).
English
|
Eight
|
German
|
Acht
|
Greek
|
|
Latin
|
Octo
|
Many,
if not most words for "eight" from Indo-European
languages are very similar to the name of the eighth letter Chet,
in the sense that it is composed of a guttural like "ch"
followed by a dental like "t." The only significant
variation noted in Klein's Etymological Dictionary of the English
Language is the Old Slavic Osmi which - interestingly enough - is
phonetically similar to the Hebrew name of the Number Eight,
Shemunah (S# H8083).
The value of this name integrates with the Aleph and Tav:
Eight
Shemunah
|
|
=
401
=
|
Aleph
Tav
Et
|
|
The
Number 401
also coincides with the value of the name of Isaiah, the one book
in the Bible that is an image of the Bible within the Bible,
complete from Aleph to Tav (cf. Inner
Wheel of Isaiah).
The
idea of the Octave manifests in a slightly different way in the
Greek Alphanumeric correlation, which begins with Alpha = 1 and
ends with Omega = 800.
The
Number 8 integrates with the Number 66
- the value of the Wheel (Galgal) - to yield the Key to the Bible,
as revealed in Isaiah 22.22:
And
the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he
shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall
open.
Isaiah
22:22
We
have the identity:
KEY
Maphte'ach
|
=
528 =
8 x 66
|
Of
course, the name Isaiah is itself integrated with Eight and the
Aleph Tav through the identity:
Isaiah
Yishaihau
|
=
401 =
Aleph + Tav = Eight
|
Note
also that the ordinal position of Isaiah in the Canon is as Book
23, which integrates with the sum of the ordinal values of Aleph
(1) and Tav (22).
|
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The
Eight Laws of Charity – The Tzedakah

In
Judaism, Tzedakah is the religious requirement of charity regardless of
a person’s financial status.
Maimonides
has Eight Laws of Giving.
These
are listed in the Mishneh Torah.
Moses
Maimonides (1138 – 1204) was a major Jewish rabbi, philosopher,
doctor, mathematician and astronomer.
1.
|
Giving
an interest-free loan to a person in need; giving a grant to a
person in need.
|
2.
|
Giving
tzedakah anonymously to an unknown beneficiary via a person (or
public fund) who/which can be trusted.
|
3.
|
Giving
tzedakah anonymously to a known receiver.
|
4.
|
Giving
tzedakah publicly to an unknown receiver.
|
5.
|
Giving
tzedakah prior to being asked.
|
6.
|
Giving
adequately after being asked.
|
7.
|
Giving
willingly, but insufficiently.
|
8.
|
Giving
“in sadness” – giving because of the distressing feelings
one gets seeing somebody in need.
|
|
|