Numerology, Magic, and Jewish Kids attending Hogwarts

This past Shabbos on Good Shabbos Nebraska - America's favorite Shabbos morning talk show - we had special guest Professor Meir Bar Ilan from Bar Ilan university in Israel.

Professor Bar Ilan was named after his distinguished grandfather whom Bar Ilan University is also named for. He is also the great grandson of the great Rabbi known as the Netziv, as well as nephew of Rabbi Baruch Halevi Epstein - the author of the famous commentary known as the Torah Temimah.

In his own right, professor Bar Ilan is an incredible scholar who has written on a variety of interesting topics.  One of his main subjects is numerology in the Torah.  He explained to us that his understanding of numerology is not mystical at all.  Rather numerology is a a literary device that he claims is pervasive in the Torah.

Numbers have many meanings.  Take the number ten.  On the one hand it has a quantitative meaning - I have ten fingers.  On the other hand, it can have qualitative meanings as well - as in, "the performance was a ten!"
He contends that may numbers listed in the Torah are there to give us qualitative descriptions rather than accurate quantitative ones.

For instance, in this week's parshah the Torah says that Sara lived 127 years.  The basic question is, why on earth do we care how old she was when she died?  When we think about it, her precise age serves no purpose.  He contends that she may or may not have been 127 years old when she died - but as far as the Torah is concerned her actual age is irrelevant.  She was very old when she died.  That is important.  Also, the number 127 has numerological significance.

In the ancient world they were already aware of something that Euclid later called perfect numbers. According to historians, the largest perfect number that they knew of was 8128.  127 was also the largest prime number calculated by hand and was the largest known Marsene prime number until the 1950s.   So clearly there is some great significance to the number 127, and Professor Bar Ilan claims that the number was less Sara's exact age and more of a description of this extraordinary woman.

He also discussed with us the concept of magic in Judaism and the ancient world.  In the ancient world, without exception, magic was performed by adjuring the assistance of strange pagan deities to perform supernatural acts.  Magic was always connected to idolatry, and that is the magic that is prohibited by the Torah.

According to Professor Bar Ilan, J. K. Rowling knows a great deal about writing popular fiction, but she knows absolutely nothing about magic.  The magic depicted in Harry Potter is something that a person can go to school for and learn.  In a way, the magic of Harry Potter is no different than chemistry.  The children learn that reciting a particular incantation or mixing certain potions will produce certain predictable results.  This is completely different than ancient magic where the practitioner had to adjure the gods and hope that the gods grant his requests.

So if the magic of Harry Potter would actually work, it would be permissible according to the Torah just as chemistry is permissible.  Therefore, a Jewish child could go to Hogwarts to become a wizard.  The kids at Beth Israel were very happy to learn that.

It was a fascinating Shabbos.  After Kiddush Professor Bar Ilan spoke about his current project, deciphering a manuscript that was discovered in Kochi, India.  We could have listened to him all day.  Everything that he said was fascinating and the crowd was captivated.

Another great episode of Good Shabbos Nebraska.  Next week, polygamy Shabbos!

A Surprise Guest for this Week's Episode of GSN!

Sunday begins the The 26th Annual Klutnizk-Harris Symposium at Creighton University.  

Every year Creighton University brings in scholars from around the world to discuss assorted topics in Jewish culture.  This year the theme is Wealth and Poverty in Judaism.

The Klutznik symposium is always a great event for our Jewish community.  And every year Beth Israel has an added benefit as if there are any Shabbos observant scholars they usually stay with us for the shabbos before the symposium.  

This year we are honored to host the renowned scholar Meir Bar Ilan from Bar Ilan University.  

Professor Bar Ilan is a veteran of the 1982 Lebanon War lost a limb in battle.  He has an incredibly illustrious academic career and has published well over 100 scholarly articles for major Jewish publications.  

He has graciously agreed to be a guest on Good Shabbos Nebraska - America's Favorite Shabbos morning talk show - and he will give a lecture after kiddush.

He is a wealth of information on so many different topics including:

• Witches in the Bible and in the Talmud
• Magic in Judaism
• Astrology in Ancient Judaism
• Prayers to Angels and other intermediaries
• Numerology in Judaism
• Children's Games in Antiquity (I wonder if they had hungry hungry hippos)
• Fabulous Creatures in Ancient Jewish Traditions
• Exorcism by Rabbis
• Monsters and Other Mythological Creatures in Jewish Folklore
• Chess in Judaism

And over 100 other interesting topics!  Reading his resume was like reading a book.  This is really going to be an incredible Shabbos.  The hardest part is going to be deciding what topics he should speak about.  

I am taking requests.  Any suggestions?

This Week on GSN - Pink Shabbos

This week is season 1 episode 4 of the hit Shabbos morning talk show - Good Shabbos Nebbraska!  Being October, this week's episode is called Pink Shabbos - in honor of breast cancer awareness month!

Having a pink shabbos in October is already a long standing tradition at Beth Israel - we are now in our second year.

I was inspired to add it to our annual calendar after meeting Rochelle Shoretz at a conference two years ago. She is the founder and director of Sharsheret - an organization supporting Jewish women and their families facing breast cancer.  

Since the discovery of the BRCA genes that are linked to breast cancer, it has been shown that 1 in 40 Ashkenazi Jewish women is at risk of breast cancer - as opposed to 1 in 800 for the general population. This alarming statistic makes it imperative for Ashkenazi synagogues to raise awareness and educate women on how they can detect or prevent breast cancer.

This Shabbos on GSN we will feature special guest Bright Pink - a national organization that focuses on the prevention and early detection of breast and ovarian cancer in young women, while providing support for high-risk individuals.
Bright Pink was founded by a Jewish woman by the name of Lindsay Avner.  She started a movement that has chapters around the country, including Omaha!  At 10 am Shabbos morning Bright Pink is going to talk about what they do and give some important information that is especially relevant for the Jewish community.  
In the evening, my wife Miriam is hosting a women's Seudat Shlishi at Beth Israel and after havdallah a representative from bright pink will give a more extended presentation just for women.

Please God, may this be the last year we need to have Pink Shabbos!  May this coming year see the discovery of the cure for cancer of  every variety, and next October we will throw a big kiddush after shul to Thank God and to honor the scientists who found the cure.  Please call the office if you wish to sponsor the Kiddush for the Cure!

And we will see you all this shabbos on Good Shabbos Nebraska - every Shabbos at 10 am ONLY at Beth Israel Syangogue - where every Shabbos is a Shabbaton!