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SEVEN
Table of Contents
The numeral seven has multiple associations in biblical and talmudic
literature, and in Jewish culture in general. The Hebrew rootword
for seven, (sh-v-'a),
works its way into countless familiar Hebrew expressions and terminologies.
* At the Jewish wedding ceremony
(sheva berakhot), seven blessings, are recited under the marriage
canopy, and repeated for seven evenings;[1]
*
The Talmud refers to the seven commandments which comprise the universal
moral code as
(sheva mizvot bnei noah), the seven
commandments of the sons of Noah;[2]*
The Talmud refers to the seven commandments which comprise the universal
moral code as
(sheva mizvot bnei noah), the seven
commandments of the sons of Noah;[2]
* The prayer recited
Friday evenings in the synagogue which includes the seven principal
blessings found in the lengthier weekday Amidah prayer is known
as
(mei'in sheva);[3]
* The seven species of produce with which
the Land of Israel are blessed are known as (shivat
ha-minim).[4]
*
The seventh sabbatical year, during which
the land must lie fallow and at the end of which all debts are remitted,
in known both as shemittah and as
(shenat ha-sheva), the seventh year.[5]
Jewish tradition
calls for a seven day mourning period beginning immediately after
the funeral. This period is known as (shiv'a),
literally seven. We say that a mourner (yashav
shiv'a), he sat [at home mourning] for seven days; the popular
English usage, "he sat shiva", is based on the Yiddish. According
to Jewish religious law, one observes shiv'a for only (shivat
kerovim), seven relatives: wife, father, mother, sister, brother,
son and daughter.[6]
The expression
(shiv'a medorei geihinom) refers to the seven stages of hell
through which (according to legend) sinners must pass, suffering a
different punishment in each.[7]
In describing the intense hardship or many troubles someone has been
suffering, one might say in Hebrew that that person has been through
(shiv'a
medorei geihinom), the seven stages of hell.
In many Hebrew
expressions, "seven" is used in exaggeration:
(al
ta'amen bo, ki sheva to'eivot b'libo), "Do not trust [an
enemy], for seven abominations are in his mind"[8];
or, (Be'sheva
aynayim tabit, v'titbonen el kol ha'nasah bah), "With seven
eyes, look and observe all that is being done..."[9]
Rabbinic literature
favors categorizing things by number ("upon three things the world
stands..."). In the "seven" department, we have such
expressions as:
*
(shiv'a devarim b'golem, v'shiv'a be-haham), Seven things characterize
a boorish man and seven a wise man..."[10]
(curious?)
*
(shiv'a devarim mekhusim mi'bnei adam), Seven things are hidden
from man..."[11]
(curious?)
* (shiv'a
shemot yesh lo la'yezer hara), The evil inclination has seven names..."[12]
(curious?)
In conclusion we
bring you a challenge: Can any of our readers write the two-letter Hebrew
word "Noah" incorrectly SEVEN different ways incorrect??
Send us a fax at +212-739-4178. The expression
(hu kotev "noah" b'sheva she'giot), He writes the word
"Noah" with seven errors, is a humorous description of a person
whose writing is filled with the grossest of errors.
Wishing
you all a wonderful Festival of the Seven Weeks --
Shavuot of course.
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