VaEthChanan

In Parashah VaEthChanan we see the mathematic Signature of the Architect in the linguistic structure of the text describing the luchot (two stone tablets). These “twins” are mentioned twice in this parashah, just as they were brought down twice after the first set was shattered. This is like the mention of twins, twice, in Toldot and VaYeshev.

In Toldot, you may recall that 'twins' are born to Rivka (Ya’acov and Esav) but later in VaYeshev, 'twins' are born to Tamar (Peretz and Zerach). Both of these events in combination with one another, together with the unusual words used to describe the events, allude specifically to the twins (shnei luchot) that would be brought down twice at Sinai. All are mathematic or geometric imperatives originating in the properties of the cosmic blueprint (the combined cubic form of the luchot or primordial torah). 

We will examine all of these "twins" further in the paragraphs ahead. However, if you are new to this blog, please read each of the essential constructs listed in the column to the right before proceeding. These pages reveal some of the basic mathematic connections between the letters of God's Explicit Name and the multidimensional geometric characteristics of the luchot, both in the divided state and combined cubic form, along with the internal geometry that casts a shadow known as a magen david. There is a special connection between the Name, the luchot and the geometry of the magen, and together they form a unique signature. We refer to this geometry and its mathematic common denominator as the Signature of the Architect. The purpose of this blog is to show how all of these things connect, and to reveal where the signature geometry is hidden, not only in each week’s parashah, but the physics of time and space, quantum mechanics and celestial dynamics to name a few. Once you are familiar with these constructs you can more fully appreciate each post. Insofar as this parashah is concerned, it is also important to have read the posts on Toldot and VaYeshev mentioned above, as they contain a detailed explanation of the geometric language describing the twins born to Rivka and Tamar.

Assuming you've already read these posts, a brief summary will suffice. The birth of these two sets of twins is a reflection of the primordial torah brought down twice as the luchot. The volumetric measure for each of the luchot is 108 cubic hand-breadths (each half being 108 and noting once again that the gematria of the Hebrew word for 'half' is also 108). This geometry is the substance of our reality and so we see the equivalent in such things as the birth of the twins Yaacov and Esav who were born in the 108th year of the third millennium.  Together, the one-dimensional metric geometry of this event reflects the nature of the cosmic blueprint (the two tablets) that in turn reflect an even larger reality in the signature geometry of the Explicit Name. 

With all of this in mind, we note that the first word group in this parashah (essentially a series of contiguous letters) can be examined on this same level (i.e. its one-dimensional geometry). It is the phrase 'VaEth~chanan' (which also happens to be the name of the parashah). The last half of the letters in the phrase 'VaEthCHaNaN' (which are chet-nun-nun) have a gematria of 108 alluding to each half of the reality that was previously mentioned. What about the first half of the phrase? The first half of 'VaEthchanan' does not equal 108. Why? We'll get to that in a moment.

In VaEthChanan Moses is told he will not be permitted to enter the Land and despite his 515 prayers, the decree was sealed. VaEthChanan is Hebrew for “...and he [Moses] pleaded,” specifically “to be graced,” that God would grant him permission to enter the Land. He was not involved in the sin involving the scouts, so why was he not permitted to enter? One of the reasons given by our Sages is that, had Moshe been allowed to enter, Israel would have never fallen into idolatry and the First House (Temple) would never have been destroyed. But why would the King want to destroy His own House?  Our Sages explain that this is like the story of the king whose son rebelled. The son displeased the king so he had him banished. The decree would not allow the son to enter the palace. Later the son realized the error of his ways and repented but it was too late because the king’s decree had been sealed. However, the king loved his son very much, so what did he do? He tore down his house, and built a new one instead. The king’s decree applied to the first house. Had Moshe been permitted to enter the land, Israel would never have fallen into idolatry, and if that had happened, the first house (the temple) would never have been destroyed. The son is like those who were lost in the wilderness and forever banished from the King’s House. What did God do? He took out His wrath on the building (the temple) of stone and wood, rather than His son (Israel) so that the decree would no longer apply. As long as Moshe remained outside of Israel, the King’s son would have a portion in the world to come. Had Moshe entered the land, the ensuing idolatry would not have led to the destruction of the house, and those who sinned would have been forever left outside. It is said that at the time of the resurrection Moshe will bring those who were lost outside the land, back into the fold. This has its counterpart in all the lost souls that are in the diaspora who may not even know they are Jewish. At the time of the redemption, they will find out who they are and mashiach will bring them back to the land. This is why the decree was sealed and why God told Moshe, to speak of the matter no more. Otherwise (had the decree been changed) the first half of the letters in "...and he [Moses] pleaded," (vav aleph tet) would have been different, and the gematria very likely equal to that of the second half (making the two halves 108 opposite 108). The age of mashiach would have begun immediately, there would have been no idolatry and no destruction of the temple. However, it would have also meant that those lost in the wilderness would have no way to return. In order that none be left behind, Moshe's prayer had to be refused.

In VaEthChanan, after Moses is told he will not enter the land and accepts that fact, he proceeds to remind the Jewish people of everything that had transpired to that point, including what God requires of them. Moses said: “He [God] announced to you His covenant, instructing you to keep the ten commandments, and He wrote them on two stone tablets” (Dev/Deut 4:13). Moshe speaks of the ten commandments and then repeats what was said above, that: “[God] wrote [these commandments] on two stone tablets” (Dev/Deut 5:20). In other words, the description of the two stone tablets is redundant, in that it is repeated (twice) just as the luchot were brought down twice. The gematria of the phrase "the stones" (in Hebrew) is 108. There were two stones (2 x 108 = 216) The sequence of letters is in essence a reflection of a larger reality dictated by the nature of the primordial torah (shnei luchot / two tablets) that were brought down twice. The reflection however, has further implications.

The Hebrew words describing the events (in the above mentioned passages) are spelled differently in the second mention of the tablets. The first time the words are spelled: “lamed-vav-chet-tav,” and the second time as “lamed-chet-tav” (without the vav). Even though the tablets were identical twins (in terms of size, ratio, substance and clarity as described in the essential constructs in the column to the right) the different spelling alludes to something that was missing from the second set! At the letter level, the missing element is obviously a vav, but this is highly significant because of its secret in the Tetragrammaton where its marriage to the nun causes it to disappear. It is subtracted from the nun during the marriage between the letters (as explained in the essential construct on the "Marriage of the Letters" that was repeated in last week's post on Massey and Devarim. So, just as it is subtracted from the Name, during the unification, so too, it is here subtracted from the language describing the second set of tablets. The connection between the vav that is subtracted from the second set of tablets (of what would ultimately be four tablets) and the vav that is subtracted during the unification (of what is ultimately four letters) should not go unnoticed. The events, and in this case the linguistic structure, again reflect (to an even greater degree) the nature of a much larger reality that originates with the letters of God's Name.

In addition to the above connection between the Name and the luchot, the letter “vav” also has a gematria of 6, which is the primary measure of the luchot (6 cubed) where each dimension is 6: or specifically 6H x 6W x 6L (hand-breadths in combined cubic form). The fact that a “6” is missing from the reference to the second set of twins suggests something very specific. Three 6s correspond to "space," which has three dimensions. However, in the primordial torah, the dimension of "time" is defined in similar terms, where a hyper-cube (sometimes called a tesseract) is merely the next dimension expressed by the same measure (for example the 6 thousand years allotted to mankind). In this case, over a period of time, one set of tablets was withheld while the other was received. Had Israel not been involved in the sin of the golden calf and the original luchot not been shattered, then “time” (the next dimension above the three-dimensions of space) in terms of Israel’s “history” (His-story over time) would have been dramatically different.

Had the sin of the eigal/calf not happened, the first set of tablets would have been received, and the vav that is missing from the language of the second set, would never have been subtracted. It's an interesting paradox that must be contemplated, however the bottom line is that the internal dynamics of the cosmic blueprint (which would have been the first and only set) would have resulted in "the messianic era starting immediately" (numerous sources explain that absent the sin of the eigal/calf the messianic era would have begun at that time). As it stands now, that missing vav needs to be restored and we expect it to be “added back into the equation” during a period of time known as the footsteps of mashiach, when it figures into the sequence of events immediately preceding the final stage of the redemption, when all things are restored.

In addition to the above explanation, the word "redeemer" (go'el in Hebrew) is usually spelled without a vav. However, in the phrase "a redeemer will come to Zion" (in reference to mashiach) it is spelled with a vav. The implication being that, had the sin of the eigal not occurred, Moshe would have initiated the redemption (become the redeemer) and the messianic era would have started immediately. As it is, mashiach will be the redeemer and bring the vav when he comes. The vav with a gematria of 6 also has other implications.

As stated above, it is the primary measure of the luchot (in hand-breadths). There is one vav in the Tetragrammaton (which is the template for the subtraction) but there are three in the 12-letter equivalent, like the three measures of 6 in the luchot: 6 x 6 x 6 (216). We will not delve into this now, except to say that in this context, it has a connection to the fourth dimension (time). It is said that mashiach will be 'born' (at a future time) on Tisha B'Av (the 9th of Av). If you read last week's post then you know that there are 216 hours in 9 days. This is of course the one-dimensional signature geometry of the Explicit Name with its 216 letters that in turn defines or otherwise limits the nature of the luchot.

In summary, the vav that was subtracted from the letters describing the second set of luchot  are a reflection of the vav that is subtracted during the process of unification (in the marriage of the letters) but it is also indicative of an appointed 'time,' that is in this case destined to occur near the end of 6 days (6,000 years) in the messianic era, having been subtracted from the equation when the luchot were received (the redemption that would have occurred at that time, had the sin not occurred). Given that it was subtracted when the luchot were given, we fully expect to see it restored at the time of the redemption in the future, as the designated time approaches, and likely on the 9th of Av when "a redeemer (with a vav) will come to Zion." We’ll just have to wait and see how all this plays itself out in the cosmic scheme of things.