Three Things Every Jew Needs to Hear at the Seder This Year
2 min read
I was looking through my Jewish library and noticed something really incredible: The longest chapter in Psalms (chapter 119) has 176 verses. The longest parsha in the Torah, Naso, has 176 verses. And the longest tractate in the Talmud, Baba Batra, has 176 pages. What is the connection between all these?
You are very observant! Here are a few answers to this interesting phenomenon:
Chapter 119 of Psalms has 176 verses because it follows a pattern whereby the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet are used to begin 8 verses each. That is, 22-times-8 equals 176.
Which of course raises the question: What is the significance of 22 and of 8?
22 is a number of completeness, because it is the full representation of the 22 letters of the Alef-Bet - i.e. everything from A to Z (from Alef to Tav).
As for the number 8: We know that 7 represents the "natural realm" - i.e. 7 days of the week, 7 notes in the musical scale, etc. But 8 represents completeness beyond nature - a completeness in the spiritual realm. That is why Brit Milah is held on the 8th day of a boy's life. This also explains why God first commanded Abraham to perform circumcision with the words, "Walk before Me and be complete" (Genesis 17:1).
The product of two "complete" numbers, "22-times-8," is therefore the ultimate completeness. That's why 176 is used to demonstrate the supernal perfection of our holy Torah.
→ Ask the Rabbi a Question ← Click here to comment on this article
Parshah Naso comes after specifying the duties of Kohath, which includes the Kohanim.
Among what the parshah details are how to transport the ark, nazir'ite vows, what to do if a man's wife has gone astray and broken faith (related to the books of prophecy - Nevi'im), the priestly blessing, and that G-d spoke to Moses with Moses hearing G-d's voice from above the ark.
Essentially, it suggests what is likely needed near the end of exile to return the ark and get clean. Thus healing Yisra'el.
Thank you for that explanation, which leads to another question: What is unique in the content of Baba Basra, parshas Naso, and Tehillim 119 that highlights the supernal perfection of our holy Torah?
Seven representing the completeness of the physical world and eight representing spirituality is a common theme in Jewish thought.
This article is unfortunately disseminating a bubbe meise (literally a grandmother's tale, the Yiddish equivalent of a fisherman's wife's story). It is true that 176 is indeed the number of verses in the largest Parsha (Torah Portion), Biblical chapter (not merely in Psalms!) and tractate in the Talmud. Respectfully then, it should not have been necessary to embellish this amazing confluence with the bald claim that seven are the number of notes in musical scales. That is simply not true. Pentatonic scales have 5 notes and chromatic scales have 12. As someone privileged to have met and spent quality time with Rabbi Noah (the founder of Aish) I am confident that you could do better!