What is the true meaning of the name El Shaddai? What did the Ark of the Covenant actually look like? Who is El Elyon? Adam Kadmon? What are the 41- and 72- and 216-Letter Names of God? And what are the secrets hidden in the name Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh (“I Will be What I Will Be”)? Find out in this eye-opening concluding installment of the series. Also: What is the esoteric meaning of Jacob’s sheep? Is the Torah text we have today identical to the Dead Sea Scrolls and other ancient manuscripts? And which name of God is most-associated with the forthcoming Final Redemption?
Tag Archives: Psalm 90
How Long is a Long Life?
This week’s parasha, Mishpatim, presents the first extensive set of Torah laws. The list concludes with a blessing:
And you shall serve Hashem your God, and I will bless your bread and your water; and I will take sickness away from your midst; none shall miscarry or be barren in your land, and the number of your days I will fill. (Exodus 23:24-25)
God promises that He will fill the lifespan of one who observes His laws properly and sincerely. What does this mean? How long is a “full” lifespan? The Ba’al HaTurim (Rabbi Yakov ben Asher, 1269-1343) comments that the gematria of amal’e (אמלא), “I will fill”, is 72, suggesting that a full life span is 72 years. He then quotes Psalms 90:10 as support: “The days of our years are seventy years, or in strength, eighty years…” The Ba’al HaTurim reconciles the figure of 72 years in the parasha with 70 years in Psalms by stating that the year of one’s birth and the year of one’s death don’t count. A newborn is essentially unable to do anything, much like a frail and presumably ill elder in their last year of life. Therefore, one who has reached the age of 72 should be satisfied with having had a “fulfilled” lifespan.