And the number is...22162! I will be running in the second wave which will start at 10:30 am. I am excited to finally have my number. I noticed that some of my fellow teammates looked at their number and looked at numerology to find meaning in their number. They all found various meanings for their number. I believe that numerology has some validity. As a Jew, our tradition assigns meaning to numbers and ties them to our Hebrew alephbet.Each letter in the alefbet (the Hebrew alphabet) has a numerical value. The numerical value of a word is determined by adding up the values of each letter. I discussed this breifly in my blog about the significance of the number 18 in Judaism. My bib number adds up to the number 13 or if you like 1 + 3 = 4. So, I can look at the significance of both numbers.
13 in most peoples minds is bad luck. But, this is not the case for the Jews. "Normally written as Yod-Gimel, 13 is the numerical value of the word ahava (love, Alef-Hei-Beit-Hei) and of echad (one, as in the daily prayer declaration, G-d is One!, Alef-Cheit-Dalet). Thirteen is the age of responsibility, when a boy becomes bar mitzvah. We call upon G-d's mercy by reciting his Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, found in Exodus 34:6-7. Rambam summed up Jewish beliefs in Thirteen Principles. " (From the website Judaism 101). I am going with the interpretation that my bib number represents love. All of my family and friends who have donated to Dana-Farber were doing so out of love for friends or family who have been lost to or touched by cancer. This love will help carry me through the later miles of the race.
4 has a different meaning. Four represents measuring; beneficence; intelligence. In the Kabbalah four is memory; four represents the four worlds of the Kabbalah. It also represents the four directions of space and the four levels of the hierarchical organism of the Torah. This is very interesting as my bib number can also mean memory. As you all know, I am running in memory of my family and friends who I have lost to cancer. I was so happy to find this link to my bib number.
Maybe my bib number is just a number and doesn't have any meaning. But, I can remember that my mother always told me that everything happens for a reason. I suscribe to that belief. The good news is that my bib number has two very strong meanings for me -- love and memory. What better meaning could I ask for as I run for Dana-Farber.
4 comments:
This is the best numerical analysis of our bib numbers I've seen yet! And the most meaningful tie-back to why we run. Beautifully done, Ted.
Hi! I love this post. My lucky number is actually 13 and I am happy that my bib number contains the number 1 and 3 in it (My bib number is 22341. What type of analysis are you able to get out of this? I would love to hear all about it!!! -Nicole =)
Thanks for the kind words Helen and Nicole.
Nicole, you know what 13 means from reading my blog. Your number adds up to 12 and then the single digit is 3. So what does this mean to a Jew?
12 is a very important number in Judaism because it represents the 12 tribes of Israel. The number twelve typifies the union of the people with God. At the Temple in Jerusalem there were twelve loaves, and the breastplate of the priest contained twelve precious stones to symbolize the twelve tribes of Israel, which camped round about the Sanctuary.
The number 3 is the symbol of holiness. The Holy of Holies (the inner sanctuary of the Temple in Jerusalem) occupied one-third, and the Holy Place (the actual tent that God would dwell in) two-thirds, of the entire Temple. There were three vessels each for the altar of burnt offering, the altar of incense, and the Ark. The preistly blessing over the people consisted of three sections, and in the invocation of God the word "holy" was repeated three times.
In some way you can say that your number makes what you are doing a holy act. In many ways, helping others through selfless acts is the definition of holiness. I know we are all doing this to help others.
Remember, run because you want to...finish because you can.
Ted
Ted: Bautiful analysis of the numbers for you and your co-runners. Very proud of your thinking and accomplishment so far in your training.
Dad
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