[Avodah] Abra(ha)m Received an A+ / Gematria

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From: "Joshua Meisner" _jmeisner at gmail.com_ (mailto:jmeisner at gmail.com) 





>There's no natural law that implies 100 as
> a universal  divisor, it's just something people started doing, because
> it makes  calculations easy given the Indian numeric system that we use
>  today.  I know of no source in the Torah or TSBP for such a  convention,
> and I don't believe that one existed in those days, among  either Jews
> or goyim. [--RZS]
>

<<Being that the  original discussion was based on a gematria, it's worthwhile
to note that  that gematria utilizes a base-10 system in which units of 10
represent levels  of completion, i.e., (10^0)x, (10^1)x, and (10^2)x.  For
argument's  sake, one could as easily conceive a base-7 gematria system in
which the  values are 1,2...7,14,21...49, 98, etc....
 
Given RZS' observation that powers of 10 are nowhere else used to  imply
completeness, though,  it is quite curious that the system of  gematria
should be set up in this fashion.  Why is this the  case?<<

- Josh



>>>>>
I didn't really understand what RZS said, to tell you the truth.   Maybe 
there is no place where the number "one hundred" is used to signify  completeness, 
but the Torah (and the Hebrew language) definitely uses base-10  arithmetic.  
Esser, esrim, shloshim, arba'im etc.
 
The number 100 and multiples of 100 seem to be commonly used in Tanach as  
nice, round numbers.  Avraham planted and reaped 100 times that year (Ber  
26:12).  Avraham's children will be in Egypt for 400 years.  The  Egyptians chased 
them with 600 chariots.  A hundred of you will chase ten  thousand of them 
(Vayikra 26:8).  Shaul wanted David to bring him a dowry  of me'ah orlos 
Pelishtim.  If a man has a hundred children....(Koheles  6:3).  In Shushan the Jews 
killed 300 men.  I could probably come up  with a hundred examples....
 
What /is/ correct is that there does not seem to be any concept in Torah of  
100% or any % -- a ratio of so many parts per one hundred.  Also there are  no 
numerals until the Arabs bring them from India, so arithmetic is clumsy and  
mostly done in your head.  So maybe that's what RZS meant.

 

--Toby  Katz
=============



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