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<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">On 06/19/2011 08:37 PM, Michael ORR wrote:<BR>> Judaism has a Shabbos of days (yom hashabbos), a Shabbos of weeks<BR>> (shevuous), a Shabbos of years (shmitah), and a Shabbos of shemitahs<BR>> (yovel).<BR>> <BR>> I am wondering about whether there is any tradition of Shabbos with<BR>> respect to other units of time.<BR>> <BR>> A SHABBOS OF MONTHS<BR><snip><BR>> A SHABBOS OF HOURS</SPAN></P><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class=MsoNormal><BR><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">>"Joel C. Salomon" <<A href="mailto:joelcsalomon@gmail.com">joelcsalomon@gmail.com</A>> replied:</SPAN></P><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"></SPAN>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class=MsoNormal><BR>>Interesting thought. ... <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>in<BR>>things like days or years that don't have a "built-in" cycle, we can<BR>>collect them in groups of seven. Months (almost) divide up a year, and<BR>>hours a day, so a "seven" of hours or of months isn't as meaningful....</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class=MsoNormal><BR>>--Chesky</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class=MsoNormal><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">REPLY:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">I was trying to explain how a seven of months does indeed seem significant, and it does not seem like such a stretch.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Tishrei is the seventh month from Nissan and Nissan is the seventh month from Tishrei.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Both are our most significant months, each with a major seven-day festival in the middle followed later by a completion/atzeres.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>If we allow the seven year cycles to overlap in this way then a year is composed of two seven-month cycles, like day and night.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">And then if we can understand the 12 month-year as a composite of overlapping 7 month cycles, then it seems natural to try to extend this logic to a 24 hour day.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>(BTW, is there a Torah source for dividing the day into 24 hours?)<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">I am wondering about sources for this.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>So far I have just seen suggestive shreds, e.g. in the Sfas Emes (comparing Yom Kippur and Purim – Yom K’Purim) and in the Ramban, comparing the Atzeres of Shevuous with the Atzere of Shemini of Sukkos.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Am just starting to look at RAK’s edition of Sefer Yetzirah which looks like it will be helpful.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Wondering if others have additional tips or feedback?<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Even if the focus on the concept of a “Shabbos of months” is not accepted as compelling, I am looking for sources that discuss the division of the Jewish year into two parallel cycles.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Commonalities between the cycles are:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">-Each cycle centres on major seven-day festival <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>around time of equinox<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">-Seven day festival culminates in completion/atzeres that is celebration of Torah<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">-Month preceding the festival (Elul or Adar) is month of transformation (Elul is teshuva and Purim/Adar is “ve’nahapoch hu”)<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">-The first and tenth days of the festival month have special distinctions - (RH, YK, New Year of Nissan and Shabbos HaGadol, on the 10<SUP>th</SUP> in its original year).<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The first day is a new year in both cases.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">-Each cycle has apparent solstice-related observance: <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>(1) 17<SUP>th</SUP> of Tammuz, leading to Tisha B’Av – time when light begins to decrease – Represents a beginning of galus/exile , and (2) Chanuka – when the light begins to increase, <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>represents an end of galus/exile.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Any further leads or feedback is appreciated.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>(I acknowledge with thanks the previous suggestions to look at the following on the significance of 7 generally: <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>RSRH, mequbalim in general. E.g. Maharal, Gevuros H', pereq 46.)<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV></div></body></html>