The secret of 52
Last week after the US illegally blew up Iranian General Soleimani in Iraq, Donald Trump warned that if Iran dared to retaliate for having their General killed in cold blood, the US would destroy 52 targets.
That number was deliberately picked to reflect the 52 American hostages that were held in Iran when Ayatollah Khomeini swept to power in 1979, deposing the corrupt puppet leader, the Shah.
I went to look at Rav Glazerson’s video about it, and strangely when I was watching that video had 520 views, and 52 likes…. Clearly, the number 52 was figuring largely. So, all week I was pondering on it, and what it all means.
(If you’re a regular reader, you can probably already guess what happened next….)
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On Shabbat, I cracked up Rabbi Nachman’s Stories ‘randomly’, and I opened up at a page just before the story of the Water Castle, in the Sixth Day of the story of the Seven Beggars.
In my book Unlocking the Secret of the Erev Rav I have a whole section on how that story is connected to the Erev Rav, and how it’s timing means it’s all occurring shortly before Moshiach comes, which will be the story of the Seventh Beggar.
So anyway, the story is talking about how the Beggar Who Had No Hands had 4 powers, and how these four powers paralleled a number of other things, including the 4 expansions of Hashem’s ineffable name, the YKVK.
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When the Tetragrammaton is expanded out, you get:
AV = 72
SaG = 63
MaH = 45
BaN = 52
I saw that last one, and the lightbulb went off that I was getting a clue, here.
Those four things in turn parallel the four elements of fire, air, water and earth, that I’ve been writing so much about as part of the People Smarts stuff I’ve been working on, and also parallels the four levels of creation, like this:
AV = 72 FIRE HUMANS
SaG = 63 AIR ANIMALS
MaH = 45 WATER PLANTS
BaN = 52 EARTH INERT MATTER
Stick with me, here’s where it starts to get very interesting.
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In the notes by the late Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, it says:
“BaN represents the breaking of the vessels. [T]he broken vessels were rectified when MaH and BaN were unified….The breaking of the vessels created the forces of the Other Side (i.e. evil)….The vessels are represented by the “Kings of Edom” (Bereshit 36:31-39).”
Let’s try to put this into our language, to see if we can unpick it a little.
It stacks up like this:
Trump (a ‘King’ of Edom) stated last week he’s going to attack 52 Iranian targets.
52 equates to BaN, one of the names of Hashem, that is also linked to the element of DUST, and to INERT MATTER, and this lowly world, the world of Asiyah.
BaN represents the side of evil, which was created when the original spiritual ‘vessels’ that Hashem created the world with shattered because of too much light. That resulted in 288 sparks of holiness becoming lost throughout creation and captured by the side of evil.
When the last of these 288 sparks of holiness is rectified and raised back up to their rightful spiritual place by the Jewish people, we’ll get geula and Moshiach.
Now, Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan equates the side of evil to the “Kings of Edom”.
Hashem’s attribute of Strict Justice also equates to BaN – 52, and that’s how God wanted to create the world, initially. But the world couldn’t continue like that, so Hashem added in MaH – which equates to WATER, mercy.
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Let’s quote some more of Rabbi Kaplan:
“God then added the attribute of Mercy, which is the expansion of MaH, and created the world from both. There, the world is created from MaH and BaN, that is, from water and dust. Man was also created from dust and water, and this is why man has free will.
“It is written, “the spirit of God hovered over the face of the water (Genesis 1:2). The midrash states that this is the “spirit of the Messiah”. The Messiah works through the primeval water that came from the hidden saying, and thus will rectify and cleanse the world.”
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What I take from this is that Trump’s announcement of 52 targets was the manifestation of some very harsh judgement in the world, spearheaded from the ‘side of evil’, aka the Kings of Edom.
But the spirit of Moshiach – represented by MaH, MERCY, WATER – somehow managed to sweeten it all.
I think we had the massive floods in Israel this last week as a ‘sweetening’ of the judgments.
One more quote from Rabbi Kaplan:
“Water… cleanses all impurities. It is for this reason that before entering the Temple or any other holy place, one must immerse in water…. All Israel similarly entered the covenant of the Torah through immersion.”
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Let’s stop there, but it certainly seems that the forces of evil were gearing up for something big again last week, and Hashem’s attribute of MERCY – with some help from Moshiach – seems to have sweetened it.
Long may it continue.
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UPDATE:
A very insightful reader got in touch to bring the following prayer by Rabbi Berland to my attention. I’m bringing it below, to make it easy to put the pieces together, but you can see the original HERE.
It’s totally, mind-blowingly awesome how all this stuff is fitting together…. And for anyone who has eyes to really see, the clues are becoming more and more obvious. Not least, why so many of us are struggling so much with parnassa at the moment, and why the ‘abundance’ in the world is apparently being curtailed.
Lots to think about! Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments.
UPDATE #2:
I just found out there are 5,200 US troops in Iraq that the US is refusing to remove, even though the Iraqi parliament voted on it, and asked them to leave. Gotta love that ‘respecting democracy in action’ vibe!
“Some 5,200 U.S. soldiers are stationed across Iraqi bases to support local troops preventing a resurgence of ISIS.”
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Rabbi Berland’s Prayer To Get Out of Debt
Master of the Universe, Omniscient One,… allow me to merit the four aspects of Har Tavor whose length is four parsa. Know that I am worse off than all of the tzadikkim, and worse off than all of the middle men, and worse off than all of the evil ones, and worse off than even my own worth and also to get out of the neckhold that is three parsa and to not be haughty – not with my wisdom nor with my strength, nor by my wealth.
And by this shall I merit to get out of all my debt and shall I merit an abundance of food and drink and clothing by means of me meriting the ten attributes of MAH (Mem Heh), which is abundance in gematria = 450.
Please, Hashem, take the Samech Mem out of me as it is cloaking my eyes, since an eye in gematria is Samech Mem Ayin + 1= Samech Mem = 131.
Please, All Merciful and Compassionate One, allow me to merit all the attributes of MAH (Mem Heh), and especially what is behind MAH (Mem He) which in gematria is Ayin since behind MAH (Mem Heh)
There is: Yod 20
Yod Keh 26
Yud Keh Vav 39
Yud Keh Vav Keh 45
130 in the gematria of Ayin
And only by means of me meriting the light of the new MAH (Mem Heh) will I merit to get out of all aspects pertaining to defects of the eye and then shall I merit to get out of all debts since only the light of the new MAH (Mem Heh) that emanates from Adam Kadmon can subjugate the breaking of the vessels of the name of BAN(Bet Nun) that emanates from the eyes where the entire secret of the breaking stems from, and it is from there all the debts (emanate).
And by unifying the name of BAN (Bet Nun), Yud Keh Vav Keh = 52 with the name of the new MAH (Mem Heh) will we leave this awful breakage that has lasted already for five-thousand seven hundred and 79 years and then shall we merit to get out of all the debts that we are all buried in and by this shall I merit teshuva coming from love and to always have my travails intertwined with the travails of the Shechina.
And by this merit a double portion of livelihood as is it is written, “And there was enough of my treasure and money for you,” for all who involve Shem Shamayim with their travails, their livelihood is doubled and it flies forth like a bird.
PLEASE, ALL MERCIFUL AND COMPASSIONATE ONE, WHO IS OMNISCIENT, QUICKLY TAKE ME OUT OF ALL OF MY TERRIBLE DEBT THAT I AM SUNK IN AND HAVE ME MERIT TO PAY THEM OFF TO THE END.
And with this shall I merit to have the privilege of having the influence for providing a livelihood for all of Am Yisrael and may it be established for me the verse of which it is written by Yosef Hatzadik, “He is the provider for all peoples of the land.”
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You can read more of Rivka’s musing over on her blog, at: https://rivkalevy.com/
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Prayer number #52
https://ravberland.com/52-prayer-to-be-the-most-wise-and-righteous-for-women/
woah!!
i had to read this like three times, and i think maybe i have the pieces in order….
maybe
in any case, bH theres some sort of hint for us to help on to the rope of emuna as things just keep being so uncertain (maybe some readers are able to hold on to strong emuna within the total darkness, but i am so thnakful for the “training wheels” Hashem give to those us us who arent so steady) and with this may Hashem help all of us that our emuna be strengthened completely
You said that Trump is a “King” of Edom which is a commonly held belief that Rav Berland just corrected: “NOW TOO, AMERICA IS MALCHUT YAVAN, RUSSIA IS MALCHUT EDOM (THE KINGSHIP OF EDOM/ESAV)” from “Hitler was a reincarnation of Napoleon.”
Thanks for this. That quote from the Rav starts with this: “[T]he whole matter was to nullify Malchut Yavan (the Greek Kingship).
MALCHUT YAVAN IS IN ALL THE GENERATIONS. NOW TOO, AMERICA IS MALCHUT YAVAN”
Or in other words, ‘the whole matter was to nullify American rule’.
that’s not what the Rav said. Go ask him directly about America and the President to see if he agrees with you.
They are some Edomite in Malchut Yavan, and so too some Yavanite in Malchut Edom. See the American who sent Nazis scientists from Europe to the USA, and participated at the Nasa projects. So too Amalek went and are in the USA like with Hilary Clinton, that HaRav Kook Shlit”a had fasted for 3 days, during the last American presidential election, to avoid her to be president. He said she is an Amalecite. So all is mixed up with a predominent Malchut for each one: Yavan for the USA, and Edom for Russia, I guess. I don’t know if it is accurate and appropriate to the following discussion. May Hashem bless you with all His blessing, success and protection from His hand in all your ways for all your beloved ones one’s and for you always, forever and ever, bzh!
Bs”d
When Rabbi Berland speak, his speech have same logica as the words of Rabeinu.
Sod concealed in sod.
Every word he say is a segula. This way suppose to be the SPEECH OF EVERY JEW AND WILL, B.H.!
So what Rivka explained makes sense, doesn’t it? Not by sword but with SPEECH mashiah will conquer the world.
Pure speech.