Of Sevens and Eights

What is it about the number seven that is so beguiling? The ancient world believed there were seven continents and seven seas and seven wonders of the world and seven precious metals. The rainbow has seven colors, and for gamblers, of course, seven is very attractive.

In Judaism, this number is all-pervading. Pesach lasts seven days, and after exactly seven weeks comes Shavuos. Succos lasts seven days. Every seventh year, the Land must lie fallow during the shemittah year — at whose cusp we now stand. After seven times seven years, we have the Yovel–Jubilee year. In the Wilderness, they inaugurated the Mishkan–Tabernacle with seven days of milu’im dedication, when they erected and dismantled the Mishkan each day (Tanchuma Pekudei 11).The Menorah in the Beis Hamikdash had seven branches.

The bride encircles the groom seven times under the chuppah; seven blessings — sheva brachos — mark the marriage ceremony; there are seven Hebrew letters in a Torah scroll that require tiny scripted “crowns”; the Amidah of Shabbos and Yom Tov each contain seven blessings; there are seven Torah aliyahs on Shabbos; in the laws of tumah (defilement) and taharah (purity), seven is a key factor. Pirkei D’Rabi Eliezer (51) lists seven major miracles mentioned in Tanach. The holy days of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Succos all occur in the seventh month.

There is much more, but enough for now. Wherever we turn in Jewish tradition, the seven is waiting for us, infinite and omnipresent.