The Secret of Seven

25 Nisan 5785

10 Days of the Omer

I don't have this all figured out, but it must be significant.  I'll throw out my various ideas and maybe any interested readers can help make sense of it in the comments.

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Seven is the number of completion.  [See Seven: The Power of Numbers by Rabbi Eliyahu Safran -  "...no number has the power and significance of the number seven."]

This year is 77 years of the State of Israel.

Seventy-seven also brings to mind seven sevens (7x7) - 49 days of the Omer - on the 50th day we receive the Torah, or - 49 years of shmittah cycles - on the 50th year we celebrate the Yovel Year.

"Every 70 years Eisav comes to push Ya'aqov down." 

Some scholars point out that Jewish history seems to move in cycles of oppression and redemption, often around significant timeframes, including 70 years. Examples: The fall of the Second Temple in 70 CE, the rise of anti-Jewish persecutions roughly every few generations, and modern events like the establishment of Israel in 1948 after roughly 70 years of Zionist activity.  (ChatGPT)

In the 70th year of the State - May 14, 2018 - the US made a show of moving their embassy to Jerusalem.  From then until now their intrusive and malicious meddling in our internal affairs has only grown and become more and more open.

The final 7 years which brings completion - "the WEEK Ben David comes" (Sanhedrin 97a) ...

Year 1  (5/2018 - 5/2019):  And I shall bring rain upon one city,  And upon another city I shall not bring rain.

Year 2  (5/2019 - 5/2020):  In the second year, the arrows of hunger are sent forth.

Year 3  (5/2020 - 5/2021):  In the third year, a great famine and men, women, children, pious men, and men of great action die and Torah is forgotten from those who learn it. [This was at the height of the Covid pandemic.]

Year 4  (5/2021 - 5/2022):  In the fourth, there will be plenty but not great plenty.

Year 5  (5/2022 - 5/2023):  In the fifth, great satiation and they eat and drink and rejoice and Torah returns to those that learn it.

[In March 2020, the WHO officially declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic. In May 2023, the WHO declared an end to the public health emergency of international concern. (Wikipedia)]

Year 6  (5/2023 - 5/2024):  In the sixth sounds (or voices).

Year 7  (5/2024 - 5/2025):  In the seventh year, wars.

At the departure of the seventh, the son of David comes.

Think about it, a final period of seven years - "the WEEK in which Ben David comes" - during the WEEKS of counting the Omer leading up to the Feast of WEEKS.

And recall that it was during this same time period that two messianic wars have already been fought - one which saw the return of Eretz Yisrael (1948) to the Jews followed by one which saw the return of Holy Yerushalayim and all the other holy cities (1967) to Jewish ownership.  They are destined to be followed by a third which will see the return of the Holy Temple Mount for the rebuilding of the Holy Temple when Ben David comes motzaei shvi'it - in Sivan?

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Another interesting set of sevens...

🔹 The Seven Hills of Rome:

These are the original hills on which ancient Rome was founded. They are all on the east side of the Tiber River:

Aventine Hill, Caelian Hill, Capitoline Hill, Esquiline Hill, Palatine Hill, Quirinal Hill, Viminal Hill

These hills are mostly associated with ancient Roman history and mythology, not Christian pilgrimage.

🔹 The Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome:

These were designated as major pilgrimage sites in the 16th century, largely due to the influence of Saint Philip Neri, who promoted a spiritual pilgrimage route. They are 

St. Peter's Basilica, St. John Lateran, St. Paul Outside the Walls, St. Mary Major, St. Lawrence Outside the Walls, Holy Cross in Jerusalem, St. Sebastian Outside the Walls, 

Only a couple of the pilgrim churches are located on or near the traditional Seven Hills:

St. John Lateran — Caelian Hill and  St. Mary Major — Esquiline Hill [where Pope Francis will be interred]  (Source:  ChatGPT)

As if Eisav was trying to capture and benefit from the power of Seven! 

Most interestingly, the fallen pope, the ultimate symbol of universal Roman/Edomite influence, will be buried on the seventh day which so happens to be Parashat Shemini ("It was on the eighth day...").  It discusses the beginning of the priestly service of the Cohanim after a full seven days of observing Moshe Rabbeinu carry it out.

Is this a hint to the superiority (and victory) of Ya'aqov over Eisav?  Ya'aqov as Yisrael can rise to the level of eight - above nature - while Eisav remains restricted to seven - the fullness of nature.

The Haftarah recounts the journey of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem during King David's reign.  The commonality between Parshah and Haftarah is the deaths of Nadav and Avihu when they brought an unbidden offering to the Mishkan and the death of Uzzah when he mistakenly touched the Ark.

"David feared Hashem on that day...."  The world today could do with a lot more "fear of Hashem."

Finally, the Omer count on Shabbat is 13 - yesod sheb'gevurah.  Yesod represents the Brit which also occurs on the eighth day.  It's the foundation of our nation - the covenant HKB"H made with our Avot and which we confirmed for ourselves at Har Sinai - the event we are actually counting up to on Shavuot.  

It's also a reminder that yet ahead of us is a renewal of this covenant when the nation has done complete teshuvah at the End of Days and accepted the leadership of Mashiach Tzidkeinu!!

Yirmiyahu 31.30-33...

Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, and I will form a covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, a new covenant. 

Not like the covenant that I formed with their forefathers on the day I took them by the hand to take them out of the land of Egypt, that they broke My covenant, although I was a lord over them, says the Lord. 

For this is the covenant that I will form with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will place My law in their midst and I will inscribe it upon their hearts, and I will be their God and they shall be My people. 

And no longer shall one teach his neighbor or shall one teach his brother, saying, "Know the Lord," for they shall all know Me from their smallest to their greatest, says the Lord, for I will forgive their iniquity and their sin I will no longer remember.

May it be so even this Shavuot!!  Ken, yehi ratzon!!