Rabbi Winston and the Number 11

Rabbi Pinchas Winston discusses the significance of the number 11 found in this week's parshah, and how it affects Jewish history, especially in recent times.

11 and The Equation of Life

Hat tip: Joe

A video from Rabbi Pinchas Winston

The 11th Hour

The eleventh hour is a colloquial expression meaning "a time which is nearly too late".  So says Wikipedia.... but there are some other origins of this expression, notably:  This expression comes from the Bible. The 11th hour is the last hour before the end of the world.

Interesting...that number Eleven  again ....even more so when you listen to Rabbi Winston's shiur about Moshiach and the 10th Hour.  (I know a lot of you don't have the time, so I've typed up the relevant bits)

Disclaimer: Any mistakes are mine, not his.

[the following is taken from Rabbi Winston's shiur with a few added clarifications from me in blue]

5750 was a major turning point in Jewish history, as the Vilna Gaon explains:

Each 1000 years represents one day of Creation. The first thousand years represent Day One of Creation, the second millenium is Day Two.... and so on. Therefore this current millenium represents Day Six, the eve of Shabbat. And we know that Moshiach needs to come before Shabbat, before the end of 6000 years. 

History Repeats

Everything that occurred at the time of Creation is going to have a corresponding reality in each millenium....each event will present itself again, in some way, every thousand years. History literally repeats itself - on a different level - during each "day" (a "day" being a thousand years).

Knowing this, we can actually calculate the time Moshiach will arrive, so to speak, even though we are not permitted to calculate the date of His arrival, we can come close. {The Zohar says that as we come closer to the Geulah, even children will know how it will be.}

Moshiach's arrival is about tikkun - rectification. Therefore, Moshiach's arrival will correspond with the ideal time for tikkun as set out at the time of Creation.

The only reason we are all here is to rectify the original sin of Adam HaRishon in the Garden of Eden - the eating of the forbidden fruit. Adam ate from the tree of knowledge at the time of the 10th hour of day six of creation.

The gemara explains that during the 9th hour he was warned, and during the 10th hour (just before Shabbat) he ate the fruit.

The ideal time for tikkun/Moshiach will be in the period in history that corresponds to when he ate the forbidden fruit. 5750 was when the world entered that period of time - the time that corresponds to the 10th hour of the sixth day of creation. (see Rabbi Winston's books at his website for all the details) 5750/1990 was the turning point, and the 10th hour lasts for 83.6 years (from 1990). What happened in 1990: as a starting point, Russia imploded, Jews were allowed to leave: some went to Israel, some to America.  Soon after in 1991 we had the Persian Gulf War. 10 years later, Y2K and then 911 when the world really did change for all to see.

The book that can change history

The one book that tells us what we're supposed to do at the end of history is Kol HaTor (The Voice of the Turtledove) based on the manuscripts of the Vilna Gaon and passed down through his talmidim until today. People don't talk about it, it gets pushed to the side, but that's the book that can change history.

The Zohar tells us that Techias Hamaisim - the revival of the dead - takes place 210-214 years in advance of the year 6000, and the Zohar further says that Techias Hamaisim takes place AFTER the 40 years of the ingathering of the exiles. So according to the Zohar, history has to wrap itself up within 15 years from now. Techias Hamaisim is within 15 years. Hashem is bringing the end very fast.

I'm sure Moshiach ben Yosef has already come and gone, and there's reasons for that opinion - the Gra says that the job of Moshiach ben David is to conquer Yishmael - and this is the age of Yishmael - when Moshiach comes, Yishmael will go down. Before then, there are gevurahs (strict judgments) which have to be rectified (sweetened). For example...last week's murder of the Fogel family in Itamar represented a bucket-load of gevurah.

The Gra says ultimately it depends on what we do.   We should be talking about Moshiach, informing people... and reading Kol HaTor.

Rabbi Winston on Current Events [video]

Rabbi Pinchas Winston speaks on why the world seems to be falling apart, why we should not be worried, and why Moshiach is not very far away.

Also see: The Eleventh Hour

Eleven

Ever since the Twin Towers fell on 9 11 people have tuned into the number 11.

What is the significance of eleven in the Jewish religion? And why is that number being drawn to our attention again and again this year, with the major events all falling on the 11th day of the month, in the year of 2011 ?
 

1.11.11 -  Australia Hit with Massive Flooding - Parts of the country disappear under water

2.11.11 - Egypt's government falls: Mubarak steps down -  [7 Adar I]

3.11.11 - Japan quake, tsunami  

According to some people, 11/11 is a portal opening, a time when we can expect change.  Going by the events so far this year, it certainly seems to be the case !

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Here's a few things I found regarding the number eleven and it's relevance to the Messianic Era, and which may explain why it is being brought to our attention again and again :

"Normally the attributes (Sefirot) add up to ten. There is, however a case where the number eleven comes into play. This would be the level of Kodesh HaKodoshim, (Holy of Holies) or the "crown." "You are One but not in the numerical sense" [Tikkunei Zohar, Introduction II], meaning not in the normal order of ten, rather eleven!

"We would associate the eleventh level with the Divine service of ba'alei teshuvah, who reach above the system of development of the worlds, where even tzaddikim don't stand.

"Chassidus teaches us that in the future G-d will cause the tzaddikim to rise to the level of teshuvah, thus, then, all will reach to the same level of eleven!

"Which also connects all these thoughts with the theme of parshas Shemini where we are told that Moshe and Aharon entered the Communion Tent to burn the incense and then the Shechinah came to rest in the Tabernacle.

"The incense was composed of eleven different spices and symbolized the aspect of teshuvah, which brings the revelation of: "You are one but not in the numerical sense" (above the Ten Sefiros)."

Source: Sichos in English

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"The number eleven, which is how many spices there were in the Ketores, at first seems rather odd. However, Kabbalistically it is a number of tremendous importance for it alludes to one of the most prized possessions in all of history: Da'as Elokim - G-dly-Knowledge.

"It is well-known that there are only ten fixed Sefiros: Keter, Chochmah, Binah, Chesed, Gevurah, Tifferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod, and Malchut - Crown, Wisdom, Understanding, Kindness, Strength, Harmony, Dominance, Glory, Foundation, and Kingship. They are, for all intents and purposes, the spiritual DNA for all of existence, and the filters through which the G-d of light passes to make it all exist and happen.

"Kabbalah explains that there is actually an eleventh sefirah. However, because it is really the product of other sefiros and subject to movement, meaning that it can come and go based upon the efforts of man, it is more like a pseudo-sefirah, though its centrality is not to be under-estimated. (In truth, Da'at is what the light of Keter becomes after being filtered through Chochmah and Binah, which is why it is not really counted independently, but that is already a discussion that goes above our heads.)

"Brushing aside the details, Da'at means one thing and one thing only: Redemption. The more of this light that exists in the world, the more redemption will become a real and fixed reality, which is why the prophets describe Yemos HaMoshiach as a time when the world will be filled with Da'at, just as Betzalel was to construct the Mishkan, a microcosm of the entire universe in perfection, as the Zohar said:

"Ya'akov wanted to establish the Mystery of Unity below, and composed the twenty-four letters of, "Blessed be the Name of His glorious kingdom forever." He didn't make it twenty-five letters since the Mishkan (Tabernacle) had yet to be built. Once the Mishkan was built, the first word was completed . . . With regard to this it says, "G-d spoke to him from the Appointed Tent, saying . . ." [Vayikrah 1:1] which has twenty-five letters. [Zohar 2:139b]

"The golden calf represents the other extreme - the world without Da'at, a forerunner of modern Western Society.  The Parah Adumah of course is the tikun for the golden calf, and therefore an expression of this very concept. [See Rashi at the beginning of Parashas Chukas]

"Thus, there are some very famous elevens through history, and they are all associated with this concept of Da'at. For example, Yosef was the eleventh son born to Ya'akov, the one through whom the hand of G-d became clear and from whom Moshiach ben Yosef will descend to help us across the threshold into Moshiach's time.

"However, perhaps the most famous eleven is the gematria of the letters "Vav-Heh" from G-d's Tetragrammaton Name, purposely left out at the end of Parashas Beshallach when G-d swears there will be war against Amalek until the end of history. The Name of G-d that represents this reality is "Elokim." Once Amalek is finally snuffed out in Moshiach's time, they will return and G-d's Name will once again be one. However, until such time it is as if they remain hidden, like the hand of G-d itself in the affairs of man, allowing Gevuros and Amalek to do their thing."

Source: Torah.org

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"The number eleven is associated with the phrase, "an eleven day journey from Choreb." This implies that after the experience of Choreb, the giving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai, there is the need to proceed to a higher rung, "an eleven day journey."

"This teaches that one should not content himself with the service of the ten conscious powers of the soul, but should also involve our encompassing powers, including the power of yechidah whose transcendent nature is symbolized by the number eleven. Furthermore, both these dimensions of service should be fused together.

"The fusion of ten and eleven relates to our present time, the time when all of our energies are directed towards "bringing the Era of the Mashiach." This will be the tenth redemption. Simultaneously, there is a connection to eleven for the "the new [dimensions of the] Torah that will emerge from Me" represents an increase beyond the Ten Commandments and thus relates to the number eleven."

Sources: Sichos in English  and Eleven Days Fall from Edom

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And from Rebetzin Esther Jungreis:

"Turning to parshas Nitzavim [Deut. 28:28], in which it is written: "The hidden things are for G-d, but that which is revealed is for us and our children." Over the words "for us and our children" there are dots, and if you count them, you will discover exactly eleven! .... What is the meaning of eleven? I called all the members of my family for their input, and each of them came up with a different Torah answer.

"In the Book of Daniel, Chapter 7, the prophet speaks of a vision of "horns" which symbolize the various regimes that we will encounter in our exile. The last and smallest of these horns will be the eleventh, after which the messianic period will be ushered in. Sadya Gaon, the Rambam, and the Malbim all interpret this eleventh horn as the religion of Ishmael - Mohammed - Islam! The Rambam, in his "Epistle to Yemen"writes that "the horn has human eyes and a mouth speaking big things, that is to say that this upstart would conjure up a religion similar to the G-dly religion. He will say that he is a prophet and say many things. His interest will be to hinder and destroy the true religion and he shall think to change the times and the law...." I was floored by it all and continued to search.

"Eleven, I remembered is also the eleven stars that Joseph saw in his dream which foretold his future. Joseph was the eleventh son of the patriarch Jacob, and he died at the age of 110 (remove the zero and once again, you have 11)."

Update:  See the bigger picture