Seventy (2nd Day of Sukkot)

 I am going to start by playing a word association game with a Jewish twist!

If I think of the number 3, the first thought that comes to mind relates to the 3 Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

With 4, you have the matriarchs.

7 is easy, that's Shabbat, the seventh day.

40 reminds me of the number of days that Moses was on Mount Sinai (for each stint) and 70 reminds me of the number of people who went down to Egypt with the convoy of Jacob.

70 however, has a different significance.

As always, we look to the Torah to start us on our journey.

In Sefer Bamidbar (Numbers), we read the following, regarding the offerings that are to be sacrificed over the Festival of Sukkot (I have not included all of the offerings, as I am only concentrating on the number of bulls):


Numbers 29

(12) On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, you shall observe a sacred occasion: you shall not work at your occupations.—Seven days you shall observe a festival of the Lord.— (13) You shall present a burnt offering, an offering by fire of pleasing odour to the Lord: Thirteen bulls of the herd....Second day: Twelve bulls of the herd... Third day: Eleven bulls...Fourth day: 10 bulls...Seventh day: 7 bulls

When you add up the number of bulls offered over the duration of the festival, this number comes to 70.

The Gemara in Messechet Sukkah 55b tells the following:

Rabbi Elazar said: These seventy bulls that are sacrificed as additional offerings over the course of the seven days of Sukkot, to what do they correspond? They correspond to the seventy nations of the world, and are brought to atone for their sins and to hasten world peace.

How can we explain this strange statement?

Chazal (our Sages) explain that this refers to the original seventy nations of the world that were descended from Noah and are the ancestors of today's nations. Our people bought these sacrifices magnanimously to atone for their sins, pray for their well-being and work to strive for harmony and peace between Israel and these nations.

Which sins are they referring to? Psalm 109 gives us a clue:

(1) For the leader. Of David. A psalm. O God of my praise, do not keep aloof, (2) for the wicked and the deceitful open their mouth against me; they speak to me with lying tongue. (3) They encircle me with words of hate; they attack me without cause. (4) They answer my love with accusation and I must stand judgment. (5) They repay me with evil for good, with hatred for my love....

Gd destroyed the world though the flood and gave humanity a second chance to prove its worth. When Noah and his family emerged from the Ark, they had the opportunity to create a brand new world. The seventy nations that emerged from these individuals could have been the epitome of greatness.

Abraham, the father of monotheism had two children, one Isaac, who became the progenitor of our people and the other Ishmael, who fathered the Arab world. Indeed, Chazal tells us that Ishmael himself was the father to seventy nations, which was divided in two when he shared his dominion with Esau many years later (it also didn't hurt that he became Esau's father-in-law). With thirty-five nations apiece, the leaders of these clans could have used the beneficial influence they received through their respective father and grandfather, Abraham. Instead, both men chose to follow a different path and their descendants persecuted our nation in generation after generation.

How did we respond?

We offered up seventy bulls at Sukkot, where we celebrated the harvest bounty and dedicated ourselves to fostering peace with our cousins. We used Sukkot to reinstate Abraham's wish to be the father of many nations, to spread and promote love between all of his descendants.

A few years ago, I happened to be in Jerusalem at Sukkot time and witnessed a beautiful sight. Once a year, religious Christians from around the world gather in Jerusalem and hold a parade to demonstrate their love for the Jewish nation in its capital.

They cite this verse in the book of Zecharia:

Chapter 14

(16) All who survive of all those nations that came up against Jerusalem shall make a pilgrimage year by year to bow low to the King, Lord of Hosts and to observe the Feast of Booths.

In other words, the metaphorical as well as literal sacrifices that we made to encourage peace amongst the nations have truly paid off and although there are many of our cousins who wish us harm, there are still many others who do their utmost to live up to the message of peace that has emanated from the Talmud's dictum.

As we have seen recently, Abraham's descendants are lining up to re-connect with their cousins. Will it be too much to ask if one day soon, they too will make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem to demonstrate their love for us?

When you pray for peace, it does arrive even if it takes more than seventy generations to flourish.

Wishing you a Chag Sameach.

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