The Whole Phamily has taken an informal poll of real-life friends, and asked if they have experienced the recurring phenomenon of looking at a digital clock and seeing their numeric birthday. For example, if their birthday is July 16th, they often look at the clock and see the numbers 07:16.
Apparantly other people in cyberspace agree, and to some, this is called the 11:11 Phenomenon.
What in the world does this have to do with the Whole Phamily, which is exploring the interconnectivity of Judaism, names and beyond?
We believe that everything is connected. Indeed, Jonathan Safran Foer, with a totally funkadelic website that evokes interconnectivity, and one of the leading Jewish writers of our day, asserts that Everything is Illuminated in one of his novels. There is something to be said for numbers and names and how they are connected.
We are certainly not expects in the Zohar, the book of Kabbalah that is traditionally studied by men aged 40 years and up (this is when it was deemed certain that a Jewish man would be well-versed in the Torah and could therefore handle the intensity of its deep world truths). Obviously various popular culture stars (yes, you, Madonna) ignore that, but obviously people are seeking out truth in age-old wisdom. Indeed, Jewish astrology is very real, and very much happening as we write and you read.
Doubtful that as large a group of our immigrant ancestors to North America from Minsk, Pinsk, the Pale of Settlement, Damascus, Aleppo or Alexandria were exposed to these concepts as the Jewish community is today. Yes, the scholars were educated in deep metaphysical mysteries of the world, but not the average mama of eight children trying to get food on the table.
Today when you think of a favorite number combination and then later see it as a total on a store receipt from buying your day's groceries, realize that it's not totally random, and Judaism has a lot to say about that.
Do you look at the clock a lot these past nearly ten years and see 09:11?
On a positive note, the Whole Phamily thinks it's great when the time comes up as 6:13.
Everything happens for a reason. A cultural commentary with a lotta rock-n-roll, semitism, and parenting. See our Etsy Shop! Buy HeadyBands, Hoodies and more at www.wholephamily.etsy.com
2 comments:
We just want to note that we posted that blog entry randomly (alas, it is not so random) at 1:09pm, and, we kid you not, the author's home childhood address was at number 109 on her street. If you want proof, go ask her mother.
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