**Who knows one? “**One is our God who is in heaven and on earth” represents the first of the favors which God bestowed upon Israel: God executed judgment upon the Egyptians. This explains why the Ten Commandments begin “I am the Lord your God who took you out of the land of Egypt,” and not, “…who created the heavens and the earth.” Also, why the Shabbat is said to be a reminder of the Exodus in the Kiddush, and why we mention the Exodus in connection with Tefillin and the holidays: “that the generations to come may know that I am the Lord who caused you to dwell in booths when I took you out of the Land of Egypt.”²⁸⁹ The Ramban explains that the Exodus taught us the significance of Divine Providence over the earth. In that way, those who believe that all matters of the world are determined by the natural forces or that the world is eternal (and not created by God) will recognize the power and acts of God in the world.

footnotes: ²⁸⁹ Leviticus 24:23

The fact that God took Israel out of Egypt proves that God has power over nature, and that God can perform wonders and signs. Even the magicians in Egypt acknowledged the power of God when they said, in response to the third plague, “It is the finger of God.” In the first stanza of Echad Mi Yodea we begin by acknowledging God’s unity and power over heaven and earth. That is why, when Israel cried out to God, God “heard their voice.” This proves that God is in heaven and on earth. The Exodus taught us the first principle of faith.

The question “Who knows one” implies something else as well. Rabbi Bahya Ibn Pakuda in his philosophical work teaches that there are two types of “Oneness:” there is a numerical one – as in not two, not three, etc; and there is a qualitative one – as in the uniqueness and unity of God. The question then, is “Who knows the real one,” – not the numerical but the qualitative meaning of God’s oneness. The real One is OUR GOD. And how do we know the unity and uniqueness of God – we know God not by His essence (which is unknowable) but by his creations in Heaven above and on Earth. We know God through God’s deeds.

Who knows two? Two are the tablets of the covenant represent the second favor which God bestowed upon Israel: Our God judged not just the land but the gods of Egypt. The second commandment of the Decalogue is, “You shall have no other gods before me.” Thus by judging the gods of Egypt God showed us that the gods of the land are mere idols. Both the living and the dead were judged during the tenth plague. God not only killed the first born of Egypt (who were the divinity of the land) but even the first born that had already died. The people of Egypt had grave stones for their diseased first born – but during the tenth plague these stones crumbled! God commanded the Israelites to go gather up the lambs of Egypt for sacrifice showing their disregard for the gods of Egypt. That is also why the Israelites were told that they could offer a ram or a goat – both were worshipped in Egypt.

Most forms of witchcraft are performed through seduction. That is why the commandments of no other gods and no adultery are connected to one another. There is a teaching that the first five commandments are connected in sequence to the second five commandments. Thus, the second commandment – you shall have no gods before me – is connected to the seventh commandment – you shall not commit adultery. Similarly in Proverbs, idolatry is connected to following after wanton women. These two commandments are connected to one another. This is the meaning of the statement: that the judgment of Egypt’s gods is connected to the two tablets of the covenant. The first tablet – no other gods before me; and the second tablet – do not commit adultery.

Who knows three? The three Patriarchs represent the third favor which God bestowed upon Israel: he slew the firstborn of Egypt. God struck down three types of first born: those who are the firstborn of their mother, those who were firstborn of their father, and even the firstborn of the slaves. Abraham is described in the Torah as the firstborn of Terach, his father. (“Terach begat Abram, Nachor and Haran.”²⁹⁰) Isaac was the first born of Sarah though not his father’s firstborn. And Jacob had firstborn children not only with Rachel and Leah, but with Zilpah and Bilhah. The gematriah of the makat bechorot, the plague of the firstborn, has the same value as hayu b’zkhut Avraham, Yitzchak v’Ya’akov, “they were for the merit of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” Both equal 1100. It was because of the merit of the forefathers that the Egyptian firstborn were struck down.

footnotes: ²⁹⁰ Genesis 11:27

Who knows four? The four matriarchs represent the fourth favor which God bestowed upon Israel: God gave us the wealth of the Egyptians. Why is it that the redemption of the firstborn is attributed to the mother’s firstborn and not the father’s firstborn, especially since the father’s firstborn were apparently struck down as well? This is because the loot which the Israelites took in Egypt was given to them as a reward for the righteous women of Israel. We learn that Israel was redeemed because of the righteousness of Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah. Sarah – because she allowed her husband to bed Hagar; Rebecca – because she left her father’s home and went to Canaan to marry Isaac; Rachel – because she allowed her sister Leah to bed their husband; and Leah – because she gave her concubine Bilhah to her husband when she was barren.²⁹¹ The four promises of redemption were the rewards for the four matriarchs. Hotzeitimeans I will take you out. Hitzalti – I will save you - means not only that they left Egypt but they took plunder (vayinatzel) from the Egyptians. Ga’alti – I will redeem you - means that I redeemed you by splitting the Red Sea. Lakachti - I will take – means that I allowed you to take plunder at the shore of the sea, from the Egyptians after they drown in the sea. These four terms are connected to the four matriarchs.

footnotes: ²⁹¹ Yalkut Reuveni, Parshat Bo

Who knows five? The five books of the Torah represent the fifth favor which God bestowed upon Israel: God split the sea. In Egypt the plagues are called the finger of God; at the sea God’s acts are called the hand of God; five fingers. It was though the merit of the five books of Moses that Israel was redeemed from Egypt at the sea with God’s mighty hand, and that they were brought to Mount Sinai. We learn that when the Israelites reached the sea, the angel Gabriel surrounded the nation and called out, “Beware! Israel is going to receive the Torah from the right hand of God!”²⁹²

footnotes: ²⁹² Yalkut Shimoni Section 234

Who knows six? The six sections of the Mishnah, the basis of the Oral Torah, represent the sixth favor which God bestowed upon Israel: God led the people through the sea on dry ground. The Torah is sometimes referred to as ‘a great sea.’ For, “all the rivers go down to the sea, but the sea is never full.”²⁹³ The Torah was given to Israel; like the number of people who left Egypt, the Torah has 600, 000 letters. Each Israelite has one letter that he can uniquely hold on to. It is impossible to understand the Written Torah without the Oral Torah for each letter has thousands of meanings and interpretations. It is through the Oral Torah that we are able to pass through the great sea of the Written Torah. So too, when Israel crossed through the sea wherever the stepped immediately became perfectly dry so that there was no mud. This is how the Oral Torah is. It makes sure that we don’t get bogged down in understanding the Written Torah. Just as the people were 600,000, so the Oral law has six volumes.

footnotes: ²⁹³ Ecclesiastes

Who knows seven? The seven days of the week represents the seventh favor which God bestowed upon Israel: God caused the Egyptians to sink in the sea. After leaving Egypt, the people spent seven days suffering. They knew they were no better than the Egyptians; like them, they worshipped idols. During these seven days, then, they had time to atone for all the transgressions they had committed while in Egypt. By repenting, the Israelites changed their destiny. They had seven days to repent because there are seven days in a week. In this way a person’s destiny could change on the same day of the week on which they were born. The Egyptians tried to use their magic to undo these changes but their astrologic influences weakened, and as a result they sank in the sea when they arrived at the Red Sea. So when we ask “Who knows seven,” we answer ‘seven are the days of the week’ because these seven days were a time of repentance. Also the seventh day was Shabbat – which the Israelites observed even in the land of Egypt – it was due to the merit of observing the Sabbath that the Egyptians drown in the sea.

Who knows eight? Brit milah on the eighth day of the week represents the eighth favor which God bestowed upon Israel: He provided Israel with all their needs in the wilderness. This refers to the statement that God did not allow their clothing to wear out during the forty years in the wilderness.²⁹⁴ During the sojourn in the wilderness the Israelites were protected by clouds of glory that surrounded them and led them through the wilderness. There were six clouds that surrounded the people – on all four sides, above and below as well as the pillar of fire and the cloud of glory that led them through the wilderness. These clouds not only protected their clothes but caused it to grow with them and kept it clean. There were eight clouds for the eight days before the making of the covenant. They eight days until circumcision symbolize the eight clouds.

footnotes: ²⁹⁴ Deuteronomy 8:4

Who knows nine? Nine months of pregnancy represent the ninth favor which God bestowed upon Israel: God gave Israel manna. According to the Midrash, the manna revealed whether a new born child was a nine month baby from the first husband or a seven month birth from the second husband. Manna then was essential for identifying who the parents of a child were.²⁹⁵

footnotes: ²⁹⁵ BT Yoma 75a-75b

Who knows ten? The Ten Commandments represent the tenth favor which God bestowed upon Israel: God gave us the Sabbath. When God gave Israel the Torah, he said to the people, “If you will observe My commandments, I will give a portion in the world to come.” Israel asked, “Show us an example of the world to come.” To which He answered: “This is the Sabbath.”²⁹⁶ That is why the Sabbath is considered equal to all the other commandments.²⁹⁷ Also we learn, “If one observes the Sabbath, even if he worships idols, God overlooks this sin!”²⁹⁸ The Sabbath then is equal to the other commandments in the Ten Commandments. Also when Israel agreed to accept the Torah as a whole they were rewarded with the Sabbath, a small portion of the world to come.

footnotes: ²⁹⁶ Yalkut Reuveni, Parshat Yitro ²⁹⁷ BT Hullin 5a ²⁹⁸ BT Shabbat 118b

Who knows eleven? The eleven stars in Joseph’s dream represent the eleventh favor which God bestowed upon Israel: God brought us close to Mount Sinai. God brought the Israelites to Mount Sinai in order to weaken the forces of impurity which surrounded them. Had they not sinned by worshipping the golden calf, the power of purity would have spread forth throughout the world. There are eleven husks of impurity associated with the children of Esau. Parallel to them there are eleven types of incense used in the temple, and eleven verses that begin with a nun and end with a *nun,*that can help destroy the husks of impurity. When Joseph dreamed of eleven stars bowing down to him, this was a messianic vision of the end of time – for there will be a Messiah who is a ben Yosef.²⁹⁹ These eleven stars, then, are the powers of purity that would help make Israel worthy of the covenant.

footnotes: ²⁹⁹ Yalkut Reuveni , parshat Vayeshev

**Who knows twelve?**The twelve tribes represent the twelfth favor which God bestowed upon Israel: God gave us the Torah. Why was the Torah given in the third month, and what special status is there in this? The third month is connected with the third tribe – Levi. Each of the tribes is associated with one of the twelve months of the year. Thus, this explains the connection between the twelve tribes and the giving of the Torah. Moses who comes from the third tribe had to be the teacher of Torah which was given in the third month.

Who knows thirteen? The thirteen attributes of God represent the thirteenth favor which God bestowed upon Israel: He brought them into the land of Israel (and let them build the temple). This is the greatest favor of all – there is nothing higher! For through these favors, the divine presence came to dwell among the people. The land was divided among the twelve tribes (counting Ephraim and Menasheh) plus all of the cities of refuge were given to the tribe of Levi. Thus, there were thirteen portions to the land. These thirteen portions parallel the thirteen attributes of God. There are also thirteen days from Rosh Hodesh Nisan until the eve of Passover. These are days of redemption and are associated with these attributes.

• The first day of Nisan is Rosh Hodesh, the first day of Nisan, is the day on which the Tabernacle was dedicated and the Holy one dwelled among the people, “In heaven and on earth”

• The second day of Nisan falls on the same day of the week as Shavuot, the day on which the Torah was given to Israel. It is the day on which we received the two tablets of the covenant.

• The third day of Nisan falls on the same day that Rosh Hashanah falls that year – it is a day when we recall the three Patriarchs.

• The fourth day of Nisan falls on the same day as the second day of Rosh Hashanah, the eve of Yom Kippur and the second day of Sukkot, and Simchat Torah – it is associated with the four matriarchs.

• The fifth day of Nisan falls on the same day of the week as Yom Kippur, the day on which Moses brought down the second set of tablets from Sinai and Israel knew that it had been forgiven for worshipping the golden calf.

• The sixth day of Nisan falls on the same day of the week as Purim. According to the sages, it was on Purim that the Jewish people accepted the Torah freely³⁰⁰ - this is the day on which they accepted the oral Torah as well as the written Torah (and so it is connected with the six volumes of the Mishnah.)

footnotes: ³⁰⁰ BT Shabbat 88a

• The seventh day of Nisan falls on the same day of the week as the eve of Passover. Since the people had to come to the temple to offer the Passover sacrifice they had to undergo a process of purification beforehand which involved purification on the third and seventh day. Thus it took the seven days of the week to purify themselves.

• The eighth day of Nisanfalls on the same day as the Eve of Shavuot and the end of the counting of the Omer. We must count seven ‘clean weeks’ just as a woman must count seven clean days before going to the Mikvah to immerse herself. Also after giving birth to a son, the mother must count seven days of impurity. On the eighth day the circumcision takes place! The eighth day, then is a day of great gladness and rejoicing.

• The ninth day of Nisanis associated with the redemption. Even though the people were freed from servitude on Rosh Hashanah they still could not leave Egypt. The first to the ninth day of Nisan were like the nine months of pregnancy, and the redemption began on the tenth when they were told to put aside the Passover offering.

• The tenth day of Nisanfalls on the same day of the week as the second day of Shavuot. There are those who say that the ten commandments were given not on the sixth but the seventh day of Sivan (the second day of the holiday). Thus the tenth day is also associated with the Ten Commandments.

• The eleventh day of Nisanis the day on which the astrological sign of the lamb fell from favor. Thus there were only eleven astrological signs

• The twelfth day of Nisanwas the day on which each of the princes of Israel brought gifts to the Tabernacle - and it was considered to be a festive day. It is connected with the twelve tribes.

• The thirteenth day of Nisanhas many associations. There are thirteen principles of interpretation in the Torah, thirteen is the age of Bar Mitzvah, and there are thirteen letters in the Hebrew names of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. The word echad, One, is equal to thirteen in gematriah. Each of the thirteen principles of interpretations are connected with the names of the Patriarchs, and one who breaks the laws is lashed thirty nine times which is three times thirteen – for the three patriarchs. Passover could not occur until after the thirteenth day – just as a Bar Mitzvah must wait until his thirteenth birthday to be called to the Torah.