by havanagilla » Tue Mar 07, 2006 6:07 am
I read the two recent posts by jeff, one of them recalling a <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>hebrew speaking fish</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> incident (the translation was not accurate, but never mind) and about the Gematria which is a common aramaic term, in Judaism, denoting a form of Medrash, namely,exegesis of scripture. it is one of several tools by which sages expounded the bible. <br><br>If I hadn't been Israeli perhaps my approach would be open minded. However, living here most of my adult life, takes its toll on exotic mysticism. Gematria-based political commentary is a common habit here by religious party leaders (especially Shas, namely, the ultra orthodox mizrahi party). It was SO common here for a while, that for some time the TV prime satire program came up with a <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>muppet</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> that gives a daily political explanation according to gematria. It was very very funny. But the truth is that it became very disturbing in the public sphere. <br><br>I feel there is a lot of truth in gematria in the same sense that Jung explains synchronicity (therefore astrology and tarot as well, as "signs"). But when it becomes a political tool in the hands of politicians/rabbis...I am starting to grow wary of it. <br>--<br>Truth is, the mystical gurus from SHas have had some interesting predictions and "curses" (that work..), but what does that mean ? in my mind, it means they are concentrating a large amount of collective unconscious and making use of it. That's the power of myth and symbols, they work, but they are also given to choice and conscious use, and there is always an opposite explanation which also meets the gematria rules.<br><br>--<br>Basically, Hebrew letters have a numerical value, but so did roman letters and it is possible to assign the numerical values to <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>any language,</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> and if enough people practice it, it wlil work on the principle of assigning meaning to symbols by large collectives. And so, according to that rule, my Hebrew gematria name will "work" in a hebrew culture and my english name (transliterated) will apply to an english culture. Because the gematria is culture dependent. <br><br><br>Anyway, its all very thought provoking despite the 'deja vu' from similar (in spirit) posts in the "religious-kabala jewish oriented websites" (where everything is connected to everything...and the bottom line is ...do what I AM TELLING YOU). <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Most of those systems of meaning, though, depend on gender biased male hegemony and hierarchy, so therein lies their limitation.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> <br><br> <p></p><i></i>
