24/7

Real authentic living with Hashem means each moment of one’s life.[1] In this way we can interpret לפני ה' תמיד:[2] we should always have ה' in front of us and as it says שויתי ה' לנגדי תמיד, I have set Hashem before me always.[3] Our אבות and אמהות embodied this. If we add up the number of letters in their names, we notice there are 13 in אברהם, יצחק, יעקב as well as in שרה, רבקה, רחל, לאה. 13 is the same equivalent as אחד.  13 and 13 is 26, the Gematria of י-ה-ו-ה. Hence, this alludes to that the אבות and אמהות were always connected to ה' אחד. With this we can grasp a deeper meaning in הרמתי ידי אל ה',[4] I lift up my hand to Hashem, as Avraham’s every movement was dedicated to עבודת ה'. In this way we can interpret צדיק ה' בכל דרכיו—[5] who is a Tzadik, one who has Hashem with him in all that he does.

We need to observe the Torah and Mitzvos 24[6] hours daily. Delving into the phrase וחי בהם, [7]live by Hashem’s decrees and judgments, we see this as וחי yields a Gematria of 24, as we should live with Hashem 24 hours a day through the Torah and Mitzvos.

Here are some other illustrations of this idea:

·         Our תנ"ך consists of the 5 books of חומש and 19 in נ"ך. This gives us a total of 24!

·         There are 24 תכשיטי כלה, [8]adornments, as we—the כלה of ה'—should be loyal to Him 24 hours daily. 

·         Our famous words נעשה ונשמע are recorded in which Perek and Pasuk? None other than 24,7! This is in Parshas Mishpatim, as we should live by the משפטים of the Torah 24 hours daily, 7 days a week.

·         There are 24 מתנות כהונה alluding to this idea as the כהן is the one who is especially close to ה'.

·         In the בית המקדש there were 24 משמרות. 

·         When Shlomo built the Beis Hamikdash he sought to bring the ארון to the holy of holies. Upon the gates clinging to each other being unable to open it, he recited 24 songs of Tefila.[9]

·         Shabbos is a day of just us and ה'. Consequently, we cannot perform the 39 מלאכות.[10] How many chapters are there in Mesachta Shabbos? 24! Additionally, the first letters ofושמרו בני ישראל את השבת,[11] the Jewish people should observe Shabbos, has a sum of 24. 

Now we can understand the depth of why the curtains of the משכן were comprised of 24 strands per thread.[12] True living (as משכן is rooted in שוכן, to dwell) with Hashem is 24 hours daily.

Rabbi Alt merited to learn under the tutelage of R’ Mordechai Friedlander Ztz”l for close to five years. He received Semicha from R’ Zalman Nechemia Goldberg. Rabbi Alt has written on numerous topics for various websites and publications. He lives with his wife and family in a suburb of Yerushalayim where he studies, writes and teaches. The author is passionate about teaching Jews of all levels of observance.