A. The Torah portion Masei (מַסְעֵי Journeys), Numbers 33-35, illustrates the 42 locations that the Children of Israel camped at after the Exodus from Egypt. The Torah scroll is often written with 42 lines per column, based on the journeys of Israel.
The word massa (a variation of Masei), derives from the root "NASA," a verb which means to "set out in stages." The Israelites "set out from the wilderness of Tzin by stages"(Exodus 17:1).
Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. (Exodus 40:36)
The story of the journey long before Moses, with Abraham in Genesis 12:1 -- And the Lord said to Abram, "Go forth from your land ...
B. 6x7 =42 6 is the number of man in relationship to God. 4+2=6. The Mosaic understanding, Man must work 6 days and rest on the 7th as God works 6 days and rested on the 7th.
C. In Kabbalistic tradition, God created the universe using the number 42. In the Talmud, the number 42 is primarily associated with a mystical "42-letter name of God," considered one of the most sacred and powerful divine names in Kabbalah.
"For on this day he (the High Priest) will provide atonement for you to purify you." (Lev. 16:30). This verse is an assurance for Jews throughout the generations that the Day of Atonement is a day set aside especially for forgiveness and pardon. When the High Priest used to recite his confessional on Yom Kippur, he would recite this verse in his prayer.
D. The Kaddish (Hebrew: קדיש, 'holy' or 'sanctification') prayer. A quote, "the Kaddish is a vigorous declaration of faith. It is one of the most beautiful, deeply-significant and spiritually moving prayers in the Jewish liturgy. It is an ancient Aramaic prose-poem, a litany whose word-music, strong rhythms, stirring sounds, and alternating responses of leader and congregation, cast sheer hypnotic power over the listeners. It has well been noted that the Kaddish is the echo of Job in the prayerbook : "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him." It is a call to God from the depths of catastrophe, exalting His name and praising Him, despite the realization that He has just wrenched a human being from life."
The Kaddish is made up of units of four, ten, and twenty-eight, which add up to 42.
E. The Ana beKo'ach prayer, pictured above, is made up of 42 letters. Ana b’Koach is regarded in the mystical tradition as no less than a portal to the power of creation itself, and to creation’s source.
F. The Gospel of Matthew 1:17 lists 42 generations from Abraham to Jesus. The genealogy is divided into three sets of 14 generations:
G. The Gospel of Luke describes 42 generations from David to Christ
H. In the Book of Revelation, 42 represents the number of months the Antichrist will rule the world. This 42-month period is a time when the Beast and his offspring, "the seed of the serpent", will oppose Christ and his church.
I will end off at Revelation. Hopefully this post reveals something to you about the number 42. Like I said in the beginning, just because one knows something, doesn't mean they understand it. I cannot say I understand 42.
Perhaps the meaning of 42 is indirectly expressed in this saying, famously attributed to the American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson who wrote, "It's not the destination, it's the journey.”
"Life is a journey, not a destination."
P.S. Praying for the hostages journey home!🙏
