The Middle of the Torah in Words

Darash Darash- דָּרַשׁ דָּרַשׁ

Vayikra- 10.16- ויקרא

16.’And as for the male goat Sin Offering Moses investigated insistently/repeatedly (two investigations-Rashi), for behold it had been burned (in its entirety)! And he became angry with Eliezer and Ithamar the remaining sons of Aaron saying-וְאֵת שְׂעִיר הַחַטָּאת דָּרֹשׁ דָּרַשׁ מֹשֶׁה וְהִנֵּה שֹׂרָף וַיִּקְצֹף עַל אֶלְעָזָר וְעַל אִיתָמָר בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן הַנּוֹתָרִם לֵאמֹר (8800 counting final Pehs, Nun and Mem as 800, 700 and 600).

The verse can be divided so:

·         And as for the male goat Sin-Offering Moses investigated insistently/repeatedly-וְאֵת שְׂעִיר הַחַטָּאת דָּרֹשׁ דָּרַשׁ (2763=18);

·         For behold it had been burned- וְהִנֵּה שֹׂרָף(646 +2 words=18or 1366+ 2 words=18 counting final Peh as 18);

·         And he became angry with Eliezer and Ithamar the remaining sons of Aaron saying- וַיִּקְצֹף עַל אֶלְעָזָר וְעַל אִיתָמָר בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן הַנּוֹתָרִם לֵאמֹר (2741=14=8 or 4671=18 counting final Peh, Nun and Mem as 800, 700 and 600).

According to the Talmud (Kiddushin 30) the two words “Darash-Darash”- דָּרֹשׁ דָּרַשׁ ("explain-explain") are the middle of the entire Torah in words- one word- דָּרֹשׁ either side of the mid-point. In a regular counting of the words this is not so! 

The gematria of the word "Darash"- דָּרֹשׁ is 504 (1+8) or + 1 word=505=10=1.

Explain-Explain/Darash Darash

 דָּרַשׁ-דָּרַשׁ

504+504

=

1008

+ 2 words

505+505

=

1010

These numbers correspond to the Code of Hai (18) in which the Torah is encrypted and the two sets of 10 Sphirot (forwards and backwards). These will be unified at the time of the Final Redemption of Israel when the Name of Hai is unified. See my commentary of Parshat Beraishit.

1820

The Name of Hashem appears 1820 times in the Torah!

The meaning of these words is “investigated insistently/repeatedly” or “investigated twice”. This double investigation relates to the two halves of the Torah in words that meet at this point.

Hashem is thus "explaining" to us here that the Torah is encrypted in two halves in the Code of Hai (1 and 8) which when explained will lead to a Unification of His Name and of the Sphirot.

The essence of our being on earth ("half") is to join 1(Malchut/World of Action/Assiyah) to the World of the Heavens ("half") 8 (The Eighth Sphira). This is done through the study and practice of Torah, meeting Hashem at the mid-point of absolute nothingness "Bittul"- ביטול. When this is accomplished we unify His Name and become "one" with Him eventually achieving an elevated status of "physicality" and "metaphysicality". This is the World to Come/Kedem as I explain in Parshat Beraishit.

The gematria of the verse 8800 also reflects a balance of two halves of Torah-8 on either side. See verse 11.42 below-the mid-point of the Torah in letters.