This art project is focused on the numbers of the Bible. Each
time a number is mentioned in the Chumash I will try to look at that number and
its context with an eye to Midrash and Jewish tradition as I understand it. It’s the belief of this art project that every
number and instance is there to teach some lesson in Judaism or life. In addition, nothing in the Chumash is meant
as a literal explanation of events or ideas. The use of numbers in the chumash
are used to Highlight this lack of literality, as well as to give extra meaning
to the words around them. The numbers themselves are written as words, and not
in symbolic form. I see this project as a reversal of the Baal Haturim, and the
translations of verses come from the Artscroll publication of the Baa Haturim. While
the Baal Haturim looked for gematriot in words, and numbers to find links, this
project is looking for the verbal and literary value of the numbers given to
us. Gematriot will be used, but only to express words from uneven numbers and
not the other way around. For example, the number 603,550 is the gematria of “Kol
Rosh, Bnei Yisrorel”, every head of the children of Israel, not just the men
between ages 20-60.
