מַֽלְכוּתְךָ֗ מַלְכ֥וּת כָּל־עֹֽלָמִ֑ים וּ֝מֶֽמְשֶׁלְתְּךָ֗ בְּכָל־דּ֥וֹר וָדֽוֹר׃
Ang Iyong paghahari ay paghahari sa lahat ng panahon, at ang Iyong pamamahala ay nananatili sa bawat salinlahi.
Rabbeinu Bahya
שבע שנים שבע פעמים והיו לך ימי שבע שבתות השנים, “seven years seven times; and the seven Sabbaths shall be for you, etc.” Why did the Torah have to add the words והיו לך, “they shall be for you?” Did we not know without these words that seven times seven years equal 49 years? It is possible to explain that the mystical dimension of what is written here is to give us a glimpse into the present as well as into the future. The first number, i.e. 7 times 7 plus the fact that the fiftieth year is holy refers to the commandment of observing the Yovel year. Seeing it is something which we have to perform the Torah asked us to count the years preceding the conclusion of that cycle. The word ספירה implies that something is not constant, not enduring. The word Yovel, on the other hand, implies something complete, permanent, enduring. The number 49 both in terms of the 49 gates of understanding granted to Moses, and wherever the number 49 appears, is an allusion to a domain beyond the merely physical, speaks of something permanent as Solomon said in Kohelet 1,4 והארץ לעולם עומדת, “earth will endure forever” (in spite of the recycling that we observe in nature).
The mystical dimension is this: We are told in Rosh Hashanah 21 that the world was created with 50 gates (levels) of insight, בינה; Moses was granted 49 of them as David said in Psalms 8,6 ותחסרהו אחד מאלוהים, “You have made him a little less than divine.” The meaning of these words is [I am using my own words here to make the author’s words intelligible, Ed.] that ordinarily every 1000 years is equal to one “level of insight,” so that at the conclusion of 50 periods of 1000 years perfection of the universe is attained. G’d telescoped the 49,000 years to come and taught Moses one level of insight corresponding to each unit of 1000 years. The word לך in the verse וספרת לך “count for yourself,” equals 50 in numerical value, implying that every 50 years, i.e. every Yovel year, a new insight may be attained. The words והיו לך at the end of that period of counting imply that the period of progressing toward perfection then comes to an end and something permanent in terms of levels of insight will have been reached. The reason the Torah speaks of ימי, i.e. “days” or “years of,” is that that word has a numerical value of 50 just as the word לך. The Torah hints that the total number of years designated for the existence of the terrestrial universe is 50 (000). This is what David alluded to in Psalms 145,13 מלכותך מלכות כל עולמים, “Your Kingdom will span the duration of all “worlds.” We have clear evidence of the fact that G’d considers 1000 years as the duration of an עולם from Psalms 105,8 where the psalmist speaks of דבר צוה לאלף דור, “He commanded a “word,” i.e. a directive, to be valid for 1000 generations.” According to this concept the universe has a life span of 50,000 years. The word כל in the verse in Psalms 145 that מלכותך מלכות כל עלמיםn hints at the number 50.000 years seeing that the numerical value of the word כל is 50.
[In order to avoid a contradiction between the common conception that the world will continue for 6000 years and the seventh millennium will be the time required to make the world over into a perfect place, we would have to consider each 1000 year period after each cycle of 6000 years as a transition to a better world to come until a final conclusion after 49,000 years with the last Yovel. This concept in turn could incorporate the concept discussed at length in the דרוש אור החיים by the author of the famous commentary on the Mishnah Tiferet Yisrael by Rabbi Yisrael Lifshitz of Danzig in which the author is at pains to prove that our universe is not the first of these seven cycles but is already the fifth such cycle, previous cycles having contained lower forms of life only, including pre-historic man. Ed.]
The mystical dimension is this: We are told in Rosh Hashanah 21 that the world was created with 50 gates (levels) of insight, בינה; Moses was granted 49 of them as David said in Psalms 8,6 ותחסרהו אחד מאלוהים, “You have made him a little less than divine.” The meaning of these words is [I am using my own words here to make the author’s words intelligible, Ed.] that ordinarily every 1000 years is equal to one “level of insight,” so that at the conclusion of 50 periods of 1000 years perfection of the universe is attained. G’d telescoped the 49,000 years to come and taught Moses one level of insight corresponding to each unit of 1000 years. The word לך in the verse וספרת לך “count for yourself,” equals 50 in numerical value, implying that every 50 years, i.e. every Yovel year, a new insight may be attained. The words והיו לך at the end of that period of counting imply that the period of progressing toward perfection then comes to an end and something permanent in terms of levels of insight will have been reached. The reason the Torah speaks of ימי, i.e. “days” or “years of,” is that that word has a numerical value of 50 just as the word לך. The Torah hints that the total number of years designated for the existence of the terrestrial universe is 50 (000). This is what David alluded to in Psalms 145,13 מלכותך מלכות כל עולמים, “Your Kingdom will span the duration of all “worlds.” We have clear evidence of the fact that G’d considers 1000 years as the duration of an עולם from Psalms 105,8 where the psalmist speaks of דבר צוה לאלף דור, “He commanded a “word,” i.e. a directive, to be valid for 1000 generations.” According to this concept the universe has a life span of 50,000 years. The word כל in the verse in Psalms 145 that מלכותך מלכות כל עלמיםn hints at the number 50.000 years seeing that the numerical value of the word כל is 50.
[In order to avoid a contradiction between the common conception that the world will continue for 6000 years and the seventh millennium will be the time required to make the world over into a perfect place, we would have to consider each 1000 year period after each cycle of 6000 years as a transition to a better world to come until a final conclusion after 49,000 years with the last Yovel. This concept in turn could incorporate the concept discussed at length in the דרוש אור החיים by the author of the famous commentary on the Mishnah Tiferet Yisrael by Rabbi Yisrael Lifshitz of Danzig in which the author is at pains to prove that our universe is not the first of these seven cycles but is already the fifth such cycle, previous cycles having contained lower forms of life only, including pre-historic man. Ed.]
Ramban
THE ETERNAL SHALL REIGN FOR EVER AND EVER. Moses is saying that just as He has now shown that He is King and Ruler by having brought deliverance to His servants and destruction upon those that rebel against Him, so may it be His will to do so in all generations forever, that He withdraw not His eyes from the righteous,222Job 36:7. nor hide them [His eyes] from the wicked ones who inflict evil upon others. There are many verses that are to be interpreted in this way, such as: The Eternal will reign for ever, thy G-d, O Zion, unto all generations. Hallelujah;223Psalms 146:10. Blessed be the Name of the Eternal from this time forth and for ever;224Ibid., 113:2. And the Eternal shall be King over all the earth.225Zechariah 14:9.
Now Onkelos was apprehensive [of translating this verse literally, which is stated in a future tense], since G-d’s sovereignty is [indeed] to all eternity [and no prayer for its continuance is possible]. Therefore he rendered it in the present tense: “The Kingdom of the Eternal endureth for ever and to all eternity,” just as is expressed in the verse, Thy Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages.226Psalms 145:13. But I have not understood Onkelos’ opinion in this matter, for it is written: May the Glory of the Eternal endure for ever;227Ibid., 104:31. And let the whole earth be filled with His Glory;228Ibid., 72:19. “Magnified and sanctified shall be [His great Name]”;229From the beginning of the Kaddish prayer. In Ricanti’s work on the Torah in quoting this text from Ramban, he writes clearly: “and in the Kaddish [we say], ‘Magnified, etc.’” It is thus to be noted that the Kaddish-text is quoted by Ramban amidst Scriptural verses as authority for his thesis! The great sanctity of the Kaddish prayer is thus clearly indicated. Yea, let it be established, and let Thy Name be magnified for ever.230I Chronicles 17:24. It is possible that the meaning of these [future tenses] is similar to the secret of the benedictions.231“Magnifying G-d’s Name brings life and blessing to the world, thus assuring that His kingdom will be acknowledged in the world in the future. And so is the purport of the benedictions we make, which begin by referring to ‘the Eternal, our G-d’ and continue to mention ‘King of the universe’” (Ma’or V’shamesh).
Now Onkelos was apprehensive [of translating this verse literally, which is stated in a future tense], since G-d’s sovereignty is [indeed] to all eternity [and no prayer for its continuance is possible]. Therefore he rendered it in the present tense: “The Kingdom of the Eternal endureth for ever and to all eternity,” just as is expressed in the verse, Thy Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages.226Psalms 145:13. But I have not understood Onkelos’ opinion in this matter, for it is written: May the Glory of the Eternal endure for ever;227Ibid., 104:31. And let the whole earth be filled with His Glory;228Ibid., 72:19. “Magnified and sanctified shall be [His great Name]”;229From the beginning of the Kaddish prayer. In Ricanti’s work on the Torah in quoting this text from Ramban, he writes clearly: “and in the Kaddish [we say], ‘Magnified, etc.’” It is thus to be noted that the Kaddish-text is quoted by Ramban amidst Scriptural verses as authority for his thesis! The great sanctity of the Kaddish prayer is thus clearly indicated. Yea, let it be established, and let Thy Name be magnified for ever.230I Chronicles 17:24. It is possible that the meaning of these [future tenses] is similar to the secret of the benedictions.231“Magnifying G-d’s Name brings life and blessing to the world, thus assuring that His kingdom will be acknowledged in the world in the future. And so is the purport of the benedictions we make, which begin by referring to ‘the Eternal, our G-d’ and continue to mention ‘King of the universe’” (Ma’or V’shamesh).