B"H

Hello.  Thank you for reading my post.  On one post, I mentioned the "coincidence" that one can take a prime number, put a zero after it, and automatically get a Sphenic number.  A Sphenic number is a number that is the product of three primes.  Of course, putting a zero after a prime number (P) gets us:

2*5*P

which is Sphenic, since 2 and 5 are both primes.

I was challenged when calling this a "coincidence", since Base 10 is just another Base System.  

I agree.  It is not exactly coincidental.  We could have had Base 8, in which case we would not get Sphenic numbers simply by putting a zero after a Prime.  Logically, I agree that base 10 is, after all, just another number.   But, is it REALLY just another number?

Why is 10 so universal?  Yeah, OK, ten fingers you say.  That is logical, rational, and the answer that will satisfy many of you.  However, I also notice that the Judaic and Christian religions emphasize the Ten Commandments very strongly.  The Ten Commandments form a big part of the cultural memory of the three Abrahamic Faiths.  And, oddly, there is an aspect of the Ten Commandments that actually correspond to the human hand.  In some strange sense, these Rules can be counted on your finger, and that can be linked to the Hand of G-d.

Here are the Ten Commandments:

"Shemot - Exodus
Chapter 20

1 And G-d spoke all these words, saying:

2 I am HaShem thy G-d, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

3 Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.

4 Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any manner of likeness, of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;

5 thou shalt not bow down unto them, nor serve them; for I HaShem thy G-d am a jealous G-d, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me;

6 and showing mercy unto the thousandth generation of them that love Me and keep My commandments.

7 Thou shalt not take the name of HaShem thy G-d in vain; for HaShem will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.

8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work;

10 but the seventh day is a sabbath unto HaShem thy G-d, in it thou shalt not do any manner of work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates;

11 for in six days HaShem made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested on the seventh day; wherefore HaShem blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

12 Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which HaShem thy G-d giveth thee.

13 Thou shalt not murder.

13 Thou shalt not commit adultery.

13 Thou shalt not steal.

13 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

14 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house; thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ***, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's. 15 And all the people perceived the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the voice of the horn, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled, and stood afar off."

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsou...dus20.html

These are Ten Rules.  10 is the product of 2*5, as most of you have known since you were well under ten.  Indeed, you are asking me what 2*5 has to do with all of this?  Well, traditionally we have the Two Tablets of the Ten Commandments, the "Right Side" being one side, and the "Left Side" being the other side of the Decalogue.  Remember that Hebrew reads from right to left.  So, by the Right side we mean the first five Commandments.  The Left side would imply the six through tenth Commandments.  This actually corresponds to two sets of five Commandments each, the first corresponding primarily to vertical relationships, the second corresponding to horizontal relationships.

Now, in Judaism and Protestantism, Commandments One through Five is listed in this order:

1. Belief in G-d
    This category is derived from the declaration in Ex. 20:2 beginning, "I am the L-rd, your G-d..."
2. Prohibition of Improper Worship
    This category is derived from Ex. 20:3-6, beginning, "You shall not have other gods..." It encompasses within it the prohibition against the worship of other gods as well as the prohibition of improper forms of worship of the one true G-d, such as worshiping G-d through an idol.
3. Prohibition of Oaths
    This category is derived from Ex. 20:7, beginning, "You shall not take the name of the L-rd your G-d in vain..." This includes prohibitions against perjury, breaking or delaying the performance of vows or promises, and speaking G-d's name or swearing unnecessarily.
4. Observance of Sacred Times
    This category is derived from Ex. 20:8-11, beginning, "Remember the Sabbath day..." It encompasses all mitzvot related to Shabbat, holidays, or other sacred time.
5. Respect for Parents and Teachers
    This category is derived from Ex. 20:12, beginning, "Honor your father and mother..."

http://www.jewfaq.org/10.htm

The Catholic faith has a different ordering, for reasons that are complex.  Needless to say, however, in the Judaic and Reformed Christian model, the first Five Commandments deal with relationships between G-d and man, or between the individual and authority.  This represents the "Right Side" of the Decalogue, the first Tablet.

Now, for the Left side:

6. Prohibition of Physically Harming a Person
    This category is derived from Ex. 20:13, saying, "You shall not murder."
7. Prohibition of Sexual Immorality
    This category is derived from Ex. 20:13, saying, "You shall not commit adultery."
8. Prohibition of Theft
    This category is derived from Ex. 20:13, saying, "You shall not steal." It includes within it both outright robbery as well as various forms of theft by deception and unethical business practices. It also includes kidnapping, which is essentially "stealing" a person.
9. Prohibition of Harming a Person through Speech
    This category is derived from Ex. 20:13, saying, "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." It includes all forms of lashon ha-ra (sins relating to speech).
10. Prohibition of Coveting
    This category is derived from Ex. 20:14, beginning, "You shall not covet your neighbor's house..."

http://www.jewfaq.org/10.htm

The Second Tablet represent the horizontal relationship between human and human, a horizontal set of relationships involving humanity and its rights.

Notice something interesting?  Today we have the political Right and Left, the former tending to favor verticality and tradition, the latter tending to be egalitarian.  In the Ten Commandments, it seems as though this is prefigured, with BOTH the Right and the Left seemingly included as the Right and Left sides of the Decalogue.  In some sense, the best of the Right and Left are included, acting as Two Witnesses testifying to the Truth.  Verticality and horizontality are both necessary to the proper order of things, and both part of the Law.

Now, our strange mathematical coincidence involving Sphenic numbers, based on the fact that 10 is the product of 2 and 5, both primes, is interesting in light of all of this.  Base 10 is no mere coincidence from the standpoint of the Monotheistic Traditions.  And, 2*5=10 seems to have deep significance, if my reasoning is correct.  Each set of 5 Commandments "testifies" to the Divine Hand that authored the Ten Commandments.  The very fact that the Right and Left Tablets correspond to a Hand is significant, at least to my mind.

I think that this is something to ponder.  I do not have a dogmatic approach to this subject.  However, it is a "way cool" coincidence that may point to a Reality beyond this one.  If so, it is more than mere coincidence.

Thanks again for taking the time to read my post.  

All the best,

Wow! A Thinker. Best Wishes. Z.

Wow, Zarathustra, what a username!

I have no idea what the historical Zarathustra would have done, but I'm certain that Nietzsche's version would have heaped scorn on this post.

B"H

I cordially invite one of our fine readers of the Christian faith to explain why they believe that "13" is a bad luck number, or somehow symbolic of rebellion.

Feel free to PM me.  I don't bite.  Promise,

I was told as a child that the idea that 13 was an unlucky number stemmed from the Last Supper, where there were thirteen attendees. Of course, that is mistaken - 13 applies only to the MALE participants.

Yes, and for some reason Judas is counted as the 13th one, though he also could be counted with any number from 2 to 13 (the first was of course Jesus).

I am not religious, but I somehow feel weird when I see numbers 13, 17 or 19. Funny thing is I like primes, but not these three...

As for 13 - it is "unlucky" not only in the Christianity. In Buddhism 13 is considered the magic number for "black magicians" (as addition to the 10 "real" magic numbers - 3,5,7,9,12,22,41,42,54 and 108 - I always wondered if there is a pattern here...)

B"H

From the Hebraic tradition, "13" is usually not considered bad luck.  And, interestingly, a Catholic friend of mine believes that it is actually a good number.  Believing as he does in the "Trinity", he believes that 1->3 is good symbolism.  

For myself, I believe that 13 is basically a good number, since some Hebrew Calendar years have 13 months.  However, I also believe that what is good can be misused.  What is good can be misused for bad.  

That is why I do not believe in people getting in to numerology and fortunate times.  Using numerology to gain power is a doorway downwards.  

All the best,

I've also heard that 13 is considered unlucky because Judas was the 13th disciple (I don't know if this was in the order in which they were recruited, or he was just nominated for the number in retrospect.)  So, the reasoning went, the 13th thing (day, child, horse, whatever) might turn on you the way Judas turned on Jesus.

As far as ten commandments = ten fingers, in two sets of five = two hands, nice and neat.  Maybe they were done that way (by God or man) as a memory aid in the pre-literate days.

Simen, Nietzche would've been glad to see a Judaic discussion of the 10 commandments. He talked about Chr*stianity of having "Thrown overboard the ballast of Judaism", and repeatedly talked about Chr*stians as being [well I won't repeat his phrase] "failed" Jews. His last coherent writing was to his lifelong friend F.Overbeck promising to have all anti-semites shot as a token of his good faith. He saw well in advance where Germany was heading and repeatedly warned the World. He even wished he'd written "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" in English, such was his disgust at it's use by German anti-semites.

Wh* *s *veryb**y *sin* s* m*ny fr**ing *aster**s?

Out of r*spect to the religious in our c*mmunity...

*** ******** **** *** ***** ********.

Alright, I might've gone a little too far

OK, it's just not anything I've ever seen before - I was raised as a strict Catholic and have never seen or heard of anyone referring to it as "Chr*stian".

So what's "Th*rd R*ich" about then?  That's another odd one I've seen round here, and I'm pretty sure that's not out of religious respect.

His own words:

Personally, I think it's silly. if Third Reich offends you, then replacing i and e with * won't make it any better. It's like blotting out words like ***, *** and **** (sh*t, f*ck, c*nt): if you're gonna use the word, at least stand up to it by not beeping it out and pretending like you're above it.

ATM: As someone who is not a Nietzchian, I still thank you for pointing out that Nietzche was not the Anti-Semite that many of his admirers think he is.  His sister was the Anti-Semite, from my understanding, along with Wagner.  European N*zis get their inspiration from them, not truly from Nietzche.  Nietzche did, however, tend to oppose Monotheism itself, and there he and I part company.

As for Christianity and Islam, I will forward a post I wrote on the Seven Laws of Noah that emphasizes bringing the three Abrahamic Faiths to a greater understanding:

http://www.aspiesforfreedom.com/showthre...?tid=11662

Far from wanting to alienate the other Abrahamic Faiths, I would like them to learn about their Hebrew Roots.

All the best.