Forty years ago I read this haftorah for the first time. I never thought that forty years later I would be here at Tifereth Israel with so many of my friends, my two daughters and a granddaughter. So, I was thinking about what the number forty really means.
There are frequent references to the number forty in the Bible. Forty days of rain with the flood. Moses went up on the mountain three times for forty days each. The first time he came down after 40 days with the first set of tablets, he was greeted with the golden calf. The second time he spent 40 days praying to G-d. The third time he went up the mountain was on the 1st of Elul and descended on Yom Kippur with the second set of tablets. The spies who were sent out into the land of Canaan were there for 40 days. After which the Israelites spent forty years wandering in the wilderness.
One important rule about a mikvah is that it have 40 sayah of water (about 200 gallons) to make it kosher. That water has to be from a natural source either from rain or a spring.
I suppose it is possible to think of the number forty as being associated with some sort of punishment. A flood that nearly destroyed the earth. After acquiring the first set of tablets Moses found the people unhappy with there lot and having built an idol without faith in G-d even after they had witnessed miracles and their release from slavery. Not having the faith to believe that they could enter the land of Canaan and be able to overcome what appeared to be a people that could easily defeat them in battle even though the land was promised to them by G-d.
I would rather think of forty not as related to punishment but as a transformational number. After the flood, G-d promised never to destroy the earth again. As the Maharal (creator of the Golem of Prague) taught, history was transformed after the flood. After 40 years in the desert, we entered the promised land. We were transformed into a new nation. After immersion in a mikvah, I have felt a spiritual transformation which is very difficult to explain but real nevertheless.
The number forty is significant to Jews. This forty is especially important to me. Forty years sounds like a long time, but having spent them with the most wonderful, amazing and incredible person, the years have flown by. Nancy has always met the challenges of our life and never wavered with her commitment to me or our children. I do not have to tell you how hard she works and how much she loves this Jewish community. I have transformed over the past forty years and, I think for the better, because I am married to Nancy. One thing know that has changed is how much I love her. More today than yesterday and I will love her more tomorrow than today. It has been a great forty years and I am looking forward to many more in the future.
Nancy, thanks for being with me.
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