10 | MARCH 31 • 2022 student corner Just Call Me 42 W hen I was 6 years old, a random act of strangeness changed my life. It all started when my dad picked me up from gymnastics practice. I got in his car and randomly said to him, “From now on, call me 42. ” My dad was beyond confused and still, to this day, we’re perplexed as to where it came from. Nevertheless, ever since that car ride, the number 42 has become my number. It appears everywhere for me, following me around wherever I go. Whether on a receipt or on a clock, I find great comfort in spotting this number in many aspects of my life. Until recently, I did not think of 42 as having any significant meaning, other than being lucky for me. That changed a few weeks ago when I came across an article from The Times of Israel titled “Forty -Two Journeys to the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything. ” This article revealed to its readers the vast and powerful connec- tions that the number 42 has to Judaism, and more specifically, to Kabbalistic tradition. For instance, in the Torah portion Massei, (Numbers 33-35), the 42 locations that the Children of Israel camped at after the Exodus from Egypt are illustrated. Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov, a Jewish mystic from Poland who is regarded as the founder of Hasidic Judaism, interpreted this by explaining that “The forty-two ‘stations’ from Egypt to the Promised Land are replayed in the life of every individual Jew, as his soul journeys from its descent to Earth at birth to its return to its Source. ” Not only is the number 42 embedded in the lives of all Jews, but according to the Zohar Chadash — a Kabbalistic book — G-d brought the Jews out of Egypt with the mystery of his 42-letter name, just like how heaven and Earth were created. The universe was created with this specific name of G-d, and it just happens to be the signifi- cant ineffable 42-lettered name. Another instance of 42 in Judaism appears in the well- known prayer, Ana BeKoach. This prayer, dating back to the first century, was created by a Kabalistic rabbi — Rabbi Nehonia. Ana BeKoach is com- posed of seven lines, each hav- ing six words, totaling 42 words in the prayer. When taking each first letter of every word, the result is a 42-letter name, which is said, by Kabalistic scholars, to be the essence of the creation, and the name of G-d. For these reasons, and many others, Ana BeKoach is regarded in the mys- tical tradition as no less than “a portal to the power of creation itself and to creation’s source. ” Coming across all of these connections and interrelations between my lucky number and my religion was enlightening and substantiated my realization that there had to be a bigger reason as to why I embraced this number at such a young age. Maybe it was not so ran- dom after all. Aliyah Lofman is a junior at Frankel Jewish Academy. Aliyah Lofman PURELY COMMENTARY I just watched and listened to Zelensky speaking to Congress on March 16, which included the incredibly powerful video which showed some of the hor- rors that Putin’s Russian army has inflicted on Ukraine and its people. I am relieved that the U.S., NATO, and so many countries have banded together to give money and weapons to Ukraine as well as inflicting strong economic sanctions on Russia. Still, I can’t help thinking about Schindler’s List, the horrors of the Holocaust, and remembering Schindler’s memorable line, “I didn’t do enough!” We sit back in our comfort- able homes in the United States, watching calamities night after night on our TV screens and feel awful and futile in the face of such devastation. It is great that democracies have come together, and that Democrats and Republicans are mostly united against Putin. But when a heroic and desperate Zelensky admits that “today, my age stopped when the hearts of more than 100 children stopped beating. I see no sense in life if it cannot stop the deaths, ” my heart and millions of oth- ers virtually stopped for a few moments as well. It is commendable that every U.S. senator voted to condemn Putin as a “war criminal. ” But if the words from the Talmud, “Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire, ” are even vaguely true, then we, even after all of our donations and thoughts and prayers, must still accept the truth that we didn’t do enough. We didn’t do enough. — Arnie Goldman Farmington Hills CORRECTIONS • Despite reports in the March 10 JN, the rocket that damaged the Kyiv TV tower in Ukraine did not, in fact, harm the Babyn Yar memorial, located in an adjacent area, according to a veteran Israeli journalist, Ron Ben Yishai, who toured the site and saw no signs of damage. • In “ A Lone Soldier’s Story” (page 22, March 17), Joseph Icikson’s age and rank were incorrect. Joseph Icikson is 22 and an active soldier in the IDF. Also, Icikson was drafted into the IDF; he did not vol- unteer. letters continued from page 7