Known to the ancient Egyptians

The WWW is full of nasty articles about the Star of David. The authors of these articles are trying to prove that the six pointed star is mean and that using it is idolatry. They quote all kinds of unreliable sources and add a lot of wishful thinking of their own. Usually I don’t give them a stage on my blog but today I got the Brit-Am Now-820 and because I liked Yair Davidiy’s Answer to Michelle, I’ll make an exception.

Yair Davidiy Answer to Michelle:

You sent me extracts from an article claiming that the Star of David is the sign of Saturn etc

The article had a lot of quotation e.g

"The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia declares that the SIX-POINTED

STAR... according to the Rosicrucian... was known to the ancient

Egyptians." (Graham, p. 13)

There is no proof of this

Even if it was true (and I think it is not) it would not prove anything

I am afraid to say that The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia may not always be

such a good source and "the Rosicrucians" are even worse

DR. Moshe Gaster Article About the Magen David

I read in the Israel Museum library an article titled "Magen David" by Dr. Moshe Gaster, (1856- 1939),  preeminent scholar, Rabbi of the Spanish community in London, Zionist, and friend of Theodore Hertzl. The article had been published in Rimon- Milgroim, Jewish periodical, in 1926, if I’m not mistaken. Dr. Moshe Gaster claims there that he solved the riddle of the source of the Star of David emblem:

undoubtedly at first the six pointed like the five pointed served mainly for secret numerical speculations… In this image of six points it's possible to see as well a star emblem. Connecting this emblem to the name of David originates doubtless from the source of the messianic idea… As known the verse “there shall step forth a star out of Jacob”, in Numbers 24:17, was interpreted already on days of Hashmonean about the anticipated Messiah, and from here also the myth of the star in the new testament, that unquestionably originates from this ancient tradition. And more than that this interpretation takes place on the days of Bar Coziva who, on the basis of that verse, nicknames himself Bar Cochva (the son of the star), and to this nickname rabbi Akiva and his ardent students also agree. And it was quite natural to tie the same image of the star to the name of David, the father of the fathers of the Messiah. The star became the symbol of the Messiah, and in this way became also renowned as the emblem in the shield of King David. In other words the star in the shield of King David is the national emblem of the Hebrew people.

Dr. Gaster attached to the enclosed article a photograph of an amulet from the tenth century(See above) that was found in the Cairo Genizah. The amulet is covered with dense Hebrew writing; on top of it appear five Stars of David. Rabbi Gaster surmises that the source of each such amulet is hundreds of years before it was found because:

Every amulet and magical combination that we find now unquestionably had been copied from more ancient amulet because it is forbidden to change even one letter if you don’t want it to lose its power.

Which means that Jews recognized the Magen David and used it in their amulets hundreds of years before it was found in the Genizah.

Dr. Gaster also notes that:

To our wonder it was also found in the British Museum on the margins of pages of Greek magic charms from the second or third century.

It’s a pity Dr. Gaster didn’t give us some more accurate details about these Greek magic charms, because I’d like to see them.

Dr. Gaster’s interpretation to the verse “there shall step forth a star out of Jacob” fits Uri Ofir’s findings in his research about the Jewish Origin of the Star of David where he says that Rashi and Ibn Ezra interpreted that Balaam prophesized in this verse about King David. These interpretations were certainly known to Dr. Gaster.

Relativity of time

The following paragraph is from a new chapter, The Time Space Correlation, which doesn’t appear on Dr. Asher Eder’s book The Star of David, which was published in 1987 in English in Jerusalem by Rubin Mass Ltd.

Relativity of time 

In the previous chapter we reiterated the consensus about our notions of hours, days, and seasons. However, when looking closer, through a magnifying glass so-to-speak, we will notice that our time concept is somewhat rounded off, and subjective as well.

When someone in England or Scandinavia enjoys a nice summer day on the beach, he is hardly aware that it is winter on the southern hemisphere - at the same time. He would have to remind himself of that if he were to fly to Melbourne the other day, and to pack his winter clothes.
Everyone going, driving, or flying from say Moscow to Paris has to adjust his clock according to the local time. Usually this is done at the time of arrival. But how would he have to adjust his clock if for some reason he needs to know every minute, or after every kilometer of travel, the exact time?
Even this simple example can give us an idea about the intricate inter-relatedness between the calculation of the exact position in the three-dimensional space and its angle to the "two big lights which shall be [unto us] for signs and seasons and days" (and the hours, minutes, and seconds as fractions thereof). In addition to these four dimensions - the three conventional dimensions of space and the interrelated time - we have to take into account also the speed of the travelling body in relation to the movements of the other bodies (earth, sun, other airplanes, etc). This needs to be done e.g. for calculating the trajectories of missiles and of satellites. Based upon considerations like these, modern science developed the concept of space-time (in contrast to the conventional space and time) to indicate the inter-relatedness between these components.
Contemplating such thoughts, Albert Einstein developed his theories of relativity (in 1905), and the mathematician Herman Minkowski introduced (in 1908) the concept of the "union of space and time", or in brief, space-time.
Besides revolutionizing science, these new concepts settle the age-old philosophical dispute over objectivity or subjectivity: By nature, we are subject to the latter. For instance, we perceive the sun as a small ball although its diameter is more than a hundred times bigger than that of our globe. We also perceive the diameters of sun and moon as equal although the latter is even smaller than the earth. What is more, we derive all our measurements --meters, miles, furlongs; days, years; light-years, etc-- from subjective observations pertaining to our globe, standardize them conveniently, and take the results thereof for objectivity. There is nothing wrong with that as long as we are aware that they have no bearings on other planets (Mars, Jupiter, etc), not to speak of other solar systems, as said already.
Our hexagram with its straight lines depicts aptly these conditions we live in.
In the wake of the above mentioned modern considerations, the term absolute time became fashionable. However, this term is but one of the many examples for modern inflation and confusion of language. Time is by definition relative, relative to the position(s) of the body(ies) in view at a given moment. However, since no two bodies can at the very same instant be at the very same place, each of them has its own position and therefore its own time. The differences between them are usually so minute that they are of no tangible consequences for our daily lives, and so we can forget about them. But to speak of absolute time is more than exaggerated. Even viewing on TV a life broadcast lacks behind the actual event the time the electric waves need to cover the distance from there to the receiver (e.g. from one side of the globe to the other approximately 1/7 of a second).
There is no absolute time in the universe either as everything is moving relatively to everything else. Moreover, the velocities as well as the distances measured in light years are so huge that they don't allow to conceive of simultaneity.

The Meaning of the Hexagram For the Native American People

The following paragraph is from Dr. Asher Eder’s book The Star of David, which was published in 1987 in English in Jerusalem by Rubin Mass Ltd. The publication here is courtesy of Oren Mass
This version includes corrections and new materials that do not appear on the printed version

Excerpt from a letter received from the Sunray Meditation Society, Box 87, Huntington, Vermont 05462 (USA), dated May 20, 1983:

Thank you for your kind letter of 29 December.... The triangle is a basic concept and design element for the Native American people. The single triangle represents the building fires of Creation, and the double triangle represents a physical manifestation of those creative building energies which begin as an idea in the light or in the fire.... In our work, we understand the double triangle as expressing the wisdom: 'As it is above, so it is below'... the union of spirit and matter, Heaven and Earth. We experience this basic form as relating to a right relationship with Earth, devotion to the manifestation of an ideal form - knowing the abundance and harmony of the universe and choosing consciously to draw these qualities into the right manifestation in our lives on Earth. The double triangle also symbolizes the clan, the social form through which we know ourselves as a group working together for the good of all...

Jewish Leaders who were Against Using the Star of David

When the Star of David began to be used widely in the ninteenth and early twentieth centuries, it was strongly opposed by some Jewish prominent figures:

The poet Judah Leib Gordon, 1830 -1892, one of the most distinguished pioneers of Haskalah in Russia, claimed, it originally was used by pagan Druids.

Hungarian rabbi Leopold Löw, 1811- 1875, said it was derived from German myths.

• B. Vajda, in Zur Gesch. des Davidsschildes, in Magyar Zsidó Szemle, 1900, xvii. 310-322; thought that it is probable that it was the Cabala that derived the symbol from the Templars (see Vajda in "Magyar Zsidó Szemle," xvii. 314).

Joseph Gutmann ,The Jewish sanctuary,  ‏Brill,1983 Isbn 9004068937, 9789004068933 p. 21 

As late as the 19^th century, Rabbi Isaac Elhanan Spector [1817-1896], of Kovno, Lithuania, warned the local Reform congregation to remove the Magen David which graced the roof of their house of Worship

Moritz Güdemann, (1835-1918) wrote in 1916:

Men of Jewish learning cannot accept the fact that the Jewish people would dig out of their attic of superstition a symbol or emblem that it shares with stables

Hillel Roiter in Kountrass, April 2000, p. 54, quotes Gershon Sholem who wrote that Jacob Reifman, one of the leaders of the Haskalah movement, objected to the use of the Star of David, using the PSALM verse 106:35:

But were amingled among the heathen, and learned their works

Measure of Time

The following paragraph is from a new chapter, The Time Space Correlation, which doesn’t appear on Dr. Asher Eder’s book The Star of David, which was published in 1987 in English in Jerusalem by Rubin Mass Ltd.

35-5. Measure of time

The time measure we use in our daily lives (hours, years, etc) is depicted by the line h-i, i.e. that part of the line a-c which relates to us on our globe (cf. Gen.1:14,15). For an astronaut in his spaceship, or for a dweller on Mars or Venus - if there should be one - it would be different, not only since the days and years of the other planets are different timewise, but because the underlying forces and their combinations there, and consequently their effects, are different from those on our globe.
For the daily needs on our globe, our calculation (measurement) of time is based upon the following movements:
a) the earth's rotation. One revolution of the globe gives us the concept of one day (day and night together, that is, irrespective of longer and shorter periods of daylight in accordance with the seasons). The subdivision of a day into 24 hours (with 24 x 60 = 1440 minutes, or 1440 x 60 = 86400 seconds) is arbitrary, agreed upon for our conveniences. It derives from the sexagenary system developed by the Babylonians. As it is somewhat abstract, peoples in ancient times applied also other systems. For instance, the night was not subdivided into 12 hours but into 4 night watches. Before the invention of clocks, the watchman had to announce the times. Another example would be the duration of one inhale/exhale cycle of a man in rest which served as a measurement for smaller time units - it came up to approximately three and a half seconds.
b) the earth's orbit. A year is the time span our globe needs for one orbit. Our calendars render this time span as 365 days since the globe revolves approximately 365 times during one orbit. The western calendar balances the difference between orbit and rotation by introducing every 4 years a leap year with an additional day, the 29th of February.
When we say about someone that he is 60 years old, for example, we might say as well that he took part in 60 of the earth's orbits. However, such a saying would concentrate on the orbits and neglect many other forces which effect us during that period, too (as e.g. chemical, biological, spiritual forces). In fact, even for two people born at the very same minute, the 60 orbits or years have different meanings for each of them.
c) the earth's tilting. It makes up for the four seasons, with the equinoxes every 21.3. and 21.9. Perhaps Gen. 8:22 contains a hint that this tilting came about only after the Flood (it reads there: "summer and winter ... shall not cease...").
d) The waxing and the waning of the moon. The time span between one new moon and the next gave men the concept of one month. The earth rotates approximately 354 times during 12 moon months.
Most of the ancient cultures conceived the moon cycle as more important than the sun cycle, and consequently based their calendars upon the former. Islam whose followers comprise approximately 1/4 of the globe's population, follows the moon calendar. Because the moon year is shorter than the sun year, non-Muslim observers see the famous month of Ramadan (the month of fast) "wandering backwards" through the sun calendar, while the Muslim may look at the western calendar as "moving ahead" in comparison to the moon calendar he is accustomed to. Islam which originated in the hot desert of Saudi Arabia, inherited from ancient Babylon the moon calendar, obviously because the moon which governs the relatively cool nights is felt by the desert peoples as more beneficial than the burning sun. Besides, due to the climatic and geographical conditions there, they engage foremost in shepherding and trade, and not so much in agriculture which cannot be geared to the moon cycles only.
Focusing on the moon allows also for the concept that man should be like this heavenly body which reflects the light of the sun in purity. If man has waned for one reason or the other, he should, like the moon, always be ready to wax again in the light of the Divine.
The different calendars are not random choices. What we call western calendar, is in fact a northern calendar, i.e. it was developed and adopted by northern peoples who felt strongly the benefit of the light and the warmth of the sun. Moreover, the sun calendar allows for easier calculations of interest rates, salaries, etc: it is trimmed to the needs of industry and trade. Adhering to these needs, Christianity since the days of Emperor Constantine adapted to the sun calendar and conveniently depicts its founder as the sun of the universe. By doing so, it justified the continuation of observing the ancient pagan Sunday as day of worship.
In contrast, for ancient agricultural societies the moon cycles were of paramount importance as they give the times for seasonal sowings and plantings. It is for this reason that the festivals, most of them with an agricultural aspect, are tied to the moon (new moon or full moon).
Israel, located between north and south, and between desert and civilization, developed already in ancient times a combined sun-moon calendar (based upon Gen. 1:14-16 where we are told that both the big and the small light, i.e. sun and moon, shall be unto us for signs and seasons and days). In order to synchronize the moon and the sun cycles, the Hebrew calendar introduces seven leap years with a 13th moon month into each cycle of 19 sun years.
Everyone of these three calendars starts counting with a certain event: The Muslim's calendar commences with the Hejira, the day of Muhammed's escape from Mecca to Medinah; Christians count their calendar from the birth of Jesus; while the Jewish calendar begins with Adam, the father of all mankind (Gen. 5:1).
Other calendars base upon different observations and calculations. For instance, the ancient Persians tied their calendar to Sirius. Mathematically it was more accurate than the sun calendar, but it was also more abstract, and this may be a main reason why the cultures based on it did not prevail. - The Essenes of 2000 years ago tried to invent a more schematic calendar which, however, is not yet fully understood. - Modern physics invented for its needs a very precise atom clock, completely independent of the heavenly bodies and their movements. - Hypothetically, we could conjecture many other devices for measurement of time. For instance, the inhale-exhale cycle of a sleeping man served in ancient times as a time gauge, as mentioned already. Or, we could use the duration of a certain chemical process (as e.g. dissolving an iron ball of 1 c.c. in a given acid) as base for a time unit, and could build timepieces (watches) accordingly. While measurements taken from our bodies and its functions (as e.g. inhale-exhale cycle; cubit; foot; etc) differ from people to people and are not accurate enough for our modern needs, atomic or chemical processes, as accurate as they may be, have no tangible bearings in our daily lives, and do not match our sense of time. They have their own times, independent of the time we relate to.
e) This brief excursion into different calendars and other devices for measurement of time may demonstrate:
aa) time is not something independent, on its own. It is related to movements which are but changes of positions (not necessarily mechanical positions), and which have their bearings on us;
bb) our time concept, although based upon nature events, is very subjective, suiting best the daily needs of the respective individuals or groups. This holds true in view of the different calendars, but within them also in view of specific affairs.
An example may demonstrate this point: A venerable car factory, on occasion of clearing its yards, finds in 1991 in a corner a car built in 1928. After supplying it with a new battery and new tires, it works properly. In 1992 they manage to sell it as a unique piece, and the new owner applies for the license which he gets finally in 1994. He decides to exhibit it as a curiosity, and brings it only in 1995 on the road, brand new. How old is the car? Of course, its technical standard is that of 1928, i.e. in 1995 it is 67 years old, but according to the time of usage it is one year old. It is for this reason that we look in such cases at the wear and tear (mileage) not less than at the year of manufacture. That means to say we take different time bound impacts on the car into consideration.
f) In our context of measuring time, it might be of interest to ponder also on the question whether, and/or how, we would feel a change in the velocity of the globe's movements (rotation, orbit), if we had no clocks nor any other time piece which would show us the deviation from the present velocity? Suppose, the globe would slow down its rotation rate from 24 hours to, say, 30 hours of our present time concept. How would we notice it? Probably not immediately. Only within some length of time would we notice climatic changes, and would feel some unease, or disturbance, in our metabolisms which are attuned to the (present) 24 hours day. Provided the changes were not too severe, we would need some while to adjust to the new situation.
We may muse also about the question what kind of time concept we would have developed if our globe would have several moons (like Jupiter) instead of the one we know; or if our globe would orbit around a double sun (like Sirius)?
These hypothetical examples may show how much we made ourselves dependant on our clocks, even to such a degree that more often than not we delude ourselves by "thinking" the universe is geared to them.
g) We saw that time concepts are subjective, pertaining to our needs. Measurements which give these concepts their scientific touch, are worked out in the left brain which then translates it back to our consciousness. In our modern western world this leads to an over-emphasize of left brain attitudes. Children whose left brain is not functioning fully yet, have hardly any concept of measured time. Growing up into the world of the adults, they have to be trained to go by the clock. As our two brains, the right and the left, are anatomically balanced, our usage of their capacities --the analytical and the intuitional one-- should be balanced as well. Our graph which expresses many symbolic meanings, can serve as a symbol for such a balance, too.

Ferrara Cathedral

Hexagram on the Romanesque Cathedral of Ferrara, Emilia Romagna, Italy. Built in the 12th century.
Picture is courtesy of "padesig', who published it in Flickr and wrote the caption in Italian, which I don't understand; so I let Alta Vista Babel Fish do the job and here's what came up:

In the facade of the cathedral of Ferrara: what is one senz' other unusual one, but for me also much beautiful one... It seems is "an official" acknowledgment of the job and the contribution offered from the Jewish community of the time to the construction of the cathedral, but also an acknowledgment of the cultural and social importance that had the community in the period extensive