Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Passing the technological baton to the masses

The Jewish Worker has an interesting post about whether or not Shlomo ha-melekh could have invented cars. (Short answer: no.)

The conversation turned to other matters, namely an apparently famous Zohar that says "In the 600th year of the 6th millennium (approximately 1830 [sic]) the gates of knowledge above, and the fountains of knowledge below, will be opened, and the world will be prepared to enter the seventh millennium. The "gates of knowledge above" refers to the wisdom of Torah; "the fountains of knowledge below" is secular knowledge. "

To this someone added, "This would seem to imply that this secular knowledge was unknown until now."

Someone else pointed out that the interpretation of this passage in the Zohar "could mean that until the 7th millenium it would only be known to a select few of the generation i.e. the Gedolei Hador. After that year, the gates would break open and it would be learned by the masses."

I suppose. That would also explain why the gedolei ha-dor don't know these things now.

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