Beyond Age And Perfection

Numbers don't rust. They bask in the sunshine, or hide in the dark and they remain ageless. As concepts, integers and numerals, they dwell in a mysterious realm of eternal ideas that transcend both mind and space. Furthermore, some numbers are more interesting and unique than others. Take, for example, the integer 6. Its divisors are 1,2 and 3, and these also add up to 6. Mathematicians regard this digit as a perfect number. According to the Biblical story in Genesis, God created the world in six days. Saint Augustine thought that in planning to create our world God chose to make it in six days because this number is perfect. Well, although 6 might be a perfect number, the world is still not consummate. Now, the notion of 'tikun olam', Hebrew for repairing the world, is relevant here. Tikun olam is a pivotal concept in Judaism. According to it, God deliberately created the world imperfect and therefore the divine act of creation is incomplete. In this regards let us bear in mind that we are all our brothers' keepers and responsible for each other. And so, it is the duty of all Men and Women, as partners in the act of creation, to ameliorate the human condition, and to make the world perfect.