Word Prompt – THIRTEEN – Ziona Greenwald

Thirteen has a bad rap. Its association with bad luck has roots in everything from Norse mythology and folklore to Christian tradition and numerology. The superstition even has its own word – triskaidekaphobia – meaning “fear of the number 13.” But the unassuming digit’s ominous overtones have absolutely no support in Jewish tradition.

As we all know, 13 marks a Jewish boy’s coming of age as a mitzvah-obligated member of the tribe. Then there are the Thirteen Principles of Faith, formulated by Maimonides and recited daily. In the Torah itself (Shemot 34:6-7), we find G-d’s Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, a seminal part of our High Holiday tefillot and the answer to the last question in the Seder night song: “Sh’losh asar mi yode’a?” (Who knows 13?).

On a mystical level, 13 is not merely not unlucky, it represents fullness, holiness, and unity, specifically the unity of Hashem. The gematria of Echad, G-d’s Oneness proclaimed in the Shema, is 13 – the same as the gematria of ahava (love), reflecting an essential unity – there it is again – between the two concepts. There is strength and even good mazal in the number 13. So no need to dread Friday the 13th or nix that lovely home at 1313 13th St.!