“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”
Erev Shabbos Kodesh parshas Vayera 5786
16 MarCheshvan 5786/November 7, 2025
Dedicated in loving memory of my Savta, Mrs. Minnie Staum, Shprintza bas Avrohom Yitzchak a”h,
upon her yahrtzeit, 17 Cheshvan.
This article was inspired by my students, for obvious reasons.
SIX SEVEN
Years ago, I heard the following joke: Why was six afraid of seven?
As of this writing, the answer to the joke is largely irrelevant. When I attempted to tell this joke to in front of my class this week, before I had a chance to say the answer, there was an uproar of kids waving their hands alternatingly chanting, “Six, seven!”
No doubt within a short amount of time, this current “bit” will fade into oblivion. But for the moment it has become the bane of adults everywhere.
You would think there is some rational explanation for the currently ubiquitous bit. However, that is not the reality. It has something to do with the lyrics of a song and a basketball player’s height. But that’s about where any logic ends. It’s another example of how inane things can spread rapidly in a society run by TikTok, Snapchat and social media.
Just how much has it spread?
“Each year, Dictionary.com’s Word of the Year and short-listed nominees capture pivotal moments in language and culture. These words serve as a linguistic time capsule, reflecting social trends and global events that defined the year. The Word of the Year isn’t just about popular usage; it reveals the stories we tell about ourselves and how we’ve changed over the year. And for these reasons, Dictionary.com’s 2025 Word of the Year is 67.”
If this “word” tells the story of 2025, it speaks volumes about how something meaningless, silly and nonsensical can gain so much traction and attraction in contemporary society.
Is there any redeeming quality to the current trend? Is there any worthwhile message to be gleaned from it?
People sometimes ask if Shabbos is the beginning of the week or if Shabbos is the end of the week? The truth is that both are true, for, in fact, Shabbos is the middle of the week. The halachah is that one who missed havdalah on Motzei Shabbos can and must say havdalah until Tuesday afternoon. This demonstrates that the sanctity of Shabbos lingers somewhat until then. Then, on Wednesday morning we begin to actively prepare for the coming Shabbos. This is symbolized by the fact that our custom is to conclude the daily Yom of Wednesday with the opening verses that we recite at Kabbolas Shabbos.
Why is Shabbos specifically the seventh day of the week?
There are six directions. On Succos we shake the daled minim in all six of those directions, symbolizing Hashem’s control over the entire world. The number seven represents the center point from which those six directions branch out of. Shabbos is the center point in the life of a Jew. His entire week surrounds Shabbos and “branches out” of Shabbos. A Jew is meant to live with the inspiration of the previous Shabbos and anticipation for the coming Shabbos.
During the six days of the week, we branch out in all directions, trying to make a living and chasing our dreams. On Shabbos we retreat into our spiritual selves, turning inwards towards the center point at the core of our being.
The Tolna Rebbe, Rabbi Yitzchak Menachem Weinberg, related a story that his late sister a”h shared with him. At the end of her life, the Rebbe’s sister had to be in the hospital for a lengthy stretch of time.
One Friday afternoon while she was in the hospital, a doctor entered her room and told her that a few rooms over from hers, there was a bedridden patient who was a young scholar who was very ill. That patient had asked the doctor to ask the other patients if they would mind if he would sing Shabbos zemiros out loud that evening. He wanted to make sure that it wouldn’t disturb anyone else. My sister, as well as all the other patients in that ward, gave permission.
That night the young scholar racked with terrible pain, fervently and passionately sang the Shabbos zemiros. The patients, nurses and doctors – even those not Shabbos observant – were very moved by his singing. When he finished, many patients requested that he continue singing. He sang a few more songs until he was completely exhausted.
The young man passed away a few days later. The Rebbe’s sister shared that it is impossible to put into words how emotionally elevated they all felt from the heartfelt sweet singing of someone who likely knew he was dying.
Such a person doesn’t live a life of six, but a life of seven, where Shabbos is the center and focal point of his life.
I am quite sure that when kids say “six seven” while making bizarre hand motions, they are just excited to irk the adults around them, and aren’t thinking much about the holiness of Shabbos.
But at least for myself I attached some value to the otherwise inane bit. When kids move their hands alternatingly up and down while saying “six, seven” it’s a subtle reminder of the symbolic question we need to ask ourselves constantly: Do we live a life of six or do we live a life of seven; do we live for the six workdays, or do we live for the sanctity of Shabbos? It’s a choice we always have.
By the way, for whenever the silly bit finally ends and is relegated to the dustheap of forgotten stupidities, the answer to why 6 was afraid of 7 is because 7 ate 9. But, if 7 ate 9 l’kovod Shabbos, then 9 shall not have been eaten in vain.
Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos,
R’ Dani and Chani Staum
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