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Posted on 05/24/2024 8:13:27 AM PDT by Ezekiel
Genre
Ephemera
Notes
- When decoded, this paper tape recording of the historic message transmitted by Samuel F. B. Morse reads, "What hath God wrought?" Morse sent it from the Supreme Court room in the U.S. Capitol in Washington to his assistant, Alfred Vail, in Baltimore. Morse's early system produced a paper copy with raised dots and dashes, which were translated later by an operator. Across the top of this artifact of his historic achievement Morse has given credit to Annie Ellsworth, the young daughter of a good friend, for suggesting the message he sent. She found it in the Bible, Numbers 23:23.
Call Number/Physical Location
Microfilm reel: 34
Series: Miscellany
MSS33670: box 71, folder 009
[Image at source link.]
***
Numbers 23:23 Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!
Operations
Morse's line was demonstrated on May 24, 1844, from the Old Supreme Court Chamber in the United States Capitol in Washington to the Mount Clare station of the railroad in Baltimore, and commenced with the transmission of Morse's first message (from Washington) to Alfred Vail (in Baltimore), "What hath God wrought", a phrase from the Bible's Book of Numbers. The phrase was suggested by Annie Ellsworth, whose husband was a supporter of Morse's, and knew Morse was religious.[8]
Baltimore -- Washington telegraph line
"What hath God wrought", delivered and read on
Fri, 24 May 1844 = 6th of Sivan, 5604
Shavuot:
Jewish History
Torah Given (1313 BCE)
On the 6th Sivan of the year 2448 from creation (1313 BCE), seven weeks after the Exodus, G-d revealed Himself on Mount Sinai. The entire people of Israel (600,000 heads of households and their families), as well as the souls of all future generations of Jews, heard G-d declare the first two of the Ten Commandments and witnessed G-d's communication of the other eight through Moses. Following the revelation, Moses ascended the mountain for 40 days, to receive the remainder of the Torah from G-d.
At Sinai, G-d rescinded the "decree" and "divide" (gezeirah) that had been in force since the 2nd day of creation separating the spiritual and the physical into two hermetic worlds; from this point on, "the higher realms could descend into the lower realms, and the lower could ascend to the higher." Thus was born the "mitzvah" -- a physical deed that, by virtue of the fact that it is commanded by G-d, brings G-dliness into the physical world.
https://www.chabad.org/calendar/view/day.asp?tdate=05%2F24%2F1844
According to the tradition,
Shavuot is not only the anniversary of the revelation of Torah at Sinai, it is the birthday of Jewish royalty as well, the day King David was born and died. To mark the event the Book of Ruth, which traces David's ancestry, is read in synagogue on Shavuot.
Here is a discussion about the origin of the chosen date:
https://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/79216/dovids-birth-and-death-date
***
In the annual cycle of the Torah readings, Numbers 23:23 is located in the 5th reading (Thursdays) of Parshat Balak:
Balak (בָּלָק—Hebrew for "Balak," a name, the second word, and the first distinctive word, in the parashah) is the 40th weekly Torah portion (פָּרָשָׁה, parashah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the seventh in the Book of Numbers. In the parashah, Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, tries to hire Balaam to curse Israel,[1] Balaam's donkey speaks to Balaam,[2] and Balaam blesses Israel instead. The parashah constitutes Numbers 22:2–25:9. The parashah is made up of 5,357 Hebrew letters, 1,455 Hebrew words, 104 verses, and 178 lines in a Torah Scroll (סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה, Sefer Torah).[3]
Jews generally read it in late June or July.
For example, this year the reading with "What hath God wrought" [מַה־פָּעַל אֵל] falls on
Thursday, July 18, 2024
12 Tammuz, 5784
... along with the Thursday (as well as Monday) tradition for reading the beginning of the parsha; i.e. Numbers 22:2-12
Jews generally read it in late June or July.
Yet on King David's birthday, Gentiles made history by quoting from Parshat Balak:
"What hath God wrought?"
28 years later (date unknown), American Progress was depicted with the rope in her hand:
American Progress, a painting of profound historical significance, has become a seminal example of American Western art. Serving as an allegory for Manifest Destiny and American westward expansion, this 11.50 by 15.75 inches (29.2 cm × 40.0 cm) masterpiece was commissioned in 1872 by George Crofutt, a publisher of American Western travel guides and has since been frequently reproduced.
The woman in the center is Columbia, the personification of the United States, and on her head is what Crofutt calls "The Star of the Empire." Columbia represents progress, which moves from the light-skied east to the dark and treacherous West, leading settlers who follow her either on foot or by stagecoach, horseback, Conestoga wagon, wagon train, or riding steam trains. Columbia is the figure of progress as she lays a telegraph wire with one hand and carries a school book in the other.
Genre:
Ephemera are items which were not originally designed to be retained or preserved, but have been collected or retained. The word is etymologically derived from the Greek ephēmeros ‘lasting only a day’.[1] The word is both plural and singular.[2]
In Hebrew: אפמרה
Lech Lecha 91b, Vol I, Soncino Zohar translation, pg. 300:
When God showed Adam all future generations, he saw them all in the Garden of Eden in the form which they were destined to assume in this world. When he saw David -- so we have been told -- with no life span at all apportioned to him, he was grieved, and gave him seventy years of his own; that is why Adam lived seventy years short of a thousand, the rest being given to David. The fact of David's only having seventy years from Adam, the first man, symbolizes something in the higher world, as does everything here below.
An additional detail is that like 2024 (Hebrew year 5784), 1844 was also a Green Dragon year (no. 41 in the 60-year calendar cycle), as was
1784, which marked the end of the Revolutionary War (Effective May 12, 1784).
I mention it because from a different direction, origin, and meaning entirely (or so it seems), the Green Dragon Tavern is known for being the "Headquarters of the Revolution" for the planning of it all, and of Paul Revere heading out for his Midnight Ride, which marked the beginning of the war:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Dragon_Tavern
The green (or azure or wood) dragon represents spring, the east, rebirth, new beginnings, and as such:
Yang-Wood, the element for this new Year of the Dragon, is connected to trees, forests, or wooden posts. You’ll see a lot of dragons up trees or wrapped around posts in new year imagery this year. According to the Chinese Five Elements theory, the colour of Wood is associated with green.
If done correctly the code key is nearly effortless and many find it quite relaxing.
Old Timey stuff!
Alexander Bell’s first phone message was a milestone in gay wokeness!
“Watson! Come here! I need you!” :/
Sumerians had batteries...
I couldn't belive the words "dumb ass" actually appear in the KJV until someone posted it on FR.
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