The pasuk in Devarim (1,10) tells us that Klal Yisrael will be as numerous as the stars in the sky. Rashi points out that seemingly this is not true. At that point, Klal Yisrael only had around 600,000 members, and we know that there are far more stars than that number. Rashi explains that the intent of the pasuk is to say that just as the stars endure forever Klal Yisrael will also endure forever.
The sefer Bircas HaChesbon asks that seemingly this does not fit with the pasuk. The pasuk says that you will be like the stars L’Rov (in abundance). This would seem to imply that the comparison is in regards to the number of stars and not just to the fact that stars last forever.
As a result of this question, the Sefer Bircas HaChesbon gives the following remarkable explanation. He explains that the same way that the stars dominate Space, Klal Yisrael dominates Earth. That the proportion of stars relative to the size of Space, is the same proportion of Klal Yisrael over Earth. (Therefore, if Space is ten times as big as Earth, the number of stars would have to be ten times the number of Klal Yisrael.)
In order to make this calculation, one needs to calculate four numbers:
- The size of Space.
- The number of stars in Space.
- The size of Earth.
- The size of Klal Yisrael
Based on his calculations, the Birchas Hachesbon comes up with the following numbers:
- The size of Klal Yisrael is calculated to be 5,625,000,000 (see below).
- The size of the Earth is 10,950,000 square parsaos.
- The size of Space is 2,071,915,200,000,000 square parsaos.
(When it comes to the size of Klal Yisrael, he explains that the correct number to use is not 600,000. Rather, the number is far larger. Klal Yisrael’s influence on the world is far greater than their actual number. Klal Yisrael’s influence is calculated according to the following pasuk. The pasuk in Bechukosai (26:8) tells us that when Klal Yisrael does the will of Hashem, 5 will chase 100, 100 will chase 10,000. Rashi asks the obvious question. If 5 could chase 100, then 100 should only be able to chase 2,000 (1 for every 20). Rashi answers that when you have a group, their ability grows disproportionately; the more people you have, the greater their power).
The Bircas HaChesbon calculates, that if 5 could chase 100, and 100 could chase 10,000, it follows that 600,000 could chase 5,625,000,000.
Therefore, if we want to calculate the influence of Klal Yisrael over the world, the correct number would be 5,625,000,000.
Using the above numbers, we can now come to the following mind-boggling conclusion.
Space is 189,216,000 times bigger than Earth. The size of Space (figure 3) divided by the size of Earth (figure 2) equals 189,216,000.
If so, the number of stars should equal 1,064,340,000,000,000,000; the number of Klal Yisrael (figure 1) times 189,216,000.
In other words, if Space is 189,216,000 times greater than Earth, then the number of stars should be 189,216,000 times greater than the amount of Klal Yisrael. If this is true, we can then say that the same way that the stars dominate Space, so too Klal Yisrael dominates Earth.
Although it would seem impossible to calculate the number of stars, in reality the Gemara gives us a very specific number. The Gemara in Berachos (32b) states:
- There are twelve constellations.
- For every constellation there are ‘thirty army commanders’ (these terms refer to different groups of stars).
- For every ‘army commander’ there are thirty ‘ligyon’.
- For every ‘ligyon’ there are thirty ‘rahaton’.
- For every ‘rahaton’ there are thirty ‘karton’.
- For every ‘karton’ there are thirty ‘gastera’.
- And for every ‘gastera’ there are 3,650,000,000 stars.
We can now make the following incredible calculation: 12*30*30*30*30*30*365,000 equals exactly one quintillion, sixty-four quadrillion, three hundred forty trillion, or in other words, 1,064,340,000,000,000,000!
The precise number that was predicted by the above vort!
