iii. 2), "In wrath remember mercy;" a
transposition of the letters of the word for accursed, also amounting by
Gematria to two hundred and forty-eight. Rabbi Joseph says, "Hang an
anathema on the tail of a dog and he will still go on doing mischief."
_Moed Katon_, fol. 17, col. 1.
The human body has two hundred and forty-eight members:--Thirty in the
foot--that is, six in each toe--ten in the ankle, two in the thigh, five
in the knee, one in the hip, three in the hip-ball, eleven ribs, thirty
in the hand--that is, six in each finger--two in the fore-arm, two in
the elbow, one in the upper arm, four in the shoulder. Thus we have one
hundred and one on each side; to this add eighteen vertebrae in the
spine, nine in the head, eight in the neck, six in the chest, and five
in the loins.
_Oholoth_, chap. I, mish. 8.
See also Eiruvin, fol. 53, col. 2, and the Musaph for the second
day of Pentecost. In the Musaph for the New Year there is a
prayer that runs thus, "Oh, deign to hear the voice of those who
glorify Thee with all their members, according to the number of
the two hundred and forty-eight affirmative precepts. In this
month they blow thirty sounds, according to the thirty members
of the soles of their feet; the additional offerings of the day
are ten, according to the ten in their ankles; they approach the
altar twice, according to their two legs; five are called to the
law, according to the five joints in their knees; they observe
the appointed time to sound the cornet on the first day of the
month, according to the one in their thigh; they sound the horn
thrice, according to the three in their hips; lo! with the
additional offering of the new moon they are eleven, according
to their eleven ribs; they pour out the supplication with nine
blessings, according to the muscles in their arms, and which
contain thirty verses, according to the thirty in the palms of
their hands; they daily repeat the prayer of eighteen blessings,
according to the eighteen vertebrae in the spine; at the
offering of the continual sacrifice they sound nine times,
according to the nine muscles in their head," etc.
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