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22222

The famous palindrome that I was raised on was the lesson embedded in the Hebrew word natan, spelled in three letters: n.t.n. It means “gave,” and constitutes the root letters for all derivative Hebrew words related to giving.

The famous lesson: When you give, you receive. It is one and the same. You might fancy yourself the giver in a particular situation, but in fact — as the word is read the same in both directions – you are also receiving.

It is a nice idea and teaching, I’ve always carried with me. And ever since it was pointed out, I took notice of palindromes.

Maybe because my birthday is a numeric palindrome, a mirror image of itself, I also started taking note of dates in the calendar that are palindromes, or offer other numeric patterns.

I think it was when I went to get my driver’s license, the first formal form as a young adult that I had to fill out, that I noticed it. My birthday was a fun little visual, a unique pattern I thought was something numerically special.

Last week was 2/2/22. And for those who missed it, soon it will be be 2/22/22. While it might not be a perfect palindrome per se, the digits repeat, so in a sense it is. There is something magical to it, especially when you consider the last time this happened was close to 1,000 years ago.

In the US, the date is written as month, day, year. In European and Middle East cultures, the date is recorded as day, month, year. But when all the digits are one and the same, it really doesn’t matter. No matter how you record the date, in every culture it will read the same: 22222.

Now, why is this important, you might ask?

Well, it’s not! It’s just a way to add some fun to the monotony of calendar dates and marking the passage of time.

There is Pi Day, on March 14, 3.14, to mark the mathematical ratio represented by the

Greek letter for Pi 3.14 (not to be confused with National Pie Day of January 23). Although, baking a pi(e) with a Pi symbol cut out at its center is a fine way in which to mark this unique numeric day that aligns with the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter.

2011 and 2021 were big palindrome years for calendar dates. But I have to say, the aesthetic of 2022 calendar date palindromes are pretty cool. I cannot tell you the mathematical or astrological meanings of these patterns, but I can say, I think a series of frontward-backward series of 2’s is noticeably nice.

Then, sometimes, even for a mathematical and numbers ignoramus like me, there are dates that just jump out at you for their mathematical structure. For example, 3.3.09. 3×3=9.

In this century we have passed the single digit years so the opportunity for dates of successive numbers such as 1.2.3, have already passed us by.

is a whole superstitious culture out there relating to these number quirks and their perceived significance.

As a 9th grader, someone in my class started the shtick of getting us to stop everything and stare at a digital radio clock at 11:11 and silently make a wish. Teenhood silliness! Minus the staring and making a wish or pretending there is something deep to it, a palindrome date or other mathematical pattern in a date is still a fun fact.

As I write now, I notice 11.11 is, of course, 22. And that the Hebrew alphabet is composed of 22 letters. The number games one can play are endless.

So, set your watches or phones for 2.22.22. You can have fun with this calendar quirk and, in advance, treat your colleagues, friends or family with a sweet reminder that expresses this playful upcoming date-number of 22222.

Different numbers and different dates are special to each of us in our own way, in our

own lives. The classics are birthdays, anniversaries and other special dates in our lifetimes, perhaps the date when day someone’s life was saved, or when someone became a citizen or when someone won a major award.

Regardless of the date on a calendar, every day we are given is a gift; a world all its own. No day, or date, is worth more or less than another.

Still, calendar quirks, though not inherently significant, add a little flair in marking the passage of time.

A calendar quirk is a way of living in the moment and deriving joy from the present.

Copyright © 2022 by the Intermountain Jewish News



Tehilla Goldberg

IJN columnist | View from Central Park


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