Pesachim 94 - Distances

Earlier, we said that being far from the Temple means being at the distance of Modiin, five mil,  or 10,000 amah (steps). A person walks forty mil a day. From here, we can calculate many other distances.

For example, Egypt is four hundred parsah by four hundred parsah (where parsah is eight thousand square amah), Kush is sixty times larger, the world is sixty times larger than Kush, and Eden is sixty times larger than the world.

What do all these numbers mean, and why do they matter? They are hints to spiritual journeys. For example, when earlier we learned about a one who was impure on the first Pesach, it is a hint that he made his soul impure on his first reincarnation. Now he needs to come back again (this is his second Pesach). For a righteous person, mistakes in learning are considered intentional errors. However, he is free from punishment if he fails to bring his Passover offering. The more one learns the more one understands these hints.

Art: A Scholar in His Study by Salomon Koninck