Chris Friedman
3RD GRADE TEACHER
My name is Christine Friedman. I was born on August 8, 1964 at 8:08! The date can be written as 8/8/64: 8 times 8 equals 64! The number 8 has been lucky throughout my life. On August 8, 1988 (8/8/88) I played the lottery numbers 888 for the week, and guess what? The numbers came up—on 8/9/88! The number 8 can be found in many places in Judaism. There are 8 days of Hanukah. Hanukah which symbolizes light-something I always strive to bring to myself and others. Light is hope. There are 8 days of Passover. Passover is about freedom and a journey. Those concepts resonate with me because freedom can be free from many things. I often think “what will I free myself from today and give over to Gd?” For me life is a journey, the moment you stop moving is the moment you stop living. Lastly, if you rotate the number 8 sideways it becomes the symbol of infinity. How beautiful is that? Infinite possibilities, infinite ways to begin again, the infinite love of Gd and the universe, the infinite concept of time. On the surface we can say we are not physically here for infinity, but we can think of it in spiritual terms. We can trace ourselves back to an infinite beginning and into an infinite future through ancestors and future generations. Here’s to an infinite quest of Judaism in our mind, heart and soul.
