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Who knows fifty-four?

Please cite/link your sources, if possible. At some point in the next few days, I will:

  • Upvote all interesting answers.

  • Accept the best answer.

  • Go on to the next number.

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4 Answers

up vote 5 down vote accepted

54 parshios in the Torah (Count 'em)

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up vote -1 down vote

Both Esther and Haman are mentioned 54 times in the Megila.

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-1 I count 55 Esther mentions. – Double AA♦ Oct 16 '12 at 5:30
up vote 4 down vote

54 are the years that the Jewish People studied the laws of Terumah and Maaser before actually being able to put them into practice. (Kiddushin 40b)

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1  
And, by definition, 54 years from yetzias mitzrayim until k'vishas Ha-aretz – YDK Jun 25 '10 at 3:55
1  
Actually, until the end of kibush vechilluk (since each of those stages lasted seven years). – Alex Jun 25 '10 at 20:28
up vote 3 down vote

$54 is "triple chai." Due to inflation, people have been saying that a "chai" donation ($18) isn't what it used to be; in some shuls, you tend to hear more pledges for double or triple chai, or "chayim" ($68). Or at least that was back before the current economic downturn, so never mind ...

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