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Who knows eighty-five?

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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6 Answers

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A Sefer Torah parchment that contains at least 85 letters, equaling the number of letters in Vayehi Binso'a (the smallest "sefer" in the Torah), is considered a "sefer" with regard to making one's hands tamei. (Mishnah Yadayim 3:5)

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Checkmark because a Halachic limit specifying 85 has much 85-ness. – Isaac Moses♦ Aug 30 '10 at 16:48
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85 are the verses in Parshas Vayechi, which records Yaakov's blessings to his children and grandchildren. Appropriately enough, the mnemonic at the end of the parshah is פה אל פה - "[speaking] mouth to mouth" (in English terms, "face to face").

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Doeg killed 85 Kohanim who were "linen apron" wearers (prominent Kohanim) among the other Kohanim of Nov. (Shmuel A 22:18)

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Kalev was 85 years old at the time of the distribution of the land of Eretz Yisrael. (Yehoshua 10:14)

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Sanhedrin 97b records Eliyahu HaNavi's statement that the pre-messianic world will span at least 85 Yovel cycles (4,250 years).

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Megilas Rus has 85 Pesukim which is also the Gematria of Boaz.

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