Who knows fifty-two?
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Sign up to join this communityPlease 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.
Moed Katan 28a says that Shmuel lived for fifty two years. Sifri - on the last page - line 9 lists six pairs that had the same lifespan. One of them is Shmuel and Shlomo. Thus Shlomo HaMelech also lived for fifty two years.
See also Aish.com regarding the age of Shlomo HaMelech when he died.
Born in 848 BCE, Solomon dies at age 52 in 796 BCE, ruling as king for 40 years
52 is the numerical value of one of the possible expansions of Hashem's Four-Lettered Name (known as מילוי ההי"ן, because the two letters ה are each expanded to ה"ה). It is known as שם ב"ן, and is associated with the lower (spiritual and physical) worlds.
As an example of this, R' Shneur Zalman of Liadi observes (Shaar Hayichud Veha'emunah, end of ch. 7) that a stone, called in Hebrew אבן, ultimately derives its very limited life-force (through a tremendous number of condensations (tzimtzumim) of Divine energy) from this Name, "with an additional letter א from some other [Divine] Name, for a reason known to its Creator."
In the entire Chumash Bamidbar there are 52 Mitzvos
52 are the perakim in Yirmeyahu
Avraham was 52 when he started his goal of showing there is only one God to mankind. (Avodah Zora 9a)