Musing on Devarim 12:32

Dev 12:32 "Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it." Now because I am in a 'mathematical' and 'logical' mindset something occurred to me about the passage that alerted me to an obvious 'reason' for this prohibition - obvious that is 'mathematically' and not 'conceptually'.

Some formal declarations are in order:- 'Add to' ; I take as referring to the 'mathematical' operand called addition. Designated by the '+' sign. 'Subtract from' ; then is to be given the rather obvious designator as 'subtraction' indicative of the '-' sign. Now I am going to designate the 'Torah' and by association 'G_d' as the integer "1" since this is from the Shema and I think that is a workable postulate. As truth is one. Now try to do arithmetically what the Torah prohibits:- 1 + 1 = 2 1 - 1 = 0 In both mathematical operands you have created 'plurality' in addition and 'non-existence' in the other = 0. The 'singularity' has been 'nullified' into plurality or non existence, hence the prohibition. However the other two operands are not prohibited namely multiplication or division why? Because:- 1 x 1 = 1 1 / 1 = 1 In both those operands the '1' is not altered and unity and truth maintained. Hence derash (as 'multiplication') or the world ('divided' into nations) is ok since the truth is not violated. So go forth and 'multiply' is fine . I know there are other 'conceptual' reasons for this prohibition but its nice to see in a system uncolored and 'pure' ie simple arithmetic - the truth of Torah. Just a muse

The nikudim can be controversial look at the Tetragramaton and what those without a concept of 'IS' use them (the nikudim) to construct - a vocalized 'NAME' producing an 'IT' a 'name' that exists in alienation to its very nature. The 'NAME' becomes an 'addition' to the letters and ipso facto is forbidden because unity+unity = plurality. You could answer that there are pitfalls elsewhere such as Psalm 69:30 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. In what sense is this 'magnify' used if it is used - as it often is - in an additive sense (in certain traditions) it is forbidden and 'literally' in those cases forms duality - but it is not to be thought of as additive but rather it is a 'multiplicative' sense that is used as in the 'resolving' power of a lens 4x, 12x etc. etc. There is no violation here because again 'multiplication' does not violate unity. War is a good example of the 'negative' 'division' side of this concept. War is not 'forbidden' - division does not violate the unity of the 'one' rule - but murder is forbidden because it is 'subtractive' and that violates the 'unity rule'. Anthropomorphism of G_d is an addition of something to the 'nature' of G_d and therefore is fraught with the same difficulties! Something like that anyway

You can go through the Decalogue this way eg You shall have no other gods before me - is a prohibition against addition. Thou shalt not steal is a prohibition against subtraction and so on. Multiply as I said is exhibited as a positive 'operand' as in go forth and 'multiply' and in 'Magnify' (Psalm 69:30 above - but what about 'division' which sounds darker. Well if you look at it the integer '1' cannot be divided (subject to making a prohibition against 'floating point arithmetic ) - only man can be 'divided' and therefore the harm in 'division' is only to man not to the 'cosmic' principle - still not positive but it is not subject to prohibition only undesirability.

Interesting further thought - and please don't take this the wrong way - there is one 'addition' that is permitted and that is the 'unity of the addition' of husband and wife now how does this work in the mathematical model. Well there are two ways this may not violate the principle - one is a half (or 0.5) + (0.5) = 1 - but we banned floating point arithmetic in favor of the modal (as in the indivisibility of 1) or to create something on the side of the equation that does not violate it. It is the symbol '0' - not as a 'nothing' but as a symbol of pure 'other' - therefore 1+0=1 allows the addition to work by combining plurality into unity - seems to show why 'same sex' marriage is forbidden as well - because that would produce our old favorite 1+1=2 or indeed 0+0=0 [the logical pluralities of homosexuality] - Again I want to emphasize this 'zero' could equally be the man in the equation - but for 'allegorical' reasons perhaps it fits better with the female - but the mathematics is not misogynistic and either party can occupy either symbol - producing the dynamics of relationship.

NB Also note that 1-0=1 does not violate the 'unity' therefore divorce is permitted (though not desirable) not prohibited.

No the base makes no difference in binary 1+1=10 [in base 2] but that does not represent 10 but 2 therefore duality the 'proposition' still holds because the only 'change' we are interested in is whether unity is maintained or violated = Prohibited or permitted. 1-1=0 in any base. 1x1=1 in any base and 1/1=1 in any base - that base is irrelevant the actual unity of the 'real number' 1 is important. 1 in any base is still 1. The schemata is not 'strictly' arithmetic but rather 'representational' of True/False in general. For instance the Garden of Eden was mediated as 'separate' existence by a true dichotomy between True and false. Now in the Garden of Eden True was 1 whilst false equated to 0 so all was permitted since 1+0=1 ; 1-0=1 ; apart from division and multiplication - since sex and procreation 'multiplication' if you will was barred by the equation 1*0=0 not an error but an indication of non-existence =0. Division however did not point to either True or False but to error since in the garden of Eden that would have resulted in 1/0= ? (which cannot be calculated) which is the position of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good/Evil which was the only prohibition in Eden - offering an equation that cannot be calculated the fruit of which was neither True nor False but some 'other = prohibition'. Since 'division' [in mathematical sense] was not possible [and thereby prohibited] in the Garden of Eden all was 'connected' - Now the fall introduced two falsities as manifest by the lie of the Serpent and eating the fruit of the tree or if you like an attempt to calculate 1/0=? The World descended from 'perfection' to 'error' in that 'calculation' which resulted in our 'division' or 'expulsion' from the 'unity of the Garden. Effectively the True = 1 and 0=False were replaced by illusory datum points of Good and Evil. Therefore enabling either to assume a unity or a negation - since both cannot in a sensible schema assume a 'zero' value - since this universe manifests as a something rather than a nothing - the key to understanding this world is through assigning both datums to 1 rather than 0, in reflection of the maxim that there is good in everything here. So now we are back to my original schemata but with the [addition] of the possibility of 'division' which is now no longer 'impossible' hence the manifestation of the true 'evil' 1/1=1 which denotes the illusion of Evil / Good because 'division will appear as unity as will multiplication, Hence the lack of the 'prohibition' of evil in this world such as war and anti-semitism etc. etc. resulting in suffering. Multiplication 1*1=1 now manifests in corporeality or existence - which allows us to 'multiply' both figuratively and literally - or again something like that

My point is it does not alter the arithmetic of my postulate at all since I am fundamentally dealing with unity or not-unity effectively 1 or 0 the complexity of anything above the unity = 1 is prohibited as is anything that reduces it to negation = 0. The only thing that is unthinkable in this simple 'operand' Universe is 1/0 - this is the 'abomination'. The use of 1 also points to a 'mastery-of-sorts' over infinity since if you infinitely try to divide 1 by 1 the answer will always be one thats why the unity of G_d is inviolate. However if you try to do as the Nazi's did and use a zero to attack unity you create a 'singularity (or black hole) in the operand 1/0 = ???? This relates to my idea that the atheist exists in 'contradiction' not in 'postulate' = 0. Any attempt by Atheism to divide unity (=G_d) results in abomination, it cannot be 'prohibited' since division is not one of the prohibitions here (Because of Devarim's prohibition of add and subtract only). Now under normal conditions as long as both 'postulates' are 'positive' in the sense that they are 'sensical' they do not violate the unity prohibition because 1/1=1 - therefore QED division over 'postulates' is credible and permitted. However if one side becomes an anti-postulate (sort of like anti-matter) the 'division' escalates into the 'singularity' and darkness of 1/0 which explains the 'allowance' of events like the Shoah. Effectively the creation of a negation of 'postulate' creates division that is non-sensical ie Atheist/Theist and the general principle is not prohibited and therefore 'horrendous creations of anti-existence are 'manifest' which is what we observe but certainly not desirable because they represent a repeat of the Fall into further darkness. Back to your original comment it is very interesting to find Cantors work on Infinity was mediated through the switch to binary and indeed that gave us the revelation that 'infinities' can be different - Cantor lost his sanity on that one - does not bode well for me