thirteenth

Everyday

1. Thirteenth means number 13 in order, after the twelfth and before the fourteenth. tree →
2. A thirteenth is one of thirteen equal parts of something. tree →

In the lessons

In maths it is used for order (ordinal numbers) and for fractions: one thirteenth = 1/13. In everyday life: the thirteenth floor, a thirteenth birthday (becoming a teenager). Some people believe the number thirteen is unlucky; that is a superstition, not a fact. Written short as 13th.

Examples

• She came thirteenth in the race. tree →
• My thirteenth birthday makes me a teenager. tree →
• Some buildings skip the thirteenth floor. tree →
• One thirteenth of 26 is 2. tree →
• He was the thirteenth person in the queue. tree →
• The thirteenth chapter is the scariest. tree →
• If a cake is cut into thirteen equal pieces, each is a thirteenth. tree →
• You wish to know why we never eat of the thirteenth dish? tree →

Note

Spelling: thir-teen-th (no «e» dropped). Short form: 13th. Fraction: 1/13; two thirteenths = 2/13. Do not confuse with «thirtieth» (30th). The idea that thirteen is unlucky is a myth.

In Jewish tradition

In Sefer Yetzirah the Thirteenth Path is called the Uniting Intelligence, one of the 32 paths of wisdom, linked to Glory. In Chronicles it names the thirteenth turn of the priests and Levites in service, and in Esther the thirteenth day of Adar.

Interpretation. The thirteenth day of Adar was the day set for Haman's plan against the Jews, which was turned around. Jews remember it with the Fast of Esther before Purim.

Examples

• Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. (Torah GEN.14.4, JPS 1917) tree →
• The Thirteenth Path is named the Uniting Intelligence and is so called because it is itself the essence of Glory. (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1887) tree →
• The Thirteenth Path is named the Uniting Intelli- gence, and is so-called because it is itself the Essence of Glory. (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893) tree →
• the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab; (Writings 1CH.24.13, JPS 1917) tree →
• For the thirteenth, Shubael, his sons and his brethren, twelve; (Writings 1CH.25.20, JPS 1917) tree →
• upon one day in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, namely, upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar. (Writings EST.8.12, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Spelling: thir-teen-th (no «e» dropped). Short form: 13th. Fraction: 1/13; two thirteenths = 2/13. Do not confuse with «thirtieth» (30th). The idea that thirteen is unlucky is a myth.