בראשית, פרק י״א, פסוק י״ז

The long life of Eber spans a major shift in human history, taking place just after humanity was scattered following the events of the Tower of Babel. Observing that people were once again drifting away from God's original instructions, Shem joined forces with his great-grandson Eber to establish a spiritual institution. Their primary goal was to preserve these divine teachings, which would eventually be formally given as the Torah, and to share them with anyone willing to learn [חומש קה״ת].

Beyond safeguarding spiritual knowledge, this institution protected the world's original language, Hebrew. They kept this language a secret, as Shem and Eber realized from the rebellion at the Tower of Babel that the rest of humanity was no longer worthy of speaking it. During this time, Shem also established his home in the city of Shalem, which would later become known as Jerusalem [חומש קה״ת].

Eber's remarkable longevity is carefully recorded, noting that he lived for four hundred and thirty years after the birth of his son, bringing his total lifespan to four hundred and sixty-four years. The structure of these numbers is highly specific, resting on a base of four hundred years. The remaining years are organized around a periodic unit of sixty. The additional thirty years represent half of this sixty-year cycle, while his total lifespan incorporates a full sixty-year unit along with four final years [קאסוטו].