I can't decide whether Rand's plan is madness or genius. It's a testament to the quality of the series that the divisions in the story mirror that of the fandom...I'm sure RJ would be laughing very hard at us if he were still around.

As for the number 23, I agree that I can't think of anything in the series that it would signify. However, RJ is fond of his religious allusions, and this made me think of Psalm 23. It's probably the best known of the Psalms, and is the one about God being a shepard and leading his followers safely through the valley of the shadow of death. It seems like a nice parallel for the new Jesus-like Rand we see in this book.