In the ancient Hebrew alphabet there were no digits separate from the letters: to write a number, the letters themselves were used. Aleph was worth 1, Bet 2, Gimel 3, and so on. From this simple convention came one of the most fascinating practices of the Jewish tradition: gematria, the reading of words through their numerical value.
The origin of the name and the idea
The term «gematria» probably comes from Greek, and the most frequently cited connection is with geometria. This is no accident: in the Greek world, too, letters had numerical values, and the analogous practice was called isopsephy. The underlying idea is shared by both cultures: if every word is also a number, two words with the same number can be brought into relation.
In the rabbinic tradition gematria appears as one of the tools used to interpret the sacred texts, alongside other methods. In medieval Kabbalah it becomes a favoured tool, because it fits the idea that letters are creative forces and not mere conventional signs.
The table of values
The twenty-two letters are divided into three series: units, tens and hundreds.
| Units | Tens | Hundreds | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aleph | 1 | Yod | 10 | Qof | 100 |
| Bet | 2 | Kaf | 20 | Resh | 200 |
| Gimel | 3 | Lamed | 30 | Shin | 300 |
| Dalet | 4 | Mem | 40 | Tav | 400 |
| He | 5 | Nun | 50 | ||
| Vav | 6 | Samekh | 60 | ||
| Zayin | 7 | Ayin | 70 | ||
| Chet | 8 | Pe | 80 | ||
| Tet | 9 | Tsade | 90 |
The value of a word is obtained by adding up the values of its letters. Since Hebrew is normally written without vowels, only the written consonants are counted.
Three classic examples
Chai, life: 18
The word chai, «alive», is written Chet and Yod: 8 + 10 = 18. It is the best-known example, and it has left a mark on customs too: in the Jewish world it is common to give gifts of money in multiples of 18, as a wish for life.
One and love: 13
Echad, «one» (Aleph, Chet, Dalet), is worth 1 + 8 + 4 = 13. Ahavah, «love» (Aleph, He, Bet, He), is worth 1 + 5 + 2 + 5 = 13. The tradition has read a teaching in this coincidence: authentic love tends towards unity, and unity expresses itself as love.
Wine and secret: 70
Yayin, «wine» (Yod, Yod, Nun), is worth 10 + 10 + 50 = 70. Sod, «secret» (Samekh, Vav, Dalet), is worth 60 + 6 + 4 = 70. The Talmud draws from this a saying that has remained famous: when wine goes in, the secret comes out.
The different methods of calculation
Gematria is not a single procedure. Over time several systems developed, including:
- ordinary value (mispar hechrachi): the one in the table above;
- great value (mispar gadol): the five final letters, that is, the forms some letters take at the end of a word, receive values from 500 to 900;
- reduced value (mispar katan): the zeros are dropped, so Yod is worth 1, Kaf 2, Qof 1, and so on;
- ordinal value: each letter is worth its position in the alphabet, from 1 to 22.
This variety has an important consequence: with enough methods available, almost any pair of words can be made to match. This is why serious masters have always regarded gematria as a support for interpretation, not as proof.
How the tradition uses gematria
In the Jewish tradition gematria is not used to predict the future. It serves to bring out connections between different words and passages, which then have to be understood and meditated upon. A numerical correspondence is an invitation to ask what two concepts have in common, not a ready-made answer.
Another famous example shows this well. Mashiach, «messiah», and nachash, «serpent», both have the value 358. Interpreters do not conclude that the two figures are the same thing, but read a theme in it: what caused the fall and what brings redemption face each other on the same plane.
A study exercise
Those who want to approach gematria can proceed like this:
- learn the table of ordinary values by heart;
- calculate a few fundamental words, such as the names of the sefirot;
- note down in a notebook the coincidences you come across;
- for each coincidence, write a reflection on what the two terms have in common.
At Studio Esoterico Cornelio gematria is offered in exactly this spirit: as an exercise in attention to language and meditation on words, not as a calculation for obtaining answers.
In short
- Gematria reads Hebrew words through the numerical value of their letters.
- The letters are divided into units, tens and hundreds, from Aleph (1) to Tav (400).
- Classic examples are chai (18), echad and ahavah (13), yayin and sod (70).
- There are several methods of calculation, which is why gematria is an aid to interpretation, not proof.
- Its traditional use is meditation on the links between words and concepts.
