How does jewish gematria work

jewish gematria is an ancient form of numerology found in the Kabbalah and the Torah. This unique system of calculation reveals the hidden, mystical relationship between words and numbers in Jewish tradition.

The word "gematria" comes from a Greek root meaning "geography" or "measurement". Gematria is an alphanumeric code, where each letter of the Hebrew alphabet has a numerical value and by combining letters and their numerical values, one can interpret words in many different ways. It is believed that Gematria was used by rabbinic scholars to derive knowledge from the Torah through interpretation of its numbers.

To calculate a word's numerical value, one assigns a numerical value to each letter of the Hebrew alphabet: Aleph = 1; Bet = 2; Gimmel = 3; Dalet = 4; Hei = 5, etc… Once all letters have been assigned a numerical value, you take each letter and add it up to get the total sum of that word or phrase. This can give you additional insights into its meaning as each number holds hidden meanings and attributes according to Kabbalistic wisdom.

Take for example the word "Torah" ( תורה ). According to Gematria, it has an equivalent numeric value of 611 ( 400 + 6 + 200 + 5). This number corresponds with interesting revelations about this sacred text as it consists of 4 books- Bereshit (Genesis), Shemot (Exodus), Vayikra (Leviticus) and Bamidbar (Numbers)- which together forms 611 chapters in total. In addition to this it also reveals that God's infinite light has created six hundred thousand worlds or realms (600k x 1000= 600 million).

Gematria also allows for comparisons between different words with equal connotations - if two words have equal numerical value then they are considered equivalently true according to Kabbalists– giving it an additional layer of meaning when attempting to explore deeper truths within a text. For example if two words have same sum then they are related spiritually in some way – like Elohim is 26 just like Yahweh which makes them both equivalent names for God/YHVH.