Jewish gematria numbers

The jewish gematria system is a numerology system used in Jewish mysticism and is based on taking words from the Hebrew Scriptures and assigning numerical values to each letter of the alphabet. It is believed that by understanding these values one can better understand the deeper meanings of scripture found within symbolic forms such as the Sefer Yetzirah and the Zohar.

At its core, a Gematria system assigns numerical equivalence to each letter in an alphabet (in this case, Hebrew), adding up to a "word" or phrase which can then be translated into a numerical value. For example, if your Hebrew alphabet was composed of this sequence of letters: Aleph-Bet-Gimel-Dalet-Hei-Vav-Zayin-Khet–the numerical representation would be 1 through 8 (Aleph = 1, Bet = 2, etc.). So if you wanted to find out what "God" was in gematria, you would add up all those numbers 4 + 6 + 6+ 4 = 20. This number can then be compared with other numbers associated with ideas within scripture.

Applying this concept further reveals more symbolism in Hebrew words along with opportunities for comparing different writing styles. For example, the word tzelem (צלם), meaning "image," takes on a different gematria value depending on whether it's written with an Aleph or Hei at its first letter: 204 as opposed to 368. In short, each variation helps create another layer of hermeneutic interpretation that even beginners can appreciate through effortless calculation.

In addition to being used as an interpretive tool for Jewish theological texts such as the Torah or Zohar, Gematria is sometimes employed for spiritual guidance and protection of individuals or communities; it has also been used throughout history by astrologers for divination purposes and as a form of numerology (gematrical divination). Some early adopters were also keen observers of pattern recognition, using gematria to explore underlying patterns in scriptures that might not initially seem obvious or related until you look closer into them mathematically.