what is jewish gematria?

jewish gematria is a form of numerology based on a system of correspondences between words and numbers. It is used to interpret the meanings behind words and phrases, often to reveal words of spiritual significance.

Gematria is derived from a Hebrew word that means "measurement", and is based on assigning numerical values to each letter of the Hebrew alphabet, from one to four hundred. Numbers are of great importance to the Jewish people; the Old Testament of the Bible is filled with references to the importance of numbers.

Gematria works by looking for words that represent the same numerical value. For example, the Hebrew letters for "God" (elohim), the Hebrew for "love" (ahav), and the Hebrew for "hand" (yad) each have the same numerical value of 86. From a gematria perspective, then, the three words point to a single concept – the "hand of God's love."

Jewish gematria has also been used to interpret and explain passages of the Bible. For example, some scholars have gone a step further, using gematria to interpret the exact measurement of the Ark of the Covenant based on the numerical value of Hebrew words related to the Ark.

Gematria has also been used to interpret names. Rabbi Eliezer, for example, is believed to have used gematria to read the name of Abraham as meaning, "Father of a Multitude of Nations."