Gematria - The Play of Holy Letters and Numbers

For thousands of years, Jewish sages have taught that the letters of the Hebrew
alphabet, the Aleph Beit, embody wonderful and miraculous powers. According to the
earliest known book on Jewish mysticism, The efer !et"irah #The Book of $reation%,
written more than fifteen centuries ago, &od formed the entire universe through speaking aloud the
twenty'two letters. (ut of the nothingness of silence, with the vibration of &od)s cosmic utterances, all
things spring to life. *&od said, )+et there be light.) And there was light.,, #-ichard eidman. The oracle
of /abbalah%.
According to Christian Kabbalah the universe was formed by sound vibration by the will of God. The
holy letters symbolize this sound vibration. They are the building block of the universe analogous to the
physical elements. The universe of Adam Kadmon which is the universe above Atzilut is formed by the
22 holy letters of the ebrew alphabet and hints at this process. The ebrew letters are archetypes.
!ach one e"presses a specific primordial power. !ach ebrew letter is also a number# a symbol for
special energies in creation and has a special position in the alphabet. $or instance the letter Aleph# %#
has the numerical value & and its literal meaning is 'o" or bull(. )ecause of its first position it is also
called the master or leader of all the other letters. *n this way it suggests the oly +ne who is uni,ue
and is like the o" for man in former centuries the driving force# the life force in all of creation and the
master of all.
The -ohar# the )ook of .plendor# says about the letters/ ,For when the world was created, it was the
supernal letters that brought into being all the works of the lower world, literally after their pattern.
Hence, whoever has a knowledge of them and is observant of them is beloved both on high and
below.0
The ten commandments in the Torah are also referred to as (the Ten 0tterances1. The -ohar
describes how the two tablets with the utterances were first created/ ,1hen these letters came forth,
they were all refined, carved precisely, sparkling, flashing. All of 2srael saw the letters flying through
space in every direction, engraving themselves on the tablets of stone.0
.ince the ancient ebrew letters represent consonant sounds only# the vowels had to be added.
)ecause of this each word or combination of letters can have a diversity of meanings.
34 2n the beginning was the 1ord, and the 1ord was with &od, and the 1ord was &od. 5 He was in
the beginning with &od. 6 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made
that was made. 7 2n him was life, and the life was the light of men. 8 The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.3 #John 4.4'8%
ere the gospel of 2ohn speaks the truth that the energies of the .efirot and the letters are all in
Christ. *t was Gods intention in the beginning of creation# that the human one comes into being and
returns to union with God as the 3essiah did. e was the first human being in this life wave here on
earth who fulfilled God4s intention perfectly . e became the first son of God and opened the way for us
all to become sons and daughters of God# fulfilling something of this intention as well.
Together with creation the energies of the 22 letters come into being. The are everywhere in creation#
around us and in us. 2ust like the physical elements are everywhere. umankind has the power to
affect the sacred letters. 5ith the fall of Adam and !ve a process of involution begins. The energies of
the letters are directed downward and outward. *t is the beginning of the ignorance of our deep
connection with the oly +ne. )ut this step was necessary for our evolution.
*t is said that )ezalel# the builder of the tabernacle in the wilderness# knew the art of combining the
scared letters. This allowed him to build this sanctuary for the *sraelites in the wilderness. is
knowledge arose from his communion with God. *n our Christian Kabbalah it is clear that Adonai
6eshua had perfect knowledge of the holy letters. *n the Gospel of 2ohn 2/&782& we read ,49 Jesus
answered them, ,:estroy this temple, and in three days 2 will raise it up.0 5; The Jews then said, ,2t
has taken forty'si< years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days=0 54 But he was
speaking about the temple of his body.0 5ith these words 6eshua instructs us that our worship does
not depend on a building outside from us# but that God is in us and that we are meant to become the
holy temple of God. This temple e"tents to all that we have here in this life/ our homes and our material
possessions. 5hen we study the holy letter we are able to become conscious of their energies and
direct them inward and upward# bringing forth something of our holy soul. *t allows us to begin to build
our holy temple.
The Holy Letters are Symbols for all Vibrations of the Light Continum
9ow we can have a closer look at the letters. 6ou can find them in Tau 3alachi4s book (Gnosis of the
Cosmic Christ1# page :;7. ere is a short overview/
Letter Final Form Names Value Value of
Final Form
Meaning Tarot Key

Aleph & +" or )ull Key </ The $ool

)et 2 ouse Key &/ The 3agician

Letter Final Form Names Value Value of
Final Form
Meaning Tarot Key

Gimel : Camel Key 2/ The igh =riestess

>alet ? >oor Key :/ The !mpress

eh ; 5indow Key ?/ The !mperor

@au A 9ail or ook Key ;/ The ierophant

-ayin B .word Key A/ The Covers

et D $ence Key B/ The Chariot

Tet 7 .nake Key D/ .trength

6od &< and Key 7/ The ermit

Kaph 2< ;<< Grasping hand Key &</ The 5heel of
$ortune

Camed :< +"8goad Key &&/ 2ustice

3em ?< A<< 5ater Key &2/ The anged 3an
Letter Final Form Names Value Value of
Final Form
Meaning Tarot Key

9un ;< B<< $ish Key &:/ >eath

.amek A< Tent peg or prop Key &?/ Temperance

Ayin B< !ye Key &;/ The >evil

=eh D< D<< 3outh Key &A/ The Tower

Tzaddi 7< 7<< $ishhook Key &B/ The .tar

Eoph &<< )ack of the head Key &D/ The 3oon

Fesh 2<< $ace Key &7/ The .un

.hin :<< Tooth or $ang Key 2</ 2udgement

Tau ?<< 3ark or Cross Key 2&/ The 5orld

The Letters
The order of the letters is fi"ed and has importance. The alphabet starts with Aleph # which is the
number &. +neness is the very nature of the oly +ne# who is the beginning of everything. *f we look
at the shape of the letter closely# we can see as consisting of the letter @aw# A# and two 6ods# &< G
&<. This adds up to 2A# the numerical value of 6ahweh# 6od8e8@aw8e# the great name of God#
which is also Chokmah of Atzilut.
5ords that start with the same letter may have similar energies. Think for e"ample of the words for
unity H Achad and love H Ahava. +ne is not possible without the other.
Numerial Values
!ach letter has one or more numerical values. 5ords that have the same numerical values represent
similar energies. The word for serpent# nechash has the numerical value :;D. The word 3essiah also
has the numerical value :;D. This suggests the same power# which is our desire energy. *n the serpent
in Genesis it is directed downward and outward. *n the 3essiah it is directed inward and upward. *n the
3essiah the serpent power is uplifted.
Another e"ample for the importance of numerical values is again the great name of God# 6ahweh. As
has been said earlier its numerical value adds up to 2A. *t is said in the .ophian tradition that the soul
of the 3essiah incarnated in 2A world systems before incarnating on earth. This suggests the fullness
of e"perience of this soul in 6ahweh# Abba# the father. The soul of the 3essiah had reached
enlightenment even before it entered this world system. +nly such a great soul was ready to become
the opener of the way here on earth in the Christian light stream.
Literal meaning
!ach letter has a literal meaning. 5e can take )et# # as an e"ample. *ts literal meaning is (house1.
Fichard .eidman wrote in the (+racle of Kabbalah1/ ,Beit means )house of) and beiyit, its cousin with
the same Hebrew root, means )house) or home.0 Beit is the first letter of the word brakha, ,blessing.0
Beit, written large, is the very first letter of the Torah, bereishit ' ,2n the beginning). The whole Torah
thus begins with the energy of blessing and the shelter of a home.0
The Tarot !eys
To each ebrew letter a Tarot key is attributed. *t can be very good to meditate on the Tarot keys and
learn about the energies of the letters in this way. $or instance# the Tarot key <# the fool# is attributed to
. The number of the key# <# suggests something of the Ain nature of God.
The "# $ath of %isdom
*n The efer !et"irah #The Book of $reation%, the &< sefirot and the 22 letters of the ebrew alphabet
form the :2 path of wisdom. The first &< path are the sefirot themselves. The letters denote the paths
that connect the sefirot. !ach path hints at something of the energy of that specific ebrew letter.
The Letter &le$h - o'( the number )( also *ind( breath( mind( s$irit
*f we look at the :2 path of wisdom on the tree of life# is the path between Kether and Chokmah.
This points to an association with the life force. The literal meaning of is o" or bull. +"en were the
most important animal in husbandry for many ages. They pulled the plow and carts. They were also a
symbol of wealth. This again suggests the life force. The ebrew word for life force# breath# spirit is
Fuach. *n the .efer 6etzirah# the book of creation# Fuach is attributed to the letter Aleph.
denotes God4s oneness with its numerical value of one. The words for one# achad# begins with it and
so it stand for the central teaching of 2udaism# the oneness of God. As the first letter in the alphabet it
also stands for God4s sovereignty. *t is seen as more than the first letter. *t is seen as the leader and
master of the alphabet. *t is the prime factor in the combinations and constellations of letters that form
the elements of creation. The ten commandments start with this letter# beginning the word Anoki# *.
has many mysteries. * shares the same root as eleph# &<<<. &<<< denotes also a vastly large#
innumerable ,uantity. 5ith this the letter hints at the oneness and the numberlessness of God at the
same time. The name for the sefirah )inah# !lohim# implies the one becoming many as well.
The letter has no sound. This denotes Ain# the no8thingness from which everything is born.
ow can we unite no8thingness# oneness and numberlessness in our livesI % provides the answer to
this ,uestion. *t is said to resemble the yoke of an o". This reminds of Cord 6eshua4s saying/ J2D Come
to me# all who labor and are heavy laden# and * will give you rest. 27 Take my yoke upon you# and
learn from me# for * am gentle and lowly in heart# and you will find rest for your souls. :< $or my yoke is
easy# and my burden is light.1 K3atthew &&/2D827L As Tau 3alachi shared recently# the way to unite
these apparent opposites is in spiritual community# sacred ceremony# prayer and meditation#
contemplation and in good works.