what is gematriya?

gematriya is a Jewish form of numerology. It is the practice of assigning numerical values to letters in words, and using these numbers to draw meaningful connections between words or phrases. Gematriya is also known as gematria, meaning "measuring out" or "calculating."

The Hebrew alphabet has 22 letters and 5 additional second form letters. Each letter is assigned a numerical value and by computing the sum total of the combined letters in any given word, one can determine its related meaning. Generally speaking, gematriya is used to interpret sacred texts, although it has also been used in everyday life as well.

The Talmud, one of the main texts of Judaism, uses gematriya to draw associations between different verses in Scripture with other verses and commentaries on those verses. Gematriya can also be used to compare individual words with one another in order to uncover deep philosophical messages or important themes that were previously overlooked. Similarly, by combining certain words from different texts, a student may gain insight into connections between multiple concepts or events that have an impact on one another.

While it has deep theological roots and implications for interpretation of the Torah and Tanakh in Judaism, other cultures have taken the concept of gematria a step further and applied it in secular contexts for practical use—businesses often consult gematriya when deciding certain dates for important decisions or events like when opening new stores or hiring employees; parents often use gematriya when choosing names for their children depending on what qualities they would like them to have; and students may engage with gematriya while preparing reports by looking up words that share similar sums of numerical values.