What does gematria value mean

gematria is an ancient system of alphabetical code used in Kabbalah, a form of early Jewish mysticism. It is used to assign numerical values to the Hebrew alphabet and words. This numerical value is referred to as the gematria value, which is believed to provide insight into the hidden meaning behind a certain word or phrase.

The Kabbalists believe that each letter of the Hebrew alphabet contains spiritual forces, and that studying these energies through gematria can provide deep insight into mystical truths. In this way, gematria can be used to interpret the Bible and other religious texts as well as predict future events. Gematria values can also serve as codes for symbolic phrases; for example, in the Kabbalah tradition, some have claimed that words or phrases with a gematria value of 42 will hold special significance.

The system of assigning numeric values to the Hebrew letters has its roots in Semitic script, which is believed to go back over 3,000 years ago. Gematria is based on assigning numeric values based on mathematical relationships between words (e.g., "Beth" = 2; "hillel" = 30). By adding up all the letters in a word or phrase and reducing them down to simple numbers (or their associated numerals), each word or phrase has its own unique numerical value, known as its gematria value.

There are two types of conventional gematria: ordinal and reductive. Ordinal gematria assigns numerical values according to position—the first letter carries a value of 1, the second letter 2—whereas reductive gematria assigns numerical values according to custom—the first letter has a value depending on its importance within that particular Jewish source text or tradition (e.g., Alef could be assigned any number from 1-1000).