Gematria: reading numbers with care
Hebrew letters can carry numerical values. Begin with the spelling, name the method and leave room for meaning beyond the total.
A word, letter by letter
Gematria assigns numerical values to Hebrew letters and adds them within a word or phrase. In the standard method, Aleph has the value 1, Yod 10 and Tav 400. The familiar word חי, chai, has a total of 18: Chet is 8 and Yod is 10.
This association between chai and 18 appears in the practice of giving in multiples of 18. The number carries a symbolic wish for life. Understanding the word and its cultural setting gives the arithmetic its context.
Name the method and the spelling
Different methods produce different totals. Mazalogy offers standard values, ordinal positions from 1 to 22, and reduced letter values. In the reduced method each letter is reduced before addition; the final sum is not reduced again.
Our calculator gives final letter forms the same values as their ordinary forms and ignores vowel points and punctuation. It uses the Hebrew spelling you enter. A different spelling can give a different total, so save the word and method alongside the result.
A connection is a beginning
Equal totals can invite comparison, but arithmetic alone does not show that two words mean the same thing. Look at language, the passage where a word occurs and the interpretation being proposed. A compelling association still needs careful reading.
For a personal name, keep the person larger than the number. You might use a result to begin a conversation about language, family or memory. It should not become a score for character, compatibility or destiny.