Mazalogy · Hebrew letter reference in English

Resh: Hebrew letter forms and values

Identify Resh ר, compare standard, ordinal and reduced-letter values, and check ורוח in its cited Hebrew source.

Ordinary Resh

Published 13 October 2026 · Our editorial approach

Preserve the source’s attached conjunction

Resh identity: alphabet position 20
Form	Character	Unicode code point	Unicode 17.0 name
Ordinary Resh	ר	`U+05E8`	HEBREW LETTER RESH

Resh / Reish. Reading cue: r; its realization varies by reading tradition.

Resh is ר, the twentieth letter. Compare its printed form with Dalet, ד, before copying an unclear image. The standard values are 200 and 4; a small visual uncertainty can therefore produce a substantial change in an otherwise careful calculation.

The source example here is ורוח, with an attached initial Vav. Genesis 1:2 writes the conjunction and the noun together. The linked English edition renders the noun as spirit in that phrase. This entry preserves the full written word rather than quietly dropping the conjunction to produce a dictionary form.

One letter, three explicit values

Resh in Mazalogy’s three methods
Standard	Ordinal	Reduced letters
200	20	2

Resh contributes 200, 20 or 2 according to the method. ורוח contains two written Vavs: the initial conjunction and the Vav within the noun. Each contributes 6. Vowel marks explain their readings but do not make either written letter disappear from the arithmetic.

ורוח: and spirit (of), in this phrase

Pointed source form: וְרוּחַ · reading cue: ve-ruach. Genesis 1:2 · Mechon Mamre.

The calculation includes the attached conjunction. Translating or interpreting the phrase is a separate task from counting its source letters.

Each actual letter in reading order; pronunciation marks contribute no values
Reading position	Written letter	Base letter	Standard	Ordinal	Reduced letters
1	ו	ו	6	6	6
2	ר	ר	200	20	2
3	ו	ו	6	6	6
4	ח	ח	8	8	8
Word total			220	40	22

Standard: 6 + 200 + 6 + 8 = 220 · Ordinal: 6 + 20 + 6 + 8 = 40 · Reduced letters: 6 + 2 + 6 + 8 = 22

Its group in the Gra version of Sefer Yetzirah

Resh ר is among the seven doubles listed in Gra 4:1: בגדכפרת. Keep this textual classification distinct from the alphabet position and the arithmetic columns above.

Study the source in a guided introduction · Read about textual versions

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Sources, dates and conventions

Prepared by Mazalogy with AI assistance. Characters, source-word spellings and calculation rules were checked against the sources and the calculator on 13 October 2026. Reading cues introduce the cited chart; pronunciation varies by community. Source attribution does not imply outside review or endorsement.

English reference edition. Numerical examples retain final forms and actual vowel letters while ignoring pronunciation marks. Final forms keep base-letter values in all three methods. Reduced letters are added without reducing the completed word total again.