what is gemarria?

gemarria is a system of numerical interpretation of Hebrew words and letters to uncover hidden and prophetic meanings. This system has been used for centuries to interpret various aspects of the Torah as well as other Hebrew texts, such as Talmud and Midrash. Gemarria has been practiced mainly by Kabbalistic scholars, although some have used it for mundane purposes - like creating an Abbreviated Name for a Bar Mitzvah boy.

The basis of gemarria is the correspondence between Hebrew letters and their corresponding numerical values. The most commonly used system assigns each letter in the Hebrew alphabet a numerical value from 1 - 400, based on the gematria of the equivalent Greek letter. By assigning a numerical value to each letter in a word, one is able to ascertain its total numerical equivalent, known as its gematria. This can then be compared with other words or phrases with similar gematrix values to see if they have any special or hidden meanings associated with them.

For example, the phrase "chaiim b'laban" (flour in milk), which has the numeral value of 483, is traditionally thought to represent the messianic age because three common Hebrew words – chai (life), im (with) and laban (milk) – all contribute towards that total.

Gemarria can also be used to derive indicative meanings from names by using what is known as Acrostic Equations, where letters taken from different names are added together until a significant number is reached which points towards prophetic significance within those names. For instance, if we examine the name "Moshe" – comprised of first four letters M-S-H-E – we find that their total gematria value adds up to 345, which corresponds to Chazal's statement: "Moshe Rabbenu commanded us six hundred thirteen commandments" (Torah Shelema 618:7). That way we can say Moshe stands for "613 commandments" which points towards great implied power and authority.

In addition to understanding deeper biblical concepts, Gemarria can also be used to find solutions to problems or answers in life questions by interpreting simple test phrase such as \"baruch Hashem\" whose numerical value of 772 correlates directly with Psalm 102:2 - \"My prayer comes before You O Lord\" thus pointing directly back at our query thereby helping us gain greater insight into our situation and decision making process.