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From: meth@csd2.UUCP (Asher Meth)
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: Math / name of HaShem
Message-ID: <3780102@csd2.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 31-Oct-85 20:00:00 EST
Article-I.D.: csd2.3780102
Posted: Thu Oct 31 20:00:00 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 2-Nov-85 21:35:32 EST
Organization: New York University
Lines: 53


I heard an interesting thought from Rabbi Yitchak Cohen (a 9th grade rebbi,
teacher, at Yeshiva University High School, NYC).

In the "Veyeeten Lecha" passages said at the conclusion of Shabbos, the last
section begins with a passage in the name of Rabbi Yochanan (quoted from the
Talmud, Megillah 31a) : Rabbi Yochanan says, Any place that you find the
greatness of HaShem, you will find His humility.

Rabbi Cohen quoted an explanation that interprets the passage as follows. Take
the "gematriyah" (numerical equivalent) of the name of HaShem, whose four
letters are Yud (10), Kay (5), Vav (6), Kay (5). NOTE that the hebrew letter
with value 5 is the Hay. However, we do not spell out this four-letter name as
one would actually pronounce it; thus the common change to saying "Kay" instead
of "Hay". The gematriyah, sum of all the letters, is 26. Now take the "mispar
kattan" - small counting - of this sum; i.e., keep taking the sum of the digits
until the result is less than 10. For 26 the result is 8.

This four-letter name is known as the "Shem Havayah". In English it is known as
the Tetragrammatan (?) .
(I am not sure of the exact English word to be used here.)

Take multiples of this numerical value 26, and compute their "mispar kattan"
values. We arrive at the following table :

#   x 26    "mispar kattan"
===========================
1     26             8
2     52             7
3     78             6  ( 15 becomes 6 )
4    104             5
5    130             4
6    156             3  ( 12 becomes 3 )
7    182             2
8    208             1  ( 10 becomes 1 )


WOW !! Look at this relationship !
The greater we multiply the name of HaShem, the smaller the "result" becomes.
This is what Rabbi Yochanan was saying - the greater the name of HaShem, the
more humility is expressed.

It is taught that we are supposed to emulate HaShem. How? By emulating his
actions. One might think that the closer one is to an important person, the
better he knows him - the haughtier he should be, the more of a big-shot he
becomes, the more clout he now pulls. We are taught the opposite - the closer
one comes to HaShem, the better one knows Him, the more humble one must become.

May each one of us, in his/her own way, emulate the attributes and actions of
HaShem in a more positive fashion. May we then merit the coming of the
Mashiach, speedily, in our days.

Asher Meth ....... meth@nyu-csd2.arpa ....... allegra!cmcl2!csd2!meth