Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version nyu B notes v1.5 12/10/84; site csd2.UUCP Path: utzoo!lsuc!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!unc!mcnc!philabs!cmcl2!csd2!meth 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