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Within the earliest Jewish
traditions, groups of Jewish scholars counted the number of times each
letter appeared in the Scriptures (as well as the number of words,
verses, paragraphs, etc.). These textual specialists were called Soferim
(counters). The Soferim ensured that every Torah scroll (and the other
books of the Tanakh) were identical, noting any unusual words and
spellings and replicating them exactly through their scribal arts. Many
Jews believe that Ezra the Scribe instituted many of the practices of
the Soferim.
In the medieval mystical text called Sefer Yitzirah: The Book of Creation,
the letters of the Alphabet are described as the stones used to build a
house. They are called the "twenty two letters of foundation." This
doctrine highlights the belief in the essential relationship between
letters, words and the creative process.
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ReplyDeleteHebrew Gematria
Finding numerical relationships in the Texts
Within the earliest Jewish traditions, groups of Jewish scholars counted the number of times each letter appeared in the Scriptures (as well as the number of words, verses, paragraphs, etc.). These textual specialists were called Soferim (counters). The Soferim ensured that every Torah scroll (and the other books of the Tanakh) were identical, noting any unusual words and spellings and replicating them exactly through their scribal arts. Many Jews believe that Ezra the Scribe instituted many of the practices of the Soferim.
In the medieval mystical text called Sefer Yitzirah: The Book of Creation, the letters of the Alphabet are described as the stones used to build a house. They are called the "twenty two letters of foundation." This doctrine highlights the belief in the essential relationship between letters, words and the creative process.