Gematria - גמטריה

Before modern numbers arrived, Hebrew letters were the numbers. Each of the 22 letters carries a fixed numerical value. This system is called Gematria (גִּמַטְרִיָּה) and it has been part of Hebrew for over 2,000 years.

The values follow a simple pattern: the first 9 letters count 1–9, the next 9 count by tens (10–90), and the last 4 count by hundreds (100–400).

Ones (1–9)
א 1	ב 2	ג 3	ד 4	ה 5	ו 6	ז 7	ח 8	ט 9
Tens (10–90)
י 10	כ 20	ל 30	מ 40	נ 50	ס 60	ע 70	פ 80	צ 90
Hundreds (100–400)
ק 100	ר 200	ש 300	ת 400

How it works: To find the value of a word, add up the values of its letters. For example, חַי (khai, "alive") = ח (8) + י (10) = 18. That's why 18 is a lucky number in Jewish culture - it equals "life."

Where you'll see it: Hebrew dates on calendars, page numbers in religious books, chapter/verse numbering, and the symbolic study of word values in Jewish tradition.