How number-letter systems actually work and where they came from — Hebrew gematria, Greek isopsephy, Chaldean vs. Pythagorean numerology, master numbers like 11/22/33, the difference between numerology and gematria, and why the same word can carry different numeric values depending on which system and alphabet you’re using.
Gematria & Numerology The Number 18 and “Chai” — Why It Shows Up on So Much Jewish Jewelry 4 min read·Updated 2026·Gematria Why is 18 chai in Judaism? The Hebrew letters in “chai” sum to exactly 18. In this article Why is 18 chai in Judaism? The math behind it How it grew into a … Read more
Gematria & Numerology How Kabbalists Used Letter-Values to Read Hidden Meaning Into the Torah 3 min read·Updated 2026·Gematria Kabbalah gematria: how Jewish mystics read numeric meaning into the Torah’s letters. In this article What Kabbalah gematria actually claims Why Kabbalists matched Torah words by number Kabbalah gematria at a glance Gematria didn’t stay a simple … Read more
Gematria & Numerology Is Numerology the Same as Gematria? Untangling Two Related but Different Traditions 3 min read·Updated 2026·Gematria Is numerology the same as gematria? They overlap in method but not in scope. In this article What gematria actually means What numerology actually means So, is numerology the same as gematria? Numerology vs gematria, at … Read more
Gematria & Numerology Master Numbers 11, 22, 33 — Where the “Don’t Reduce Further” Rule Comes From 3 min read·Updated 2026·Gematria Master numbers 11, 22, and 33: the three totals numerology deliberately leaves unreduced. In this article What master numbers are (and why they break the pattern) Why 11, 22, and 33 don’t get reduced … Read more
Gematria & Numerology Chaldean vs Pythagorean Numerology: What’s Actually Different Between Them 3 min read·Updated 2026·Gematria Chaldean vs Pythagorean numerology: two unrelated letter-to-number systems, not two versions of the same one. In this article How Pythagorean numerology assigns values How Chaldean numerology assigns values Chaldean vs Pythagorean numerology, at a glance These two systems get … Read more
Gematria and Numerology A Short History of Isopsephy — How the Greeks Counted Letters Before the Rabbis Did 4 min read·Updated 2026·Gematria Isopsephy history runs alongside gematria’s, not after it — the two developed independently in different alphabets around the same era. In this article Isopsephy history: where it actually starts Isopsephy vs. gematria: related, … Read more
Gematria and Numerology Why Do Different Gematria Systems Give Different Numbers for the Same Word? 3 min read·Updated 2026·Gematria Same word, four systems, four totals — none of them wrong, just answering different questions. In this article Why gematria systems give different numbers: four to know Is one system “correct”? Why gematria systems give different … Read more