GEMATRIA PAGE by Robert Wolfeld

Here you will find new insights into the Torah and Tanach made through gematria (numerical hints).

If you want to reach me for comments, for additional information, or just to chat, my e-mail address is bobbyrose @ iss.dccc.edu

ENJOY!!


Perek (chapter) 25 of Bereishis is involved in two parshiot, Chaye Sarah and Toldos.

Babba Basra 16b (from the Talmud) says:

      'The L--- blessed Avrohom in all things.'   What is meant by 'in all things?'  One explanation is ...

Another explanation is that Esav did not break loose so long as he (Avrohom) was alive.  How do we know that Esav did not break loose while he was alive?  Because it says , 'And Esav came in from the field, and he was faint.'   It has been taught [in connection with this] that this was the day on which Avrohom our father died, and Jacob made a broth of lentils to comfort his father Yitzhok...

The phrase used ('And Esav came in from the field, and he was faint...') is in Bereishis 25:29.   The Rabbis said that it had been taught that this was the day on which Avrohom died.  No mention is made of where this teaching comes from.

Bereishis 25:8 says, 'Then Avrohom expired and died in a good old age ...'   The gematria (standard numerical value) for the phrase 'Then Avrohom expired and died' is 799 = 17 x 47.

The phrase in Bereishis 25:29 'And Esav came in from the field' has the exact same gematria.

So, truly Esav is able to break loose (Babba Basra and Rashi say he committed murder and adultery on that day) when Avrohom is dead.

The 'field' from which Esav come in from is the field of the cave of Machpelah in which Avrohom is buried (verse 25:9).  Esav's name in gematria is 376 = 8 x 47 (47 was a divisor of our common value of 799).