Números e literatura sagrada: um elo pela gematria

Abstract

This thesis aims to analyze the symbolic and mystical interpretation of some biblical names in the Torah, according to the interpretative principles of gematria, which relates the numerical value and sacredness of the Hebrew alphabet. To achieve this purpose, the thesis is divided into three chapters. In the first chapter, the intrinsic relationship of the Hebrew alphabet with numbers is explained, going through its origins, as well as its meaning for Jewish mysticism. In the second chapter, the issue of the imaginary and its intimate connection with mysticism is addressed, showing the presence of numbers in the form of gematria justifying the importance of the Hebrew alphabet in this perspective. In the third chapter, we discuss the mechanism of symbology of the name, a fact related to gematria, showing the importance of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet and the Hebrew Bible for Judaism. Going through these steps is necessary to understand how the belief of gematria for Judaism took place. For this, some texts of the Torah are based on the change of the name of characters. Among the results obtained, it is noteworthy that gematria is an increment adjacent to Jewish mysticism, but indispensable for cabal, especially with regard to the formation of the Cabalists and the maintenance of Judaism, as an element of cohesion or as a mechanism for propagating their belief. This work aims to contribute to the studies concerning the Torah and, above all, to the subject of gematria that, even today, arouses the curiosity of individuals interested in the subject. The theme is relevant since many people believe that there is a message encoded in the Torah and that the answer would be linked to the use of Hebrew letters correlated with numbers, a principle that governs gematria