In Hebrew, each letter has a numerical value, according to the order in which that letter appears on the alphabet. ALEF is the first letter of the alphabet, its numerical value is therefore 1. BET, the second is 2. YOD is the tenth letter, and its numerical value is 10. The next letter, KAF is 20, LAMED is 30, etc. The 19th letter QOF, has the numerical value of 100. The following letter, RESH 200, and the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, TAV, equals 400.
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This simple technique is known as GEMATARIA (or gematria, numerical value of letters). GEMATARIA is often used by Hakhamim to associate between different words with identical numerical value, and establish certain comparisons between ideas that these words suggest. For example, the Gemara explains in Masekhet Makot: תורה צוה לנו משה “The Tora was commanded to us by Moses …”, the Hebrew word Tora in GEMATARIA is 611 (TAV = 400, VAV = 6, RESH=200, HE = 5) and reminds us that of the 613 precepts, 611 were delivered to us by Moses while the other two, the first two commandments, which are written in the first person singular, were transmitted directly by HaShem.
In general, we have always used letters to write numbers before the modern numbering system (1,2,3) was established. The numbering system for Hebrew letters is still in use. For example, for page numbering or references in traditional Jewish books, as Siddurim, etc. In the Gemara the pages are identified by letters (page KAF DALET = 24). Biblical chapters and verses are also referenced with letters, not with numbers. One more example: the Hebrew calendar is expressed in letters. We are now in the year 5776 which in Hebrew is HE (5) TAV (400) SHIN (300) ‘AYIN (70) VAV (6) = התשע”ו.
I suggest that those who wish to practice and learn the Hebrew alphabet and the numerical value of its letters use this method to build their personal passwords. Nowadays we need passwords that can be easily remembered and / or retrieved from memory when we have forgotten them.
The following is an idea to create strong, secure passwords, while learning or practicing the Hebrew alphabet:
1. First you must reduce all the numeric values of the letters to their minimum value, i.e., a single digit. For example, although the numerical value of the letter TAV is 400, for us it will be 4. The same will happen with the letter KAF, instead of 20 will be
2. Once we understood this principle we can proceed to “translate” our name into Hebrew numbers. My Hebrew name is Yosef. In Hebrew letters, YOD=10, VAV= 6, SAMAJ= 60, PE= 80. According to what I explained above, when we reduce the numerical value to a single digit, the numerical value of YOSEF is then “1668”. If I ever forget the number 1668, all I have to do is to translate my Hebrew name into four numbers.
3. There are several possible combinations to make a very strong password. I can write my name in Hebrew numbers 1668 and then adding my last name in letters. I think that “1668Bitton” or “Bitton1668” are solid, powerful, hard to forget and easy-for-you to recover password.
4. One more example, with the most popular Hebrew name I know: Daniel Cohen (I have seven friends named Daniel Cohen!). “DANIEL” דניאל DALET = 4, NUN = 50, YOD=10, ALEF = 1, LAMED = 30. “COHEN” כהן KAF = 20, HE = 5, NUN =50. The name “Daniel Cohen” can then be written “45113Cohen” or “Daniel255”, or if we convert both, the first and last names into numbers would get 45113255: 4 (DALET), 5 (NUN), 1 (YOD) 1 (ALEF) 3 (LAMED) 2 (KAF) 5 (HE) 5 (NUN).
This system works only in one direction: you can convert your Hebrew name into numbers and then easily remember the number. But it is not easy to guess that “1668” corresponds to “Yosef,” or that 45113255 belongs to my seven friends “Daniel Cohen”
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