September/October 2025 Clergy Column

A long time ago I realized that there are other ways to see the world. And one with which I have always been intrigued is gematria, a numerological system by which Hebrew letters correspond to numbers. Developed by adherents of various schools of Jewish mysticism, the belief is that numbers carry hidden mystical meaning. So, for example, the Hebrew letters “cheyt” and “yod” have the numerical equivalent of 8 and 10. Together, they equal 18. The Hebrew word, “chai,” comprised of “cheyt” and “yod,” translates as “life.” So… 18 is a numerical representation of “life,” which is why many Jewish families give gifts and/or tzedakah in multiples of 18…representing life!

So…I got to thinking: What might gematria teach us about the new Jewish year about to dawn? What’s the gematria of 5786?

I am not a practitioner of mysticism, nor am I a gematria guru. So, I turned to Rabbi ChatGPT for an answer. And answer it did! Permit me to quote:

5786 (tav-shin-peh-vav - תשפ״ו) in gematria represents the value of 786 (you ignore the 5000). There are no common Hebrew words that exactly equal 786, so we look at interpretations or phrases whose letters sum to 786.

And then ChatGPT provided the following:

• Tav (ת) – often symbolizes truth or completion.
• Shin (ש) – associated with fire, divine presence, change.
• Peh (פ) – literally means mouth, representing speech, expression, power.
• Vav (ו) – means hook, a connector, symbolizing continuity or connection.

So, the symbolic combination of these four letters could be read as, “A year of completed transformation, powerful expression, and connection.” I must say, that sounds like a pretty good prediction for Beth Am for the coming year!

Our community is on the cusp of a transformation, from a place of wilderness and uncertain wandering to one of moving forward with strength and joy. Having endured almost five years of turmoil, the congregation has chosen the person to lead this Beth Am community (Rabbi Heath Watenmaker) next July. There is a palpable excitement for what is next for this congregation. Through our Shared Identity project, over 600 responses are helping to shape a picture of who we are and what we hope to become. One word was expressed over and over again: connection. What makes Beth Am the special place with which so many identify are the connections we make with one another, the connections with our rabbis and cantor, our educators, our entire staff. We are not just a House of the People, but we are a community of people who are interconnected, relying upon and gain strength from one another.

As we enter into 5786, may it be a year of transformation, a time of change, an opportunity for the entire community to be heard, and most of all, a deepening of those connections between and among us.

L’shana tova u'metukah… may it be a sweet and good New Year.

Rabbi Arthur Nemitoff
rabbinemitoff@gmail.com