Parshat No'ach

U'S'FUNEI T'MUNEI CHOL

Beachcombing the G'matriya Beach with the help of "Otzrot Yisrael", one of the CDs of the "Responsa Project" of Bar Ilan University.

"And No'ach was 600 years old, and the MABUL was water over the land." (B'reishit 7:6) Contrast this most devastating, destructive use of water to the very special, positive, spiritual use of the word MAYIM from Yeshayahu 12:3 -
"And you shall draw, with joy, water from the Well of Salvation" The G'matriya of each of these two opposite p'sukim is the same (2113). "And after seven days, the waters of the Flood were upon the land." (7:10) Rain? Floods? That's nature, not G-d. Perish the thought. G-d is the Rainmaker. G-d controls water (and everything else). A G'matriya-match (1494) to this pasuk is Yeshayahu 51:15 - "And I Am G-d, your G-d, Who stirs up the sea, whose waves roar;HaShem Tz'vakot is His name."

Here's a GM that I found many months ago and have been saving for B'reishit and/or No'ach. At least I don't think I used it before now.

The world was created and was almost-but-not-quite destroyed 1656 years later, following generations of corruption and perversion. This first existence of the world began with B'REISHIT BARA... (1:1) and ends with, "And in the second month, on the 27th of the month, the land was dry." (8:14) In a numerically symmetrical fashion, these two "bookend" p'sukim to the first section of the world's history have the same G'matriya (2701).

G-d says to No'ach and Co. that He is going to uphold His covenant with them and their descendants (9:9). Generations later, the covenant with some of No'ach's descendants takes the form of keeping the Shabbat, as in Dvarim 5:11 - SHAMOR ET YOM HASHABBAT... Keep the Shabbat day to sanctify it as G-d has commanded" These two p'sukim of BRIT have the same G'matriya, 2879.
When we are introduced to Avram and Sari, the Torah tells us that Sari was barren, without child (11:30). We will see later in the Torah that it is prayer which finally succeeds in ending Sarah's barrenness. T'hilim 19:15 - Y'h'yu l'ratzon... May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart find favor before You...G-M.

A word of caution about G'matriya, specifically the homemade variety that appear in this Treasures in the Sand column. Don't read too much into them. They are not meant to say something new. They are meant to be a nice "numerical confirmation" of existing ideas. They point to ideas to be explored. Try any of them without the G'matriya. They still "work".

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