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Pseudo-Gematria Terkait Analisis תלדת Toldot (Generasi) Ishmael PART 2

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Kajian gematria memang amat tidak sederhana bila dibandingkan dengan kajian peshat, meskipun keduanya saling terkait. Dalam tradisi Judaism – kata, frase atau pun ayat dalam teks Torah dapat dikaji berdasar רמז (remez), lit. “allusion” atau pun פשט (peshat), lit. “simple meaning of the verse.” Dalam hal kajian רמז (remez) ini, Rav Yaakov Baal HaTurim menyebut גימטריא (gematria) yang merujuk pada kajian nilai angka (numerical value) sebagai bagiannya [1].

Kajian gematria memang sangat rumit, terutama untuk mengungkap atau pun menguak pesan teks di balik redaksional teks itu sendiri. Kajian gematria, terutama terkait istilah תולדת (toldot) sangat penting dipahami oleh semua penganut agama rumpun Abrahamic, khususnya sebagai sebuah wacana terbuka, yang dapat dipelajari secara akademik demi menjembatani kesalahpahaman di antara penganut agama-agama. Istilah תולדת (toldot) merupakan istilah khas dalam bahasa Ibrani Biblikal, yang kemudian diterjemahkan oleh Lembaga Alkitab Indonesia (LAI) dengan istilah “silsilah” atau “riwayat.” Pengertian yang lebih harafiah dari istilah ini dalam bahasa Inggris disebut “the birth” atau dalam bahasa Indonesia disebut “kelahiran” atau “generasi.”

Ada sebuah artikel penting yang dimuat dalam sebuah situs resmi dari salah satu organisasi keagamaan tertentu di Indonesia, yang telah membahas topik ini. Pembahasan mengenai istilah תולדת ( toldot ), terutama mengenai תולדת (toldot) Ishmael ternyata telah dijabarkan secara detail dalam artikel tersebut. Menurut artikel itu, ada beberapa rahasia besar dalam penggunaan term תולדת (toldot) sebagaimana yang termaktub dalam kitab Tanach. Menurut analisis gematria yang mereka paparkan, rahasia תולדת (toldot) tersebut hanya dapat dilihat dalam huruf Ibraninya dan terletak dalam pengejaannya.

RAHASIA 1

Kata atau istilah ini pertama kali muncul di Sefer Bereshit (kitab Kejadian) 2:4.

אֵ֣לֶּה תוֹלְד֧וֹת הַשָּׁמַ֛יִם וְהָאָ֖רֶץ בְּהִבָּֽרְאָ֑ם בְּי֗וֹםעֲשׂ֛וֹת יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶ֥רֶץ וְשָׁמָֽיִם׃

Inilah generasi/ silsilah langit dan bumi ketika mereka diciptakan, pada hari dimana saat Hashem menciptakan langit dan bumi (Sefer Bereshit 2:4)

Di dalam ayat ini, kata toldot dieja dengan dua huruf vav (תוֹלְד֧וֹת). Huruf vav (ו) ini adalah sebuah piktografi yang menggambarkan manusia, dengan nilai angka gematria 6. Huruf vav (ו) dalam aksara Ibrani memiliki nilai angka 6. Angka 6 adalah angka manusia atau angka yang “melambangkan” manusia.

Di dalam budaya Yahudi Eropa (Aschenazim) ada sebuah ungkapan yang berbunyi, “Dia adalah seorang Mensch.” Mensch adalah bahasa Yiddish yang berarti “manusia”, tetapi “manusia” yang dimaksud di sini bukanlah sembarang manusia; apalagi merujuk pada manusia yang korup dan jahat. Mensch adalah manusia yang sempurna secara moral dan rohani, persis seperti yang TUHAN ciptakan pada mulanya. Apabila seseorang dikatakan seorang Mensch, maka artinya adalah dia seseorang yang secara rohani dan moral merupakan orang yang terpuji.

Huruf vav (ו) yang tertulis ganda di dalam kata toldot (תולדות) di sini melambangkan manusia jenis Mensch seperti itu. Bukan sembarang manusia. Adanya dua huruf vav (ו) di dalam kata toldot hendak menunjukkan bahwa silsilah manusia hasil “produksi” bumi dan surga ini merupakan orang-orang Mensch, manusia yang sebenarnya. Mengenai istilah “produksi” bumi dan surga, dan apa arti ungkapan ini, silakan membaca artikel “Generasi Surga dan Bumi“). 

RAHASIA 2

Istilah תולדת (toldot) berikutnya dapat dipelajari dalam Sefer Bereshit (Kejadian) 10:1 

וְאֵ֙לֶּה֙ תּוֹלְדֹ֣ת בְּנֵי־נֹ֔חַ שֵׁ֖ם חָ֣ם וָיָ֑פֶת וַיִּוָּלְד֥וּ לָהֶ֛ם בָּנִ֖ים אַחַ֥ר הַמַּבּֽוּל׃

Inilah generasi/ silsilah anak-anak Nuh – Shem, Ham, dan Yafet dan anak-anak yang dilahirkan bagi mereka setelah air bah. (Bereshit 10:1)

Kata toldot yang digunakan disini, kehilangan satu huruf vav (ו) pada suku kata ke-2, dan tertulis (תּוֹלְדֹ֣ת) sehingga hanya ada satu huruf vav (ו) pada suku kata pertama, atau pada awal kata. Hilangnya satu huruf vav (ו) menyatakan kepada kita bahwa generasi manusia yang disebut sesudah ini ternyata tidak semuanya adalah seorang Mensch. Salah satu di antara mereka menjadi manusia yang korup atau jahat. Kita mengetahui bahwa satu di antara anak-anak Nuh, yaitu Ham, rusak kelakuannya, jahat dan menyebabkan ayahnya mengutuk anak Ham. 

Kita dapat melihat ejaan yang sama di Sefer Bereshit 5:1 ketika Taurat menyebutkan silsilah/generasi Adam. Kita tahu bagaimana Kain berlaku jahat dan tidak berlaku sepantasnya sebagai seorang Mensch. Demikian juga ejaan istilah תולדת (toldot) tersebut dapat ditemukan di Sefer Bereshit 11:10 yang merujuk pada silsilah/generasi Shem, ternyata tidak semua anak-anak Shem menjadi Mensch) Begitu juga pada Sefer Bereshit 11:27 ditemukan silsilah/generasi Terah, ternyata tidak semua anak-anak Terah menjadi Mensch. Begitu juga pada Sefer Bereshit 25:19 juga tercantum silsilah Ishak, dua anak kembar, dan yang satu menjadi jahat. Bahkan, pada Sefer Bereshit 37:2 juga terdapat silsilah/ generasi Yakub, dan ternyata tidak semua keturunan Yakub menjadi seorang Mensch. 

RAHASIA 3

Ejaan yang berbeda lagi juga muncul dalam Sefer Bereshit 25:12 yang merujuk pada silsilah/generasi Ishmael.

וְאֵ֛לֶּה תֹּלְדֹ֥ת יִשְׁמָעֵ֖אל בֶּן־אַבְרָהָ֑ם אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָלְדָ֜ה הָגָ֧ר הַמִּצְרִ֛ית שִׁפְחַ֥ת שָׂרָ֖ה לְאַבְרָהָֽם׃

Inilah generasi/ silsilah Ishmael, anak Abraham yang dikandung oleh Hagar orang Mesir itu, pelayan Sarah, bagi Abraham. 
(Sefer Bereshit 25:12)

Dalam ejaan ini, bahkan tidak ada satu pun huruf vav (ו) yang dipakai dalam penulisan term toldot ini, yakni tertulis (תֹּלְדֹ֥ת). Hal ini hendak menunjukkan bahwa hampir mustahil untuk mencari seorang Mensch dari antara keturunan Ishmael. Hal ini semakin dipertegas dengan nubuat TUHAN kepada Hagar, yang menyatakan bagaimana sifat keturunan Ishmael ini nantinya.

וְה֤וּא יִהְיֶה֙ פֶּ֣רֶא אָדָ֔ם יָד֣וֹ בַכֹּ֔ל וְיַ֥ד כֹּ֖ל בּ֑וֹ

“Dia akan menjadi seperti pere adam – tangannya akan melawan tangan semua orang ….”

*****************

SANGGAHAN 1

Generasi ideal yang seluruh keturunannya berkarakter “mensch”, yang ditulis dengan menggunakan huruf vav (ו) ganda, sebagaimana yang tercatat dalam kitab Tanach ternyata faktanya tidak pernah ada. Idealnya, generasi yang seluruhnya berkarakter “mensch”, yakni manusia yang bermoral dan rohaninya sempurna diharapkan pernah ada. Namun, realitasnya keseluruhan silsilah/ generasi yang ideal ini ternyata tidak pernah ditemukan dalam pentas sejarah umat manusia. Bahkan, seluruh keturunan dari generasi/silsilah manusia yang ideal ini tidak pernah tercatat dalam kitab suci, sebagaimana kesaksian teks yang termaktub dalam kitab suci Tanach dan Quran. Tidak adanya kepaduan antara “das sein” dengan “das solen”; atau pun “das solen” yang faktanya tidak sama atau tidak berbanding lurus dengan “das sein”, maka hal ini meniscayakan sebuah kemustahilan. Artinya, dalam seluruh generasi tsb, seluruh manusia (keturunan) yang dilahirkan sebagai mensch, secara nalar – tipe generasi seperti ini tdk mungkin pernah ada. Analisis gematria berdasar pada penggunaan term toldot dengan ejaan huruf vav ganda – תולדות (toldot) yang merujuk pada generasi/silsilah ideal sebagai “mensch” justru membuktikan sebaliknya. Dengan demikian, pernyataan tersebut terbantahkan dengan munculnya term toldot – תולדות – dalam teks kitab suci yang memiliki double huruf vav (ו) tetapi realitasnya dalam silsilah tersebut terdapat generasi yang jahat. Fakta ini dapat dijumpai pada תולדות (toldot) atau generasi Perez, dan ternyata di antara keturunan/generasi Perez justru ada di antara mereka yang berlaku jahat di hadapan Hashem. 

וְאֵ֙לֶּה֙ תּוֹלְד֣וֹת פָּ֔רֶץ פֶּ֖רֶץ הוֹלִ֥יד אֶת־חֶצְרֽוֹן׃

” This is the line of Perez: Perez begot Hezron …. “
(Ruth : 4:18-22). 

Ini berarti, meskipun teksnya menggunakan term toldot dengan double huruf vav, תולדות – ternyata muncul juga generasi yang korup/ berlaku jahat (rasha’), lit. “wicked person”, dan tidak sepantasnya disebut sebagai seorang “mensch”, misalnya Raja Daud yang berzina dengan Batsyeba, istri Uria (2 Samuel 11: 1-27; 2 Samuel 12:1-25). Begitu juga Raja Salomo amat jahat di mata Hashem, dan menyembah ilah-ilah lain (1 Raja 11:5-8). Begitu juga Raja Manasye (2 Raja 21:1-18), Raja Amon (2 Raja 21: 19-26), Raja Yoahas (2 Raja 23: 31-35); ketiga orang ini adalah keturunan Perez yang jahat di mata Hashem. Jadi, meskipun nasab mereka mewarisi darah dari Perez, tetapi mereka termasuk generasi “untermensch” atau rasha’ (manusia rendah). Kemudian, ada satu lagi keturunan Perez yang berkarakter jahat (rasha’) di hadapan Hashem. Bahkan, sudah dikutuk oleh Hashem sendiri, yakni Raja Jechoniah alias Yoyakhin (Yeremia 22:30). 

Jika dikaitkan dengan silsilah Yesus menurut St. Matius, ini artinya bahwa tak ada seorang pun dari antara keturunan Jechoniah yang akan menjadi Messiah. Hal ini berarti mendiskualifikasi nama Yesus sebagai seorang Messiah. Maksudnya adalah Messiah memang harus berasal dari keturunan Daud, tetapi bukan dari nasab Jechoniah. 

St. Matius membiarkan nama Jechoniah dalam daftar silsilah Yesus, kemungkinan besar karena Raja Jechoniah alias Yoyakhin, ternyata namanya memang mirip dengan nama ayahnya, yakni Raja Yoyàkim. 

ו וַיִּשְׁכַּב יְהוֹיָקִים, עִם-jlאֲבֹתָיו; וַיִּמְלֹךְ יְהוֹיָכִין בְּנוֹ, תַּחְתָּיו.

“Kemudian Yoyakim mendapat perhentian bersama-sama dengan nenek moyangnya, maka Yoyakhin, anaknya, menjadi raja menggantikan dia.” (2 Raja 24:6)

Begitu tahu nama Jechoniah dikutuk oleh Hashem, St. Matius buru-buru menghilangkan nama Jechoniah. Namun, St. Matius ternyata lupa atau tidak bisa membedakan antara nama Yoyakim dan nama Yoyakhin; maka yang dihilangkan justru nama Yoyakim, yang sebenarnya itu adalah nama sang ayah dari Yoyakhin. Oleh sebab itulah, dengan menghilangkan nama Yoyakim, justru berakibat fatal pada pernyataan St. Matius sendiri dalam daftar silsilah Yesus (Matius 1:17), yang seharusnya jumlah generasi yang dipikirkannya ada 42 orang, ternyata hanya tercatat 41 orang. Awalnya, St. Matius hendak membuat gematria yang berpola 3 sets of fourteen (3 x 14 = 42) sesuai gematria nama דוד (David). Namun, data sejarah yang termaktub dalam kitab Tawarikh tersebut lebih dari 42 generasi, maka St. Matius dengan buru-buru memangkas 3 generasi dari Raja Daud dengan cara membuang 3 nama penting dalam silsilah tersebut. Hal ini tentu saja bertujuan agar jumlah silsilah tidak melebihi hitungan gematria 42, sebagaimana yang dipikirkannya. Namun, kesalahan St. Matius tetap berlanjut, dia terburu-buru membuang nama Jechoniah yang dikutuk Hashem, tetapi justru dia keliru – yang dibuang malah sebaliknya, yakni nama ayah dari Raja Jechoniah, yang bernama Raja Yoyakim, tanpa memikirkan akibatnya. Jadi, dengan membuang nama Raja Yoyakim, maka jumlah generasi yang dicatatnya hanya berjumlah 41 orang, bukan 42 orang. Keteledoran catatan St. Matius ini menjadi ahistoris dan tidak sesuai dengan gematria yang ditetapkannya sendiri, yakni dengan merujuk pada nama דוד (David) yang terdiri atas 3 huruf Ibrani yang numeriknya bernilai 14, sehingga total generasi seharusnya berjumlah 42 orang. 

Jadi, kasus misidentifikasi St. Matius terhadap tokoh Raja Yoyakim dan Raja Yoyakhin ini sangat menarik; meskipun namanya mirip dengan nama ayahnya, bukan berarti karakternya mirip dengan karakter ayahnya. Itulah sebabnya, Hashem menjatuhkan kutukan kepada Raja Yoyakhin, putra Raja Yoyakim, yang juga tertulis dalam nas kitab suci Tanach.

“Beginilah firman TUHAN: “Catatlah orang ini sebagai orang yang tak punya anak, sebagai laki-laki yang tidak pernah berhasil dalam hidupnya; sebab seorangpun dari keturunannya tidak akan berhasil duduk di atas takhta Daud dan memerintah kembali di Yehuda.” (Yeremia 22:30).

SANGGAHAN 2

Manusia yang berkarakter “mensch” untuk generasi jenis kedua ini, merupakan hal yg wajar, dan bisa diterima secara nalar. Ada tipe manusia yang disebut “ubermensch” (manusia unggul) atau tzadiq (righteous person) dan ada juga tipe manusia yang disebut “untermensch” (manusia rendah) atau rasha’ (wicked person). Dalam Sefer Bereshit 25:19 terkait generasi/silsilah Isaac, ternyata tertulis term toldot dengan ejaan kehilangan satu huruf vav, yakni tertulis תולדת (toldot), dan Esau sendiri sebenarnya dianggap sebagai keturunan Isaac yang berlaku jahat, yakni berkarakter rasha’ (wicked person), atau Esau dapat juga disebut sebagai “untermensch” (manusia rendah).

Namun, meskipun Edom (Esau) yang dicitrakan buruk dan jahat, ternyata pada תלדות (toldot) yakni silsilah generasi keturunannya, ditulis dengan menggunakan 1 huruf vav (ו); hal ini mengindikasikan bahwa di antara keturunan Esau akan ada generasi yang baik (ubermensch) dan ada pula generasi yang buruk (untermensch). Bahkan, pada generasi/ keturunan Edom, ada pula di antara mereka yang menjadi nabi-nabi, di antaranya Ayub, Elihu, Eliphaz, Bildad dan Zophar. Ini menjadi bukti bahwa di antara keturunan Esau ada generasi yang unggul, atau “ubermensch” atau “tzadiqim” (righteous persons). 

Pola silsilah/ generasi Esau menggunakan ejaan תלדות (toldot) dengan disertai 1 huruf vav (ו) sebagaimana pola silsilah/ generasi Yakub juga menggunakan ejaan תלדות (toldot) dengan disertai 1 huruf vav (ו). 

וְאֵ֛לֶּה תֹּלְד֥וֹת עֵשָׂ֖ו ה֥וּא אֱדֽוֹם׃

This is the line of Esau — that is, Edom.
(Sefer Bereshit 36:1).

אלה תלדות יעקב 

This is the line of Jacob (Sefer Bereshit 37:2)

Pola ejaan penulisan תלדות (toldot) pada generasi Esau dan Yakub mengindikasikan bahwa di antara keturunan mereka masing-masing akan muncul keturunan yang bertipe ubermensch (manusia unggul), dan ada juga dari antara keturunan mereka yang bertipe untermensch (manusia rendah) yang berlaku jahat. 

Siapakah Edom? Edom adalah nama lain dari Esau, dan generasi Esau tentu bukanlah generasi Yakub, karena keduanya merujuk pada 2 person yang berbeda. Namun, di antara keturunan Yakub dan keturunan Esau – akan muncul manusia-manusia yang menjadi nabi-nabi, dan di antara keturunan Yakub dan keturunan Esau – juga muncul manusia-manusia yang berkarakter jahat, untermensch (manusia rendah), atau pun rasha’ (wicked person). Itulah sebabnya term yang digunakan dalam toldot Yakub dan toldot Esau tersebut sepadan, yakni ejaannya hanya menggunakan 1 huruf vav (ו) saja, yakni תלדות. 

Raymond P. Scheindlin, a Professor of Medieval Hebrew Literature at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America explained that Job was a non-Israelite, probably as an Edomite, since Utz, Job’s homeland is connected elsewhere in the Bible with Edom, the desert territory to the Southeast of the Dead Sea; so also his friends, Zophar, Eliphaz Elihu and Bildad were non-Israelites, [2]

Begitu juga Rashi, dalam bukunya Perush ‘al ha-Torah, khususnya Sefer Devarim (kitab Ulangan) 33:2, ternyata dalam penjelasannya sang Rabbi berkata demikian: 

וזרח משעיר למו שפתח לבני עשו שיקבלו את התורה ולא רצו ספרי:
הופיע להם מהר פארן שהלך שם ופתח לבני ישמעאל שיקבלוה ולא רצו ספרי:
ואתה לישראל

Ve zarach mis-Seir lamo sheffatach le b’nei Esau sheyyeqabelu et hat-Torah ve lo ratzu sifrei. Hofi’a lahem saya Har Paran, shehalach sham u-fatach li b’nei Yishmael sheyyeqabbeluha ve lo ratzu sifrei. Ve atah le Yisrael.

("dan Dia Yang Maha Kudus muncul dari Seir kepada mereka. Maksudnya, Dia mempersembahkan kitab Torah kepada keturunan Esau penduduk Seir, bahwa mereka harus menerima Taurat, tetapi mereka tidak ingin melakukan isi kitab suci tersebut. Dia Yang maha Kudus bersinar kepada mereka dari gunung Paran. Maksudnya, Dia kemudian pergi ke sana dan mempersembahkan kitab Torah kepada keturunan Ismael, dan mereka harus menerimanya, tetapi ternyata mereka tidak berkeinginan untuk melakukannya kitab suci tersebut. Dan akhirnya, Dia Yang Maha Kudus datang kepada Israel ").

Komentar yang dikutip oleh Rashi dari teks Midrash ini penting untuk dipahami bahwa sejak semula Hashem sangat peduli kepada keturunan Esau. Namun, ada beberapa pertanyaan kritis berkaitan dengan kepeduliaan Hashem terhadap keturunan Esau tersebut. Pertama, mengapa sejak semula Hashem sangat peduli terhadap keturunan Esau (b’nei Esau) terutama berkaitan dengan anugerah pewahyuan Torah? Kedua, apakah hal ini ada kaitannya dengan rahasia penulisan תלדות (toldot) dengan ejaan 1 huruf vav (ו) yang meniscayakan adanya keturunan Esau, yakni בני עשו (b’nei Esau) yang nantinya akan menjadi nabi-nabi atau generasi keturunan Esau yang memiliki karakter ubermensch (manusia unggul)? Ketiga, mengapa sejak semula Hashem tidak peduli terhadap keturununan Yakub terkait anugerah pewahyuan kitab Torah dan justru yang dipedulikan lebih awal oleh Hashem adalah keturunan Esau? Keempat, teks Midrash tersebut menjadi bukti kuat, sebagaimana Hashem peduli terhadap keturunan Yakub, maka Hashem juga peduli terhadap b’nei Esau atau keturunan Esau. Kelima, bukankah Esau (Edom) dianggap sebagai manusia yang berkarakter jahat di mata Hashem tetapi mengapa keturunan/generasi Esau (b’nei Esau) dipedulikan oleh Hashem? Keenam, apakah kepeduliaan Hashem terhadap keturunan Esau (b’nei Esau) sebagaimana yang tercatat dalam teks Midrash itu mengisyaratkan adanya pewahyuan lain selain Torah kepada b’nei Esau?

Dalam karya monumental berbahasa Judeo-Arabic, RAMBAM pernah menulis surat kepada kaum Yahudi diaspora di Yaman tentang asal-usul identitas Ayub.

לאן איוב וצופר ובלדד ואליפז ואליהוא כלהם ענדנא אנביא ואן כאנו ליס מן ישראל (אגרת תימן)

Lianna Ayyub wa Shofar wa Bildad wa Elifaz wa Elihu kulluhum ‘indana Anbiya’ wa kanu laysa min Yisroil.

“Sesungguhnya Ayub, Zofar, Bildad, Elifaz, dan Elihu, mereka semuanya adalah Nabi-nabi, meskipun nasab mereka bukan keturunan Israel” (Iggeret Teyman)  [3]

Penjelasan RAMBAM dalam suratnya kepada orang-orang Yaman (Iggeret Teyman), dia berkata: “Ayub dan teman-temannya Tzofer, Bildad, Elifaz dan Elihu – mereka semua nabi-nabi yang telah menerima misi kenabian meskipun mereka nasabnya bukan keturunan Yahudi.” Apakah menurut RAMBAM, semua nabi-nabi yang disebut dalam Iggeret ha-Teyman, yakni Ayub, Tzofer, Bildad, Elifaz dan Elihu, mereka adalah para nabi dari keturunan Ham atau keturunan Shem? Apakah mereka keturunan Ishmael? Apakah mereka keturunan Esau? Penjelasan RAMBAM ini diperkuat dengan pernyataan Raymond P. Scheindlin, seorang Profesor Sastra Ibrani Abad Pertengahan di Seminari Teologi Yahudi Amerika juga menjelaskan bahwa Ayub adalah seorang non-Israel, mungkin sebagai orang Edom, karena Utz, tanah kelahiran Ayub terkait dengan tempat lain, yang dalam Alkitab disebut dengan wilayah Edom, yakni wilayah gurun yang terletak di arah tenggara kawasan Laut Mati; begitu juga teman-temannya, Zophar, Eliphaz Elihu dan Bildad adalah orang-orang non-Israel,  [4]

Dengan demikian, teks Torah dan teks Midrash telah membuktikan bahwa Hashem telah mengutus Musa sebagai seorang nabi dari antara keturunan Israel, dan Hashem juga mengutus Ayub sebagai seorang nabi dari antara keturunan Esau. 

SANGGAHAN 3

Menurut Sefer Bereshit 25:12 penulisan toldot yang merujuk pada generasi/silsilah Ishmael memang ejaan penulisannya tanpa menggunakan 1 pun huruf vav (ו), yakni tertulis תלדת (toldot). Fakta tekstual ejaan penulisan תלדת (toldot) seperti ini juga muncul terkait silsilah/ generasi keturunan Lewi. 

Berikut generasi menurut keturunan Lewi.

וְאֵ֨לֶּה שְׁמ֤וֹת בְּנֵֽי־לֵוִי֙ לְתֹ֣לְדֹתָ֔ם גֵּרְשׁ֕וֹן וּקְהָ֖ת וּמְרָרִ֑י וּשְׁנֵי֙ חַיֵּ֣י לֵוִ֔י שֶׁ֧בַע וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֛ים וּמְאַ֖ת שָׁנָֽה׃

These are the names of Levi’s sons by their lineage: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari; and the span of Levi’s life was 137 years.( Exodus 6:16).

וּבְנֵ֥י מְרָרִ֖י מַחְלִ֣י וּמוּשִׁ֑י אֵ֛לֶּה מִשְׁפְּחֹ֥ת הַלֵּוִ֖י לְתֹלְדֹתָֽם׃

The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites by their lineage.
(Exodus 6:19).

Dalam penulisan generasi/ keturunan Ishmael memang menggunakan ejaan toldot ( תלדת) tanpa ada satu pun huruf vav (ו). Namun, apakah hal ini membuktikan bahwa generasi/ keturunan Ishmael semuanya korup dan jahat atau “untermensch”? Dalam penulisan generasi/ keturunan Lewi juga menggunakan ejaan toldot (תלדת) tanpa ada satu pun huruf vav (ו). Apakah itu juga berarti bahwa generasi/keturunan Lewi yang mayoritas adalah generasi Kohen ha-Gadol dapat disebut bahwa mereka semua sebagai generasi yang korup dan jahat atau manusia bertipe “untermensch” (manusia rendah), hanya berdasar pada alasan sederhana, yakni karena dalam penulisan toldot-nya tidak dijumpai satu pun huruf vav (ו)? Fakta yang lebih mengejutkan lagi berdasarkan Tanach (1 Tawarikh 1:29), ternyata penulisan “toldot” Ishmael juga berpola ejaan תלדות (toldot), yakni dengan menggunakan 1 huruf vav (ו). Hal ini justru membuktikan bahwa di antara keturunan/ generasi Ishmael akan muncul tipe generasi ubermensch (manusia unggul) dan sekaligus juga akan muncul tipe generasi untermensch (manusa rendah), sebagaimana generasi Yakub, yang ejaan penulisan toldot-nya dengan menggunakan 1 huruf vav (ו) saja, yakni תלדות (toldot). 

אלה תלדות יעקב 

This is the line of Jacob (Sefer Bereshit 37:2). 

Silakan Anda secara jujur membandingkan pola ejaan penulisan תלדות יעקב (toldot Yakub) dalam teks Sefer Bereshit 37:2 dengan pola ejaan penulisan תלדותם בני ישמעאל (toldotem b’nei Yishmael) sebagaimana nas yang termaktub dalam Tanach (1 Tawarikh 1: 29). 

אֵ֖לֶּה תֹּלְדוֹתָ֑ם בְּכ֤וֹר יִשְׁמָעֵאל֙ נְבָי֔וֹת וְקֵדָ֥ר וְאַדְבְּאֵ֖ל וּמִבְשָֽׂם׃

This is their line: The first-born of Ishmael, Nebaioth; and Kedar, Abdeel, Mibsam.” (1 Tawarikh 1:29).

Para pembaca seharusnya juga bernalar secara kritis, terutama berkaitan dengan pola perbedaan ejaan penulisan “toldot” dalam teks Sefer Bereshit 25:12 menurut versi Masoretic Torah dan versi Samaritan Torah. Ejaan yang berbeda dalam kedua versi Torah tersebut, terkait teks Sefer Bereshit 25:12, yakni mengenai silsilah/ generasi Ishmael, memang sangat penting dikaji dalam hal ortografinya.

Menurut versi Masoretic Torah, ortografi penulisan kata תלדת (toldot), ternyata tidak disertai dengan penggunaan huruf vav (ו). Sebaliknya, menurut versi Samaritan Torah, ortografi penulisan kata תולדת (toldot) justru disertai dengan penggunaan huruf vav (ו). Demikianlah corak ortografis kedua versi Torah tersebut dapat dikaji oleh para pembaca.

1. Masoretic Torah version, tanpa menggunakan huruf vav.  [5]

וְאֵ֛לֶּה תֹּלְדֹ֥ת יִשְׁמָעֵ֖אל בֶּן־אַבְרָהָ֑ם אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָלְדָ֜ה הָגָ֧ר הַמִּצְרִ֛ית שִׁפְחַ֥ת שָׂרָ֖ה לְאַבְרָהָֽם׃

2. Samaritan Torah version, dengan menggunakan huruf vav. 

וְאֵ֛לֶּה תֹּולְדֹ֥ת יִשְׁמָעֵ֖אל בֶּן־אַבְרָהָ֑ם אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָלְדָ֜ה הָגָ֧ר הַמִּצְרִ֛ית שִׁפְחַ֥ת שָׂרָ֖ה לְאַבְרָהָֽם׃

“Inilah generasi/ silsilah Ishmael anak Abraham yang dikandung oleh Hagar orang Mesir itu, pelayan Sarah, bagi Abraham. (Sefer Bereshit 25:12),

Dalam ejaan versi teks Masoret (Masoretic Torah), memang tidak ada satu pun huruf vav (ו) yang digunakan, “toldot” (תֹּלְדֹ֥ת). Sebaliknya, ejaan versi teks Samaria (Samaritan Torah) justru huruf vav (ו) digunakan dalam penulisan ortigrafisnya, “toldot” (תולדת). Dengan membandingkan kedua pola ejaan/ ortografis menurut kedua versi Torah tersebut, maka analisis terhadap nas Sefer Bereshit 25:12 justru tidak relevan.

Rashi telah menjelaskan bahwa Ishmael adalah “orang benar”, yang berkenan di hadapan Hashem. Ishmael bukanlah seseorang yang berkarakter korup atau pun jahat, yang dalam bahasa Jerman disebut “untermensch” (manusia rendah), sebagaimana yang dituduhkan oleh sebagian orang. Ishmael adalah manusia bertipe “ubermensch” atau “the righteous man.” Sefer Bereshit 25:17

ואלה שני היי ישמעאל מאת שנה ושלשים שנה ושבע שנים ויגוע וימת ויאסף אל עמיו : 

Ve elleh shenei chayye Yishma’el meat shanah u-sheloshim shanah ve sheva’ shanim vay-yigva’ vay-yamat vay-yeasef el ‘ammaiv (Sefer Bereshit 25:17).

“These were the years of Ishmael’s life: a hundred years and thirty years and seven years, and he expired and he died, and was brought in to his people.”

Berdasarkan pada nas ayat Tanach tersebut, Rashi dalam “Parashas Chayei Sarah, Sefer Bereshit 24:17 beliau menjelaskan bahwa frase Ibrani yang berbunyi: vay-yigva’ (ויגוע), merujuk kepada Ishmael sebagai orang saleh (the righteous), ישמעאל הצדיק (Yishma’el ha-Tzadiq), lit. “Ishmael the Righteous”, karena Ishmael sendiri sebagai salah satu dari antara kumpulan orang-orang saleh, yakni Tzadiqim (צדיקים). Rashi berkata: ויגוע (vay-yigva’) lit. “and he expired” – lo ne’emrah gevi’ah elle be-tzadiqim (לא נאמרה גויעה אלא בצדיקים), lit. “expiring is not stated in Scripture except regarding the righteous.  [6]

Talmud Bavli, Baba Bathra 75b juga menjelaskan tentang kemuliaan orang saleh, הצדיק (ha-tzadiq) yang diciptakan oleh Hashem berdasar pada nama suci-Nya: “Three things were created on the basis of the name of the Holy One, צדיקים (tzadiqim), lit. “the Righteous”, המשיח (ha-Moshiach), lit. “the Messiah”, וירושלים (ve Yerushalayim), lit. “and Jerusalem (Talmud Bavli, masechet Baba Bathra 75b). ישמעאל (Yishmael) adalah orang saleh, seorang “ubermensch”, sebagaimana Messiah, keduanya diciptakan berdasar pada kemuliaan nama suci-Nya. Itulah sebabnya nama Ishmael disebut dengan namanya sebelum dia diciptakan. 

ששה נקראו בשמותן עד שלא נולדו. ואלו הן יצחק, וישמעאל, ומשה רבנו, ושלמה, ויאשיהו, ושמו של משיח

Shishshah niqreu bi-shemotan ‘ad shello noladu, ve ellu hen, Yitzhaq, ve Yishma’el, u-Moshe Rabbenu, u-Shlomoh, ve Yoshiyyahu, u-shemo shel ha-Moshiach

Six peoples were called by their names before they were begotten, and they are Isaac, Ishmael, Moses, Solomon, Josiah, and the name of King Messiah. [7]

Tanach juga mencatat generasi/ keturunan Ishmael yang bertipe manusia yang disebut “ubermensch” di antaranya: Yeter orang Ishmael (1 Tawarikh 2:17). Yeter memperanakkan Amasa, panglima tentara Israel dan keponakan Raja Daud. Hal itu berarti bahwa seorang dari keturunan Ishmael telah menikah dengan salah seorang putri keluarga Daud. Hal itu didukung oleh kasus Obil orang Ishmael, yang dipercaya oleh Raja Daud dan mengawasi unta-unta milik Raja Daud (1 Tawarikh 27:30-33).

Jadi pada intinya analisis thd frase תולדות -תלדות – תלדת adalah analisis yang tidak tepat dan terlalu gegabah. Marilah kita berpikir kritis dan tidak mengedepankan prasangka yang chauvinistic.

Footnotes:

  1. See Rabbi Nosson Scherman. Baal HaTurim Chumash. Bereishis/ Genesis (Brooklyn, New York: Mesorah Publications, Ltd., 2013), p. xvi. 
  2. See Raymon P. Scheindlin. “The Book of Job. Translation, Introduction and Notes (New York – London: W.W. Norton & Company, 1998), pp. 11-13.
  3. Lihat karya Abraham S. Halkin. Moses Maimonides’ Epistle to Yemen. The Arabic Original and The Three Hebrew Versions. Edited from Manuscripts with Introduction and Notes (New York: American Academy for Jewish Research, 1953), hlm. 50-52
  4. Lihat Raymon P. Scheindlin. “The Book of Job. Translation, Introduction and Notes (New York – London: W.W. Norton & Company, 1998), hlm. 11-13.
  5. See Mark Shoulson. The Torah: Jewish and Samaritan Versions Compared (New Jersey, USA: Evertype, 2008), p.63. 
  6. See Rabbi Yisrael Isser Zvi Herczeg. Phirush Rashi. Bereishis/Genesis. The Torah with Rashi’s Commentary, Translated, Annotated and Ellucidated (Brooklyn, New York: Mesorah Publications, Ltd., 1999), p.269.
  7. See Rav Eliezer. Pirke de Rav Eliezer ‘im be-Ur hab-Bayit hag-Gadol (Yerushalayim: Eshkol, 1965), p. 108

Gematria of Ishmael in the Torah & Quran (PART I)

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The phrase הרבה ארבה את זרעך (harbah arbeh et zar’ech/zar’echa), “I will greatly increase your offspring” appears twice in the Masoretic text: (i) Sefer Bereshit 16:10, it refers to the seed of Hagar, the wife of Abraham (ii) Sefer Bereshit 22:17, it refers to the seed of Abraham, the husband of Hagar. Similarly, the gematria of this phrase is equal, 1,118. This phrase consists of four Hebrew words: הרבה (harbah) 212; ארבה (arbeh) 208; את (et) 401 and זרעך (zar’ech/zar’echa) 297. Amazingly, the gematria of the promise ארבה (arbeh), “I will increase” in both verses is equal to that of הגר (Hagar), 208. Similarly, the phrase אב המון (av hamon), lit. “father of a multitude” which the phrase refers to Abraham, in fact, this appears twice in the Tanach (Sefer Bereshit 17:4-5), and the gematria of this phrase אב המון (av hamon) is also 208 (2 + 0 + 8 = 10), the same as that of הגר (Hagar), 208 (2 + 0 + 8 = 10), the same as that of ישמעאל (Yishmael), 451 (4 + 5 + 1 = 10).

Meanwhile, the promise of the LORD about Ishmael, it also appears twice in the Tanach: (i) the promise of God to Hagar, and there are two words to express the promise: הרבה (harbah) and פרא (pere) in the Sefer Bereshit 16:10-12, (ii) the promise of God to Abraham, and there are also two words to express the promise: הפריתי (hifreiti) and הרביתי (hirbeiti) in the Sefer Bereshit 17:20.

The Hebrew words הרבה (harbah) and הרביתי (hirbeiti) or רבו (rebu) have the same root, and the root of the verbs is רבה (rabah). Similarly, the Hebrew words פרא (pere) and הפריתי (hifreiti) or פרו (peru) have the same root, and the root of the words is פרה (parah). Based on the Sefer Bereshit 1:22 Rashi explains the word פרו (peru), lit. “be fruitful” as being of the same root as פרי (peri), “a fruit.” Thus, פרו (peru) means “bring forth fruit”, and the root of the verb פרו (peru) is פרה (parah) [1].

Interestingly, the Hebrew word רבה (rabah) is used to state “shall multiply” for man and all animals, but the Hebrew word פרה (parah) is only used to state “shall be fruitful” for man and the fish per se, not all animals, or even to the wilderness animals. Regarding the fish and man, the verse uses a double expression of increase, פרו ורבו (peru u-rebu), “be fruitful and multiply, whereas regarding the fowl only one expression, ירב, “it shall multiply”, is used. Regarding the birds, the Torah does not state “shall be fruitful and multiply, for that expression is only applicable to man and to fish whose sustenance is easily accessible and they are therefore free to be fruitful and multiply. But as for birds and also animals and beasts, by contrast, sustenance is not that easily accessible to them, and hence they are not as free to reproduce [2].  Ishmael is a man, not an animal, so that why the text uses the root of the word פרא (pere), derived from the verb פרה (parah). Obviously, the Hebrew linguists know that the verb פרה (parah) is only applied to a man, not to the desert animals. Rabbi Yaakov Tzevi Mecklenburg also confirms that both terms פרא (pere) and יפריא (yafriya) are derived from the same root. Therefore Hagar really knew this as a good prediction of God in the future. It indicates that the phrase פרא אדם (pere adam) in the Sefer Bereshit 16:12 is really to mean as a positive atribute, not as a negative one. It is a good news, not as a bad news for Hagar; because Ishmael will be a fruitful man (fertile of man), not as the wild-ass of man.

Amazingly, the phrase ויקראת שמו (ve yeqarat shemo), lit. “and you shall call his name” appears twice in the Tanach: (i) ויקראת שמו ישמעאל (ve yeqarat shemo Yishma’el), “and you shall call his name Ishmael” (Genesis 16:11); (ii) ויקראת שמו עמנואל (ve yeqarat shemo ‘Immanu’el), “and you shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). This similarity of expression indicates that God elected both to reveal Himself through the heavenly names; and this teaches us that both are the heavenly names from God Himself, and both are God’s salvation in the light of heaven. Obviously, Ishmael and Immanuel are great men, and only for Ishmael and Immanuel, the phrase appears twice in the Tanach.

Rabbi Yaakov Tzevi Meclenburg said [3]:

“the Hebrew phrase פרא אדם (pere adam), most commentators view this as an unpleasant prediction for Hagar, understanding it as a prediction that Ishmael would be violent and corrupt. I believe they are wrong! How could the angel foretell this part of the future to Hagar? We do not find these kinds of predictions anywhere! Moreover, how would this inspire her to return to the home of Abram? The angel meant to tell her something to make her change her mind about returning ….. We have a similar meaning of that word in Hosea 13:15, בין אחים יפריא, “he will flourish between reeds” etc. The word describes “bearing fruit.” I have found a similar explanation in the Zohar page 192 on Parshat Balak. In other words, the angel informed Hagar that her son would be fruitful and would multiply just as the LORD foretold Abraham in Sefer Bereshit 17:20, “I have blessed him and I have made him fruitful, and I will increase him very much and make him into a great nation. All of this include in the term פרא אדם (pere adam).

Rebecca Abrahamson already wrote an article on “More on Ishmael-Isaac.” She says that the Jewish male is circumcised on the eighth day of life, and that the Muslim boy at thirteen years old. This is in parallel to the different roles of Isaac and Ishmael – Isaac is a tent dweller, sheltered, “tamim” in Hebrew, meaning “innocent”, “unaware of worldly affairs.” Isaac never knew what it meant to be out in the world, then to undergo a change. The Muslim is expected to proselytize, to bring the word of God to the whole world, to be global, “his hand on everything” – in Hebrew phrase יד בכל (yado be chol), see Sefer Bereshit (Genesis) 16:12. So it makes sense that the Muslim has a sense of being uncircumcised, then making a change to a higher ground, for that is what he needs to bring to the world, a knowledge of how to uplift it. The role of the children of Israel is to dwell in tents, sheltered, jealously preserving the integrity of Torah. A bit snobby, perhaps. If Isaac and Ishmael work in harmony, Isaac would not have to try to be mighty, he would be able to concentrate on Torah learning. Ishmael would draw from that learning and bring it into the world, in a global fashion. There will be more authentic Torah learning, and the authentic spreading of the word of God. When Isaac and Ishmael work in true harmony.

Amazingly, the Samaritan text of the Torah, Sefer Bereshit 16:12 also confirms the phrase פרה אדם (pore adam), lit. “fruitful man”, and the term פרה at the verse is really derived from the verb פרה (parah). Sefer Bereshit 16:12

והוא יהיה פרה אדם ידו בכל ויד כל בו ועל פני כל אחיו ישכן

“Ve hu yihyeh pore adam yado be kol ve yad kol bo ve ‘al phenai kol achaiv yishkon” [4] .

“He will be fertile of man. His hand will be with everyone. And everyone’s hand will be with him. And he will live among all his brothers” [5]. 

Ishmael will be פרה אדם (pere adam), lit. “a fruitful man” and יד בכל (yado be chol), lit. “his hand on everything.” And the gematria of his name is 451. Gematria is numerical value in Hebrew Torah. Every Hebrew letter has a numerical equivalent called it גימטריא (gematria). Interestingly, the gematria of the Hebrew name ישמעאל (Yishmael) is in fact 451; it is equal to that of both Hebrew names אברם (Abram), 243 dan הגר (Hagar) 208. Obviously, the gematria of ישמעאל (Yishmael) is 451, the same as that of אברם והגר (Abram ve Hagar), 451. Abraham is the father of Ishmael, Hagar is the mother of Ishmael. Hagar bore Ishmael for Abraham.

Moreover, the gematria of ישמעאל (Yishmael) has a numerical equivalent with the gematria of הגר (Hagar). The gematria of ישמעאל (Yishmael) is 451, and the gematria of הגר (Hagar) is 208. What does it mean in the light of numerical value? The numerical value of Yishmael is 451 (4 + 5 + 1 = 10); it is the same as that of the numerical value of Hagar, 208 ( 2 + 0 + 8 = 10). Interestingly, the numerical value of אברם (Abram) is 243 (2 + 4 + 3 = 9). What does it mean as the promise of God in the future? The numerical value of Abram (9), Hagar (10) and Yishmael (10) is totally 29, and this teaches us about the gematria of their offspring, במאד מאד (be-meod meod), 92, it is the same as that of the gematria of מחמד (Muhammad), 92. So, the numerical value of Abram, Hagar and Yishmael is totally 29, and this can be rearranged to the gematria of their offspring, 92. Also, the word בהבראם (behibar’am), lit. “when they were created” in the Sefer Bereshit 2:4 has the same episteme. The letters of this word בהבראם can be rearranged to spell באברהם (be Abraham), “with Abraham”, for it was in Abraham’s merit that the heavens and the earth were created (Bereshit Rabbah 12:9) [6]. 

However, the phrase הרבה ארבה את זרעך (harbah arbeh et zar’ech/zar’echa), “I will greatly increase your offspring” appears twice in the Tanach: (i) Sefer Bereshit 16:10, it refers to the seed of Hagar, the wife of Abraham (ii) Sefer Bereshit 22:17, it refers to the seed of Abraham, the husband of Hagar. The gematria of twice this phrase is equal, 1,118 (1 + 1 + 1 + 8 = 11). This phrase can be considered equivalent to the gematria of the phrase במאד מאד (be-meod meod), lit. “most exceedingly”, 92 (9 + 2 = 11), the same as that of the gematria of מחמד (Muhammad), “most preciously”, 92 (9 + 2 = 11). The phrase במאד מאד (be-meod meod), lit. “most exceedingly” also appears twice in the Sefer Bereshit (Bereshit 17:6; Bereshit 17:20). Interestingly, the numerical value of the gematria of Abram is 243 (2 + 4 + 3 = 9), the numerical value of the gematria of Hagar is 802 (8 + 0 + 2 = 10) and the numerical value of the gematria of Ishmael is 451 (4 + 5 + 1 = 10). Thus, the numerical value of the three names totally is 29 (2 + 9 = 11).

Meanwhile, the Hebrew name הגר (Hagar), the wife of Abraham appears 12 times in the Torah; and Ishmael bore 12 sons, see Sefer Bereshit 25:13-16. Amazingly, the Arabic name Isma’il also appears 12 times in the Quran. It means that the Quran also confirms the gematria of Ishmael. Indeed, the Torah has a link with the Quran. It is really amazing

 

  Hagar in the Torah Ishmael in the Quran
1  Sefer Bereshit 16: 1  Al-Baqarah 2: 125
2  Sefer Bereshit 16: 3  Al-Baqarah 2: 127
3  Sefer Bereshit 16: 4  Al-Baqarah 2: 133
4  Sefer Bereshit 16: 8  Al-Baqarah 2: 136
5  Sefer Bereshit 16: 15a  Al-Baqarah 2: 140
6  Sefer Bereshit 16: 15b  Ali Imran 3: 84
7  Sefer Bereshit 16: 16  An-Nisa’ 4: 163
8  Sefer Bereshit 21: 9  Al-An’am 6: 86
9  Sefer Bereshit 21: 14  Ibrahim 14: 39
10  Sefer Bereshit 21: 17a  Maryam 19: 54
11  Sefer Bereshit 21: 17b  Al-Anbiya’ 21: 85
12  Sefer Bereshit 25: 12  Shaad 38: 48

CONCLUSION

The gematria of the Hebrew name ישמעאל (Yishmael) is 451; it is equal to that of both Hebrew names אברם (Abram), 243 dan הגר (Hagar) 208. Thus, the gematria of ישמעאל (Yishmael) is 451, the same as that of אברם והגר (Abram ve Hagar), 451. Abraham is the father of Ishmael, Hagar is the mother of Ishmael. Hagar bore Ishmael for Abraham. Meanwhile, the gematria of the Hebrew name הגר (Hagar) is 208, the same as that of the title of Abram as אב המון (av hamon), 208; the phrase literally means “a father of a multitude” see Sefer Bereshit 17:4-5. Amazingly, the Arabic name اسمعيل (Isma’il) appears 12 times in the Holy Quran. It means that the Quran also confirms the gematria of Ishmael in the Torah. In the Sefer Bereshit (Genesis) 17:20, LORD said to Abraham:

ולישמעאל שמעתיך הנה אתו במאד מאד שנים עשר נשיאם יולד ונתתיו לגוי גדול:

u-le Yishma’el shema’ticha hinneh berachti oto ve hifreiti oto ve hirbeiti oto be-meod meod sheneim ‘ashar nesi’im yolid le goy gadol.

“But regarding Ishmael I have heard you, I have blessed him, made him fruitful and will increase him most exceedingly; he will beget twelve princes and I will make him into a great nation.”

Interestingly, based on the verse, three keywords textually appear in one sentence: ישמעאל (Yishmael), במאד מאד (be-meod meod), and שנים עשר (sheneim ‘ashar), and the readers have to understand it most attentively. The gematria of ישמעאל (Yishmael) is 451, and the gematria of במאד מאד (be-meod meod) is 92. Thus, the gematria of ישמעאל (451), lit. “Yishmael” and the gematria of במאד מאד (92), lit. “most exceedingly” totally is 543 (5 + 4 + 3 = 12), the same as that of the term שנים עשר (sheneim ‘ashar), lit. “twelve.” Also, the gematria of ישמעאל (Yishmael) is 451, and the gematria of מחמד (Muhammad), lit. “most preciously” is 92, thus both names have a value 543 (5 + 4 + 3 = 12), the same of that of the term שנים עשר (sheneim ‘ashar), lit. “twelve.” The first, the name of ישמעאל (Yishmael) directly refers to the phrase במאד מאד (be-meod meod), lit. “most exceedingly” which has a relation to the phrase שנים עשר (sheneim ‘ashar), lit. “the twelve.” The second, the name of ישמעאל (Yishmael) indirectly refers to the name מחמד (Muhammad), lit. “most preciously” which has a relation to the phrase שנים עשר (sheneim ‘ashar), lit. “the twelve.” Furthermore, based on the Sefer Bereshit 17:20, the gematria of the phrase במאד מאד (be-meod meod), lit. “most exceedingly” is 92, the same as that of the next phrase לגוי גדול (le goy gadol), 92; and this phrase literally means “to be a great nation.” Amazingly, both phrases directly refer to the same, the offspring of ישמעאל (Yishmael). The gematria of ישמעאל – במאד מאד (Yishmael – be meod meod), is 543, it is equal to that of ישמעאל – לגוי גדול (Yishmael – le goy gadol); and both phrases have a relation to the phrase שנים עשר נשיאם (sheneim ‘ashar nesi’im), lit. “the twelve princes.” Indeed, the Torah has a link with the Quran in the light of gematria about Ishmael, because he is the righteous man. Sefer Bereshit 25:17

ואלה שני היי ישמעאל מאת שנה ושלשים שנה ושבע שנים ויגוע וימת ויאסף אל עמיו :

Ve elleh shenei chayye Yishma’el meat shanah u-sheloshim shanah ve sheva’ shanim vay-yigva’ vay-yamat vay-yeasef el ‘ammaiv (Sefer Bereshit 25:17).

“These were the years of Ishmael’s life: a hundred years and thirty years and seven years, and he expired and he died, and was brought in to his people.”

Based on the text, Rashi in “Parashas Chayei Sarah, Sefer Bereshit 24:17 he explains that the Hebrew phrase: vay-yigva’ (ויגוע), is to refer to Ishmael as the righteous, ישמעאל הצדיק (Yishma’el ha-Tzadiq), lit. “Ishmael the Righteous”, because Ishmael himself is one of the righteous men, Tzadiqim (צדיקים). Rashi said: ויגוע (vay-yigva’) lit. “and he expired” – lo ne’emrah gevi’ah elle be-tzadiqim (לא נאמרה גויעה אלא בצדיקים), lit. “expiring is not stated in Scripture except regarding the righteous [7]. 

The Talmud Bavli also explains: “Three things were created on the basis of the name of the Holy One, צדיקים (tzadiqim), lit. “the Righteous”, המשיח (ha-Moshiach), lit. “the Messiah”, וירושלים (ve Yerushalayim), lit. “and Jerusalem (Talmud Bavli, masechet Baba Bathra 75b). ישמעאל (Yishmael) is the righteous, as well as the Messiah, both were created on the basis of the name of the LORD. And the name of Ishmael was called by his name before he was created.

ששה נקראו בשמותן עד שלא נולדו. ואלו הן יצחק, וישמעאל, ומשה רבנו, ושלמה, ויאשיהו, ושמו של משיח

Shishshah niqreu bi-shemotan ‘ad shello noladu, ve ellu hen, Yitzhaq, ve Yishma’el, u-Moshe Rabbenu, u-Shlomoh, ve Yoshiyyahu, u-shemo shel ha-Moshiach

Six peoples were called by their names before they were begotten, and they are Isaac, Ishmael, Moses, Solomon, Josiah, and the name of King Messiah [8].

 

 

Footnotes:

  1. See Sampson A. Isseroff. An Introduction to Rashi’s Grammatical explanations in the Book of Genesis (USA: the Torah Education Dep’t of the World Zionist Organization, 1985), p.6
  2. See Rabbi Nosson Scherman. Ba’al ha-Turim Chumash. Bereshit. (New York: Mesorah Publications, Ltd., 2013), pp. 21-22.
  3. See Rabbi Yaakov Tzevi Meclenburg. ha-Ketav ve ha-Kabbalah. Torah Commentary (USA – Jerusalem: Lamba Publisher, 2001), pp. 217-218.
  4. See Mark Shoulson. Torah Girsah Yehudit ve Girsah Shomronit behashuvah. The Torah: Jewish and Samaritan Versions Compared (New Jersey, USA: Evercype, 2008), p. 37
  5. See Benyamin Tsedaka. The Israelite Samaritan Version of the Torah. First English Translation Compared with the Samaretic Version (Grand Rapids, Michigan-Cambridge: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2013), p.34
  6. See Rabbi Nosson Scherman. Baal ha-Turim Chumash (Brooklyn, New York: Masorah Publications, Ltd., 2013), p. 29
  7. See Rabbi Yisrael Isser Zvi Herczeg. Phirush Rashi. Bereishis/Genesis. The Torah with Rashi’s Commentary, Translated, Annotated and Ellucidated (Brooklyn, New York: Mesorah Publications, Ltd., 1999), p.269.
  8. See Rav Eliezer. Pirke de Rav Eliezer ‘im be-Ur hab-Bayit hag-Gadol (Yerushalayim: Eshkol, 1965), p. 108

Torah's Hidden Message: Muhammad ﷺ and Jesus (ع) in the Light of Gematria (Part III)

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Where do we find the Torah’s hidden messages? Arba’ah Turim is the basis of the Sulchan Aruch; but Ba’al ha-Turim is the basis of the hidden messages of Torah. Ba’al ha-Turim found them in gematria (number patterns), acrostics, formations of letters, and Scriptural word patterns.

The gematria is the famous Rabbinic interpretative technique which it depends on the numerical value of Hebrew letters. Therefore, Gematria is a computation of the numeric value of letters, secret alphabets, or substitution of letters for other letters. Sefer Bereshit (Genesis) 12:6 also represents a computation of the numeric value of letters which so-called the gematria, especially on the use of the Hebrew term אז (az) literally meaning “at that time. ”

ויעבר אברם בארץ עד מקום שכם עד אלון מורה והכנעני אז בארץ

Vay-ya’avor Avram ba aretz ‘ad meqom Shechem ‘ad elon Moreh ve ha-Kana’ani az ba aretz (Sefer Bereshit 12:6).

“Abraham passed into the land as far as the site of Shechem until the plain of Moreh, the Canaanites were then in the land.”

Midrash ha-Gadol notes that the gematria (numerical value) of the Hebrew term אז (az) literally means “at that time” it equals 8, the intimation being that the Canaanites would be in the land until Abraham’s eighth generation when the land would be conquered by his descendants, Abraham – Isaac – Jacob – Levi – Kehath – Amram – and Moses equal 7 generations. Joshua, the eighth generation would conquer the land [1].

After that, G-d also said to Abraham in the Sefer Bereshit (Genesis 17:5-6).

ולא יקרא עוד את שמך אברם והיה שמך אברהם כי אב המון גוים נתתיך. והפרתי אתך במאד מאד ונתתיך לגוים ומלכים ממך יצאו.

Ve lo yiqqare ‘od et shimcha Avram ve hayah shimcha Avraham ki av hamon goyim netatticha. Ve hifreti ot’cha be-meod meod u-netatticha le goyim u-melachim mim-mecha yetzeu.

“You shall no longer be called by your name Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you most exceedingly fruitful, and make nations of you and kings shall descend from you.”

There are 2 key-phrases in the Sefer Bereshit 17:5-6, God said to Abraham about a heavenly covenant.

  1. The phrase אב המון (av hamon) literally means “father of a multitude” and the gematria of this phrase is 208, the same as that of יצחק (Yitzhaq), lit. name of Isaac [2].  Interestingly, there is a phrase ותהר רבקה אשתו (ve tahar Rivkah ishto), lit. “and his wife, Rebecca conceived” in the Sefer Bereshit 25:21. The gematria of אשתו (ishto), “his wife” is really refering to the wife of Isaac, and the Hebrew word אשתו (ishto) is also equal to that of קש ואש (qesh ve esh), lit. “straw and fire”, 707. Both Hebrew terms refer to Esau and Jacob about whom it is written: והיה בית יעקב אש (ve hayah beyt Ya’akov esh) lit. “and the house of Jacob shall be a fire”, ובית עשו לקש (u-beyt Esau le qesh) lit. “and the house of Esau for straw” (Obadiah 1:18). Obviously, the gematria of this word אשתו (ishto) is 707, the same as that of קש ואש (qesh ve esh), 707 [3].
  2. The phrase במאד מאד (be-meod meod) literally means “most exceedingly fruitful”, and the gematria of this phrase is 92, the same as that of מחמד (Mahammad), lit. name of the prophet Muhammad SAW. The numeric value of both במאד מאד and מחמד is equal, 92. Compare the phrase במאד מאד (be-meod meod), “most exceedingly” in the Sefer Bereshit 17:20 with the phrase הבה נתחכמה (habah nitchakkemah), “come, let us outsmart”, in Sefer Shemot 1:10. The gematria of במאד מאד (be-meod meod), “most exceedingly” is 92, the same as that of מחמד (Muhammad), “most preciously”, 92. That is to say that Ishmael will beget Muhammad, the offspring from among the twelve princes, שנים עשר נשיאם (sheneim ‘ashar nesi’im), lit. “the twelve princes.” Also, the gematria of הבה (habah), “come” is 12. That is to say, Pharaoh said: “Let us outsmart the twelve (tribes)” [4].

Obviously, the gematria of the phrase במאד מאד (be-meod meod), “most exceedingly” is 92. It is equivalent to that of the name מחמד (Muhammad), 92. The phrase is really referring to a name, the offspring of Ishmael. It is possible in the episteme of Hebraic gematria. The phrase כי מן הבאר ההוא (ki ha-be’er hahiv), lit. “for from that well” in the Sefer Bereshit 29:2 has the same code, it also really referring to a name, the offspring of Jacob. The gematria of the phrase (345) is equal to that of משה (Moshe), lit. “Moses (the prophet)” [5].  It teaches us that Moses is a spiritual well of God for Israelites. Similarly, the phrase גוי וקהל גוים יהיה ממך (goy u-qehal goyim yihyeh mim-mecha), “a nation and congregation of nations shall descend from you” (Sefer Bereshit 35:11) is also referring to both names, the offspring of Jacob. The gematria of the phrase (349) is equivalent to that of both names ירבעם ויהוא (Yerobeam ve Yehu), lit. “Jerobeam and Jehu”,  is 349 [6].

This verse consistently presents itself as fulfilling a propecy and a promise made by God in the Sefer Bereshit, in the Torah. It also proves that the genealogy of the prophet Muhammad ﷺ through his grandmother, Salma binti Amr, the daughter of Exilarch, the Resh Geluta, the house of King David. Obviously, the prophet is really the son of Isaac through the prophet’s grandmother, Salma binti Amr, the wife of Hashim bin Abd Manaf. Al-Mutthalib bin Abd Manaf himself had children from a Jewish woman of the people of Khaybar – wulida min Ahl Khaybar (Ibn Habib’s kitab al-Munammaq). He married this woman, namely Asma’ binti Abdullah. Hashim married Salma binti Amr an-Najjar clans, the noble woman, and this marriage became by far his most important one since Salma gave birth to Abd al-Mutthalib, the grandfather of the prophet, see Michael Lecker. A Note on Early Marriage Links between Quraishis and Jewish Women. Jerusalem Studies in Arabic and Islam [7].

Not only the prophet Muhammad ﷺ as the son of Isaac through his grandmother; Jesus is also the son of Isaac because the genealogy of Jesus through his mother, Mary. Muhammad ﷺ and Jesus are similar, but not exatcly the same. The phrase אב המון (av hamon), “father of a multitude” represents to Abraham, see Sefer Bereshit 17:4 “You shall be a father of a multitude of nations.” The gematria of the phrase is 208, the same as that of the name of יצחק, Isaac; so also the phrase of במאד מאד (be-meod meod), “most exceedingly fruitful” represents to Abraham, see Sefer Bereshit 17:6 “I will make you most exceedingly fruitful.” The gematria of the phrase is 92, the same as that of the name of Muhammad ﷺ; not to Jesus (Yeshu). The gematria of ישו (Yeshu) is 316. Therefore the gematria of the promise במאד מאד (be-meod meod) lit. “exceedingly fruitful” is not equal to that of ישו (Yeshu).

Obviously, according to the Jewish Law (Halacha), Muhammad ﷺ and Jesus are Jews through a grandmother or a mother. Similar but not exactly the same. Muhammad ﷺ is a legitimate child, but Jesus is an illegitimate child. RAMBAM in his Iggeret ha-Teyman wrote:

ותחלת מי שמצא זה הדעד היה ישו הנוצרי שחוק עצמות. והוא מישראל, ואף על פי שהיה אביו גוי ואמו ישראלית, העיקר בידינו גוי ועבד הבא על בת ישראל הולד כשר. וזה נקרא אצלנו ממזר להפליג בחרפתו.

u-techillat mi shemmatza za hadda’at – hayah Yeshu han-Notzri shechuq ‘etzmot. Ve hu mi Yisrael, ve af ‘al phi shehayah aviv goy ve immo Yisraelit – ha’aqqar be yadenu goy ra’eved habba ‘al bet Yisrael havvelad kosher, ve za niqra tezlanu mamzer le haflig be cherphato.

“The first one who devised this plan was Yeshu of Nazareth may his bones be crushed. He was a Jew because his mother was Jewish, although his father was a gentile. Our Law states that a child born of a Jewish woman and a gentile, or of a Jewess and a slave is a kosher Jew (Yebamot 45a). We only call Jesus a mamzer – illegitimate child in a manner of speaking” [8].

David H. Stern, from a movement of Messianic Judaism also confirms that the Jewish and non-Jewish descent are invariably traced through the mother, not the father. The child of a Jewish mother and a Gentile father is Jewish; the child of a Gentile mother and a Jewish father is a Gentile [9].  Also, Pinchas Lapide said: “the “Toledoth Yeshu” neither denies the historicity of Jesus, nor conceals his his miracles and cures, nor questions his Jewishness – for rabbinical Law states that every son of a Jewish mother is a Jew” [10].

Meanwhile, in other verse, the Sefer Bereshit (Genesis) 17:20 there is a key-verse as follows:

ולישמעאל שמעתיך הנה ברחתי אתו והרביתי אתו במאד מאד שנים עשר נשיאם יוליד ונתתיו לגי גדול.

Ve le Yishmael shema’ticha hinneh berachti oto ve hifreiti oto ve hirbeiti oto be-meod meod sheneim ashar Nesi’im yolid u-netattiv le goy gadol.

“But regarding Ishmael I have heard you, I have blessed him, made him fruitful and will increase him most exceedingly; he will beget 12 princes and I will make him into a great nation.”

This verse also proves that HASHEM also made a heavenly covenant to Abraham through the use of Hebrew term במאד מאד (be-meod meod), literally means “most exceedingly fruitful” with reference to the descendant of Ishmael himself. Similarly, the gematria of the promise במאד מאד (be-meod meod) which is to refer to the Ishmaelite one of the verse is equal to that of מהמד (Muhammad). And the numeric value of both terms is equal, 92. The verses indicate that the prophet Muhammad ﷺ is also the son of Ishmael through his great grandfathers. Interestingly, the gematria of the Hebrew name ישמעאל (Yishmael) is 451; it is equal to that of both Hebrew names אברם (Abram), 243 dan הגר (Hagar) 208. Obviously, the gematria of ישמעאל (Yishmael) is 451, the same as that of אברם והגר (Abram ve Hagar), 451.

Meanwhile, there is also the use of gematria in the Gospel of Matthew. St. Matthew begins with the genealogy of Jesus in order to show that he meets the requirements set by the TaNaKH (Torah Nevi’im ve Khetuvim) for who Jesus must be a descendant of David through the Jewish interpretative technique which depended on the numerical value of Hebrew letters, דוד (David). The name David, the 14th name in the list consists of 3 Hebrew consonants, דוד (Dalet-Vav-Dalet), the numerical value of which are respectively 4, 6, and 4; giving a total of 14, and 14 is thus the symbolic number of דוד (David). For a reader of Matthew’s Greek gospel to recognize any such numerical symbolism would have to depend on quite a sophisticated awareness of Hebrew numeroloy. There is certainly evidence for gematria in Jewish and early Christian writings, sometimes involving Hebrew letters, sometimes Greek, but usually it is signaled by an explicit link drawn between the letters and their numerical value. St. Matthew has made no such explicit connection, and it can be at best a matter of conjecture whether he intended or would have recognized it [11].

St. Matthew makes a list of Jesus’ genealogy with many omitted Biblical names (Matthew 1:1-17). St. Matthew marginalizes many names to prove the link with the gematria of the name דוד (David) which it is 14. For him, all the generations from Abraham to David are 14 generations; and from David untill the carrying away into Babylon are 14 generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Jesus are 14 generations, but this is really a broken gematria. Also, the gematria of דוד (David), 14 is not equal to that of ישו (Yeshu), 316.

Footnotes:

  1. See Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz. Sefer Bereshit: A New Translation with A Commentary Anthologized from Talmudic, Midrashic and Rabbinic Sources (New York: Mesorah Publications, ltd., 2009), p. 438.
  2. See Rabbi Nosson Scherman. Ba’al ha-Turim Chumash (New York: Mesorah Pulications, Ltd., 2013), p. 128.
  3. See Rabbi Nosson Scherman. Ba’al ha-Turim Chumash (New York: Masorah Publications, Ltd., 2013), p. 209.
  4. See Rabbi Nosson Scherman. Ba’al ha-Turim Chumash. Sefer Shemos (Brooklyn, New York: Mesorah Publications, Ltd., 2010), p. 517.
  5. See Rabbi Nosson Scherman. Ba’al ha-Turim Chumash (Broklyn, New York: Mesorah Publications, 2013), p. 261.
  6. see Rabbi Nosson Scherman. Ba’al ha-Turim Chumash. Bereshit (Brooklyn, New York: Mesorah Publications, Ltd., 2013), p. 321.
  7. JSAI 10 (Jerusalem: the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1987), pp. 24-29
  8. See Abraham S. Halkin. Moses Maimonides’ Epistle to Yemen: the Arabic Original and the Three Hebrew Versions. Edited from Manuscripts with Introduction and Notes (New York: American Academy for Jewish Research, 1952), p. 13.
  9. See David H. Stern. Jewish New Testament Commentary. A Companion Volume to the Jewish New Testament (Clarksville, Maryland: Jewish New Testament Publications, 1992), p. 281.
  10. See Pinchas Lapide. Israelis, Jews and Jesus (Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1979), p. 76
  11. See R.T. France. The Gospel of Matthew. The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Cambridge, UK: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2007), p. 31

Torah’s Hidden Message: Muhammad ﷺ and Jesus (ع) in the Light of Gematria (Part II)

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The phrase הרבה ארבה את זרעך (harbah arbeh et zar’ech/zar’echa), “I will greatly increase your offspring” appears twice in the Masoretic text: (i) Sefer Bereshit 16:10, it refers to the seed of Hagar, the wife of Abraham (ii) Sefer Bereshit 22:17, it refers to the seed of Abraham, the husband of Hagar.

Similarly, the gematria of this phrase is equal, 1.118. This phrase consists of four Hebrew words: הרבה (harbah) 212; ארבה (arbeh) 208; את (et) 401 and זרעך (zar’ech/zar’echa) 297. Amazingly, the gematria of the promise ארבה (arbeh), “I will increase” in both verses is equal to that of הגר (Hagar), 208. Similarly, the phrase אב המון (av hamon), lit. “father of a multitude” which the phrase refers to Abraham, in fact, this appears twice in the Tanach (Sefer Bereshit 17:4-5), and the gematria of this phrase אב המון (av hamon) is also 208, the same as that of הגר (Hagar), 208.

Meanwhile, the promise of the LORD about Ishmael, it also appears twice in the Tanach: (i) the promise of God to Hagar, and there are two words to express the promise: הרבה (harbah) and פרא (pere) in the Sefer Bereshit 16:10-12, (ii) the promise of God to Abraham, and there are also two words to express the promise: הפריתי (hifreiti) and הרביתי (hirbeiti) in the Sefer Bereshit 17:20.

The Hebrew words הרבה (harbah) and הרביתי (hirbeiti) or רבו (rebu) have the same root, and the root of the verbs is רבה (rabah). Similarly, the Hebrew words פרא (pere) and הפריתי (hifreiti) or פרו (peru) have the same root, and the root of the words is פרה (parah). Based on the Sefer Bereshit 1:22 Rashi explains the word פרו (peru), lit. “be fruitful” as being of the same root as פרי (peri), “a fruit.” Thus, פרו (peru) means “bring forth fruit”, and the root of the verb פרו (peru) is פרה (parah) [1].

Interestingly, the Hebrew word רבה (rabah) is used to state “shall multiply” for man and all animals, but the Hebrew word פרה (parah) is only used to state “shall be fruitful” for man and the fish per se, not all animals, or even to the wilderness animals. Regarding the fish and man, the verse uses a double expression of increase, פרו ורבו (peru u-rebu), “be fruitful and multiply, whereas regarding the fowl only one expression, ירב, “it shall multiply”, is used. Regarding the birds, the Torah does not state “shall be fruitful and multiply, for that expression is only applicable to man and to fish whose sustenance is easily accessible and they are therefore free to be fruitful and multiply. But as for birds and also animals and beasts, by contrast, sustenance is not that easily accessible to them, and hence they are not as free to reproduce [2].

Ishmael is a man, not an animal, so that why the text uses the root of the word פרא (pere), derived from the verb פרה (parah). Obviously, the Hebrew linguists know that the verb פרה (parah) is only applied to a man, not to the desert animals. Rabbi Yaakov Tzevi Mecklenburg also confirms that both terms פרא (pere) and יפריא (yafriya) are derived from the same root. Therefore Hagar really knew this as a good prediction of God in the future. It indicates that the phrase פרא אדם (pere adam) in the Sefer Bereshit 16:12 is really to mean as a positive atribute, not as a negative one. It is a good news, not as a bad news for Hagar; because Ishmael will be a fruitful man (fertile of man), not as the wild-ass of man.

Amazingly, the phrase ויקראת שמו (ve yeqarat shemo), lit. “and you shall call his name” appears twice in the Tanach: (i) ויקראת שמו ישמעאל (ve yeqarat shemo Yishma’el), “and you shall call his name Ishmael” (Genesis 16:11); (ii) ויקראת שמו עמנואל (ve yeqarat shemo ‘Immanu’el), “and you shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). This teaches us that both are the heavenly names from God, and both are God’s salvation in the light of heaven. Obviously, Ishmael and Immanuel are good men, and only for Ishmael and Immanuel, the phrase appears twice in the Tanach.

Rabbi Yaakov Tzevi Meclenburg said:

“the Hebrew phrase פרא אדם (pere adam), most commentators view this as an unpleasant prediction for Hagar, understanding it as a prediction that Ishmael would be violent and corrupt. I believe they are wrong! How could the angel foretell this part of the future to Hagar? We do not find these kinds of predictions anywhere! Moreover, how would this inspire her to return to the home of Abram? The angel meant to tell her something to make her change her mind about returning ….. We have a similar meaning of that word in Hosea 13:15, בין אחים יפריא, “he will flourish between reeds” etc. The word describes “bearing fruit.” I have found a similar explanation in the Zohar page 192 on Parshat Balak. In other words, the angel informed Hagar that her son would be fruitful and would multiply just as the LORD foretold Abraham in Sefer Bereshit 17:20, “I have blessed him and I have made him fruitful, and I will increase him very much and make him into a great nation. All of this include in the term פרא אדם (pere adam)”[3]

Amazingly, the Samaritan text of the Torah, Sefer Bereshit 16:12 also confirms the phrase פרה אדם (para adam), lit. “fruitful man”, and the term פרה at the verse is really derived from the verb פרה (parah). Sefer Bereshit 16:12

והוא יהיה פרה אדם ידו בכל ויד כל בו ועל פני כל אחיו ישכן

“Ve hu yihyeh parah adam yado be kol ve yad kol bo ve ‘al phenai kol achaiv yishkon“[4]

“He will be fertile of man. His hand will be with everyone. And everyone’s hand will be with him. And he will live among all his brothers” [5]

Ishmael will be פרה אדם (para adam), lit. “a fruitful man.” And the gematria of his name is 451. Gematria is numerical value in Hebrew Torah. Every Hebrew letter has a numerical equivalent called it גימטריא (gematria). Interestingly, the gematria of the Hebrew name ישמעאל (Yishmael) is in fact 451; it is equal to that of both Hebrew names אברם (Abram), 243 dan הגר (Hagar) 208. Obviously, the gematria of ישמעאל (Yishmael) is 451, the same as that of אברם והגר (Abram ve Hagar), 451. Abraham is the father of Ishmael, Hagar is the mother of Ishmael. Hagar bore Ishmael for Abraham.

Moreover, the gematria of ישמעאל (Yishmael) has a numerical equivalent with the gematria of הגר (Hagar). The gematria of ישמעאל (Yishmael) is 451, and the gematria of הגר (Hagar) is 208. What does it mean in the light of numerical value? The numerical value of Yishmael is 451 (4 + 5 + 1 = 10); it is the same as that of the numerical value of Hagar, 208 ( 2 + 0 + 8 = 10). Interestingly, the numerical value of אברם (Abram) is 243 (2 + 4 + 3 = 9). What does it mean as the promise of God in the future? The numerical value of Abram (9), Hagar (10) and Yishmael (10) is totally 29, and this teaches us about the gematria of their offspring, במאד מאד (be-meod meod), 92, it is the same as that of the gematria of מחמד (Muhammad), 92. So, the numerical value of Abram, Hagar and Yishmael is totally 29, and this can be rearranged to the gematria of their offspring, 92. Also, the word בהבראם (behibar’am), lit. “when they were created” in the Sefer Bereshit 2:4 has the same episteme. The letters of this word בהבראם can be rearranged to spell באברהם (be Abraham), “with Abraham”, for it was in Abraham’s merit that the heavens and the earth were created (Bereshit Rabbah 12:9) [6].

Meanwhile, the Hebrew name הגר (Hagar), the wife of Abraham appears 12 times in the Torah; and Ishmael bore 12 sons, see Sefer Bereshit 25:13-16. Amazingly, the Arabic name Isma’il also appears 12 times in the Quran. It means that the Quran also confirms the gematria of Ishmael. Indeed, the Torah has a link with the Quran.

Hagar in the Torah Ishmael in the Quran
1  Sefer Bereshit 16: 1  Al-Baqarah 2: 125
2  Sefer Bereshit 16: 3  Al-Baqarah 2: 127
3  Sefer Bereshit 16: 4  Al-Baqarah 2: 133
4  Sefer Bereshit 16: 8  Al-Baqarah 2: 136
5  Sefer Bereshit 16: 15a  Al-Baqarah 2: 140
6  Sefer Bereshit 16: 15b  Ali Imran 3: 84
7  Sefer Bereshit 16: 16  An-Nisa’ 4: 163
8  Sefer Bereshit 21: 9  Al-An’am 6: 86
9  Sefer Bereshit 21: 14  Ibrahim 14: 39
10  Sefer Bereshit 21: 17a  Maryam 19: 54
11  Sefer Bereshit 21: 17b  Al-Anbiya’ 21: 85
12  Sefer Bereshit 25: 12  Shaad 38: 48

Footnotes:

  1. See Sampson A. Isseroff. An Introduction to Rashi’s Grammatical explanations in the Book of Genesis (USA: the Torah Education Dep’t of the World Zionist Organization, 1985), p.6
  2. See Rabbi Nosson Scherman. Ba’al ha-Turim Chumash. Bereshit. (New York: Mesorah Publications, Ltd., 2013), pp. 21-22.
  3. See Rabbi Yaakov Tzevi Meclenburg. ha-Ketav ve ha-Kabbalah. Torah Commentary (USA – Jerusalem: Lamba Publisher, 2001), pp. 217-218.
  4. See Mark Shoulson. Torah Girsah Yehudit ve Girsah Shomronit behashuvah. The Torah: Jewish and Samaritan Versions Compared (New Jersey, USA: Evercype, 2008), p. 37
  5. See Benyamin Tsedaka. The Israelite Samaritan Version of the Torah. First English Translation Compared with the Samaretic Version (Grand Rapids, Michigan-Cambridge: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2013), p.34
  6. See Rabbi Nosson Scherman. Baal ha-Turim Chumash (Brooklyn, New York: Masorah Publications, Ltd., 2013), p. 29

Torah’s Hidden Message: Muhammad ﷺ and Jesus (ع) in the Light of Gematria (Part I)

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Where do we find the Torah’s hidden messages? Arba’ah Turim is the basis of the Sulchan Aruch; but Ba’al ha-Turim is the basis of the hidden messages of Torah. Ba’al ha-Turim found them in gematria (number patterns), acrostics, formations of letters, and Scriptural word patterns.

The gematria is the famous Rabbinic interpretative technique which it depends on the numerical value of Hebrew letters. Therefore, Gematria is a computation of the numeric value of letters, secret alphabets, or substitution of letters for other letters. Sefer Bereshit (Genesis) 12:6 also represents a computation of the numeric value of letters which so-called the gematria, especially on the use of the Hebrew term אז (az) literally meaning “at that time. ”

ויעבר אברם בארץ עד מקום שכם עד אלון מורה והכנעני אז בארץ

Vay-ya’avor Avram ba aretz ‘ad meqom Shechem ‘ad elon Moreh ve ha-Kana’ani az ba aretz (Sefer Bereshit 12:6).

“Abraham passed into the land as far as the site of Shechem until the plain of Moreh, the Canaanites were then in the land.”

Midrash ha-Gadol notes that the gematria (numerical value) of the Hebrew term אז (az) literally means “at that time” it equals 8, the intimation being that the Canaanites would be in the land until Abraham’s eighth generation when the land would be conquered by his descendants, Abraham – Isaac – Jacob – Levi – Kehath – Amram – and Moses equal 7 generations. Joshua, the eighth generation would conquer the land [1] .

After that, G-d also said to Abraham in the Sefer Bereshit (Genesis 17:5-6).

ולא יקרא עוד את שמך אברם והיה שמך אברהם כי אב המון גוים נתתיך. והפרתי אתך במאד מאד ונתתיך לגוים ומלכים ממך יצאו.

Ve lo yiqqare ‘od et shimcha Avram ve hayah shimcha Avraham ki av hamon goyim netatticha. Ve hifreti ot’cha be-meod meod u-netatticha le goyim u-melachim mim-mecha yetzeu.

“You shall no longer be called by your name Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you most exceedingly fruitful, and make nations of you and kings shall descend from you.”

There are 2 key-phrases in the Sefer Bereshit 17:5-6, God said to Abraham about a heavenly covenant.

  1. The phrase אב המון (av hamon) literally means “father of a multitude” and the gematria of this phrase is 208, the same as that of יצחק (Yitzhaq), lit. name of Isaac.  [2]. Interestingly, there is a phrase ותהר רבקה אשתו (ve tahar Rivkah ishto), lit. “and his wife, Rebecca conceived” in the Sefer Bereshit 25:21. The gematria of אשתו (ishto), “his wife” is really refering to the wife of Isaac, and the Hebrew word אשתו (ishto) is also equal to that of קש ואש (qesh ve esh), lit. “straw and fire”, 707. Both Hebrew terms refer to Esau and Jacob about whom it is written: והיה בית יעקב אש (ve hayah beyt Ya’akov esh) lit. “and the house of Jacob shall be a fire”, ובית עשו לקש (u-beyt Esau le qesh) lit. “and the house of Esau for straw” (Obadiah 1:18). Obviously, the gematria of this word אשתו (ishto) is 707, the same as that of קש ואש (qesh ve esh), 707 [3].
  2. The phrase במאד מאד (be-meod meod) literally means “exceedingly fruitful”, and the gematria of this phrase is 92, the same as that of מחמד (Mahammad), lit. name of the prophet Muhammad SAW. The numeric value of both במאד מאד and מחמד is equal, 92.

This verse consistently presents itself as fulfilling a propecy and a promise made by God in the Sefer Bereshit, in the Torah. It also proves that the genealogy of the prophet Muhammad ﷺ through his grandmother, Salma binti Amr, the daughter of Exilarch, the Resh Geluta, the house of King David. Obviously, the prophet is really the son of Isaac through the prophet’s grandmother, Salma binti Amr, the wife of Hashim bin Abd Manaf. Al-Mutthalib bin Abd Manaf himself had children from a Jewish woman of the people of Khaybar – wulida min Ahl Khaybar (Ibn Habib’s kitab al-Munammaq). He married this woman, namely Asma’ binti Abdullah. Hashim married Salma binti Amr an-Najjar clans, the noble woman, and this marriage became by far his most important one since Salma gave birth to Abd al-Mutthalib, the grandfather of the prophet. [4]

Not only the prophet Muhammad SAW as the son of Isaac through his grandmother; Jesus is also the son of Isaac because the genealogy of Jesus through his mother, Mary. Muhammad SAW and Jesus are similar, but not exatcly the same. The phrase אב המון (av hamon), “father of a multitude” represents to Abraham, see Sefer Bereshit 17:4 “You shall be a father of a multitude of nations.” The gematria of the phrase is 208, the same as that of the name of יצחק, Isaac; so also the phrase of במאד מאד (be-meod meod), “exceedingly fruitful” represents to Abraham [5].  The gematria of the phrase is 92, the same as that of the name of Muhammad SAW; not to Jesus (Yeshu). The gematria of ישו (Yeshu) is 316. Therefore the gematria of the promise במאד מאד (be-meod meod) lit. “exceedingly fruitful” is not equal to that of ישו (Yeshu).

Obviously, according to the Jewish Law (Halacha), Muhammad ﷺ and Jesus are Jews through a grandmother or a mother. Similar but not exactly the same. Muhammad ﷺ is a legitimate child, but Jesus is an illegitimate child. RAMBAM in his Iggeret ha-Teyman wrote:

ותחלת מי שמצא זה הדעד היה ישו הנוצרי שחוק עצמות. והוא מישראל, ואף על פי שהיה אביו גוי ואמו ישראלית, העיקר בידינו גוי ועבד הבא על בת ישראל הולד כשר. וזה נקרא אצלנו ממזר להפליג בחרפתו.

u-techillat mi shemmatza za hadda’at – hayah Yeshu han-Notzri shechuq ‘etzmot. Ve hu mi Yisrael, ve af ‘al phi shehayah aviv goy ve immo Yisraelit – ha’aqqar be yadenu goy ra’eved habba ‘al bet Yisrael havvelad kosher, ve za niqra tezlanu mamzer le haflig be cherphato.

“The first one who devised this plan was Yeshu of Nazareth may his bones be crushed. He was a Jew because his mother was Jewish, although his father was a gentile. Our Law states that a child born of a Jewish woman and a gentile, or of a Jewess and a slave is a kosher Jew (Yebamot 45a). We only call Jesus a mamzer – illegitimate child in a manner of speaking”. [6]

Meanwhile, in other verse, the Sefer Bereshit (Genesis) 17:20 there is a key-verse as follows:

ולישמעאל שמעתיך הנה ברחתי אתו והרביתי אתו במאד מאד שנים עשר נשיאם יוליד ונתתיו לגי גדול.

Ve le Yishmael shema’ticha hinneh berachti oto ve hifreiti oto ve hirbeiti oto be-meod meod sheneim ashar Nesi’im yolid u-netattiv le goy gadol.

“But regarding Ishmael I have heard you, I have blessed him, made him fruitful and will increase him most exceedingly; he will beget 12 princes and I will make him into a great nation.”

This verse also proves that HASHEM also made a heavenly covenant to Abraham through the use of Hebrew term במאד מאד (be-meod meod), literally means “exceedingly fruitful” with reference to the descendant of Ishmael himself. Similarly, the gematria of the promise במאד מאד (be-meod meod) to the Ishmaelite one of the verse is equal to that of מהמד (Muhammad). And the numeric value of both terms is equal, 92. The verses indicate that the prophet Muhammad ﷺ is also the son of Ishmael through his grandfathers.

Meanwhile, there is also the use of gematria in the Gospel of Matthew. St. Matthew begins with the genealogy of Jesus in order to show that he meets the requirements set by the TaNaKH (Torah Nevi’im ve Khetuvim) for who Jesus must be a descendant of David through the Jewish interpretative technique which depended on the numerical value of Hebrew letters, דוד (David). The name David, the 14th name in the list consists of 3 Hebrew consonants, דוד (Dalet-Vav-Dalet), the numerical value of which are respectively 4, 6, and 4; giving a total of 14, and 14 is thus the symbolic number of דוד (David). For a reader of Matthew’s Greek gospel to recognize any such numerical symbolism would have to depend on quite a sophisticated awareness of Hebrew numeroloy. There is certainly evidence for gematria in Jewish and early Christian writings, sometimes involving Hebrew letters, sometimes Greek, but usually it is signaled by an explicit link drawn between the letters and their numerical value. St. Matthew has made no such explicit connection, and it can be at best a matter of conjecture whether he intended or would have recognized it [7].

St. Matthew makes a list of Jesus’ genealogy with many omitted Biblical names (Matthew 1:1-17). St. Matthew marginalizes many names to prove the link with the gematria of the name דוד (David) which it is 14. For him, all the generations from Abraham to David are 14 generations; and from David untill the carrying away into Babylon are 14 generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Jesus are 14 generations, but this is really a broken gematria. Also, the gematria of דוד (David), 14 is not equal to that of ישו (Yeshu), 316.

Footnotes:

  1. See Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz. Sefer Bereshit: A New Translation with A Commentary Anthologized from Talmudic, Midrashic and Rabbinic Sources (New York: Mesorah Publications, ltd., 2009), p. 438.
  2. See Rabbi Nosson Scherman. Ba’al ha-Turim Chumash (New York: Mesorah Pulications, Ltd.), p. 128.
  3. See Rabbi Nosson Scherman. Ba’al ha-Turim Chumash (New York: Masorah Publications, Ltd., 2013), p. 209.
  4. See Michael Lecker. A Note on Early Marriage Links between Quraishis and Jewish Women. Jerusalem Studies in Arabic and Islam. JSAI 10 (Jerusalem: the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1987), pp. 24-29
  5. See Sefer Bereshit 17:6 “I will make you most exceedingly fruitful.”
  6. See Abraham S. Halkin. Moses Maimonides’ Epistle to Yemen: the Arabic Original and the Three Hebrew Versions. Edited from Manuscripts with Introduction and Notes (New York: American Academy for Jewish Research, 1952), p. 13.
  7. See R.T. France. The Gospel of Matthew. The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Cambridge, UK: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2007), p. 31