Many fair-minded people understand that this whole Bible Code stuff is akin to numerology and not appropriate for understanding the Bible.
Then such people don't know how to read a dictionary very well or know nothing about the Bible Codes.
There is NOTHING similar to Biblical or other types of numerology to the Bible Codes.
I'd have thought you'd have known that.
BTW,
I personally do not think that the authentic codes have a great deal to do with understanding The Bible.
I believe they are a number of things
1) God's play. I think He's having fun confounding man's pontifical, arrogant wisdom.
2) God is affirming His timeless majesty with them.
3) God is providing for some sorts of skeptics grounds for considering the claims of The Bible.
4) Given that they affirm the basic doctrines of The Faith--INCLUDING THE BIBLICAL STANDARD THAT CHRIST CAME IN THE FLESH ETC. AND THAT they are inherently integral to the TEXT OF GOD'S WORD, they must have the same origin as the surface text--HOLY SPIRIT. I personally try to be very cautious about throwing rocks at Holy Spirit's work.
You may be already familiar with the first line of the Sefer Yetzirah which clearly invokes this paradoxical relationship "...And He created His universe with three books (SeRaFim), with text (SeFeR), with number (SeFaR), and with communication (SiPuR)." (trans A. Kaplan)
Thus numeric value and letter form a sphere (note: SFeRe) of a cipher which fuse together into a single SeFiRaH (emanation) radiating congruent communication with the billiance of a "SaFiRe". Within this sphere, these two components are SePaRate and form an internal SFaR (border). As you can see, these root letters give expression to the entire concept. You may recall how the letters of the root for Kabbalah fulfilled the same function.
Indeed, this delicate paradoxical relationship creates a mental hurdle. Perhaps, an analogy to the properties of light will help to cross this obstacle. Depending on circumstances, light can take on the characteristics of either particle or wave. While we know this "impossibility" to be true and accept this perplexing fact, it is virtually impossible to visualize HOW this can be! (Unless you are a gaon of a physicist.)
As we contemplete letter/number relationship in Hebrew, we must avoid one frequently drawn - albeit incorrect - conclusion regarding the gematria considerations. Even some well know Torah Scholars have expressed their belief that gematria interpretations are "ingenious (super-imposed) afterthoughts" of the proper text. To such skeptic, Torah interpretations which make use of the numeric dimensions of the words in Torah are not viewed as being inherent but rather post-factum. Therefore, they appear inherently suspect - possibly dangerous and, at best, only of limited value.
To me, it is more a matter of being fine-tuned into a particular frequency of Torah. To a person who is tone-deaf, the glorious sounds of a great symphony will forever remain hidden. Until we had the appropriate instruments, we only saw a very limited spectrum of light waves whereas the infra / ultra frequencies were beyond perception. Obviously, their existence did not depend on human awareness. I think of the numeric aspects of Torah as being in a realm of elusive frequency. Our chokhamim never doubted its existence, yet justifyably they entered it with greatest caution and cirumspection.
Due to the esoteric nature of this "inner geometry" of words and phrases, it is by all means conceivable to arrive at entirely incorrect conclusions if one were to not also bear in mind the overt meaning of Torah. Throughout the ages, Kabbalists have advised and cautioned to always keep the overt text clearly in mind. Proper gematria interpretations MUST NOT and CANNOT contradict the simple meaning of the story.
The mere fact that gematria elucidations could easily get on the wrong track (if not cross-checked) do not render them any more suspect or invalid than any other D'var Torah of the overt text. The risk of contradictory readings extends well beyond the realm of numbers. It is an inherent characteristic of the Hebrew language. Even the surface level of each story presents possibilities for incongruent readings. Consider the many possibilities of interpreting the Akedat Yitzkhak (Binding of Isaac). Could one arrive at an interpretation of this story that would be entirely un-jewish ?
Divrei Torah using gematria elucidations must be congruent and bring out the vibrant reality and deep truth to the surface. While it would be false to perceive such interpretations as fortuitous coincidences, it is inconceivable to attribute these secret, subtle frequencies to the individual human, intentional design. Granted, there are some quantitative aspects that may very well reflect human design intention such as the fact that the Ten Commandments always occupy 26 lines in a Sefer Torah. [26 is the gematria (numeric value) of the Tetragrammaton: yud-hey-vav-hey.]
Neither this introduction nor any of the texts should be taken as an attempt to explain naturally arising questions about the HOW, WHY, WHERE and WHEN. Certainly, a few texts such as these cannot suffice to fully demonstrate the astonishingly consistent numeric dimension that permeates Torah to its very letter. Gaining an appreciation of this fascinating face of Torah does not prove anything. A definitive explanation of these underpinnings of this reality may always elude us, but as with the paradox of light - we may behold its forceful presence, even if we cannot fully fathom its origin.
Finally, it must be said that our approach to learning Torah must be balanced. Gematria perspectives by themselves are indeed only of limited value if they are not part of a greater purpose. As esoteric as the numeric aspects of Torah can be, a great antidode to "going off the deeep end" is the regular practice of layning (chanting) Torah not to mention the performance of its mitzvot (commandments). With this in mind, enjoy the following texts.
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