Notarikon () is a

Talmudic The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the centerpiece of Jewi ...

method of interpreting Biblical words as acronyms. The same term may also be used for a

Kabbalistic Kabbalah or Qabalah ( ; , ; ) is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. It forms the foundation of mystical religious interpretations within Judaism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal (). Jewi ...

method of using the acronym of a Biblical verse as a name for God. Another variation uses the first ''and'' last letters, or the two middle letters of a word, to form another word. The word "notarikon" is borrowed from the Greek language (νοταρικόν), and was derived from the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

word "notarius" meaning "shorthand writer." Notarikon is one of the three methods used by the

Kabbalists Kabbalah or Qabalah ( ; , ; ) is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. It forms the foundation of mystical religious interpretations within Judaism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal (). Jewi ...

(the other two are

gematria In numerology, gematria (; or , plural or ) is the practice of assigning a numerical value to a name, word, or phrase by reading it as a number, or sometimes by using an alphanumeric cipher. The letters of the alphabets involved have standar ...

and temurah) to rearrange words and sentences. These methods were used to derive the esoteric substratum and deeper spiritual meaning of the words in the Bible. Notarikon was also used in

alchemy Alchemy (from the Arabic word , ) is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practised in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe. In its Western form, alchemy is first ...

Usage in the Talmud

Until the end of the Talmudic period, notarikon is understood in Judaism as a method of Scripture interpretation by which the letters of individual words in the Bible text indicate the first letters of independent words.

Usage in Kabbalah

A common usage of notarikon in the practice of

Kabbalah Kabbalah or Qabalah ( ; , ; ) is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. It forms the foundation of Mysticism, mystical religious interpretations within Judaism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ...

, is to form sacred names of God derived from religious or biblical verses. AGLA, an acronym for ''Atah Gibor Le-olam Adonai'', translated, "You, O Lord, are mighty forever," is one of the most famous examples of notarikon. Dozens of examples are found in the '' Berit Menuchah'', as is referenced in the following passage: The '' Sefer Gematriot'' of

Judah ben Samuel of Regensburg Judah ben Samuel of Regensburg (1150 – 22 February 1217), also called Yehuda HeHasid or Judah the Pious in Hebrew, was a leader of the Ashkenazi Hasidim a movement of Jewish mysticism in Germany (not to be confused with the 18th-century Hasid ...

is another book where many examples of notarikon for use on talismans are given from Biblical verses.Theodore Schrire, ''Hebrew Amulets: Their Decipherment and Interpretation'' Routledge & Kegan Paul 1966

References

{{reflist Alchemical processes Hebrew words and phrases History of cryptography Kabbalistic words and phrases Greek words and phrases Language and mysticism

Usage in the Talmud

Usage in Kabbalah

See also

References