The third Law of Thermodynamics states that when a force operates in a certain direction, there is an equal and opposite force in an opposite direction. If we apply this theory to gematria, we find instances where words of equal gematrical value often have the opposite meaning. Likewise, words comprising the same letters arranged in a different order also have the opposite meaning.

Messiah and Serpent

The gematrical value for Messiah משיח  is 358. This is the same gematrical value as serpent, nechash in Hebrew, spelled nun-chet-shin נחש  = 50+8+300= 358. Whereas the Messiah is the symbol of goodness in the world, the serpent, which caused the fall of Adam, is the symbol of evil and temptation.

And the Lord God said to the serpent, because you have done this, you are cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon your belly shall you go, and dust shall you eat all the days of your life. (Gen 3:14)

The serpent is a force that is diametrically opposite and complementary to the Messiah.

It is further interesting to note that the word Satan, meaning ‘disturber’, is spelled sin-tet-nun שטן with a value of 300+9+50 = 359, i.e. one number greater than the value for serpent and messiah. The inferences are quite profound, akin to climbing to the highest peak of a mountain when a single error can cause one to tumble to the depths of the earth: Good can become evil and evil can become good as in the case of Esau’s re-encounter with Jacob).

Fiery Serpents

There is an extraordinary episode in Num. 21:5-19 in which the disobedience of the Children of Israel causes God to send down fiery serpents which bite and kill many of them. In response, Moses protects the Children of Israel by setting up a bronze serpent on a pole, which saves anyone who looks upon it. The bronze serpent on a pole later became the symbol of the medical profession.

How did placing a bronze serpent on a pole cure the Children of Israel of the serpent bite?

The word for ‘serpent’ in Hebrew is nechash נחש spelled nun-chet-shin and, as we know from above, has the same gematrical value, 358, as messiah.

The word for ‘bronze’ in Hebrew is nechoshet spelledנחשת , nun-chet-shin-taf and comprises exactly the same letters as ‘serpent’ with the addition of taf ת at the end. Hence, the term ‘bronze serpent’, nechash nechoshet in Hebrew, is the doubling of the word ‘serpent’. Moses cured the people by utilizing the law of opposites. By doubling the word ‘serpent’ he effectively neutralized the bite of the fiery serpents and halted the death of the people - two negatives make a positive.

Pleasure and Destruction/plague

Pleasure = oneg ענג = ayin-nun-gimmel = 70+50+3=123

Destruction/plague = nega   נגע = nun-gimmel-ayin  = 50+3+70=123

Pleasure and destruction do not only share the same gematrical values but are also an anagram of each other. Oneg means joy and happiness associated with heavenly pleasure, such as the joy of the Sabbath. Nega is a heavenly curse, a plague imposed by God when the Children of Israel go against his commandments. Here we see the obvious connection between the relative levels of pleasure. Oneg isthe modest indulgence in pleasure in response to the gifts that God has given us. But when indulgence in the pleasures bestowed upon us is excessive, it can lead to our self-destruction.

Life and Sin

The Hebrew word for ‘life’ is hai חי spelled chet-yod and has a gematrical value of 8+10=18. The Hebrew word for ‘sin’ is cheta חטא spelled chet-tet-aleph, also with a gematrical value of 8+9+1=18.  The question is why should these two words have similar gematrical values? Life is not simply the vibrancy of living – i.e. the flow of blood in our veins and breath in our bodies – but rather the fulfilment of God’s commandments that bring us closer to that higher entity of spirituality. Sin is the opposite: It is not fulfilling God’s commandments, or even purposely going against those commandments and which leads us death in the spiritual sense. Hence the Law of Opposites applies!