Notarikon ( he, נוטריקון ''Noṭriqōn'') is a

Talmudic The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) 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 ce ...

and Kabbalistic method of deriving a word, by using each of its initial (Hebrew: ) or final letters () to stand for another, to form a sentence or idea out of the words. Another variation uses the first ''and'' last letters, or the two middle letters of a word, in order 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 branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

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

Kabbalists Kabbalah ( he, קַבָּלָה ''Qabbālā'', literally "reception, tradition") is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( ''Məqūbbāl'' "receiver"). The def ...

(the other two are

gematria Gematria (; he, גמטריא or gimatria , plural or , ''gimatriot'') is the practice of assigning a numerical value to a name, word or phrase according to an alphanumerical cipher. A single word can yield several values depending on the cipher ...

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

alchemy Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim world, ...

. The term is mostly used in the context of Kabbalah. Common

Hebrew abbreviations Abbreviations () are a common part of the Hebrew language, with many organizations, places, people and concepts known by their abbreviations. Typography Acronyms in Hebrew use a special punctuation mark called gershayim (). This mark is placed b ...

are described by ordinary linguistic terms.

Usage in the Talmud

Until the end of the Talmudic period, Notariqon is understood in Judaism as a common method of Scripture interpretation by which the letters of individual words in the Bible text indicate the first letters of independent words. For example, the consonants of the word nimreṣet (1Kgs 2:8) produce the words noʾef (adulterer), moʾābı (Moabite), roṣeaḥ (murderer), ṣorer (threatener) and tôʿbāh (horror). According to a Talmudic interpretation, the starting word indicates the insults which Shimei had thrown at King David.

Usage in Kabbalah

A common usage of Notarikon in the practice of

Kabbalah Kabbalah ( he, קַבָּלָה ''Qabbālā'', literally "reception, tradition") is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( ''Məqūbbāl'' "receiver"). The defin ...

, 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 ''Berit Menuchah'' (Hebrew: ''ספר ברית מנוחה'') (also ''Berit Menuḥah'', ''Berith Menuḥa'', or ''Brit Menucha'') is a practical Kabbalah work written in the 14th century, by Rabbi Abraham ben Isaac of Granada. It consists of a syst ...

'', as is referenced in the following passage:

And it was discovered that the Malachim were created from the wind and the fine and enlightening air, and that the name of their origin עַמַרֻמְאֵליוְהָ was derived from the verse (Psalms 104:4): "Who makest the winds thy messengers, fire and flame thy ministers" (…) And when the lights reach this Sefira, they unite and receive a name that is derived from the central letters of the following verse (Genesis 6:2): "The sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair; and they took to wife such of them as they chose." And this valiant name, which is drawn in the Gevura, is .

'' Sefer Gematriot'' is another example where many Notarikons for usage 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