[Avodah] Abra(ha)m Received an A+ / Gematria

[kennethgmiller at juno.com]

R' Joshua Meisner asked:
> Being that the original discussion was based on a gematria,
> it's worthwhile to note that that gematria utilizes a base-10
> system in which units of 10 represent levels of completion,
> i.e., (10^0)x, (10^1)x, and (10^2)x.  For argument's sake, one
> could as easily conceive a base-7 gematria system ... ...
> Given RZS' observation that powers of 10 are nowhere else used
> to imply completeness, though,  it is quite curious that the
> system of gematria should be set up in this fashion.  Why is
> this the case?

I have not been following this thread too closely, but it seems to me that gematria is base-10 NOT because of any drashos about "completeness" or whatever. Rather, gematria is based on the Torah's number system, and the Torah's number system is base-10.

This is easily seen by looking at the HEBREW version of any pasuk mentioning a number eleven or greater. (Try not to get distracted by English translations which which use other number systems, and translate the number "shiv'im" as "threescore and ten", for example.)

Akiva Miller