The concept of “kolel” might allow adding 1 for a word or phrase in gematria. Sources suggest that you can include the word count or add 1. There’s also “atbash” and ordinal methods like “mispar siduri.” I’ll need to check references like Rabbi Abraham
Short answer: yes—there’s a well-attested rule called “עם הכולל / im ha-kolel” under which a gematria that is off by one is still treated as equivalent. You can see it stated explicitly and used by classic rabbinic/kabbalistic sources:
- Shibbolei HaLeket (13th-c.) – an early halachic compendium – is quoted saying that when calculating gematria “we do not insist on a difference of minus or plus one” (אין אנו מקפידים על חסר אחד או יתר אחד). The same note cites the Rosh as support (by analogy to “count fifty days” vs. actually counting 49). (daf-yomi.com)
- “Im ha-kolel” in practice (add 1 for the ‘whole/collective’): Classic commentators use this routinely. For example, Chida (Chomat Anakh) cites the Baʿal ha-Turim and Rokeach and spells it out: “שפה עם הכולל גימטריא לשון”—“safah, with the kolel, equals lashon.” This is a textbook instance of adding 1 to make the numbers match. (Sefaria)
- Contemporary rabbinic write-ups summarize the rule exactly as you phrased it: when a gematria is short by one, that’s im ha-kolel (i.e., still valid). See YKR’s halachic Q&A explaining the rule and giving the standard proof-text. (ykr.org.il)
- Common proof-text used by mekubalim and darshanim: “Ephraim u’Menasheh” vs. “Reuven v’Shimon” (Genesis 48:5) — the two phrases differ by one in regular gematria, and are presented as equivalent “with the kolel.” You’ll find this brought in multiple rabbinic/learning venues as the source-hint for the rule. (Chabad)
- Background/attribution: Many point to Baʿal ha-Turim (R. Yaakov b. Asher) as a prime medieval user of im ha-kolel across his Torah commentary; modern summaries even note his tolerance for a one-unit gap. (Sefaria)
What “±1” really means
- “Plus 1” is the formal rule (im ha-kolel): you may add 1 for the word/phrase as a whole (some extend it to the number of words). That’s why scholars often describe this as “off by one is okay.” (ykr.org.il)
- “Minus 1” is just the flip-side in comparison: if A = B + 1 with kolel, then B is “one less” than A; Shibbolei HaLeket explicitly frames the tolerance as “חסר אחד או יתר אחד”—either direction. (daf-yomi.com)
Scope note
This rule is used in remez/derash and kabbalistic readings—not as a basis for binding halacha. Even Baʿal ha-Turim introduces these as parpera’ot (sweeteners) rather than legal proofs. (Wikipedia)
awesome — here are sourced, line-for-line uses of “im ha-kolel” (adding ±1) and the best classical proof for the rule, plus your quick 4-cipher table.
A) Line-for-line “im ha-kolel” examples
- שָׂפָה ↔ לָשׁוֹן
“גם ‘שפה’ עם הכולל גימטריא ‘לשון’.”
Source: Ḥid”a (Chomat Anakh) quoting Baʿal HaTurim on Gen. 11:1. (Sefaria)
• Hebrew gematria: שפה = 385, לשון = 386 → +1 with the kolel.
- סִינַי ↔ עֲנָוָה
“סיני גימטריא ‘ענוה’ עם הכולל.”
Source: Ḥid”a, Devash LeFi, entry Samekh (cites Baʿal HaTurim). (Sefaria)
• Hebrew gematria: סיני = 130, ענוה = 131 → +1 with the kolel.
- Famous prooftext often brought: “אֶפְרַיִם וּמְנַשֶּׁה כִּרְאוּבֵן וְשִׁמְעוֹן” (Gen. 48:5). Many popular presentations note the count is off by one (אפרים ומנשה = 732, ראובן ושמעון = 731) and treat this as the Torah’s “permission slip” for kolel. See examples that spell out the one-off point.(Chabad)
(Scholarly note: this specific one-off is widely quoted in drash and in popular writeups; it’s not an explicit line in Baʿal HaTurim’s extant text, whereas #1–2 above explicitly name him.)
B) “Who said ±1 is close enough?” — the authoritative rule
- Shibbolei HaLeket (13th c., §212) writes that in calculating gematriot “we are not strict about one less or one more.” (Daf Yomi)
- Rosh (Pesachim 10:40) explains the verse “תִּסְפְּרוּ חֲמִשִּׁים יוֹם” although we count 49: Scripture commonly “rounds” to the next decade and does not mind the lack of one (“אינו משגיח על חסרון האחד”). This is the classic halachic/linguistic basis used to justify ±1 in gematria. (Wikisource)
C) Quick gematria readouts
Hebrew (mispar hechrechi) with kolel
| Pair | Value A | Value B | Δ | Kolel ok? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| שפה ↔ לשון | 385 | 386 | 1 | ✓ |
| סיני ↔ ענוה | 130 | 131 | 1 | ✓ |
| אפרים ומנשה ↔ ראובן ושמעון | 732 | 731 | 1 | ✓ |
4-cipher table (per your preference; English transliterations, spaces ignored)
| Term (EN translit) | Ordinal | Reverse Ordinal | Reduction | Reverse Reduction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| safah | 35 | 100 | 8 | 1 |
| lashon | 69 | 93 | 6 | 3 |
| ephraim umenashe | 156 | 249 | 3 | 6 |
| reuven vshimon | 185 | 166 | 5 | 4 |
| sinai | 52 | 83 | 7 | 2 |
| anavah | 47 | 115 | 2 | 7 |
Note: the 4-cipher grid is an English-gematria convenience you asked for; the halakhic/kabbalistic sources above work in Hebrew numbers.
If you want, I can add a few more “עם הכולל” lines explicitly attributed to Baʿal HaTurim (there are many sprinkled through the printings), or build a bigger table for a set of words you care about.
See Also – RE gematria +/-1
Many articles about Directed Energy Weapons on DEWISH.org concern gematria.