Notarikon

 ( Alchemical Processes ) 

Notarikon () is a Talmud method of interpreting Biblical words as acronyms. The same term may also be used for a Kabbalah 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 language word "notarius" meaning "shorthand writer."The Dictionary of Jewish usage: a guide to the use of Jewish terms, By Sol Steinmetz, , 2005, article

Notarikon is one of the three methods used by the Kabbalists (the other two are gematria 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.

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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.

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Usage in Kabbalah A common usage of notarikon in the practice of Kabbalah, 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 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

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See also

• AGLA, notarikon for Atah Gibor Le-olam Adonai
• Bible code, a purported set of secret messages encoded within the Torah.
• Gematria, Jewish system of assigning numerical value to a word or phrase.
• Hebrew acronyms
• Hebrew calendar
• Hebrew numerals
• Significance of numbers in Judaism

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