How Gematria shows up in the Tarot

Gemtraia, as mentioned in the Ace of Cups, gives all of the Hebrew letters as well as the Hebrew words a numeric or maybe better termed, numerological value.  This is important to the Tarot  because those values are then used for the numbering of the cards, and so making that each card has not only numerical value but also an alphabetical value (as seen in the Ace of Cups) and so becomes a flash-card dictionary of the Hebrew language to the student.

In the majors this correspondence is startling,  1 Magician is equal to BET in the Hebrew Alphabet and has the value of 2.   because originally Aleph, the true first last, was considered unknowable.  The next letter, GIMEL, is associated with the High Priestess, is assigned 3  and so on until yod, the tenth letter, which equals 10. This ends that set and begins another of 10's:  kaf, next in life equals 20, lamed, is then 30, and so on until kuf, which is assigned 100 and then that set ends. The last three letters, resh, shin, taf, equal 200, 300, and 400, respectively. 

The final forms, those that are used at the very end of a word, of  kaf, mem, nun, pei, and ẓadi, are often given the same numerical equivalent as the standard form of the letter. Often but not always, and can show up with the values 500, 600, 700, 800, and 900, respectively. Summed up, literally, the whole Hebrew alphabet totals to 1,000 which is cool as alef, the first letter, can also symbolize 1,000 because aleph can also be eleph or 1,000.

There are two alternative gematric systems as well; the first being making the correspondence of the Hebrew Alef-Bet to the Tarot relatively plain.

The Mispar Sidduri of the two alternatives, is the most popular.  Here the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet sequential numbers  between 1 and 22.  This is also called the ordinary [sequential] value.

The second method is Mispar Katan or the reduced value, where every letter is equal to a single digit number. This is accomplished by removing the value of 10 or 100 and so the Hebrew Aleph-Bet emulates the Pythagorean numerological system.  Here alef equals 1, but so does   yod and kuf, which would be  10 and 100 in the  normative value system. In these last two systems, the five letters that have final forms are usually given the same value as the standard form of the letter. Sometimes though they are not and are treated specially.

Of course those gematric numbers do not correspond to the numerical values on the cards, because historically to play the game, you were supposed to know the values  as part of learning how to play.  It is noticeable that one does not show up until the ACES and the Fool of course is unvalued as it worked as a sort of wild card i.e. joker in play.  The Courts we have already covered as being unvalued as well.