Ninety-One
By Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David (Greg Killian)
Ninety-One
By Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David (Greg Killian)
It may help you to understand “gematria” to learn that there is a view that: Hebrew is the holy language through which God created the world. It is different from other languages in that the other languages use convention to refer to an object meaning the word; i.e. "door" is merely an accepted sound which is accepted by English speakers to refer to a door, but does not relate to the essence of the door. In Hebrew, the name of the object refers to the essence of the object. That's why gematria works.
A gematria of 91 (ninety-one) always symbolizes the connection between heaven and earth; between the spiritual and the physical.
The number 91. Represents the fusion of Heaven and Earth.
The succah is a bridge between heaven and earth. The succah is like a stargate or portal between heaven (the upper realm) and earth (the lower realm). The succah is the place where one can experience the Heavenly Clouds of Glory here on Earth.
The gematria of succah:
91 = סוכה
A gematria of 91 always symbolizes the connection between heaven and earth; between the spiritual and the physical.
In a sense, the Succah itself becomes like an angelic presence surrounding us, a messenger of Divine presence, a shield of holiness, and a channel of blessing, embodying Divine protection and guidance. In this way, Succah, Amen, and malach – all sharing the gematria of 91, embody the same mystery: they are bridges that connect spirit and body, mercy and judgment, Above and below.
The Succah is the physical channel of HaShem’s protective presence. Amen is the verbal channel of affirming HaShem’s unity. Angels are spiritual channels through which HaShem’s influence flows into the world. Together, they reveal that the Succah is not just a temporary booth, but a structure of Divine unification and angelic protection, where every breath and word of Amen further strengthens the bond between us and HaShem.
The Hebrew word for "angel", Malach, has a numerical value of 91 in gematria. This signifies their role as a bridge between the spiritual and physical worlds.
Angels serve as emissaries that carry HaShem’s will from the higher realms into our world – from Above to below. They serve as channels between Heaven and Earth. Angels are those beings that bridge Heaven and Earth and freely move between these realms.
The Hebrew word for "Amen", with a gematria of 91, represents a powerful affirmation of belief and faith in HaShem. The numerical connection suggests that by affirming HaShem's name, a person unites the divine names within themselves.
The same gematria appears in the word אָמֵן - Amen. When we answer “Amen,” we are not merely agreeing; we are actively affirming the unity of HaShem’s Names. We connect Heaven and Earth, transcendence and immanence, mercy and judgment, just as the Succah bridges human existence with the Divine.
The sentence of "Blessed is the name..." was said in lieu of Amen=91, this is a sentence that is recited especially by angels. Similarly, we recite this sentence out loud on Yom Kippur, for it is on this day that we resemble the angels in terms of being pure from sin as the angels are. Also, it is on this day that only the Cohen Gadol/High Priest entered the Kodesh Kadashim (the Holy of Holies), the holiest area in the Temple, which was off limits even to him for the rest of the year.
An “amen” is almost like an instant message sent up to Heaven. This explains why if another person recites a bracha and fulfils a mitzvah and you say “amen”, it is considered as if you recited the bracha and fulfilled that mitzvah, too! In doing a mitzvah, a person makes a connection with Heaven. If a bystander says “amen” at that moment, he is similarly able to affect a connection to Heaven and becomes a part of the other’s mitzvah (ie. he becomes “exempt” from his own obligation, going along for the spiritual ride with his fellow).
Amen can do this because it is a simple, three-letter formula with the power to bridge Heaven and Earth. The Midrash goes so far as to say that reciting “amen” with true intention has the power to open the gates of Heaven for any person—even for a sinner in Gehinnom. This teaching is a very ancient one, and first appears in the ancient Heikhalot, as well as in the Talmud (Shabbat 119b). It is found in its fullest in Yalkut Shimoni[2]:
Said Reish Lakish: “Each person who answers ‘amen’ with all his might, the gates of the Garden of Eden are opened for him, as it is said ‘Open the gates so that the righteous nation that keeps faithfulness [shomer emunim] may enter’. [Isaiah 26:2] Do not read shomer emunim [‘that keeps faithfulness’], rather read sh’omrim amen [‘that say “amen”’].” What is “amen”? Said Rabbi Chanina: “El Melekh Ne’eman.”
… Do not read shomer emunim, rather read sh’omrim amen, for with just one “amen” that the wicked answer in Gehinnom they are saved from it. How? In the future, God will sit in the Garden of Eden and expound [upon the Torah] to the righteous that sit before Him… At the end of the discourse, Zerubavel ben She’altiel will stand and recite kaddish. His voice will resonate from one end of the universe to the other, and everyone will answer “amen”—even the sinners of Israel and the righteous idolaters who remain in Gehinnom will answer “amen”. The universe will tremble and God will hear their cry. God will ask: “What was that great noise that I heard?” The ministering angels will answer: “Master of the Universe, they are the sinners of Israel and the righteous idolaters that remain in Gehinnom who answer ‘amen’ and accept their judgement.” Immediately, God’s mercy will be aroused…
At that time, God will take the keys to Gehinnom and hand them over to [the angels] Michael and Gabriel in front of all the righteous. He will say to them: “Go, open the gates of Gehinnom and raise them up.” Immediately, they will go and open the eight thousand gates of Gehinnom, each [opening to an area] three hundred parsa wide, and three hundred parsa long, and one thousand parsa thick, and one hundred parsa deep. Each sinner that falls in there can never escape. Yet, at that moment, Michael and Gabriel will raise each one of them up… so great is the power of “amen”.
What is the Connection between Succah, the Word Amen, and Angels?
The gematria of סֻכָּה - Succah is 91, which arises from the unification of HaShem’s two Names:
י־ה־ו־ה the Name of mercy - HaShem (26), and
א־ד־נ־י the Name of kingship and sovereignty - Adonai (65).
Together 26 + 65 equals 91. Thus, sitting in the Succah means entering a space where the Names of HaShem are joined – where His transcendent mercy (Y-H-V-H) is fused with His immanent rulership (Adnut). The Succah envelops us like a Divine embrace, sheltering us under this unification of HaShem’s attributes.
Thus, Succah, Amen, and Malach all embody the same mystery: they are bridges that connect spirit and body, mercy and judgment, Heaven and Earth, above and below. To sit in the sukkah, to say Amen, and to welcome the Ushpizin to our Succah is to participate in the living unity of HaShem’s Names, the very essence of 91.
Hebrew word for food Ma’akhal – מאכל also has a gematria of 91. Food is a very interesting substance because it is able to connect the body with the soul.
What is food? We can understand the answer to this question by examining what happens when we stop eating. After a few days, or less, we start to become weak and faint. If we continue without food for an extended period, we will die. Therefore, Chazal (Our Sages) teach that food is used to connect the soul to the body. This explains why the Korbanot (sacrifices) are called “food” for HaShem. HaShem does not eat in the sense that we eat. HaShem has no physicality. Thus, we understand that HaShem’s food is that which connects Him to our physical world. He is The “soul” of the world He is the spiritual component of our physical world. In fact, the Hebrew word Korbanot means “to draw near”.
From this we understand that the number 91 always symbolizes the connection between the spiritual and the physical.
אילן - Ilan is the Aramaic word for tree in the Mishna of Rosh Hashanah, used for the New Year of the Tree–in singular to connote the Tree of Life. Ilan has a gematria of 91.
91, is the triangle of 13, or the sum of integers from 1 to 13.
91 is not a prime number.
A prime number is a natural number greater than 1 that has no positive divisors other than 1 and itself.
91 can be evenly divided by factors other than 1 and 91:
91 = 7 X 13
Since 91 has the divisors 7 and 13, it is a composite number.
The Gaza hostages’ final release on Hoshana Rabba was a group of 7 and a group of 13.
The spiritual significance of the number thirteen (13), which as reflected by the thirteen attributes of Mercy, relates to a transcendent dimension of G-dliness. This transcendence enables one to infuse spirituality within our material world.
Twelve is the number of maximal differentiation. It is the number of lines that border a cube, and according to Chazal, all of reality.
The fact that the twelve are all connected in the center is the thirteenth. Thirteen is the number that bonds multiplicity into oneness. For example: There are twelve tribes that are bonded into their father Israel (Yaakov). Israel is the thirteenth. The meaning of the number thirteen is the bonding of many into one.
Jews look to make many into one whilst the Gentiles look to make one into many. This is exemplified with the preeminent prayer of the Jews, the Shema , which speaks of HaShem being one; while the Gentile’s preeminent theology is the trinity, in which they make HaShem into three gods. Thus, the Goyim have a superstition that the number thirteen is bad, whilst the Jews see the number thirteen as very good.
The connecting of the six attributes of the physical dimension - at the center of the shape - fundamentally reveals the nature of seven. It is used for a restful connection. This leads naturally to the meaning of ‘seventy’ which is an elevated connection.
Six stands for the physical creation and seven for the spiritual connection in the midst of the physical (Shabbat) dimension.
The Sages teach us that there are five things that we should strive to accomplish on Shabbat:
Each of these seven is used for connection:
The body is bounded by six sides, yet the spirit connects to, and animates, all of them.
Ephod - אפוד
Queen - מלכא
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This study was written by
Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David (Greg Killian).
Comments may be submitted to:
Rabbi Dr. Greg Killian
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San Antonio, TX 78252
Internet address: gkilli@aol.com
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