We never cease to be amazed by the sheer brilliance of the Baal HaTurim (which was written when the author was seventeen years old). Concerning the word, b’kirbecha, “in your midst,” he writes: The gematria, numerical equivalent, of b’kirbecha navi is zu ha’ishah, “This is the woman.” It is difficult to understand, since the numerical values do not coincide. B’kirbecha Navi equal 387, while zu ha’ishah equals 324. As a result of the difficulty in understanding his statement, many girsaos, versions, of the Baal HaTurim have deleted this. In his Kerem HaTzvi, Horav Tzvi Hirsh Ferber, zl, quotes Torah Shleimah who cites Horav Akiva Eiger, zl, who explains the Baal HaTurim. He observes that the religious climate in the period during which the Baal HaTurim lived (early 14th century) was ripe with Christianity’s allegations of virgin birth and immaculate conception. (The Nazarene who is the Christian godhead is purported to have been born to a woman who conceived immaculately, thereby making the Nazarene the product of a divine intervention. Thus, the dogma claiming him to be the son of god.) As a result, followers of this false messiah were attempting to entice, seduce, compel the uninitiated into falling for this ruse. In response to these false claims, and in an attempt to bolster the faith of his brethren, the Baal HaTurim saw fit to include this gematria. The fact that it does not coincide is due to a single word, u’bnah. It should now read: Navi b’kirbecha is the same gematria as zu ha’ishah u’bnah, “This is (refers to) the woman and her son.” Both phrases equal 387. Brilliant!
