Chilufei Otiyot
Alphabetic Transformations

Introduction

Al-bam	Ach-bi	Achas-beta
At-bash	Ayik-becher	At-bach

At-bach

At-bach is a method of alphabetic transformation that is initially divided into three groups, in accordance with either of two systems:

1. nine, nine and four letters, when the five final letters of m-n-tz-p-ch [montza-pach] (chaf sofit, mem sofit, nun sofit, pei sofit, tzadik sofit) are not considered;

2. nine, nine and nine, when the five final letters of m-n-tz-p-ch [montza-pach] are considered.

The transformation pattern is "reflective" within each group. In a group of nine, the first and last letters transform one into the other, as do the second and eighth, the third and seventh, and the fourth and sixth. The fifth letter possesses no partner within the group. The "logic" behind this transformation pattern is that in each of the groups of nine letters the sum of each pair equals 10, 100, or 1000 (all identical when reduced by mispar katan).

The name at-bach is a reference to the first two of these transformations: alef-tet and beit-chet.

In Kabbalah, this is the alphabetic transformation whose elements correspond to the sefirot within the partzuf of malchut--Nukva d'Zeir Anpin.

Since, as noted above, it is possible to consider the final forms of the letters as completing the hundreds-series, the last group (At-bach) can alternatively be augmented to:

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