By: Yisrael Yitzchak Rosenfeld
The GERRER REBBE shares a remarkable insight:
The gematria of “Nefesh HaGer” (נפש הגר)
— “the soul of the convert” — is 638.
The combined gematria of the names of our three Avos:
Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov
(אברהם, יצחק, יעקב)
is also 638.
This is not merely a numerical coincidence.
In the Torah, identical gematrios often reveal an inner connection. If the “soul of the Ger” has the same numerical value as the three Patriarchs together, it points to a profound truth:
The soul of the Ger is connected to the very roots of Israel.
Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov are the spiritual kings of our people.
They brought the foundations of emunah, avodah, and holiness into the world.
The fact that the gematria of “Nefesh HaGer” exactly equals their combined numerical value teaches us that the Ger does not stand at the margins of Jewish history, but is directly connected to its very origin.
Therefore, one may say:
Gerim are royal souls.
Not because of their ancestry,
but because of their spiritual root.
The Ger is not coming to something foreign.
His soul recognizes something that has always belonged to it.
What others received through birth,
the Ger embraced through a conscious and often difficult choice.
For this very reason, the Torah repeatedly commands us to love the Ger.
For in the Ger we see the power of a soul that found its way through a love of truth, Torah, and HaShem.
Avraham Avinu was the first to bring people beneath the wings of the Shechinah.
The Ger continues that path.
He is not merely a follower of Avraham Avinu—
his soul stands,
as the gematria suggests,
in a deep connection with Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov themselves.
When we encounter a Ger, we should therefore remember:
“Nefesh HaGer” = 638
“Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov” = 638
The soul of the Ger bears the signature of the Avos.
Therefore, Gerim deserve from us not only acceptance,
but special love, honor, and appreciation.
May we learn to recognize, within every Ger’s neshamah, the royal connection to Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov.
