Say Cheese

The other day out of nowhere I realized I didn't know how to say "to smile" in hebrew. So I took advantage of the internet and quickly google translated it. It came out to be that the verb "to smile" comes out to be "לחיך". At a first glance one can clearly see that the word "חי", which is hebrew for "life" can be seen in this special word. But come to think of it- what is smiling all about? I can easily write pages upon pages of the benefits of smiling, and its psychological effects. But in short, even if you are in the worst of moods, if you throw a smile on your face (even if you don't mean it one bit), soon without realizing it, your mood will begin to change for the better. Would you look at that! Hashem gave us a simple tool, to help us ease into a better mood. Try for yourself, and you will see it works. When we smile, our bodies release a substance called endorphins. Not only does this substance help lighten one's mood, but it helps relieve stress and it can even lessen pain. 

As we can see the clear health benefits of smiling, taking a look at gematria will help us understand smiling on a deeper level. The gematria for the word "לחיך" is 68 (30+8+10+20). 

1. The word חכם is also equal 68 in gematria. One who is truly a חכם will see Hashem's hand in everything which will cause him to smile.

2. The term כל הדאגה is equal to 68 in gematria. This term translates into "all the worries"...all the worries will what? All the worries will melt away when you smile. 

3. Here's a tip for all the ladies on the dating scene. The hebrew word for spouse/mate is בן זוג, and of course its gematria is none other than 68. What does this tell us? It never hurts to flash a smile or two (or keep one plastered onto your face), because you never know who is looking!

4. א׳ אלול is a very important date in the Jewish calendar. This is the day when Jews all over the world begin to do some "soul-searching", and look into their deeds and sins of the past year. It is the day when many Jews begin to take on new things, in hopes of cleaning one's slate for the coming new year. Of course the gematria for this important day is 68. Having this day in the Hebrew calendar should definitely be a cause of smiling, because look how lucky we are! We get an opportunity to 

reflect on our year and rectify our past sins. 

5. Here are a few words with the gematria of 68 thrown together.... "How great" מה טובו- 68 is our "life" חיים-68 that Hashem has given us! We are all "100 percent" מאה אחוז-68 "special" מיוחד-68, and we must embrace the lives we  have, and of course don't forget "to smile" לחיך-68, every step of the way! 

6. Here is a last one that is more on the wacky one but is sure to make you smile...the Hebrew word for discount is הנחה, and its gematria is 68. Now who doesn't smile after getting a big discount!?

Enjoy! And Smile 😁