40 600 is the gematria value of the Hebrew letter Mem (מ) in its standard form (40) and its final form (600, Mem sofit). In the Hebrew alphabet, Mem is one of the three mother letters, and its numerical values reflect both its medial and terminal appearances in words. The pair “40 600” thus encodes the complete letter, encompassing its two graphic and numeric manifestations.

Position on the Tree of Life

This value corresponds to Path 23 on the Tree of Life, the path attributed to the letter Mem. Path 23 connects the sephiroth Hod and Netzach in the Hermetic Qabbalistic arrangement, serving as a channel for the watery, formative energy that Mem represents. The dual number underscores the path’s role as a bridge between two distinct yet complementary spheres.

Astrological and planetary correspondence

Mem is the elemental letter of Water. In the Sepher Yetzirah, the three mother letters (Aleph, Mem, Shin) correspond to the three primordial elements: Air, Water, Fire. No planet or zodiac sign is directly assigned to Mem; instead, its correspondence is the element of Water itself, with all the fluidity, depth, and receptivity that implies. In later Hermetic systems, Mem is also linked to the astrological sign of Scorpio (via the association of water with the fixed water sign), though this is a secondary attribution.

Historical context

The use of dual numerical values for letters that have final forms is a distinctive feature of Hebrew gematria. The number 40 (Mem) appears throughout Jewish scripture and mysticism: the 40 days of the Flood, the 40 years in the desert, the 40 days Moses spent on Sinai, and the 40 days of the Messiah’s temptation. It symbolizes a period of trial, purification, and transformation. The number 600 (final Mem) is less common but appears in contexts such as the 600 chariots of Pharaoh (Exodus 14:7) and the 600,000 Israelites who left Egypt (Exodus 12:37). In the Sepher Yetzirah, Mem is described as “water from water,” and its sound is the murmur of the sea. The Kabbalistic tradition further associates Mem with the sephirah Binah (Understanding), the great sea of the divine feminine. In Liber 777, the pairing of 40 and 600 for Path 23 follows the same pattern seen for other letters with final forms: Path 21 (Kaph) gives 20 500, Path 24 (Nun) gives 50 700, and Path 27 (Peh) gives 80 800. This systematic listing reflects the Hermetic Qabbalists’ desire to encode both the simple and final values of each letter that possesses them.

In the table of Liber 777, the entry for Path 23 under the column “Numerical Value of Col. CLXXV” is simply 40 600. It stands as a concise numerical glyph for the letter Mem in its fullness, a reminder that the path’s energy flows through both the open and closed forms of the watery letter.