In Hebrew the word Chai means “life” and is spelled with two letters. Now, you may well ask: What does that relate to a blog about Ira Riklis’ charitable giving? And the answer is: 18. You may now be really scratching your head, but it’s all a matter of the ancient Hebrew mystical tradition of Gematrea, a scholarly and spiritual practice of calculating the numerical equivalencies of letters and phrases. In those calculations, the two letters in Chai equal 18. And the reverse is also true: 18 equals Chai, equals Life.
So how does all this relate to the topic at hand on this blog? It has to do with the amounts given to each of the many groups and organizations Ira Riklis and his family support each year. Typically, each receives a different amount depending on need and the limits of the ability to give that restrain even the most well off among us. But generally, each receives gifts in some multiple of 18 as a symbolic celebration of and wish for abundant life.