Numerology Expert Leaves Everything for Judaism: "When I Understood the Jewish People are Beyond Fortune, I Left Everything"

If you had asked Ido Halperin about his occupation six months ago, he would have looked at you with disbelief. What, you really don't know? He was one of the leading names in the field of numerology in the country, managing the largest numerological site in Israel, with over 80 articles authored by him and tens of thousands of views.

He entered the field of numerology after attending numerous courses over 13 years and then developed and cultivated unique methods independently, which made him a groundbreaking and highly sought-after figure in the field.

Yes, until about six months ago, this was his profession, and it was what he engaged in. However, things have changed since then, and today's Ido Halperin is as far from numerology as east is from west. Not only is he far removed, but he also seizes every possible opportunity to convey the message of how necessary it is to distance oneself from numerology, as it is inconceivable that a Jew, a member of the Jewish people who are above fortune, would engage in a field dealing with fortunes.

The Dream that Changed My Life

But for someone born into a secular family in Binyamina, and for years heard nothing about Judaism, reaching these conclusions wasn’t easy.

"My process of returning to faith didn’t happen overnight; it was step by step," says Ido. "About five years ago, I began feeling a sense of emptiness that led me to draw closer to Judaism. At some point, I started laying tefillin, then began keeping Shabbat and kosher, and after two and a half years, I was already quite observant. I kept Shabbat, holidays, and kosher. Yet, I continued to engage in numerology, which for me was an excellent combination. For a moment, I didn’t consider Torah study. I knew the Torah holds the world together, so I planned to earn a lot of money and donate it to Torah learners so that I could partake in their merit, but I didn’t think of studying it myself".

Then came the dream that changed his life. "I dreamt this dream on a Friday night," he recounts. "It was the clearest dream I've ever experienced in my life, and I still remember every detail. The dream began with my soul hovering in space, without my controlling its movement; the feeling was quite mundane and boring. While hovering, I was pondering thoughts, and suddenly, without warning, the thought occurred to me that maybe I should start studying Torah. "At that moment," Ido becomes excited, "my soul suddenly soared to the heavens, the entire firmament was filled with beautiful colors, a beautiful melody erupted, and I felt happiness not of this world. It was a sensation I had never felt before.

"And then," he continues, "I pondered to myself - but how can I study Torah? After all, I spend all day on numerology? Instantly, all the colors faded, the happiness vanished, and my soul returned to hovering in a mundane, boring way. I was so disappointed by it that I quickly returned to the thought: 'I must study Torah.' And immediately—colors, melodies, and sounds—immense joy. I remember thinking to myself at that time: 'Look at this, you haven’t learned a single word, you just thought that you want to learn, and already you feel such joy; how does the soul of a person feel who has studied Torah all his life?'

In the continuation of the dream, Ido says he suddenly remembered all the clubs he used to love visiting at that time. "The moment I recalled it, again all the sounds, colors, and joy disappeared, and my soul hovered, and I found myself entering a nightclub, through the ceiling. I hovered in the club and watched women and men dancing. The feeling was so mundane, and I thought to myself – I don't want to be here. I want to study Torah, and at that moment again I soared to the heavens and saw the songs and sounds. For me, it was clear – there is no other option, I am starting to study Torah".

Life of Torah

"This dream struck me very strongly," notes Ido. "I remember that after I woke up, I pondered what I had seen, and everything was clear and lucid to me. The first question I asked myself was – why do I deserve to receive such a message? And the truth is, to this day, I don’t know the answer. Perhaps it’s because I have ancestral merit. I had a great righteous great-grandfather – Rabbi Kamus Ajyib, of blessed memory, from Tripoli. He was the rabbi of Or Yehuda and passed away about twenty years ago. Perhaps Hashem granted me the merit to draw closer to Him because of him. The second thing I told myself is that I must immediately take on an undertaking that would change my life, and I decided that from now on I dedicate half an hour daily to Torah".

At that time, however, Ido didn’t quite know what the concept of 'learning Torah' meant. "I didn’t know what Gemara was or how to study it. So I began with the books I had in my library – Mesillat Yesharim, Pele Yoetz, Shaarei Teshuva, and Orchot Tzaddikim. Every day I would sit and read for half an hour. Sometimes even for two or three hours. I felt a real elevation and greatly enjoyed it".

Nevertheless, Ido notes that during that time, he continued to engage in numerology. However, at some point, he began realizing that something wasn’t right. "It was hard for me to admit to myself because, after all, this was my livelihood, and I had invested so much money in it. It was also very easy for me to convince myself that it wasn’t really a problem, as I explained to myself: there is fortune-telling, which is certainly forbidden according to Judaism and should not be engaged in, but there are things that seem, ostensibly, trivial and simple, like certain years that are favorable for certain endeavors. For example, a year that is good for relationships, or another year that is good for business. So why not use numerological formulas? But I quickly came to the conclusion that if I am a numerologist and manage my life according to these things – then it contradicts Judaism. A Jew's role is to follow the path of the Torah, and by following the path of the Torah, he is closer to Hashem and reaches a place higher than all these fortunes. So why should we lower our degree and manage according to fortunes? There’s no logic in it".

He also emphasizes: "A Jew can live above all, by virtue of being a Jew. For example, take our forefather Abraham – he was a great astrologer, truly immense. He saw in the stars that he wouldn’t have children, but what did Hashem tell him? 'Leave everything, put aside all these matters, for you will indeed have children.' Because that’s exactly the idea. For the Jewish people, it doesn't benefit to follow the signs of fortune, because our prayers, our actions, and the charity we give—these are things that can change everything. The path of a Jew is to pray to Hashem and observe the Torah and its commandments, not according to fortune".

After much soul-searching, Ido says he sought advice from several rabbis, and they were unanimous in advising him to leave the profession. "One of them told me: 'You must stop everything because these might be forces of impurity.' Another rabbi said: 'It’s a shame you dealt with it.' They reinforced my feeling that I truly needed to leave because this thing is not Jewish".

"It wasn’t easy," he admits. "Because the change came all at once, and it was a very significant change – suddenly I left numerology, and at the same time, unrelatedly, I also quit smoking after being a heavy smoker. Simultaneously, I bought an apartment near the Binyan Zion Yeshiva – a yeshiva for returnees to faith in the Ramot neighborhood of Jerusalem, and I began learning Gemara, which was completely new to me. All these novelties happened at once, and they were indeed staggering. It wasn’t easy at all, but the faith greatly helped me during that period, and also the understanding that the inner happiness lies within these things. Blessed be Hashem, today, after a few months of adjustment, I am already truly inside. Even now, during interim periods, I have a study partner because my feeling is that I can’t disconnect from Torah study even for a day, it truly brings me light".

And what about livelihood?

"It’s clear that the moment I left numerology, I lost a lot of money. One must also understand that during the two and a half years preceding my return to faith, I experienced very great progress and invested tens of thousands of shekels in promoting my site and building an online course, and I had to absorb all these losses. But I was privileged to fulfill the commandment 'Love Hashem with all your might,' and I am happy for it. Meanwhile, I am not worried financially. I saved over the years and have some money set aside. My plan is to study Torah intensively for two whole years, and after I become spiritually grounded, I can start integrating work".

Simultaneously, Ido notes that he also created a Facebook page for public benefit. "Because I know there are many people who followed me, I try to rectify by promoting the public good and infusing my Facebook page with a lot of Jewish content. The Torah truly fills me today, and I feel that I am giving satisfaction to the Creator of the World".