Machshavot HaLev - Yeshivat Lev HaTorah

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בלה תובשחמ
Furthermore, another amazing point that Rav Shimon Ostropoli brings down
connects these thirteen letters to the imahot and to the oneness of Hashem. If
you were to count up the letters of the imahot (Sarah, Rachal, Rivka and Leah)
it would as well equal thirteen. Now if you take the word echad and calculate its
gematria, you would see that it is thirteen. Putting together the letters of the avot
and imahot you will see that it adds up to twenty six. You may ask what twenty
six has to do with the word echad. Rabbi Shimon explains that it has everything
to do with “one.” Twenty six is the gematria of Name of Hashem. This is exactly
what our avos and imahos taught: that Hashem is one and that there are no others
but Him.
Therefore in the Shemoneh Esrei, when we read the beracha of Avos, we should
have in mind when we mention the names of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov
that in their merit Hashem should answer us, and we should say it having in mind
the oneness of Hashem.
Rashi also added on the pasuk mentioned earlier that the gematria of Avraham
is 248, which correspond to all the organs in a man’s body. This Rashi teaches
us that when you say this beracha, you should have in mind with all your body,
heart, and soul the oneness of Hashem Yisborach.