Yesterday the Lord put on my heart the number 20. That led me to do this blog post.
Kaf (כ) is the eleventh letter of the Hebrew aleph-bet and has a numerical (gematria) value of 20.
There are five letters in the Hebrew alphabet that have two forms. The five letters are: Kaf, Mem, Nun, Fey and Tzadi. With each of those letters, one of their forms has a different shape that is used when the letter falls at the end of a word. Kaf (כ) is one such letter with a sofit (final) form (ך).
- Sound: "K" and "KH"
- Literal Meaning: The word "kaf" means "palm" or "spoon" in Hebrew
Kaf is symbolic of submission and humility due to its bent shape. Ironically, it is also associated with the crown (כֶּתֶר - keter) as it's the first letter of the word.
Indeed, humility is a key trait for a king in Judaism. This is especially highlighted in the Torah. One of the most direct references to this concept is found in Deuteronomy 17:18-20
And it will be, when he sits upon his royal throne, that he shall write for himself two copies of this Torah on a scroll from [that Torah which is] before the Levitic kohanim.
And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the Lord, his God, to keep all the words of this Torah and these statutes, to perform them,
so that his heart will not be haughty over his brothers, and so that he will not turn away from the commandment, either to the right or to the left, in order that he may prolong [his] days in his kingdom, he and his sons, among Israel.
Mystical Judaism, Kabbalah, associates the spiritual significance with the Sefirah (enumeration) of Keter (crown), representing a level beyond intellect.
The letter Kaf is rich in symbolism and meaning within Jewish tradition, representing concepts of potential, actualization, and divine creation.
Some significant Hebrew words that begin with the letter Kaf (כ):
- כל (Kol) - "all" or "every"
- כוכב (Kokhav) - "star"
- כסף (Kesef) - "money" or "silver"
- כבוד (Kavod) - "honor" or "respect"
- כתר (Keter) - "crown"
- כהן (Kohen) - "priest"
- כתב (Katav) - "to write" or "writing"
- כח (Koach) - "strength" or "power"
- כנף (Kanaf) - "wing"
- כלי (Kli) - "vessel" or "instrument"
- כרם (Kerem) - "vineyard"
- כותל (Kotel) - "wall," often referring to the Western Wall in Jerusalem
Verses 81-88 of Psalm 119 begin with the letter "kaf" and thus embody rich spiritual meanings related to that letter. These verses express themes of:
- Longing for God's salvation and comfort (v. 81-82)
- Remaining faithful to God's statutes despite hardship (v. 83)
- Asking God for justice against persecutors (v. 84-85)
- Trusting in God's faithful love and commandments (v. 86-88)
One way to gain a deeper understanding of how Hebrew works and incorporates a letter into the composite meaning of a word is to look at the core of words that include the letter Kaf.
Hebrew is constructed in such a way that most words are built from a root consisting of three consonants, known as a "shoresh" (שורש). This root conveys the core meaning of the word, and various prefixes, suffixes, and vowel changes can modify this root to create related words with nuanced meanings.
The concept of the three-letter root is integral to understanding the depth and spiritual meaning of Hebrew words. Here are core words that include Kaf. Many of these core words reflect ideas of holding, covering, or strength associated with the letter's original pictographic meaning:
כוס (kos) - cup, glass
כסף (kesef) - money, silver
כתב (katav) - to write
כתף (katef) - shoulder
כח (koach) - strength, power
כבד (kaved) - heavy, liver
כל (kol) - all, every
כן (ken) - yes, so
כי (ki) - because, that
כמו (kmo) - like, as
כבר (kvar) - already
כאב (ke'ev) - pain
כעס (ka'as) - anger
כפית (kapit) - teaspoon
- The basic meaning is "to be set apart" or "to consecrate".
- It can refer to something or someone separated for a sacred purpose.
- The root appears in many important Hebrew terms related to holiness and sanctification, including:
- Kiddush (blessing over wine)
- Kedusha (prayer praising God's holiness)
- Kaddish (prayer of sanctification)
- Kiddushin (betrothal/marriage)
- While often associated with purity, the root doesn't inherently mean "pure" or "clean".
- The root appears about 900 times in the Hebrew Bible, indicating its importance in Jewish thought and theology.
