Elohim’s Aleph-Bet (Letters) - The Chaf

Shalom, friends. my name is Chadwick Harvey, and you have reached Faithful Performance. Thank you so much for joining us tonight as we continue our journey through Elohim's Aleph-Bet by discovering the letter Kaph. It is the 11th letter of the Hebrew alphabet — a very powerful letter. It has two forms: the standard form and a final form. Of the 22 Hebrew letters, only five have a final form, and this will be the first such letter we encounter in our series. Looking at the chart, we are in the second row; Kaph is the second letter from the right after the Yod. You can see the standard form of Kaph and, directly beside it, the final form, which resembles the number seven. We will go through both forms, the anointings associated with them, and the formation of the letters, which always provides great insight.

As we do with every letter, we will begin with a scripture that ties into the Kaph and then revisit it once we have worked through the educational material. In the prophet Malachi, chapter 3:10–12, it is written: "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and try me now in this, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field, says the Lord of hosts."

Notice where the letter Kaph appears in this passage: "if I will not open." The Hebrew word carries the meaning of the Kaph — the open hand or palm. If you were to turn the letter, you would see it pouring out, like blessings streaming from the courts of heaven down upon us. The scripture says he will open the windows of heaven and pour out such a blessing there will not be room enough to receive it. Both the opening and the pouring out are embedded in the form and meaning of the Kaph. This makes it a powerful letter to meditate on as we pray in the courts of heaven, especially during this season of liberation — the counting of the Omer leading to the Festival of Shavuot.

The Kaph is the 11th letter of Elohim's Aleph-Bet, and its numerical value is 20. This marks a shift from the pattern of the first ten letters, where the order of the letter matched its numerical value — one through ten. Beginning with the 11th letter, the values increase by tens: 20, 30, 40, 50, and forward.

Let us first explore the significance of the number 11 itself. If the number 10 marks the perfection of divine order, then 11 is an addition beyond it — subversive of and symbolizing the undoing of that order. If 12 marks the perfection of governmental order, then 11 falls short of it. Therefore, 11 is the number that marks disorder, disorganization, and imperfection.

A prime example of the meaning of the number 11 is when Judas Iscariot betrayed Yeshua the Messiah for 30 pieces of silver and then hanged himself in shame, reducing the number of disciples to 11 and causing disorder and disorganization. This is why Peter stood up and addressed the assembly, explaining that another must take office to replace Judas and restore the disciples to the divine perfection of governmental order. It is written in Acts 1:15–26:

"In those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples — altogether the number of names was about 120 — and said, 'Men and brethren, this scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Yeshua. For he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry. Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out. And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem, so that the field is called in their own language, Akeldama — that is, the Field of Blood. For it is written in the book of Psalms: "Let his dwelling place be desolate, and let no one live in it," and, "Let another take his office." Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that Yeshua went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John to that day when he was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.' And they proposed two: Joseph called Barnabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed and said, 'You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two you have chosen to take part in this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.' And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles."

The essential significance of the Kaph within the Hebrew Aleph-Bet is paramount. The Kaph ends the first sequence of 11 letters of the Aleph-Bet, which symbolizes our rescue. The Lamed — which we will explore in the next episode — begins the second sequence of 11 letters, representing our race in this life. This is to say: we were rescued through the first 11 letters in order to run the race represented by the second set of 11. This denotes the title of our spiritual purification journey — the Cross to the Crown.

The numerical value of Kaph is 20, which stands for expectancy. The number 20 is the double of 10, signifying a double portion of the perfection of divine order, and so the Kaph carries a double expectancy. However, it is also connected with the fact that it falls short of 21, the number that stands for divine completion in regard to spiritual perfection — 3 × 7, a triple spiritual perfection. Therefore, the number 20 is an expectation of 21, an anxious waiting holding a double expectancy, reaching toward a triple portion of spiritual perfection.

In the book of Numbers, as Yah sternly judged Israel for bringing back the bad report from the land of Canaan — the promised land — he gives us a key understanding about the number 20 as it deals with expectancy. It is written: "Your dead bodies shall fall in this desert, and all of your number listed in the census from 20 years old and upward who have grumbled against me." Anyone 20 years old and older would die before Joshua and Caleb entered the promised land 40 years later. Every person from 20 years old and upward died in the desert because of their disobedience and lack of faith. They were expecting to enter the promised land — that was their expectancy — but because of their rebellion and disobedience, their expectations were shattered and their hopes were crushed. It is very telling that Yah used the number 20 as a differentiating marker.

Here are a few other examples that illustrate the number 20 as a number of expectation: Jacob waited 20 years to obtain possession of his wives and property. Israel waited 20 years for deliverance through Samson. Solomon waited 20 years for the completion of both houses. Jerusalem waited 20 years between its capture and its destruction. And the prophet Jeremiah prophesied and warned Israel for 20 years.

Just as we do with every letter, we now turn to the pictograph — the ancient form of the letter as Moses and the ancients would have written it. The modern form of the Kaph is what you see at the top of the scroll, while the pictograph is the older, original form. The pictograph of Kaph is an open hand, or the palm of a hand.

The revelation of the Kaph — the palm of the hand — is repeatedly highlighted and identified throughout the holy scriptures. In Isaiah 41:10 it says: "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." In John 10:28–29: "And I will give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one." And in Isaiah 49:16: "Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me."

This is one of the most remarkable things about the Hebrew Aleph-Bet — something that simply cannot be found in the English language. His name, Yeshua, is written on the palms of our hands, embedded in the very form of the Kaph. Ultimately, the Kaph symbolizes our names written in the palm of his hands. There is no better place to be than in the palms of the Almighty, the Ancient of Days, as he protects, guards, comforts, heals, teaches, and leads us into the path of righteousness on our spiritual purification journey — the Cross to the Crown. It is written: "See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands." Hallelujah.