ISAIAH 61:3 NIV
and provide for those who grieve in Zion —
• to bestow on them a CROWN of BEAUTY instead of ashes,
• the oil of joy instead of mourning, and
• a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
ISAIAH 62:1 NIV
For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her vindication shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.
ISAIAH 62:2 NIV
The nations will see your vindication, and all kings YOUR GLORY;
you will be called by a NEW NAME that the MOUTH of the LORD will bestow.
Window of revelation to the spiritual realm.
Works of the spirit.
Miracles!
ISAIAH 62:3 NKJV
You shall also be a CROWN of GLORY In the HAND of the LORD,
And a royal diadem In the HAND of your God.
H5850 crown
Original: עטרה
Transliteration: ‛ăṭârâh
Phonetic: at-aw-raw'
Strong's Definition: From H5849; a CROWN.
H5849
Original: עטר ‛ ÂṬAR
Phonetic: aw-tar'
to SURROUND
to ENCIRCLE (for attack or protection);
to CROWN: - compass, crown.
H3027 hand
Original: יד yâd
Phonetic: yawd
Strong's Definition: - a HAND (the OPEN ONE (indicating POWER, MEANS, DIRECTION , etc.)
H3709 hand
Original: כּף KAPH
Phonetic: kaf
Strong's Definition:
From H3721; the hollow hand or PALM (so of the paw of an animal, of the sole, and even of the bowl of a dish or sling, the handle of a bolt, the leaves of a palm tree);
• power: - branch, + foot, hand, hollow, middle, palm, paw, power, sole, SPOON.
Kaf is the first of the "double letters" in Hebrew, having both a "medial” form and an ending form (sofit).
The Hebrew word "kaph" primarily refers to the palm of the hand or the hollow of a surface.
It is used to describe the physical part of the hand that can hold or grasp objects.
In ancient Hebrew culture, the hand, particularly the palm, was a significant symbol of STRENGTH, SKILL, and BLESSING.
The act of laying hands on someone was a gesture of blessing, authority, or consecration.
The palm was also associated with PROTECTION and PROVISION, as it is the part of the hand used to HOLD and SUPPORT.
It’s a picture of WHAT we DO with OUR HANDS.
We each have a gift from God to create something and contribute to the world around us.
Ephesians 2:10 says,
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
An open palm is shaped like a vessel that could hold or accommodate anything.
The Kaph reminds us that when we lift our hands and are open to the Lord, we should anticipate RECEIVING something from HIM.
2 Cor. 9:8 says,
“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”
The word Kaf means "palm" of a hand and also what might be CONTAINED within the palm of the hand.
The word "spoon" in Hebrew is the word Kaf, which is a natural extension of the palm as a container.
In Jewish Mysticism, the two letters of the word "kaf" are the initial letters of the two Hebrew words:
KOACH ("POTENTIAL") and POEL ("ACTUAL"),
suggesting that Kaf ENABLES the latent POWER of the SPIRITUAL (the potential) to be made ACTUAL in the PHYSICAL.
The literal meaning of Kaf is "PALM" which is considered the LOCATION where POTENTIAL of the YOD (hand) is ACTUALIZED
(interestingly, the gematria for the word Yod is the same for the letter Kaf).
For this reason we bless children with palms facing them and we envision GOD as having HIS PALMS over us,
for this image suggests the CALLING FORTH of the latent power of the SPIRIT WITHIN for MANIFESTATION in the PHYSICAL world.
ACTS 4:29-30 MSG
“And now they’re at it again!
Take care of their threats and give your servants fearless confidence in preaching your Message,
• as you STRETCH out your HAND to us in HEALINGS and MIRACLES and WONDERS done in the NAME of your holy servant JESUS.”
The letter Kaf is the 11th letter of the Aleph-Bet, having the numeric value of 20.
The gematria for the letter Kaf is 20, the same value for the word Yod (hand), and twice the value of the letter Yod.
Kaf comes from a root word (shoresh) kafah meaning to bend or bow down, suggesting the concave shape of the body or the shape of a CROWN on a KING'S HEAD.
The word (keter) means "a crown".
In the Jewish tradition, there are four crowns that are given to the Jewish people:
- Keter Torah, the Crown of TORAH (and also the crown used to adorn the Torah scroll in the synagogue)
- Keter Kehuna, the Crown of the Priesthood.
- Keter Malkhut, the Crown of the Kingdom.
Abraham's line is supernatural
- Keter shem tov, the Crown of a GOOD NAME.
According to the sages, a good name is the best crown of all, since it is foundational to all the other crowns.
PROVERBS 22: 1 NET
A good name is to be chosen rather than great wealth, good favor more than silver or gold.
ECCLESIASTES 7:1 NKJV
A good name is better than precious ointment...
According to the sages, the CROWN of TORAH was given at Sinai when all Israel said, na'aseh v'nishma, "we will do and we will obey" in response to the giving of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 24:7).
After the Golden Calf incident, however, the crowns of the priesthood and kingdom were said to have been taken away from the Israelites (though, of course, the Levites were later commissioned as priests and the Davidic line selected as kings).
What remains for the regular Jew, then, is to WEAR the CROWN of TORAH and the CROWN of a GOOD NAME.
If you take the word עשרים (esrim, 20 in Hebrew) and add up the numeric values of its letters, you arrive at 620:
ayin = 70, shin = 300, reish = 200, yud = 10, mem = 40.
The same number, 620, is also the gematria of the word כתר , KETER:
Kaf = 20, tav = 400, reish = 200.
The gematria of keter (כתר) is 620.
This is the FULL NUMBER of GOD'S COMMANDMENTS to Israel, the 613 mitzvot of the written Torah together with the 7 mitzvot of the Oral Torah.
Keter means crown, the ornament placed on the head of a king.
Keter also reminds us of the 620 letters in the Ten Commandments.
GOD CROWNED the Jewish nation by giving them the TORAH, and it became the Jews’ raison d’être to follow the 613 commandments and the 7 Rabbinic laws—which together total 620.
By this they infer that the very world itself was created so that the TORAH would be accepted and thereby ethical PURPOSE given to the WORLD (Minchah Beluah).
In the New Testament at least five other crowns are identified:
- Keter HaChayim, the crown of life (James 1:12), awarded for enduring the trials and tribulations of the olam hazeh.
- Keter HaTzedakah - the crown of righteousness (2 Tim. 4:8), given to those who anticipate the coming of our Lord by living righteous lives before Him.
- Keter Olam - An incorruptible crown (1 Cor. 9:25), a picture of eternal life (chayei olam).
- Keter HaTiferet - the crown of glory (1 Peter 5:4), given to those who faithfully shepherd God's people.
- Keter HaKotzim - Crown of thorns (Matt 27:29, Mark 15:17, John 19:5).
This is the crown that only Yeshua is worthy to wear as our great High Priest who offered Himself up for our sins.
The LORD JESUS is the One who possesses ALL the CROWNS of ISRAEL and the CHURCH.
As Melekh HaYehudim He wears the Crown of the Kingdom;
• as Kohen HaGadol He wears the Crown of the Priesthood,
• as Devar Elohim He wears the Crown of Torah;
• as Ben Elyon He wears the Crown of the Good Name;
• as Sar HaChayim He wears the Crown of Life;
• as the Tzaddik after the order of Melkhi-Tzedek, He wears the Crown of Righteousness,
• as HaRo'eh HaTov, He wears the Incorruptible Crown,
• as Adon HaKavod He wears the Crown of Glory, and so on.
Indeed, crown Him with many crowns!
Kaf and Resembling King Messiah
Grammatically, when prefixed to a word Kaf means "like" or "as."
For example, we prefix Kaf to melekh (king) to obtain k'melekh, LIKE a KING.
Now the letter Kaf resembles the letter Bet, which we understand to be a picture of the Messiah Jesus.
When we "prefix" ourselves to the Lord Jesus, we will be CONFORMED to HIS IMAGE and RESEMBLE HIM,
just as KAF resembles the BET.
And since Kaf pictures the palms of the hands, we will moreover RESEMBLE JESUS in our WORK and our SACRIFICE for OTHERS.
Furthermore, when following a word, Kaf indicates "possession."
For example, we append Kaf to melekh to obtain melekha, your king.
We possess what the king has
The pictograph for Kaf looks like a palm of a hand,
whereas the classical Hebrew script is constructed of a BENT LINE that appears somewhat like a CROWN on the HEAD of a PROSTRATING KING.
Now since Kaf depicts a crown of a prostrated person,
we can see that WHEN we FOLLOW JESUS by "BENDING" (kafaf) our WILLS in submission to HIM,
• we will be given the reward of the crown of righteousness (keter haTzedakah),
• since our WORKS will follow HIS.
The concept of BENDING oneself represents SUBMISSION to a GREATER force and entity—
• THE KING of ALL KINGS, ALMIGHTY GOD.
This notion of SUBMISSION and HUMILITY can be seen clearly in the difference between the words ANOCHI and ANI.
Both mean “I.”
When a person walks around all day and says, “I, I, I,” he has a problem with egotism.
How does one overcome this self-inflation?
By adding a kaf to the אני (ani), the I, and transforming it into the אנכי (anochi).
When the “I” SUBMITS to GOD, when it recognizes and bends to the higher power through the kaf, it is no longer the egotistical I.
Rather, אנכי (anochi) is the “I” that SERVES as a
CHANNEL to DO GOD'S WILL.
There are actually two kafs.
There’s the bent kaf כ) ), and the straight, or final, kaf ך) ).
What’s the difference?
KETER, the KING'S crown, comprises two levels:
PLEASURE and DESIRE.
It has also been described as representing the internal and external aspects of the king.
In this case, internal refers to the king’s relation to himself,
while external is his relationship to the world, his kingdom.
Regarding the king’s internal aspect—he doesn’t necessarily want to be king, to be under the thumb of the ceaseless demands of his position.
He wants to live within the boundaries of his own will, the internal world of study, erudition, spirituality, and family.
This is the meaning of the passage, “From his shoulders up he was taller than the rest of his people,” that is, secluded from the people.
The KING'S CROWN, however, also demands the STRAIGHT KAF, which unfurls to reach down to his subjects; the external level of the king’s existence.
He’s required to interact, to be responsible and benevolent to his kingdom.
The bent kaf therefore represents the introverted or inverted king—who remains isolated within his internalized world.
The straight kaf (similar to the vav) represents the king who DESCENDS from his high level and REACHES DOWN to OTHERS in order to communicate with and rule his people.
Interestingly enough, we observe that when you affix the straight kaf as the suffix to a word, it adds the word “you” to the root.
As it says: “I will exalt You (ארוממך) my GOD the KING.”
When you speak directly to a person, you say “you”: lecha, לך, or becha, בך —spelled with a straight kaf:
The final kaf thus literally unfolds to include the person to whom you are speaking.
It represents the fact that the KING has appeared to us and we are able to speak to him face to face.
Significantly, the first letter of keter is kaf.
In Kabbalah, the sefirah (or faculty) of KETER represents a LEVEL that is BEYOND INTELLECT.
The CROWN is placed ATOP the HEAD.
Of course, our head is the vessel that carries the brain, the seat of INTELLECT and THOUGHT.
But the crown rests ABOVE the head, BEYOND THOUGHT.
What can be greater than intellect?
DESIRE.
In Hebrew, this is called ratzon.
Desire is a mighty force, inviting us to explore possibilities that rationality would show to be wrong or difficult.
Say, for example, you’d like to become successful in a certain occupation.
Even though you may have failed every class in school, you can persevere and succeed if you have the WILL and DESIRE.
Why?
Because you WANT to.
The power, the crown, of desire is so potent that it has the ability to transcend and actually transform your intellect.
In turn, there’s another concept that even transcends desire,
and that is?
PLEASURE (taanug).
When people derive pleasure from something, they AUTOMATICALLY gravitate toward it.
As a result, they will mobilize their intellect and devise a strategy to attain it.
That’s why keter is represented by the letter kaf—20—to teach us that there are two levels, or faculties, within the crown—
DESIRE and PLEASURE—with each faculty containing 10 aspects.
These aspects are also known as the ten holy sefirot (spheres),
the 10 building blocks of Creation.
Three of the 10 levels reside in the dimension of the INTELLECT —
WISDOM, UNDERSTANDING , and KNOWLEDGE —
and seven occupy the dimension of the EMOTIONS—LOVE, FEAR, MERCY, VICTORY, PRAISE (Acknowledgment), FOUNDATION (Bonding), and SOVEREIGNTY (Speech).
For the answer, we can look to the reason GOD gave us the Torah.
We did not receive the Torah to have some nice stories to entertain ourselves with, to read to our kids as a bedtime story, or to analyze in a literature class.
On the contrary, the PURPOSE of Torah is that we CARRY out HIS LAW, i.e., that we FULFILL GOD'S DESIRE
• and in SO DOING give HIM PLEASURE
The Talmud therefore proclaims:
“Great is the study of Torah, for it brings to ACTION.”
Like a CROWN, Torah’s ultimate purpose is to go
• BEYOND the HEAD,
• BEYOND the INTELLECT, and - PROPEL us to ACT in accordance with GOD’S WILL,
• thus REFINING us as PEOPLE and COMPLETING GOD’S PURPOSE of Creation.
KING JESUS gave us His Church the Crown of Glory
From the letters Kaf and Keter - we are
• to BEND ourselves.
• to SUBMIT to the CROWN—the KING, GOD, the RULER of the universe.
ISAIAH 62:3 NKJV
You shall also be a CROWN of GLORY In the HAND of the LORD, And a royal diadem In the HAND of your God.
> When we have the MIND of CHRIST, we can DO the WORKS of CHRIST and GREATER WORKS!
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