Parent guide · Grade 1 Biblical Hebrew · Unit 1
Lesson 1.2 Kaf, the Open Palm
Written for the parent. The Read aloud parts are written to your child; read them as they are. Do this parts are for you. Answers for you are marked Listen for.
At a glance
- Time
- 3 sessions of 15–20 minutes
- Goal
- Point to kaf כ and its end form ך and say the name. Say that kaf began as an open palm. Know that five Hebrew letters change shape at the end of a word.
- You need
- Washable paint or a crayon
- Paper
- A sketchbook or plain paper, and crayons
- A King James Bible
- Worksheet A · the lesson page (it also has a short video (3:16))
Steps
Do this together: Hold your hand out flat, palm up, as if someone were going to put a gift in it. Now cup it a little. In Hebrew, the word for the palm of the hand is kaf, and it is the name of today’s letter.
Read aloud: The story. God told Moses how the priests should bless His people. They were to say: The LORD bless thee, and keep thee. In Hebrew, the first word is יְבָרֶכְךָ, yevarekhekha: may He bless you. Look at the end of that word: a kaf with a long tail that drops below the line. That is the end-of-word kaf. Old Jacob in our picture also blessed his grandsons with his hand.
Read aloud: How Hebrew sounds. Kaf with a dot inside, כּ, says k. Without the dot, כ, it says kh, the same throaty sound as chet. Kaf looks like bet, but round, with no little foot at the bottom right. At the end of a word, kaf stretches its tail straight down: ך. Five letters do this: kaf, mem, nun, pe and tsade. You will meet all five this year.
Read aloud: Say it and move. Hold out your palm: Kaf! Now drop your arm straight down like a long tail: end-kaf! Put a pretend crown on your head: melekh! (king), and point down at the end: that is the end-kaf.
Do this: Say each word clearly; your child says it back twice. Point to a picture or the real thing when you can.
- כ ך (kaf) [KAHF]: the letter kaf: k with a dot inside
- כַּף (kaf) [KAHF]: palm of the hand
- מֶלֶךְ (melekh) [MEH-lekh]: king
- כֶּסֶף (kesef) [KEH-sef]: silver
Show: Which is bet and which is kaf? ב כ
Say this: “Bet has a little foot sticking out at the bottom right.”
Say this: “Kaf is round with no foot.”
Answer: ב (right) is bet; כ (left) is kaf.
Show: Find the end-kaf in מֶלֶךְ.
Say this: “The end of a Hebrew word is on the left.”
Say this: “Look for the long tail going down.”
Answer: The last letter on the left, ך.
Do this: Ask out loud. Let your child try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: What picture did kaf begin as?
Listen for: An open palm.
Ask: Say kaf.
Listen for: KAHF.
Ask: What does melekh mean?
Listen for: King.
3 more on the lesson page.
Read aloud: Make a palm print and find the kaf shape in it.
Steps:
- Press your painted palm onto the paper (fingers together).
- With a marker, trace a big כ around the curve of the palm.
- Below it, write ך and draw an arrow down its tail.
- Write כַּף underneath and say kaf.
Tips for you:
- Kaf is round with no foot; bet has a foot. Check yours.
Done when your child can say:
- My page has a regular kaf and an end-kaf.
- I can tell kaf from bet.
Do this: Your child picks one or more; you write the date.
- Write כ and ך side by side. Draw a crown next to מֶלֶךְ and circle its end-kaf.
- Copy the blessing word יְבָרֶכְךָ and circle its last letter.
Read aloud: Kaf became the Greek kappa and our letter K. The Hebrew word kaf still means the palm, and also a spoon, which is shaped like a little palm.
- Mixing kaf כ and bet ב. Bet has a foot; kaf is round.
- Using the end form in the middle of a word. Only the last letter gets the long tail.
The parent holds up ב, כ or ך. Shout house! for bet, palm! for kaf, and tail! for end-kaf, while doing the motion. Then swap and quiz the parent.
Say this: “Tell me what you learned today.”
Listen for: Point to kaf כ and its end form ך and say the name.; Say that kaf began as an open palm.; Know that five Hebrew letters change shape at the end of a word.
The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
In Hebrew, from the Leningrad Codex: <span class="heb-block" lang="he" dir="rtl">יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהוָה וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ</span> This is the first line of the priestly blessing. The first word, on the right, ends with the long-tailed kaf ך, and so does the last word.
Spread over the week
3 sessions of 15–20 minutes. Stop while it is still going well.
- Session 1. Warm-up, then read and teach the new idea and the new words. Show how.
- Session 2. Practice together, then start the project. Finish the project, then the sketchbook.
- Session 3. Narration, the game and the Scripture.