Kuf and the Sense of Humor

Greetings and wishes for a happy month of Adar. The Hebrew letter of the month of Adar ( the final month of winter and the cycle of months) is the letter Kuf. Again, we will ask some questions to engage us in learning and sharing about the letter Kuf and the month of Adar. First, we want to continue on the theme of last month, (the letter Tzadi) connecting us to an appreciation of the Hebrew word for tree-Aitz and the spiritual sense of Eating.

Where is Haman's name to be found in the Torah?

The Rabbis teach that Haman, the descendant of Amalek, that human force in the world determined to eradicate G-d's Name (by killing Jews) is to be found in G-d's confrontation of Adam and Eve, " Ha'Min Ha'Aitz ..." Was it from the Tree (of knowledge of good and evil) that you ate? The word Ha'Min (was it from) can be read (with different vowels) Ha'Man or Haman. Haman then represents the negation of G-d's command, that force that blinds us to seeking spirituality within G-d's framework.

Last month we reflected on eating and the symbolism of the tree as a challenge to recognize what our bodies need in contrast to what we may "want". We turn now to the Story of Esther and see the theme of eating (and drinking) as a powerful reminder of the opportunity to elevate the physical to the spiritual.

The story of Purim begins with the fall of the Jewish people as they sit at the King's lavish feast without consideration of the Kosher status of the food and drink. Perhaps it is this lapse that is the set up for the unfolding story and the moral weakness that allows for Haman's threat to almost be realized. There is mention of other parties, with food and drink as well as times of fasting (keep an eye out for all ten references). As is our custom, we too fast the day before Purim (the Fast of Esther) and then feast on Purim.

Eating and drinking are two of our most basic physiologic needs. They are also integral to our social being. How easy is it to separate yourself from others by being the one with the wrapped airline meal at a fancy banquet? Are you not offending your host, or the other guests, by separating yourself with eating only Kosher foods? So the Jews of Shushan blended in. They ate and drank without distinction! Yet, Haman, present at the feast, was not impressed. His message to the King is, don't be fooled, these people are different than us. Amalek has never been fooled by the Jew's attempt to fit in. For them a Jew is different no matter what they eat or drink. Perhaps the message is that if we don't distinguish what is Holy we will be extinguished.

If we have lost sight of the privilege of food and drink and our relationship to G-d's guidelines, we must fast to awaken in us a return to a full awareness of elevating our most basic physiologic needs to the service of G-d. Then, the eating and drinking on Purim will bring us to answer, "we are eating of the Tree of Life, not from the Tree you commanded us not to partake."

The letter Kuf and the Sense of Humor

The spiritual Sense of Adar, the final month, is humor. In the end one should rely on their Sense of humor. The Hebrew word for humor or laughter is Tzchok (Tzadi-Chet-Kuf) or alternatively Sechok (Sin-Chet-Kuf). Either way, the end letter (the "punch line" )is the letter of Adar, the letter Kuf. The patriarch Yitchak, given his name by G-d, is connected to the laughter of his parents Abraham and Sarah. How are we to understand the letter Kuf's role in laughter?

In our very first Alef Bytes (related to the Shavuot) we talked about how the letters that were engraved on the first Tablets floated to heaven when Moshe smashed the tablets. We offered an idea that the letters "returned" to this world on the second Tablets and noticed that two letters would be missing. They were two Kufs. We credited Rabbi Avraham Trugman with pointing out that those two Kufs finally returned to the world at the time of Esther and Mordechai when the Jews demonstrated a greater acceptance of the Torah than at Sinai. This is exemplified in the Megillah in the verse (9:27), " Kiymu Ve'Kiblu" - they fulfilled and accepted- the two Kufs find their place in the written record of Torah. As a footnote , the following can be added: the writing on the Tablets was unique (written with G-d's finger) in that it was engraved and as the Midrash expands on the description in the Torah, it was seen from any side and read the same. The word to engrave in Hebrew is Chakak ( Chet-Kuf-Kuf).

Now, if we see a letter doubled in a word, it would stand to reason that the word has at least a "double" portion of the meaning of that letter. If we examine what is unique about engraving it is what is needed to be removed or separated that creates the hollow (permanent) space and that once engraved the writing becomes an integral part of the stone. You can't erase the letters without effecting the integrity of the material engraved upon.

Let us return to the word for laughter- Tzchok (Tzadi- Chet-Kuf). What does the Kuf at the end indicate about laughter? We ask this as a question open for speculation. We will be looking as well at where the Kuf shows up, both in the Megillah and in the story of the conception and birth of Yitzchak (Beresheet 17:17-19, 18:12-15, and 21:1-9). In the Story of Esther we would point out that the words Bakesh ( Beit-Kuf-Shin) to request, and Yakar (Yud-Kuf-Reish) to honor, play important roles in the irony of the story. If we benifit from emulating G-d's attributes then can we discover through looking at the Kuf a better appreciation of G-d's Sense of humor?