kuf interchanges with
kashahâ is related to â
yeshâ (which means is or exists). From manâs perspective, the more tangible â the more concrete or hard something is â the more real it seems.
Second, Rabbi Hirsch notes that because
kuf can be interchanged with
gimmel, â
gishahâ/â
gashashâ (approaching, impacting). Most people only consider solid objects substantial enough to approach or cause an impact.
The Torah refers to the
menorah in the
mishkan as made of a â
mikshahâ (Exodus 25:31 and 37:22 and Numbers 8:4). G-d commanded that it be fashioned from a single hunk of gold; hence, it was harder than it would have been had it been made by pouring molten metal into a mold. Rashi writes that the