Qof

Qof means "eye of a needle" or "monkey" (kof), and it is the only letter whose form descends below the baseline -- reaching down into the depths below the line of writing. This unique feature gives Qof a connection to the concept of descending into the lowest places to retrieve sparks of holiness ("yeridah l'tzorech aliyah" -- descent for the purpose of ascent). The tzaddik must sometimes go down to the darkest places to lift up what has fallen. The Talmud (Shabbat 104a) interprets Qof as standing for "kadosh" (holy). Holiness, the letter teaches, is not found only in elevated, pristine places but also -- perhaps especially -- in the depths, in the mundane, in the broken. The Baal Shem Tov, founder of Hasidism, taught that there is no place devoid of God's presence, and Qof, with its descent below the line, embodies this radical theological claim. The gematria of 100 represents completeness in the realm of the sacred: 100 blessings are recited daily according to Jewish law. The shape of Qof is sometimes described as a Kaf with a descending Vav -- the vessel (Kaf) reaching downward (Vav) into the realms below. This visual metaphor teaches that holiness requires both a container (structure, law, discipline) and a willingness to extend beyond comfortable boundaries. Qof is the letter of sacred audacity, the courage to pursue holiness into unexpected territories.

Qof is pronounced as a "K" sound in modern Israeli Hebrew, identical to Kaf with a dagesh (כּ). In ancient and traditional Mizrachi pronunciation, Qof was a deeper, more emphatic "K" produced further back in the throat (a uvular stop), distinct from the Kaf sound. Most modern speakers do not distinguish between them. When writing Qof, it has a distinctive form: a vertical stroke on the right that descends below the baseline, with a curved or horizontal stroke extending from the top toward the left. It is the only standard letter that descends below the line (final forms aside). Be careful not to confuse Qof with other letters -- its below-the-line extension is unique among the 22 basic letter forms.