Kuthamini Lugha za Biblia — Sehemu ya 3: Alfabeti ya Kiebrania, Kifungu cha 2 (Kaf hadi Tav)Language Appreciation — Unit 3: The Hebrew Alphabet, Part 2 (Kaf through Tav)

Wakati wa majira ya baridi ya mwaka 1947, kijana mmoja mchungaji Mbedui aitwaye Muhammed edh-Dhib alikuwa akichunga mbuzi katika miamba iliyo juu ya Bahari ya Chumvi, karibu na magofu yaitwayo Qumran. Mbuzi mmoja alipotea. Alipokuwa akipanda kumfuata, kijana huyo alirusha jiwe ndani ya mdomo wenye giza wa pango ili kumshtua mnyama huyo atoke — lakini badala ya mlio wa mbuzi, alisikia sauti ya vyombo vya udongo vikivunjika. Akapanda akaingia ndani. Katika giza hafifu ilisimama mitungi mirefu ya udongo, na ndani ya mitungi hiyo kulikuwa na hati-kunjo za ngozi, zilizofungwa kwa kitani, zenye rangi ya kahawia kwa sababu ya uzee.In the winter of 1947, a Bedouin shepherd boy named Muhammed edh-Dhib was tending goats in the cliffs above the Dead Sea, near a ruin called Qumran. One goat wandered off. Climbing after it, the boy threw a stone into the dark mouth of a cave to scare the animal out — and instead of a bleat, he heard the sound of breaking pottery. He climbed inside. In the gloom stood tall clay jars, and inside the jars were scrolls of leather, wrapped in linen, brown with age.

Hakuna aliyejua bado, lakini jiwe lile lililorushwa lilikuwa limefungua ugunduzi muhimu kuliko yote wa miswada katika historia ya Biblia. Katika miaka kumi iliyofuata, katika mapango kumi na moja yanayozunguka Qumran, watafiti walipata takriban hati-kunjo mia tisa za kale. Miongoni mwa zile za kwanza kabisa ilikuwa nakala karibu kamili ya kitabu cha Isaya — Hati-kunjo Kuu ya Isaya — iliyoandikwa zaidi ya miaka mia moja kabla Kristo hajazaliwa.No one knew it yet, but that thrown stone had opened the most important manuscript discovery in the history of the Bible. Over the next decade, in eleven caves around Qumran, searchers found around nine hundred ancient scrolls. Among the very first was a nearly complete copy of the book of Isaiah — the Great Isaiah Scroll — written more than a hundred years before Christ was born.

Hii ndiyo sababu jambo hilo lina maana kwako, wewe uliyeketi hapa ukijifunza alfabeti ya Kiebrania. Kabla ya mwaka 1947, miswada kamili ya Kiebrania ya Agano la Kale iliyokuwa ya zamani zaidi tuliyokuwa nayo ilikuwa nakala za Wamasoreti za takriban mwaka 1000 B.K. — kazi ya uangalifu ya waandishi uliokutana nao mwishoni mwa Sehemu ya 2. Hati-kunjo ya Isaya kutoka Qumran ilikuwa ya zamani zaidi kwa miaka elfu moja kamili. Miaka elfu moja ya kunakili kwa mkono, kizazi baada ya kizazi, ilitenganisha nakala hizo mbili. Kama maandishi yangekuwa yamebadilika polepole, hapa ndipo tungegundua. Kwa hiyo wasomi waliziweka nakala hizo mbili kando kwa kando, herufi kwa herufi.Here is why that matters to you, sitting here learning the Hebrew alphabet. Before 1947, the oldest complete Hebrew manuscripts of the Old Testament we possessed were the Masoretic copies from around AD 1000 — the careful work of the scribes you met at the end of Unit 2. The Isaiah scroll from Qumran was a full thousand years older. A thousand years of copying by hand, generation after generation, separated the two. If the text had drifted, here is where we would catch it. So scholars laid the two side by side, letter by letter.

Zililingana. Katika miaka elfu moja ya kunakili kwa mkono, maandishi yalikuwa kimsingi yale yale — maneno yale yale, herufi zile zile, herufi zile zile hasa unazokaribia kumaliza kujifunza. Tahajia chache zilitofautiana kwa njia ndogo, kama vile "honour" na "honor" zinavyotofautiana katika Kiingereza; ujumbe haukubadilika. Mungu aliyelitoa neno lake kwa pumzi yake pia aliliangalia na kulilinda, na waandishi waliohesabu kila herufi hawakuwa wakipoteza maisha yao bure.They matched. Across a thousand years of hand-copying, the text was essentially identical — the same words, the same letters, the very letters you are about to finish learning. A handful of spellings differed in small ways, the way "honour" and "honor" differ; the message did not move. The God who breathed out His word also watched over it, and the scribes who counted every letter were not wasting their lives.

Tulipo sasaWhere we are

Katika Sehemu ya 2 ulijifunza herufi kumi za kwanza, Aleph hadi Yod, na ukasoma maneno yako ya kwanza ya Kiebrania. Katika sehemu hii utaimaliza alfabeti — herufi kumi na mbili zilizobaki, Kaf hadi Tav — utakutana na herufi tano zinazobadilika umbo mwishoni mwa neno, utajifunza jinsi irabu zinavyoonyeshwa, kisha utafanya jambo ambalo safari hii yote imekuwa ikilielekea: utasoma mstari wa kwanza wa Biblia kwa Kiebrania, kwa macho yako mwenyewe, kutoka kulia kwenda kushoto. Kufikia mwisho wa ukurasa huu utakuwa umekutana na herufi zote ishirini na mbili na kuutamka Mwanzo 1:1.In Unit 2 you learned the first ten letters, Aleph through Yod, and you read your first Hebrew words. In this unit you will finish the alphabet — the remaining twelve letters, Kaf through Tav — meet the five letters that change shape at the end of a word, learn how the vowels are marked, and then do the thing this whole journey has been pointing toward: you will read the first verse of the Bible in Hebrew, with your own eyes, right to left. By the time you reach the bottom of this page you will have met all twenty-two letters and sounded out Genesis 1:1.

Njia ni ile ile ya Sehemu ya 2. Lisome jedwali kwa makini. Soma jina la kila herufi kwa sauti. Itazame herufi ya Kiebrania. Kisha nenda kwenye daftari lako na uandike kila herufi mara tatu kwenye mstari mmoja. Mkono hulifundisha jicho.Same method as Unit 2. Study the table. Read each letter name out loud. Look at the Hebrew character. Then go to your notebook and write each character three times on a line. The hand teaches the eye.

Maelezo kuhusu herufi hizi sitaNotes on these six letters

Kaf inaonyesha picha ya kiganja kilicho wazi au uvungu wa mkono; neno la Kiebrania kaf lina maana ya kiganja, na pia kijiko na wayo wa mguu — kitu chochote kilichobonyea kama bakuli. Ikiwa na nukta ni "k"; bila nukta hulainika kuwa "kh" yenye pumzi. Kaf ni mojawapo ya herufi tano zinazochukua umbo maalum la mwisho, ambalo utakutana nalo baada ya muda mfupi (ך).Kaf pictures the open palm or hollow of a hand; the Hebrew word kaf means the palm, and also a spoon and the sole of the foot — anything cupped. With a dot it is "k"; without a dot it softens to a breathy "kh." Kaf is one of the five letters that take a special final form, which you will meet in a moment (ך).

Lamed ndiyo herufi ndefu kuliko zote katika alfabeti, ndiyo pekee inayopanda juu ya mstari, ikichorwa kama fimbo ya mchungaji au mchokoo wa ng'ombe — fimbo inayochokoa na kuliongoza kundi. Inafaa kabisa kwamba shina la Kiebrania la "kufundisha" na "kujifunza" (lamad) limejengwa juu ya Lamed: kujifunza ni kuongozwa, na wakati mwingine kuchokolewa, na fimbo ya mwalimu.Lamed is the tallest letter in the alphabet, the only one that rises above the line, drawn like a shepherd's staff or an ox-goad — the rod that prods and guides the flock. Fittingly, the Hebrew root for "teach" and "learn" (lamad) is built on Lamed: to learn is to be guided, and sometimes prodded, by the teacher's staff.

Mem inaonyesha picha ya maji. Neno la Kiebrania la maji, mayim, limejengwa kwayo, na hata linaonekana kama mawimbi yanayoviringika ukurasani. Mem pia ina umbo la mwisho (ם).Mem pictures water. The Hebrew word for water, mayim, is built from it and even ripples like waves on the page. Mem also takes a final form (ם).

Nun inaonyesha picha ya samaki (nun lina maana ya "samaki" katika Kiaramu) au mbegu inayochipua — picha ya uhai na ya kuendelea. Nun ina umbo la mwisho (ן).Nun pictures a fish (nun means "fish" in Aramaic) or a sprouting seed — an image of life and continuance. Nun takes a final form (ן).

Samekh inaonyesha picha ya kiegemezo au tegemeo, na sauti yake ni "s." Kitenzi cha Kiebrania samakh, "kuegemea, kutegemeza," kimejengwa juu yake — kama katika Zaburi 145:14, "BWANA huwategemeza wote waangukao." Unaposoma kwamba BWANA anakutegemeza, kitenzi hicho kinaiegemea herufi hii.Samekh pictures a prop or support, and its sound is "s." The Hebrew verb samakh, "to lean on, to uphold," is built on it — as in Psalm 145:14, "The LORD upholds all who fall." When you read that the LORD upholds you, the verb leans on this letter.

Ayin ina maana ya "jicho," na pia "chemchemi" au "kisima cha maji yanayobubujika." Ni sauti nzito ya koo inayotamkwa chini kabisa kooni, sauti ambayo Kiingereza na Kihispania hazina kabisa, kwa hiyo masikioni mwetu inakaribia kutosikika. Majina ya mahali kama En-gedi ("chemchemi ya mbuzi") huanza na Ayin. Umbo lake la duara kama jicho ndilo babu wa babu wa herufi yetu ya duara O.Ayin means "eye," and also "spring" or "fountain." It is a deep guttural made low in the throat, a sound English and Spanish simply do not have, so to our ears it is nearly silent. Place-names like En-gedi ("spring of the goat") begin with Ayin. Its round eye-shape is the great-grandparent of our round letter O.

Hatua ya mwisho kuelekea ukingoni — herufi sita za mwisho za alfabeti ya Kiebrania. Njia ni ile ile. Soma, tazama, andika kila moja mara tatu.The home stretch — the last six letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Same method. Read, look, write each one three times.

Maelezo kuhusu herufi hizi sitaNotes on these six letters

Pe ina maana ya "mdomo" (neno la Kiebrania peh). Ikiwa na nukta ni "p"; bila nukta hulainika kuwa "f." Pe ina umbo la mwisho (ף). Mdomo ndipo neno linapogeuka kuwa sauti — na Maandiko yamejaa habari za "kinywa cha BWANA" kinachonena uumbaji na amri.Pe means "mouth" (the Hebrew word peh). With a dot it is "p"; without a dot it softens to "f." Pe takes a final form (ף). The mouth is where a word becomes sound — and Scripture is full of "the mouth of the LORD" that speaks creation and command.

Tsade inaonyesha picha ya ndoano ya kuvulia samaki, au mtu aliyeinama ubavuni. Sauti yake ni "ts," kama mwisho wa neno la Kiingereza "boots." Tsade ina umbo la mwisho (ץ). Maneno makuu tsedeq, "haki," na tsaddiq, "mwenye haki," huanza na Tsade.Tsade pictures a fish-hook, or a man bent on his side. Its sound is "ts," like the end of "boots." Tsade takes a final form (ץ). The great words tsedeq, "righteousness," and tsaddiq, "a righteous one," begin with Tsade.

Qof ni "k" nzito inayotamkwa nyuma kabisa ya koo, chini zaidi kuliko Kaf. Huonyeshwa kama nyuma ya kichwa, au tundu la sindano. Qof ndiyo herufi pekee ya kawaida ambayo mkia wake hushuka chini ya mstari wa kuandikia. Neno qadosh, "takatifu," huanza na Qof — neno utakalojifunza kwa kina katika Sehemu ya 5.Qof is a deep "k" formed at the very back of the throat, lower than Kaf. It is pictured as the back of the head, or the eye of a needle. Qof is the one ordinary letter whose tail drops below the writing line. The word qadosh, "holy," begins with Qof — a word you will study in depth in Unit 5.

Resh ina maana ya "kichwa" (rosh), na sauti yake ni "r." Tazama kwa makini: Resh na Dalet zinakaribia kuwa pacha. Resh ina pembe ya juu laini, ya mviringo; Dalet ina pembe ngumu, ya mraba. Pembe hiyo ndogo ndiyo tofauti yote kati ya herufi hizi mbili — hasa aina ile ya "nukta" (kwa Kiingereza "tittle") aliyoisema Yesu katika Mathayo 5:18 aliposema kwamba hata alama ndogo kabisa haitaondoka katika torati.Resh means "head" (rosh), and its sound is "r." Look carefully: Resh and Dalet are nearly twins. Resh has a soft, rounded top corner; Dalet has a hard, square one. That tiny corner is the whole difference between the two letters — exactly the kind of "tittle" Jesus spoke of in Matthew 5:18 when He said not the smallest stroke would pass from the law.

Shin / Sin inaonyesha picha ya meno, nayo ni herufi mbili zinazoishi katika umbo moja. Ikiwa na nukta juu upande wa kulia ni Shin, "sh"; ikiwa na nukta juu upande wa kushoto ni Sin, "s." Shin hufungua shalom (amani), shema (sikia), na Shaddai (Mwenyezi). Ni mojawapo ya herufi zenye utajiri mkubwa zaidi katika Maandiko yote.Shin / Sin pictures teeth, and it is two letters living in one shape. With a dot on the upper right it is Shin, "sh"; with the dot on the upper left it is Sin, "s." Shin opens shalom (peace), shema (hear), and Shaddai (Almighty). It is one of the richest letters in all of Scripture.

Tav ndiyo herufi ya mwisho. Neno taw lina maana ya "alama" au "sahihi (saini)," na katika maandishi ya kale kabisa ilichorwa kihalisi kama msalaba, kama +. Katika Ezekieli 9:4 BWANA anamwamuru mtu mmoja apite katikati ya Yerusalemu na kutia taw — alama — juu ya vipaji vya nyuso za wote wanaougua kwa ajili ya dhambi ya mji, ili waachwe salama. Herufi ya mwisho ya alfabeti ni alama ya kuwa mali yake, iliyochorwa zamani kama msalaba, ikitiwa juu ya vipaji vya nyuso za waliookolewa. Litafakari jambo hilo upendavyo.Tav is the last letter. The word taw means "mark" or "signature," and in the most ancient script it was drawn literally as a cross, like a +. In Ezekiel 9:4 the LORD commands a man to go through Jerusalem and set a taw — a mark — on the foreheads of all who grieve over the city's sin, so that they would be spared. The last letter of the alphabet is a mark of belonging, once drawn as a cross, set on the forehead of the rescued. Make of that what you will.

Herufi tano huvaa koti tofauti mwishoni mwa neno. Kaf, Mem, Nun, Pe, au Tsade inapoangukia mwisho kabisa wa neno, huchukua umbo maalum liitwalo kwa Kiebrania sofit ("ya mwisho"). Kwa kawaida mkia — ambao hujikunja au hukaa juu ya mstari katikati ya neno — hushuka moja kwa moja chini ya mstari mwishoni. Herufi ni ile ile na sauti ni ile ile; umbo tu ndilo hubadilika, kama vile herufi zetu kubwa zinavyotofautiana na herufi ndogo bila kubadilika kuwa kitu kingine.Five letters wear a different coat at the end of a word. When Kaf, Mem, Nun, Pe, or Tsade lands at the very end of a word, it takes a special shape called in Hebrew sofit ("final"). Usually the tail — which curls or sits on the line in the middle of a word — drops straight down below the line at the end. The letter is the same and the sound is the same; only the shape changes, much as our capital letters differ from lowercase without changing what they are.

Kisaidizi cha kukumbuka: zisome herufi hizo tano kwa mpangilio wake na zinaunda neno lisilo na maana "kamnapets" (Kaf-Mem-Nun-Pe-Tsade) — neno dogo ambalo walimu wamelitumia kwa vizazi vingi kukumbuka ni zipi tano zinazochukua umbo la mwisho. Utakutana na umbo la mwisho mara moja katika Mwanzo 1:1: herufi ya mwisho ya ha'arets, "nchi," ni Tsade ya mwisho (ץ).A memory aid: read the five letters down in order and they spell the nonsense word "kamnapets" (Kaf-Mem-Nun-Pe-Tsade) — a little word teachers have used for generations to remember which five take a final form. You will meet a final form immediately in Genesis 1:1: the last letter of ha'arets, "the earth," is a final Tsade (ץ).

Mwishoni mwa Sehemu ya 2 ulijifunza mambo mawili: kwamba Kiebrania hakina herufi za irabu — herufi zote ishirini na mbili ni konsonanti — na kwamba takriban mwaka 700 B.K. waandishi walioitwa Wamasoreti waliongeza alama ndogo juu na chini ya konsonanti ili kuhifadhi irabu. Alama hizo zinaitwa nikud ("kuweka nukta"). Huhitaji kuzimudu kikamilifu ili kusoma; unahitaji tu kuzitambua zile zinazotumika mara nyingi zaidi, ili ukiona neno la Kiebrania lenye alama hizo uweze kulitamka. Hizi hapa ni alama kuu za irabu, kila moja ikionyeshwa kwenye herufi Bet (ב).At the end of Unit 2 you learned two things: that Hebrew has no vowel letters — all twenty-two letters are consonants — and that around AD 700 the scribes called the Masoretes added small marks above and below the consonants to preserve the vowels. Those marks are called nikud ("pointing"). You do not need to master them to read; you need only to recognize the most common ones, so that when you see a pointed Hebrew word you can sound it out. Here are the main vowel signs, each shown on the letter Bet (ב).

Mambo machache ya kuzingatia. Irabu nyingi hukaa chini ya konsonanti, nawe husoma konsonanti kwanza kisha irabu yake — kwa hiyo Bet yenye patach (בַ) ni "ba," si "ab." Nukta iliyowekwa ndani ya herufi (inayoitwa dagesh) kwa kawaida huifanya herufi iwe ngumu: ב peke yake ni "v," lakini בּ yenye nukta ni "b." Na sheva ya nukta mbili (ְ) ndiyo alama tulivu kuliko zote — wakati mwingine "e" hafifu, wakati mwingine haina sauti kabisa, ni kituo kidogo tu. Kwa alama hizi chache sasa unaweza kusoma kwa sauti Kiebrania chenye alama za irabu. Na hicho ndicho hasa tunachokaribia kufanya.A few things to notice. Most vowels sit below the consonant, and you read the consonant first and then its vowel — so Bet with a patach (בַ) is "ba," not "ab." A dot placed inside a letter (called the dagesh) usually hardens it: ב on its own is "v," but בּ with a dot is "b." And the two-dot sheva (ְ) is the quietest mark of all — sometimes a faint "e," sometimes no sound at all, just a small pause. With these few signs you can now read pointed Hebrew aloud. Which is exactly what we are about to do.

Kila kitu kimekuwa maandalizi kwa ajili ya hili. Herufi ishirini na mbili, maumbo matano ya mwisho, alama za irabu — yote ili uweze kusoma maneno haya saba. Huu hapa ni mstari wa kwanza wa Biblia, kama ulivyo hasa katika maandishi ya Kiebrania, pamoja na alama za irabu na kila kitu. Usome kutoka kulia kwenda kushoto.Everything has been preparation for this. Twenty-two letters, the five final forms, the vowel points — all so that you could read these seven words. Here is the first verse of the Bible, exactly as it stands in the Hebrew text, vowel points and all. Read it right to left.

Usitishike. Unazijua herufi hizi. Tuuchukue neno moja baada ya jingine, tukienda kutoka kulia kwenda kushoto — mwelekeo ambao Kiebrania huandikwa.Do not be intimidated. You know these letters. Let us take it one word at a time, moving right to left — the direction Hebrew runs.

Sasa usome mstari mzima, kutoka kulia kwenda kushoto, ukitamka kila neno: Bereshit — bara — Elohim — et — hashamayim — ve'et — ha'arets. "Hapo mwanzo Mungu aliziumba mbingu na nchi."Now read the whole verse across, right to left, sounding each word: Bereshit — bara — Elohim — et — hashamayim — ve'et — ha'arets. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

Simama na uache jambo hili likuingie. Sentensi ya kwanza ambayo Mungu aliisababisha iandikwe, sentensi inayofungua maktaba nzima ya Maandiko, maneno ambayo Musa aliyaandika na Wamasoreti wakayalinda na hati-kunjo ya yule mchungaji ikayahifadhi — umeyasoma sasa hivi katika lugha yake yenyewe. Ulikutana na neno ambalo Biblia ya Kiebrania imepewa jina lake, Bereshit. Uliona kwamba "aliumba" ni bara, kitenzi kilichotengwa kwa ajili ya Mungu peke yake. Uliona kwamba "Mungu" ni Elohim, wingi kwa umbo na umoja kwa kitendo. Na uliona neno dogo et, linaloandikwa Aleph-Tav — herufi ya kwanza na ya mwisho — likisimama kimya kati ya Muumba na uumbaji wake. Tutalifungua kila mojawapo ya maneno haya katika Sehemu ya 4.Stop and let that land. The first sentence God caused to be written, the sentence that opens the whole library of Scripture, the words Moses set down and the Masoretes guarded and the shepherd's scroll preserved — you just read them in their own language. You met the word the Hebrew Bible is named after, Bereshit. You saw that "created" is bara, the verb kept for God alone. You saw that "God" is Elohim, plural in form and singular in action. And you saw the small word et, spelled Aleph-Tav — the first letter and the last — standing quietly between the Creator and His creation. We will open every one of these words in Unit 4.

UlichokifanyaWhat you have done

Ulianza sehemu hii ukijua herufi kumi za Kiebrania. Sasa unazijua zote ishirini na mbili. Unaweza kuyatambua maumbo matano ya mwisho, unaweza kusoma alama kuu za irabu, na — jambo lililo muhimu kuliko yote — umesoma mstari wa kwanza wa Biblia kwa Kiebrania kwa macho yako mwenyewe. Huo ni mlango ambao waamini wachache sana huwahi kuupitia.You began this unit knowing ten Hebrew letters. You now know all twenty-two. You can recognize the five final forms, you can read the main vowel points, and — the thing that matters most — you have read the first verse of the Bible in Hebrew with your own eyes. That is a door very few believers ever walk through.

Jambo moja zaidi la kuonaOne more thing to see

Ulisoma kwamba "hapo mwanzo Mungu aliumba," na kwamba Mungu aliumba kwa kunena: "Mungu akasema, Iwe nuru." Agano la Kale linaanza na neno la Mungu likiumba ulimwengu. Sasa geukia Agano Jipya, kwenye Yohana 1:1, mstari ulio nanga ya kozi hii yote. Yohana anaanza kwa makusudi na maneno yale yale yanayofungua Mwanzo: "Hapo mwanzo." Kisha anakuambia neno lile lililoumba lilikuwa nani: "Hapo mwanzo kulikuwako Neno, naye Neno alikuwako kwa Mungu, naye Neno alikuwa Mungu... Vyote vilifanyika kwa huyo." Neno — kwa Kigiriki, Logos — ni Kristo. Mungu aliyezinena mbingu na nchi zikawepo katika Mwanzo 1:1 ndiye Bwana Yesu yule yule ambaye vitu vyote vilifanyika kwa yeye.You read that "in the beginning God created," and that God created by speaking: "And God said, Let there be light." The Old Testament opens with God's word making the world. Now turn to the New Testament, to John 1:1, the verse that anchors this whole course. John begins deliberately with the same three words as Genesis: "In the beginning." And then he tells you who that creating word was: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... All things were made through Him." The Word — in Greek, the Logos — is Christ. The God who spoke the heavens and the earth into being in Genesis 1:1 is the same Lord Jesus through whom all things were made.

Biblia nzima ni Kitabu kimoja, Shujaa mmoja, Hadithi moja — na Shujaa huyo ni Yesu. Ulianza sehemu hii ukisoma kuhusu uumbaji; unaimaliza ukiwa umekutana, katika mstari wa kwanza kabisa, na Muumba ambaye siku moja angeingia katika uumbaji wake mwenyewe ili kuuokoa. Kila herufi uliyojifunza ni mlango, na kila mlango unafunguka kumwelekea Yeye.The whole Bible is one Book, one Hero, one Story — and the Hero is Jesus. You began this unit reading about creation; you end it having met, in the very first verse, the Creator who would one day step into His own creation to save it. Every letter you have learned is a door, and every door opens on Him.

Zoezi la Daftari (kalamu na karatasi)Notebook Activity (pen and paper)

Fungua ukurasa mpya na uandike "Sehemu ya 3: Kaf hadi Tav" juu yake. Kwanza, andika kila moja ya herufi kumi na mbili mpya mara tatu kwenye mstari, ukitamka kwa sauti jina lake, sauti yake, na picha yake unapoendelea. Pili, kwenye mstari unaofuata, chora maumbo matano ya mwisho (ך ם ן ף ץ) kando ya maumbo yake ya kawaida, na uandike neno la kukumbukia "kamnapets." Tatu, tengeneza chati fupi ya alama za irabu kutoka sehemu hii — alama, jina lake, na sauti yake. Mwisho, kwenye mstari safi, nakili Mwanzo 1:1 kwa Kiebrania, kutoka kulia kwenda kushoto, polepole: בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ. Chini yake andika unukuzi wake (Bereshit bara Elohim et hashamayim ve'et ha'arets) na maana yake ("Hapo mwanzo Mungu aliziumba mbingu na nchi"). Utakapoweza kuunakili mstari huo kwa mkono na kuusoma tena kwa sauti, utakuwa umefanya kile ambacho waamini wengi hawafanyi kamwe: utakuwa umeimaliza alfabeti ya Kiebrania na kuusoma mstari wa kwanza wa Biblia katika lugha ambayo Mungu aliutoa kwayo.Turn to a fresh page and write "Unit 3: Kaf through Tav" at the top. First, write each of the twelve new letters three times across a line, saying its name, sound, and picture aloud as you go. Second, on the next line, draw the five final forms (ך ם ן ף ץ) beside their normal forms, and write the memory word "kamnapets." Third, make a short chart of the vowel points from this unit — the mark, its name, and its sound. Finally, on a clean line, copy Genesis 1:1 in Hebrew, right to left, slowly: בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ. Beneath it write the transliteration (Bereshit bara Elohim et hashamayim ve'et ha'arets) and the meaning ("In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth"). When you can copy that verse by hand and read it back aloud, you have done what most believers never do: you have finished the Hebrew alphabet and read the first verse of the Bible in the language in which God gave it.

Utakapofaulu mtihani huu, tutakutana katika Sehemu ya 4, ambapo herufi hizi zinaanza kufanya kazi — hazina sita za maneno ya Kiebrania zilizochotwa moja kwa moja kutoka Mwanzo 1.When you pass this exam, we will meet in Unit 4, where these letters go to work — six Hebrew word-treasures drawn straight out of Genesis 1.