Why Should Every Jew Learn Hebrew?
Why Should Every Jew Learn Hebrew?

A nation is defined by three things[i]: land, language, and history.[ii]

Hebrew is the national language of the Jewish people.

What of Yiddish, Ladino and other Jewish languages[iii]? Yiddish and Ladino are called “the language of a foreign people” in halakhic literature[iv]. In wedding documents names in these languages always come second since a Jew's real name is only his Hebrew name, e.g. “Moshe who is also known as Moishe/Michael/Miguel".[v]

Just as the Jewish people would never relinquish their land for a foreign territory such as Uganda and will never cease to remember their wondrous history, so the Hebrew language is an essential part of Jewish identity. One should learn the language and speak it whenever possible.

Learning Hebrew to Strengthen Connection to Israel

According to the last major survey 41%[vi] of the Jewish people live in the land of Israel, more than in any other land![vii] Israel has become the Jewish demographic, economic, cultural and Torah center of the world.

In the last century it has become the center of history-in-the-making for the nation. Within fifteen years the majority of Jews will be living in the land of Israel.[viii] There may be almost as many Jews in America; however, the number declines every year while the Jewish population of Israel increases. From an historical perspective Israel possesses the greatest importance for the future of the Jewish people.

Now, more than ever, is the time for Jewish people in the exile to strengthen their connection to the land of Israel and the language of Israel. This does not imply that you must immediately abandon the country in which you live and have hopefully built up a successful and meaningful life within a good Jewish community. The language will deepen your identity and strengthen your connection to Jewish culture. It will allow you to read the writings of ancient prophets and modern Zionist visionaries. It will strengthen your connection to all your brothers across the globe. Learn the language of your people. Identify with them. You will not regret it!

Hebrew As The Key to Authentic Learning of Primary Sources

It is not possible to fully understand the Tanach without knowing Hebrew. Many American thinkers, including the drafters of the Constitution, learned Hebrew in order to improve their comprehension of the Bible. In universities around the world Hebrew is studied in order to be able to directly interact with the text.[ix]

It should not come as a surprise that one of the major biblical commentators, Rav David Kimhi (the Radak), wrote a dictionary on the Hebrew language and an exposition on Hebrew grammar.[x] Saadia Gaon, the head of the Babylonian academy of Sura, wrote a Hebrew dictionary called the Agron.[xi]

The following appears in a textbook for learning biblical Hebrew, "A translation of the biblical text is a translator's "interpretation" of the text. The translator's beliefs will often influence how the text will be translated and anyone using his translation is seeing it through his eyes rather than the original authors. Only by studying the original language of the Bible can one see the text in its original state."[xii]

Learning the language enables one to return to the source and learn the words as they were written.[xiii]

Hebrew As a Source of Spiritual Inspiration

Aside from enhancing learning of Hebrew texts, knowledge of the language is itself a source of spiritual inspiration. It is a key to Jewish philosophy and provides a fertile environment for Torah thoughts.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, for example, included in his commentary on the Torah a large number of insights that emerge from an understanding of the Hebrew language.

The holy language flows in the veins of those that draw their inspiration from the soul of the nation. Poets and mystics, sages and prophets, philosophers and halakhicists and all great leaders of the nation built their visions and masterpieces with the physical and spiritual building blocks of the Hebrew language.

A divine creation, throughout over three thousand years it has undergone relatively little change. The Kuzari sings the praises of the Hebrew language, "The language which G-d created and taught to Adam, and placed on his tongue and in his heart, is without doubt the most perfect of all languages. It is most suited to express the essence of the things it describes."[xiv] The Magen Avraham states “the language itself has holiness and one can learn words of Torah from it.”[xv]

Relative Unity of the Hebrew Language

Whereas other nations changed their languages beyond recognition within the short time span of a few hundred years, the Jewish nation has an uninterrupted continuation of Hebrew literature through nearly every century. If you understand the Torah, you can understand modern Hebrew.[xvi] If you understand Maimonides Code of Law then you can understand basically all commentaries on the Torah.[xvii]

All Hebrew is relatively the same. Veritable proof of this is that no shul in Israel has translations of the Torah unless they have a large number of foreign speakers. There is no Hebrew translation in existence of the Mishneh Torah since all Hebrew speakers can open it up and understand it almost as easily as if it were written today.

There are many powerful reasons  to learn Hebrew: to have a nicer vacation in one’s national homeland, to enjoy speaking with Israelis, or to improve one's ability to learn classic Jewish books or poetry.

However, there is one that is more fundamental than any of the others: Learn Hebrew because you are Jewish. Hebrew is the national language of the Jewish people. Aside from any side benefits, you should learn it because you are part of that nation. It’s your language!

"All beginnings are difficult." However, anything that is truly worthwhile requires much effort.

Hatzlacha Raba! (lit. "Much Success")

 

 

 




[i] "A nation is a historically evolved, stable community of language, territory, economic life, and psychological make-up manifested in a community of culture. It is only when all these characteristics are present that we have a nation. " - Stalin Y''S (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nation#cite_note-0) Admittedly Stalin includes more than three, but these three are the most essential in this definition, coming first. Also, the following three criteria can be argued to be consequences of a nation living its national life in its land.

[ii] The Jewish people do not have an entirely shared history; however, we do have a connection to each other's history. Jews of European origin learn Maimonides and Nachmanides despite the fact that Jews moved to Europe before either of these two great luminaries. Jews of non-European origin learn Rashi and Abarbanel. Aside from these intellectual and even emotional connections forged with Jewish figures in the process of learning about their works and life, there is a significant amount of actually shared history which continued for the majority of the Jewish people up until some time around 700 CE.

[iii] Another Jewish language is Bukhori, the language of Bukharian Jews, a mix of Persian, Hebrew, Arabric, and Uzbek. Like most Jewish languages uses Hebrew characters. It can actually be heard today weekly on an Israel radio station Kol Israel. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukhori_language

[iv] Rav Ari Shvat, The Mitvah of Speaking Hebrew, http://www.tora.co.il/shiurim/shvat/Hebrew1.doc

[v] Rama Ev.H.129,16., Resp. Iggrot Moshe Ev.H.3,35. And see also in the writings of Rav Y.A. Henkin in the additions at the end of part 1, p.229,1 and 4.

[vi] http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/942009.html

[vii] /News/News.aspx/96801

[viii][viii] In 2002 the number of Jews in Israel went up by 1.6% a year, and outside of Israel it went down by 0.6%. This would mean that by sometime in 2024 50% of the Jewish people would be living in Israel. (http://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/world-jewish-population.htm)

[ix] /News/Flash.aspx/138491

[x] Herald of Destiny, Rabbi Berel Wein, also: http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=217&letter=K#653

[xi]en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saadia_Gaon

[xii] Jeff A. Benner, Learn Biblical Hebrew

[xiii] Evidence that the Torah is as it was received: http://www.simpletoremember.com/articles/a/torahaccuracy/

[xiv] Kuzari, the fourth article, from the paragraph starting with "Ulam HaL'shonot"

[xv] Magen Avraham Or.Ch.there, 24.

[xvi] with the exception of modern words which have entered most languages today in a similar fashion (e.g. telephone, Téléphone (French), teléfono (Spanish), telefon (German and Swedish)

[xvii] "Ironically, modern Hebrew is closer to Biblical Hebrew than Mishnaic Hebrew: "...the devout followers of the Hebrew language, Eliezer ben Yehuda and his colleagues amongst them were even more stubborn than the sages only to introduce foreign words into our language due to great necessity. When they had to choose, they usually preferred to use the Hebrew of the Tanach over the Hebrew of the sages [i.e. Mishnaic Hebrew], which causes our Hebrew, ironically, to be purer, holier and more original that that of the sages. In doing so, they artificially “turned the clock back” to revive lashon ha’kodesh  as if it had not been spoken at all throughout the generations."" Rav Ari Shvat, The Mitvah of Speaking Hebrew, http://www.tora.co.il/shiurim/shvat/Hebrew1.doc