The Hebrew Language (Israel Basics)

The Hebrew Language (Israel Basics)

The information in this slideshow comes largely from Israel Basics by Kim Frolander.

The Promise

• Zephaniah 3:9

• God promised to restore the language of the Hebrews so they could call on Him and serve Him with one accord

• As we see in chapter 15 of Israel Basics, God has fulfilled that promise

Open Ended

What does Zephaniah 3:9 have to do with the Hebrew language today?

Before the Tower of Babel, everyone spoke the same language. Every name in Hebrew has a meaning. For example,

• Cain sounds like the Hebrew word for "I have given birth." Cain, by the way, was the first human born of a human.

• Peleg sounds like the Hebrew word for "divided." During his lifetime, the earth divided.

Fill in the Blank

The name ____ means "I have given birth" because he was the first human BORN to a human.

Fill in the Blank

The name ____ means "divided" because when he lived, the earth's tectonic plates shifted and the continents were created.

Revival

Hebrew ceased to be a spoken language outside of scripture around the time of the Roman destruction of the Temple. This language is the only language to be revived to become a common language of a group of people. Some Jews, however, still consider it a sacred language and only use it to read scripture and in prayer.

Multiple Choice

All of these are true about the Hebrew language except

• it is the world's oldest continuous language

• it is considered a sacred language

• some Jews refuse to speak it as a common tongue

• it was revived as a spoken language after 2000 years of being only a written language

Eliezer ben Yahuda is the "Father of Modern Hebrew"

• Changed his name from Perlman when, at the age of 17, he received a revelation of his life's calling (like Saul to Paul) while he was studying at a Yeshiva (orthodox Jewish seminary) in Lithuania

• It was 1858 and a nation of Jews didn't yet exist; however, he felt strongly that a nation should exist, and that the people needed a common language to unite them.

Multiple Choice

Which of these is not true about Eliezer Ben Yahuda?

• He was an Orthodox Jewish scholar

• He was originally named Perlman

• He was born in Palestine

Fill in the Blank

A ___ is an Orthodox Jewish seminary.

Eliezer married and moved to the area of Palestine in 1881. His home became a Hebrew-only home, and people who visited were expected to communicate ONLY in Hebrew.

He was so dedicated to this cause that he had translators provided for visitors who couldn't speak Hebrew, even if Eliezer could understand his visitors' language perfectly! His son Ben-Zion became the first child in 2000 years to be raised with Hebrew as his native language!

Eliezer wrote in Hebrew, taught in Hebrew, and encouraged the teaching of Hebrew. He wrote a Hebrew dictionary.

Ben Yahuda was funded in part by Baron von Rothschild. In Israel today, these 2 men are remembered with street names.

Multiple Choice

Baron von Rothschild was a vocal opponent to Ben Yahuda's efforts to revive Hebrew as a spoken language.

• True

• False

Opposition to the use of Hebrew as a common language was strong.

Orthodox Jews opposed any use of this sacred language that was not religious. Ben Yahuda and several of his family members died of tuberculosis. His funeral was attended by 30,000 people.

Multiple Choice

Ben Yahuda refused to speak anything but Hebrew once he moved to Palestine.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Ben Yahuda's son Ben-Zion was the first modern child to be a native Hebrew speaker.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Who opposed Ben Yahuda's efforts to make Hebrew the language of modern Jews?

• Lithuanian neighbors

• Arabs in Palestine

• Orthodox Jews

• the people who visited his home and were subjected to translators if they didn't speak Hebrew

The Hebrew Alef Bet

• Every letter has its own meaning and numerical value.

• There are 22 consonants and 3 vowel place holders.

• Some letters are made by adding a dot to a symbol, creating a new sound.

Amen

The word amen is actually Hebrew which means "believe." Ending a prayer with "Amen" is announcing that you already believe your prayer is answered.

Fill in the Blank

The Hebrew word "Amen" means

Let's learn a few letters. . .

• Follow along and learn how to write the first 3 letters of the Hebrew alef bet

• When you are done, you will be able to write your first Hebrew word!

• Access this video by going to our class Playlist and clicking the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBVpQzvrJ4w&t=358s