02.04. Why Learn Hebrew

Why Learn 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. Learning the Hebrew language can be both fun and exciting. By simply studying the pages that follow, for just a few minutes a day, you will soon be reading Hebrew, build a Hebrew vocabulary and even begin translating Biblical passages for your self.

About Hebrew The English word "alphabet" is derived from the first two letters of the Greek Alphabet--Alpha and Beta. Hebrew on the other hand, uses the word "alephbet," the first two letters of the Hebrew alephbet--aleph and bet. The Hebrew alephbet consists of 22 consonants. The vowels (called nikkudot, nikkud in the singular) are dots and dashes added above and below the consonants. One advantage to Hebrew is that the sound for each letter remains consistent, unlike English where one has to memorize many variations. For instance, the word circus contains the letter "c" twice, the first time it is pronounced like an "S" while the second time it is pronounced like a "K." In Hebrew, the letter K is always pronounced as a "K." Unlike English, which is read from left to right, Hebrew is read from right to left just as many other Semitic languages do including Aramaic and Arabic. This may sound difficult at first but in a very short time you will get used to it. When sounding out a word, it will be easier if you remember the Consonant (C) and Vowel (V) patterns of Hebrew words. In English, the consonants and vowelsmay be arranged in any order, such as in the word "circle" which has a C+V+C+C+C+V pattern. Hebrew on the other hand, is very consistent, and each word will usually follows a C+V+C+V+C... pattern. The Hebrew word %,l,m (melek - king) contains the pattern C+V+C+V+C, Ak,l,m (meleko – his king) is C+V+C+V+C+V and %,l,m’h (hamelek – the king) is C+V+C+V+C+V+C. The pronunciations of some of the consonants and vowels have changed over the centuries but this does not affect the meaning of words as the letters of the words define it, and not the sounds. We will learn to pronounce them according to the Modern Hebrew pronunciation. Modern Hebrew pronunciation is also divided into two parts, Ashkenazi and Sephardic. Since Sephardic is the pronunciation adopted by the Modern State of Israel, we will use this pronunciation.