Dear Friends,
Question: How comfortable are you in speaking Hebrew, or Yiddish?
Answer: Likely not so comfortable. The languages are lost on me…
Question: Going back to the book of Genesis, what language did Joseph use when he reconciled with his brothers, after they came down to Egypt? Joseph had been living in Egypt and even taken a new, Egyptian name, and could speak both Egyptian, and presumably the Hebrew of his brothers. Which language, therefore, did he use?
Answer: The Torah indicates that Joseph sent away all his Egyptian attendants when he finally revealed himself to his brothers. Was this so they would not overhear him speaking in Egyptian with these supplicant... or was it so they would not overhear him speaking in Hebrew, their native language? Thus, without any Egyptian interpreter present, it is likely that Joseph stunned his shocked brothers by speaking in their tongue, when he disclosed, “I am Joseph, your brother.” And, the surprised brothers, astounded that this Egyptian vizier, spoke in their tongue, understood. Joseph spoke Hebrew!
What does this teach?
The Torah offers a subtle but clear message on the importance of retaining the language of our people, especially in other lands. Yes, we have translations, just as they had interpreters in Egypt. And, yes, even in Jerusalem in the period following the first Exile, when our people returned from their forced stay in Babylonia, they needed meturgamim - interpreters to translate Torah from Hebrew into Babylonian for the recently returned exiles. Yet, these are consolations to circumstance. The value of comfort, or even fluency, in the language of our people allows far more than communication: it engenders community, develops discourse, fosters intimacy, and cultivates continuity and sanctity.
In our Tradition, Hebrew is called the safah k’dusha - the sacred tongue, and Yiddish (which I deeply lament never learning) was called the mama loshen - the mother tongue. The sages of our Tradition realized that language is more than mere speech and simple transmission of ideas. Language is the glue of peoplehood and offers boundaries of our being. Thus, I applaud our Adult Hebrew class which just a week ago completed a second year of studying adult Hebrew, and has successfully learned grammar, vocabulary, some nuance, and the ability to translate sentences and paragraphs from Hebrew!
Hence, the significance of Hebrew. I have said previously and the Jew who is uncomfortable with Hebrew is at risk with Judaism, and that the Jew who is comfortable with Hebrew is likely to be comfortable with Judaism. Just look at Joseph.
Joseph spoke Hebrew.
Shabbat Shalom, and for a better 2023!
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
Question: How comfortable are you in speaking Hebrew, or Yiddish?
Answer: Likely not so comfortable. The languages are lost on me…
Question: Going back to the book of Genesis, what language did Joseph use when he reconciled with his brothers, after they came down to Egypt? Joseph had been living in Egypt and even taken a new, Egyptian name, and could speak both Egyptian, and presumably the Hebrew of his brothers. Which language, therefore, did he use?
Answer: The Torah indicates that Joseph sent away all his Egyptian attendants when he finally revealed himself to his brothers. Was this so they would not overhear him speaking in Egyptian with these supplicant... or was it so they would not overhear him speaking in Hebrew, their native language? Thus, without any Egyptian interpreter present, it is likely that Joseph stunned his shocked brothers by speaking in their tongue, when he disclosed, “I am Joseph, your brother.” And, the surprised brothers, astounded that this Egyptian vizier, spoke in their tongue, understood. Joseph spoke Hebrew!
What does this teach?
The Torah offers a subtle but clear message on the importance of retaining the language of our people, especially in other lands. Yes, we have translations, just as they had interpreters in Egypt. And, yes, even in Jerusalem in the period following the first Exile, when our people returned from their forced stay in Babylonia, they needed meturgamim - interpreters to translate Torah from Hebrew into Babylonian for the recently returned exiles. Yet, these are consolations to circumstance. The value of comfort, or even fluency, in the language of our people allows far more than communication: it engenders community, develops discourse, fosters intimacy, and cultivates continuity and sanctity.
In our Tradition, Hebrew is called the safah k’dusha - the sacred tongue, and Yiddish (which I deeply lament never learning) was called the mama loshen - the mother tongue. The sages of our Tradition realized that language is more than mere speech and simple transmission of ideas. Language is the glue of peoplehood and offers boundaries of our being. Thus, I applaud our Adult Hebrew class which just a week ago completed a second year of studying adult Hebrew, and has successfully learned grammar, vocabulary, some nuance, and the ability to translate sentences and paragraphs from Hebrew!
Hence, the significance of Hebrew. I have said previously and the Jew who is uncomfortable with Hebrew is at risk with Judaism, and that the Jew who is comfortable with Hebrew is likely to be comfortable with Judaism. Just look at Joseph.
Joseph spoke Hebrew.
Shabbat Shalom, and for a better 2023!
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
