חִזּוּק - Encouragment to Study Hebrew

Even a Little Hebrew Helps

Learning the Language of the Kingdom

Recently I received an email from a older gentleman who was (joyfully) questioning why he was being drawn to study Hebrew at his late stage in life. Was he a meshuggener to expend such energy? How would he EVER learn this precious language well enough to pray or read the Hebrew Scriptures with some fluency?

“Step by step, precept upon precept, here a little, there a little” (Isa. 28:10). Even a little Hebrew helps, and as you progress you will find it is a spiritual language that will bless your life.

A charming Chassidic story might encourage you to press on in your studies of Hebrew, even if you are struggling to learn the most basic words and sounds:

Once there was a boy whose parents had died when he was quite young. The people in the town took pity on him and he was adopted by one of his non-Jewish neighbors. He grew up as their son and for many years the boy was happy. As he got older he had the feeling that something was missing in his life. His adoptive parents saw his misery and finally told him about his past. They gave him a few books they had saved. One of them was his mother's siddur.

Later that year they went to town to buy some provisions before the winter. It happened to be the eve of Yom Kippur. On the way back he was drawn by the strange yet haunting melodies coming from one of the buildings. He slipped out of the wagon and walked into the synagogue. There he saw hundreds of people swaying back and forth, pleading with God.

The young lad turned his eyes upward toward heaven. 'Dear God,' he said. 'I have never learned to pray like others have. All I know is the aleph-bet. I will recite the letters for You, and You put them together to make the proper words." The lad began reciting aleph, bet, gimmel, dalet..." He did this over and over again.

The rabbi leading the prayers overheard the boy and stopped the service. "The lad is now reciting the aleph-bet, and God is busy putting the letters together to form the proper words. We must delay our prayers until the lad is finished with his, at which time God can be attentive to us."

As the Baal Shem Tov said, "God prefers the sincerity of the heart."

Hebrew & Honey...

A beautiful Jewish custom developed in the Middle Ages regarding the study of the Hebrew Aleph Bet. After a young child had successfully learned all the Hebrew letters, a “graduation party” would be held in his or her honor. The letters were written on a slate and each was drizzled with honey. The honored child would then lick each letter so that the words of the Scriptures would seem as appealing as honey (Psalm 19:10). An oneg (party) would then follow congratulating the child for entering the world of Jewish learning.

Davash

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