A Modern Way to Learn The Ancient Language

Study Book Issue No. 1September 2009

Biblical Hebrew

Important NoteThe booklet you are holding is sanctifieddue to the holy texts printed in its pages. Please take care of the booklet accordingly, and treat it with respect.

Dear Readers,If you have any questions, or if you'd like us to focus on a specific Biblicalword or paragraph, don't hesitate and let us know. Write to us at yigal@hebrewtoday.com and we'll try to address your questions, either by email or in the next issue of our Biblical Hebrew Study Book.

Editor-in-ChiefYigal Tzadka

yigal@hebrewtoday.com

English EditorShoshana Brickman

Hebrew EditorDafna Glazer-Amir

Graphic DesignKav U'chtav

PublisherGood Times Ltd.+972-2-643-7153

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© All rights reserved.Copying material from this publication

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Biblical HebrewStudy Book

Front page photo:Accessories of a Torah Scribe. A Torah is written with a quill pen or reed. Torah scribes also use a magnifying glass, to make sure that everything is correct.

Back page photo:A page from a German Passover Haggadah from the Middle Ages.

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Please note:The symbol (with a number) next to each article represents the track number of that article on the Biblical Hebrew Audio CD. This allows you to listen to the track of your choice with ease.

Table of Contents

A Few Words from the Editor .............................................................................4

The Source (Genesis 1:1-13) ...........................................................................5-8

Selected Words from the Source ...................................................................9-12

Meanings of the Names of the Five Books of Moses .................................13-15

Word of the Month ......................................................................................16-17

Letters of the Hebrew Alphabet ..................................................................18-19

Modern Words with Ancient Roots .............................................................20-21

The Septuagint: One Book, Seventy Translations .......................................22-23

Picture of the Month .........................................................................................24

The Word Behind the Picture ......................................................................25-26

Activity: Improving Understanding of Spoken Biblical Hebrew ................27-28

Words you Learned in this Course.....................................................................29

Crosswords Puzzles .....................................................................................30-33

Activity Answers ..............................................................................................34

Biblical Hebrew Order Form ............................................................................35

Biblical Facts and Figures, Activities, and Did You Know? are distributed

throughout this study book.

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Dear Readers,The Hebrew Bible is something that people all over the world want to learn about. Hebrew, the original language in which the Bible was written, is a rich and special language, a language that interests diverse people, regardless of the languages they speak on a regular basis.

The Biblical Hebrew Study Book series teaches you about this extraordinarily rich language, and explains many of interesting words and themes. Even people who don't know the Hebrew alphabet can learn to read Biblical Hebrew with this Study Book, thereby gaining access to the world's most revered text, in its original language.

In this issue, we begin with the story of Genesis, and the creation of the world. From here, we'll move forward, step by step, into subsequent chapters of the Torah, and cover many of its most riveting stories. In the future, we’ll also deal with the Psalms and other important books in the Bible.

So pull up a comfortable chair, open this edition of Biblical Hebrew, and open your favorite Bible as well. We hope you enjoy our magazine, and come to a deeper understanding of the Bible, because of it.

Sincerely, Yigal Tzadka, Editor

Please Note: This Biblical Hebrew Study Book series will help you read the Bible in the

original Hebrew. A main biblical passage is provided at the beginning of each Study Book, in

both Hebrew and in English. To supplement your learning, we recommend that you have your

own Hebrew-English version of the Bible on-hand, one that includes the Five Books of Moses

(the Torah), as well as the Prophets, and the Writings. This will allow you to look up other texts

that are referred to in the Study Book, and help you solve the activities.

A Few Words from the Editor...

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Bereshit bara Elohim

et hashamayim ve'et ha'aretz

Veha'aretz hai'tah

tohu va'vohu

vechoshech al-p'ney tehom

ve'ruach Elohim

merachefet al-p'ney hamayim

Vayomer Elohim yehi or

va'yehi-or

Vayar Elohim et-ha'or

ki-tov

vayavdel Elohim beyn ha'or

אהים ב�א 1 ב�אש�ית

הא�ץ. ו�את הש�מי�ם את

הי�תה 2 ו�הא�ץ

ו�בהו תהו

תהום; על-פני ,�ו�חש

אהים, ו�רוח

על-פני המי�ם. מ�חפת

אור; י�הי אהים, 3 ו�י�אמר

ו�י�הי-אור.

את-האור, אהים 4 ו�י��א

כי-טוב;

האור בין אהים, ו�י�בדל

The Source (Genesis 1:1-13)

1 In the beginning God created

the heaven and the earth.

2 And the earth was

without form, and void;

and darkness was upon the face of

And the Spirit of God

moved upon the face of the waters.

3 And God said, Let there be light:

and there was light.

4 And God saw the light,

that it was good:

and God divided the light

?

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the deep.

u'veyn hachoshech

Vayikra Elohim la'or yom

velachoshech kara lailah

vayehi-erev vayehi-voker

yom echad

Va'yomer Elohim

yehi rakia

betoch hamayim

vi'yhi mavdil beyn mayim lamayim

Vaya'as Elohim et-harakia

vayavdel beyn hamayim asher

mitachat larakia uveyn hamayim

asher meh'al larakia

.�החש ובין

יום, אהים לאור 5 ו�י�ק�א

לי�לה; ק�א �ו�לחש

ו�י�הי-בקר, ו�י�הי-ע�ב

אחד. יום

6 ו�י�אמר אהים,

�קיע י�הי

המי�ם בתו

למי�ם. בין מי�ם מבדיל ו�יהי

את-ה�קיע, אהים 7 ו�י�עש

אש�ר המי�ם בין ו�י�בדל

ובין המי�ם ל�קיע, מתחת

ל�קיע; מעל אש�ר

from the darkness.

5 And God called the light Day,

and the darkness he called Night.

And the evening and the morning,

were the first day.

6 And God said,

Let there be a firmament

in the midst of the waters,

and let it divide the waters from the

7 And God made the firmament,

and divided the waters which were

under the firmament, from the waters

which were above the firmament:

waters.

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vayehi-chen

Vayikra Elohim la'rakia shamayim

vayehi-erev vayehi-voker

yom sheni

Vayomer Elohim

yikavu hamayim mitachat hashamayim

el-makom echad

vetera'eh hayabashah vayehi-chen

Vayikra Elohim layabashah eretz

ulemikveh hamayim kara yamim

vayar Elohim ki-tov

Vayomer Elohim

tadsheh ha'aretz desheh esev

ו�י�הי-כן.

ש�מי�ם; ל�קיע, אהים 8 ו�י�ק�א

ו�י�הי-בקר, ו�י�הי-ע�ב

ש�ני. יום

9 ו�י�אמר אהים,

הש�מי�ם מתחת י�קוו המי�ם

אחד, אל-מקום

ו�י�הי-כן. הי�בש�ה; ו�ת�אה,

א�ץ, לי�בש�ה אהים 10 ו�י�ק�א

י�מים; ק�א ולמקו�ה המי�ם

כי-טוב. ו�י��א אהים,

ו�י�אמר אהים, 11

עש�ב דש�א הא�ץ תדש�א

and it was so.

8 And God called the firmament Heaven.

And the evening and the morning were

the second day.

9 And God said,

Let the waters under the heaven be

unto one place,

and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

10 And God called the dry land Earth;

and the gathering together of the waters

and God saw that it was good.

11 And God said,

Let the earth bring forth grass,

called he Seas:

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gathered together

mazria zera

etz pri oseh pri lemino

asher zar'o-vo al-ha'aretz

vayehi-chen

Vatotseh ha'aretz desheh esev

mazria zera leminehu

ve'etz oseh-pri

asher zar'o-vo leminehu

vayar Elohim ki-tov

Vayehi-erev vayehi-voker

yom shlishi

ז�ע, מז�יע

למינו, פ�י עש�ה פ�י עץ

על-הא�ץ; ז�עו-בו אש�ר

ו�י�הי-כן.

עש�ב דש�א הא�ץ 12 ו�תוצא

למינהו, ז�ע מז�יע

עש�ה-פ�י ו�עץ

למינהו; ז�עו-בו, אש�ר

כי-טוב. אהים, ו�י��א

ו�י�הי-בקר, ו�י�הי-ע�ב 13

ש�ליש�י. יום

the herb yielding seed,

and the fruit tree yielding fruit afterwhose

seed is in itself, upon the earth:

and it was so.

12 And the earth brought forth grass,

and herb yielding seed after his kind,

and the tree yielding fruit,

whose seed was in itself, after his kind:

and God saw that it was good.

13 And the evening and the morning

were the third day.

his kind,

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In the Beginning (bereshit) בראשית is one of the most interesting words in the Bible. Indeed, there are בראשיתdozens of commentaries which deal with the question of why the Bible opens with this particular word. The root of the word בראשית is ראש (rosh) which means head. The word בראשית here means in the beginning. (See page 15 for more about this word). The letter ב comes from the word בתו which means inside. In other words, the paragraph is describing what occurred in(side) the beginning.

created (barah) בראThe word ברא refers to the creation of something from nothing. However it seems that this word may also be some sort of language game. The letters of the word are ב-ר-א, three letters that also appear in the word בראשית. In fact, these are the first three letters of the Bible, so they have a significantimportance as well. We should note now that there are many word games in the Bible, and we'll be discussing them in future issues.

God (elohim) אלוהיםWhy doesn't the Bible refer to God in the singular form of אלוה or האל? After all, the verb that goes with this noun is in the singular form, ברא. Note that in English, the word God is always in the singular, and doesn't have a plural form when used to refer to the monotheistic God of the Bible.

Selected Words from the Source

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The reason for the use of the plural form is that the Bible pays a great deal of respect to God and therefore uses the plural form when referring to it. Note that later on in this first Chapter of the Bible, when the creation of Adam is referredto, the words used to describe his creation are also in the plural.

Here's another interesting note about the word אלוהים. There are some commentators who divide the word into two parts, אל (el) God and הים (hayam) the sea. In this interpretation, the name is similar to the God of the waters that flow to the sea. These waters start from a high point and arrive at all sorts ofplaces, bringing life with them. These waters flow to the sea and bring withthem life also to the fish and the other creatures in the world. The ocean is aplace that is in harmony with nature and with every other place in the world.

ובוהו chaos and emptiness (tohu va'vohu) תוהוIn fact, the correct word for this is chaos, although in English, the word chaos is a relatively recent one, having been first used some time in the 15th century. In Hebrew, the Bible uses the words ובוהו in order to describe a situation of תוהוdisorder and wilderness.

Furthermore, the passage in Jeremiah 4:23-27 explains the phrase ובוהו as תוהו :wilderness, a desolate place, when it says (shmama) שממה

הא�ץ כל תהי�ה ש�ממה ... ו�בוהו תוהו ו�הנה הא�ץ את �איתיI beheld the earth, and, lo, it was waste and void ... The whole land shall be desolate

Another related word - when we say in modern Hebrew that a person is משתומם (mishtomem), astonished, astounded, the word is based on the same root as מה wondering (toheh) תוהה The meaning of the word is that the person is .שמand בוהה (boheh) staring in the air. It's as if there is a lack of reason and meaning, leading to the person's astoundment. Other words of explanation. emptiness, lack of something (bohu) בוהוהוא inside of it. As if to say that the future creation is hidden within (bo hu) בו

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this wilderness.

heaven (raki'a) רקיעThe regular definition of this word is heaven. However, the meaning here is aclear, flat surface, upon which the water was laid. The meaning of the word רקיע in modern Hebrew is something that is thin and strong, made with great strength, for example, a flattened sheet of metal.If someone stomps on the floor loudly, it is said that he stamping (rokeah) רוקעhis feet.

למים מים from water to water (bein mayim lemayim) ביןSeparating the water that is in the heaven from the water that is on the earth.

skies (shamayim) שמיםThe English translation of this word is usually heaven and not sky, skies. In Biblical Hebrew, this word is used to indicate the sky, whereas the words עדן .the garden of Eden, are used to indicate heaven (gan eden) גןSome people say the word שמים comes from the words מים (sham mayim) שםthere water (i.e. there is water).

lights of the sky (me'orot) מאורות

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