by Maurice Sassoon

Created on: May 12, 2008

Hebrew is the language in which all of the old Testament in the Bible was written. It was the language of the Jewish people after their exodus from Egypt where they were in bondage and their subsequent settlement in the land of Canaan on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Spoken Hebrew is different from the Hebrew of the Bible. It is the language of the people of Israel and one that links the local people and those among the immigrants from other lands in a common bond that solidifies their heritage and strengthens their belief that, in spite of the turmoil that keeps seething in that region of the world, there is hope that the present is pregnant with a future in which the State of Israel will continue to prosper in the light of the prophecies that had come to pass.

The Hebrew language is one of the many Semitic languages. These languages are spoken by Semitic peoples (those who trace tneir origin to Shem, one of the sons of Noah. The Arabs are
Semites, and Arabic is also one of the Semitic languages. Hebrew is one of the Canaanite forms of the Semitic languages. The Hebrew alphabet was one of the alphabets from which the modern English alphabet was developed. In Hebrew, writing is read from right to left and not from left to right as in English. The original Hebrew alphabet did not have any vowels (the letters A,E,I,O,U), but they were added about a thousand years ago by Jewish scholars known as Masorites. Hebrew written in this style is called Masoretic..

The Old Testament is considered to be the greatest Hebrew literature. Jewish teachers and rabbis produced great works in Aramaic that was the language that preceded Hebrew. The Talmud which is Jewish religious literature is written in Aramaic. In recent years, a great many Hebrew, literary works have been written in Israel.

For centuries, while the Jewish people were deprived of their homeland, it seemed as if the spoken language of Hebrew was lost forever and not until the State of Israel was established did the language return with the fervor that it had once enjoyed in the glorious days of the kings and prophets of Israel.

The Hebrew language that is spoken in Israel is basically one that can be easily learned.
It can be mastered within a short time. New Jewish immigrants are taught to speak and write the language in schools in the Kibbutz as well as in private and public institutions.

The Torah (five books of Moses) is somewhat difficult to understand, as it is written in a different style. It is rich and replete with facts dating back to the ancient land of Israel
and is revered as one of the holiest texts of the Jewish people. It is religiously protected so that it remains safe and secure in a special place in the Synagogue.

Regardless of the background and culture of the immigrants that settle in Israel, Jews are regarded as the people of the book and treated equally. The democratic process in Israel has become a celebration of success that is steering the economy in a direction that was similar to the days of the kings of Israel, as well as the prophets that were instrumental in guiding and advising them in the affairs of the government and the needs of the people.

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