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Hebrew: Learning Hebrew
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Hebrew is close to the Arabic language. Hebrew words are made by combining a root with a pattern. In Israeli Hebrew, some words are translated from European languages like English, French, German, and Russian. Many words from the Old Testament were given new meanings in Israeli Hebrew. People learning Hebrew need to study the grammar first in order to read correctly without vowels. In Israeli Hebrew, there is no verb "to be" in the present tense, only in the future and the past tenses.
Today Hebrew is one of the official languages of the State of Israel. It is still used in prayer and for religious purposes, but has a rich street and contemporary life all of its own. Despite the length of time from biblical Hebrew to now, the differences between contemporary Israeli Hebrew and the language of the Bible are relatively small. Thus learning the contemporary language may serve as a means both for dealing with life in Israel and for biblical and religious studies.
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The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, located on three campuses in Jerusalem and a fourth in Rehovot, is one of the world's most respected academic and research institutions. More than 24,000 students from over 70 countries choose Hebrew University for the unique opportunity to learn from Nobel and Israel Prize laureates; to participate in groundbreaking scientific and technological research; and to take advantage of world renowned resources in many fields. The Hebrew University's longstanding reputation as a top academic facility was affirmed in 2005 by Israel's Council for Higher Education, which ranked the university first in "academic excellence" among Israel's leading institutes of higher learning. In addition, Newsweek magazine recently included Hebrew University on its list of the top 100 universities in the world.
Once you start learning Hebrew, you will see how easy it is to become more and more comfortable with the Hebrew language. Can you imagine being able to open a Hebrew Bible and every page not appearing to you as if it were gibberish?
Hebrew began to die out as a spoken language after the Jews were defeated by the Babylonians in 586 BC. Spoken Hebrew was replaced by Aramaic, although it was preserved as the language of religion, learning, and literature. Hebrew became a spoken language again after the establishment of Jewish settlements, mostly from Russia. It became an official language of British Palestine in 1922. Today, it is the dominant official language of the State of Israel, along with Arabic and English, and remains the liturgical language of Jews worldwide.
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Learning to speak modern Hebrew can be undertaken in various ways but the author has been advised that the best way is by living in Israel for a while, and possibly doing an Ulpan course. Many Israelis had to learn the language that way after making aliyah.
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