Central Conference of American Rabbis
Ninth: We Are Heirs to a Holy Tongue
We echo our people's belief
that the Hebrew language is endowed with a particular
measure of kedushah. Despite overwhelming odds, the
Jewish people preserved Hebrew in the face of centuries of
exile. Hebrew binds us to Jews in every land, and especially
to our brothers and sisters in the State of Israel. Hebrew
connects us with ancient and modern Jewish ideas which are
difficult to render in translation. We shall strive to read
Hebrew, to speak it, to let it help articulate our prayer
and inform our study. The more familiar we are with Hebrew,
the more at home we shall feel within our people's heritage.
Bluethread responds: CCAR is mixing up the study of Biblical Hebrew for the purpose of getting closer to "ancient ideas" with the study of Modern Hebrew for the purpose of the study of "modern ideas" and to "bind us to Jews in every land, and especially to our brothers and sisters in the State of Israel." These are really two very different things.
Bluethread supports the study of any form of Hebrew, but we take issue with one part of this principle. We disagree that Hebrew is any holier than, say, Sanskrit or Latin or Arabic or Hindi or German or Algonquin. What makes Hebrew special to us is that it is ours. It distinguishes us from other peoples, which is the real meaning of kadosh, anyway.
(See the Bluethread resource
for more on this.)
Bluethread would also like this principle to add that the study of Biblical Hebrew gives us the tools to read the Masoretic text directly without having to completely rely on translations, each of which has its own bias. As Reform Jews, we have the responsibility to open our minds as much as possible to fresh interpretations and to contribute to the ageless conversations about our sacred texts.
In the spirit of diversity and choice, it is important to be sure that Reform religious services, while encouraging the study and use of Hebrew, still welcome those who are unfamiliar with it.
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3/18/99
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Principles copyright © 1998, Central Conference of
American Rabbis
Most recent update 11 Dec 1998
Bluethread ©Rosemarie E. Falanga, Cy H. Silver