The sun., 1896-07-20
THE STUDY OF HEBREW.
A Marked Extension OF It In This Country
Mithin Recent Yeara

Within recent years, or during the period of
the largo Jewish immigration 10 this country,
there has been great extension of the study
OF the ancient Hebrew language. In which the
Old Testament was written. Tho interest IN
1t Is not confined to Jews, but has spread wide
ly among Christian scholars, theologians, and
philologists. In this city 1t is always easy to
find competent Jewish teachers of IL. There
are hundreds of rabbis here who have de-
voted the main part OF their life to the study Of
the Hebrew language and the sacred books
and they take pleasure in teaching it, for a
small compensation, to such pupils they
may be able to obtain. One ran often see
them in the poorest quarters OF the east side
tenement districts, solemn-visaged, long
bearded. deep voiced. and slow Of speech. They
are mostly OF Russian birth and are sure to be
of the very highest type OF orthodoxy. careful
In tho observation of the Mosaic laws, and
thoroughly versed IN jewish lore.
Il give lessons" said one Of them, TO three
Christian clergymen, who believe that they
can get better knowledge OF Hebrew from a
rabbi who has maoe It life study than from
the professors in Christian theological semi.
nartes, few OF whom understand its subtleties
or are able to enter into Its spirit. Ono
cannot properly apprehend the writings of
Moses. the Psalms, or the prophets without a
complete knowledge of the original Hebrew
When l once went into q Christian church |
heard preacher interpret q passage of tho
book OF Jeremiah In a way that made me smile.
He had. perhaps. learned little Hebrew
when he was preparing for his vocation but in
the words OF the Weeping Prophet, and these
did not convey tbs Significance OF the ancient
faithful Jew TO learn the language of tie
Iorah. IT Is not less the duty OF those Chris
tan tan teachers who regard that book one-of
W rfaka 10,
form rabbis in America are discardinx the he.
there are men among them. disciples Of Rabbi
Issa. u. Wise. or Rabbi Joseph Krauskopf'
in the synagogue; but such rabbs are not true
Jews. and cannot be regarded as exlonents of
orthodox Judaism. ! also give lessons in Hebrew
70 number OF other people OF the Christian
iaith. who. Tor various reasons, are desirous Of
learning f. Other rabbis have CHRISTIAN
VINO I i iFnorantof Hebrew can fully understand
The east side rabbi who spoke in this wav
pointed out number of mistranslations in the
king James version Of the Old Testament. but
hs E am HtGTyewer was not CONVINCED that there
Ing OF the passages in Hebrew and In English.
In American universities. colleges, and the.
now pursued far more extensively than IL was
twenty years ago. In not a few Of them there
BILE that there are over fifty OF these professors
and there are many hundreds OF rabbis In the |
Hitou olateS VINO are capable OF filling the |
AeHrew chair IN any institution OF learning.
l9 those adults who read or speak only tho |
English language, or even to those who are |
acquainted with Greek and Latin. the learn. |
ing or Hebrew Is exceedingly difficult, and is |
the WORK OF studlous years. as many as four |
or hve years Tho alphabet of twenty.two |
SSonsonshts may be learned In few days, |
Dut, when the student comes to the vowel |
marks. or to the meaning and shading OF
words, or TO tho forms OF construction. or 10
the underlying thought, he is apt to havs
plenty OF trouble. Jewish writer IN tell.
ing no" TO study Hebrew, speaks or the adj
vantage OF entering upon tho task in early
He. a Jewish boy In Russia will have a Ho-
prev vocabulary or q thousand words before
he knows the rules OF their classification and
WIZ write his thought In the sacred tongue
without knowing the distinction between n
noun aud verb. lie will translate the Hook
OF uehesis, or recite the daily prayers, while
unaware OF the distinction Between a vocal |
and quiescent sheva, or between a Daegesh
Tor Hebrew, even though q scientific method
u study may not then be attained. Never |
Iheless, 1t is true that some men who did nor |
lake up the study OF the language till they |
were or mature age have lived To ACQUIRE re- |
lo~n as Hebrew scholars.
IL - often said that Hebrew has ceased TO
DO spoken Iar guage. In Russia and Poland |
lo"eNer, there arc set Jews who use IL as a |
nedium OF conversation, and 1t Is often used
mere IN correspondence. The same remark |
may ne made about some of the Russian and
Poiish Jews living IN this city.
Care must be taken not TO Confound the lar
ron speech, in the printing OF which the He
3 but little Hebrew In the jarg0n OF the Yid-
iish newspapers OF New York, though un-
sophisticated people are apt to regard their
)riht as genuine old Hebrew