A History of Hebrew Part 13: The Culture and Language Connection

A History of Hebrew DVD available through Amazon.Com - http://www.amazon.com/History-Hebrew-Its-Language-Philosophy/dp/1621370593

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This is a segment of a much larger video production that I am working on and am looking for feedback (positive and negative) on the layout and content.

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A culture is so closely tied to its language that if you change one, you change the other. Benjamin Lee Whorf stated, in what has become known as the Whorf hypothesis, that; language is not simply a way of voicing ideas, but is the very thing which shapes those ideas. An example of this is how one perceives of time. In our modern western culture we view time in the sense of the past, present and future, a fixed and measurable progression time.

Other cultures, such as the Hopi Indians of North America, do not share this same perspective of time. To the Hopis, there is what is (manifested) and what is not yet (unmanifested). Interestingly, the Ancient Hebrews had a similar view of time. Like the Hopi language, the Ancient Hebrew language does not use past, present and future tenses for verbs. Instead they use two tenses, one for a complete action (manifested) and one for an incomplete action (unmanifested). An individual, whose native language is Hopi, views time from the Hopi perspective, but if he is required to adopt English he learns the English perspective of time. During the late 1800s, the United States forced the native Americans to adopt the English language. When a Hopi no longer functions within his native language, the original cultural perspectives, such as time, is lost and replaced with the modern western perspective of time.

This same shift in perspectives can be seen in the Ancient Hebrew vocabulary. In Numbers 15:38 we read; Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, make tsiytsiyt on the corners of your garments The Hebrew word tsiytsiyt is a noun derived from the word tsiyts. A tsiyts is the "blossom" of a tree which will becomes the fruit. The tsiytsiyt then is a blossom, not in appearance, but in function. The function of the tsiytsiyt is to be a reminder to the wearer to produce fruit, fruit being the observance of the commands as stated in verse 39; and they will see them and remember all the commandments of Yahweh.

Therefore, the word tsiytsiyt carries with it a cultural perspective which connects the blossoms of a tree with the performance of a commandment. This Hebrew language continued to function as the Jewish peoples native language until their removal from the land after the Bar Kockba revolt in 135 AD, at which time they were dispersed into many different nations. While the Jewish people continued to use the Hebrew language from then until now, it was relegated to their religious lives alone and the language of the people around them, quite often this was Greek, was adopted as the language for everyday use. At this point, Greek becomes the influential language in their life and their perspectives of words and ideas are now determined by this dominant language.

A tsiytsiyt is now associated with the Greek word kraspedon, which is defined as a decorative fringe or thread, changing their perception of what a tsiytsiyt is. It is no longer a blossom, but simply a decorative fringe. This same shift in perception occurred each time a new language was adopted, whether it was Spanish, German or English.

In 1948 Israel became a Jewish state and with that Hebrew once again became the everyday language of the Jewish people. While the language had been resurrected, the original cultural perspective of that language had disappeared long ago and the Western influence on that language survived. Therefore, a tsiytsiyt, in the mind of modern Orthodox Jews, is still a decorative fringe and no longer functionally related to a blossom.

This same change can be seen throughout the Hebrew language. Torah in the original Ancient Hebrew language meant a Journey, but in the modern Hebrew language it is a Doctrine. The word Kohen meant a base of the Community, and now a Religious Priest. The word Qadosh originally meant special, but now Holy.

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Narration: Jeff A. Benner

Graphics: Jeff A. Benner

Photos: Jastrow, Pradique, Jorge Barrios

Footage: Brad Scott (www.wildbranch.org)

Music: Callen Clark

Видео A History of Hebrew Part 13: The Culture and Language Connection канала Jeff A. Benner