A third grader from a Jewish day school stands at the end of the seder table, singing the four questions with fluidity and purity of voice. Elsewhere, a day school seventh grader poses a question about the passive form of a less common verb in a biblical text, wondering aloud if this is what is “bothering Rashi.” A group of tenth graders on their school’s Israel trip dine in a Jerusalem café, reading and then ordering off the menu in Hebrew. Any one of these would make a school and parents proud and would be credited as excellent student outcomes from a strong Hebrew program.
A closer examination of these examples surfaces that each reflect different language skills as well as gained expertise in what linguists refer to as ‘different varieties’ of Hebrew. The first demonstrates performative fluidity without necessarily reflecting comprehension, reminiscent of the 2013 Pew study where 52% of Americans claimed to read Hebrew but only 13% said they understand most or all of what they read. The second example demonstrates comprehension of and ability to analyze Biblical Hebrew and the grammatical structures that are often unique to this variety of Hebrew. The final example reflects students’ proficiency in Modern Hebrew and their ability to function in the language in an authentic environment with native speakers. Although these varieties, each stemming from a different historical period of Hebrew’s evolution, share some commonalities, they also share significant differences regarding grammar, word meaning, and syntax to name but a few. One hopes the students at the café did not try order the veal by asking for עגלה משולשת, the biblical phrase for "three-year-old calf,” translated to modern Hebrew as "triangular cart!"
In our ongoing work with day schools throughout North America, we often encounter the conflation of these different types of Hebrew or surface a lack of clarity that each requires distinct educational goals. Whether in discourse with professionals, parents, students, or board members, the request to help improve a school’s vision for their Hebrew program or support their faculty’s efforts is often absent of nuance or clarity. In a recent discussion with a Hebrew Task Force at a school in South Florida, we responded to passionate but imprecise articulation of this challenge by helping the members understand that while there are relationships between the different varieties of Hebrews, and that all share a common orthography, the school will only realize excellence in Hebrew language education when it understands three distinct academic outcomes:
Strong performative skills reflected by fluid reading of prayers, chanting of sacred tests, or even singing contemporary Israeli songs with ease and accuracy
Comprehension skills of classical textual Hebrew, with certain words evolving their meaning from early Biblical text to later rabbinic and medieval texts
Proficiency in Modern Hebrew, or what some linguists even refer to as Israeli Hebrew, to differentiate it from earlier manifestations of the language
We also have come to learn that this school, like so many others, is simultaneously seeking to advance three different affective outcomes:
Leveraging the Modern Hebrew language program and faculty to foster a connection to Israel and Israeli culture
Cultivation of a sociolinguistic community, a group that creates a sense of membership through shared speech, often by peppering English with shared Hebrew terms such as Tikkun Olam, Pirke Avot, kol ha’kavod, etc.
A sense of joy and positive attitudes towards Hebrew and Hebrew learning
Our task as a community of educators is to appreciate both the connections between the different aspects of Hebrew language learning and their distinctions. Each of these goals requires intentional and specific pedagogic tools, content knowledge, and forms of assessment. Each requires curricular goals, appropriate materials, and dedicated time. And school and communal leadership need to help learners appreciate both the unique nature of each while finding ways they may integrate them into their identity and literacy competency. We at Hebrew at the Center are honored to work with the field in advancing this type of discourse and visioning around the different Hebrews, unleashing the ways this dynamic language can serve as a key to unlock a multiplicity of pathways toward an enriched Jewish life and community.