Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Jonathan D. Safren" <yonsaf AT beitberl.ac.il>]

When I was a student at Hebrew U, a popular joke was that German is the most important Semitic language, because you need it to learn all the other Semitic languages. Today, in order to be a serious student of Hebrew Bible and Semitic languages, you must know how to read the proliferous professional literature in Hebrew. How can one study Deuteronomistic literature without reading up on all Moshe Weinfeld has written?

However, I really don't see the need to conduct Hebrew Bible classes in Hebrew in the U.S., though making it an elective might be useful for improving students' reading proficiency in Modern Hebrew professional literature.

Sincerely,

Jonathan D. Safren

Dept. of Biblical Studies

Beit Berl College