beh-reh-SHEET by Kathleen McAnear Smith

 

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Genesis 1:1

 

This past year I started learning Hebrew. No one made me study this ancient, classical form of a language and some days I do not know what ever came over me to decide to memorize nouns and verbs, and learn tenses. I had completed my Certificate in Chaplaincy, and Hebrew wasn’t required. It was just that I knew I would not feel I had truly been to Bible College if I didn’t study Hebrew; and lo and behold I admit I fell in love with the language.

I learned a whole new aleph-bet, and sounded out those CVC words at the same speed as my four-year-old grandson read English. My grandson and I even took walks where we recited the aleph-bets of the language we were learning and spoke about the written vs spoken language. We faced the challenge of naming people, places and things and then remembering their names. At that stage Josh would sound out street signs, and I made bedroom door signs that spelled each of my grandsons name in Hebrew: Zachariah, Joshua, Samuel (the boys love sounding out Shmuuu-el). 

Josh has now left me far behind in reading his new language, but as I slowly plod along I feel this deep sense of discovery with every new Hebrew word. 

One of the interesting things about Hebrew is that I see words from Hebrew brought into the English language ( amen, hallelujah, jubilee), and it seems screen writers use these words regularly for names of characters. In the film "The Lion King," there is Ra   ( bad, bad, bad in Hebrew, but "resident assistant" in Arabic). Then I hear of women in films or song lyrics called Layla, which means "night." "Shrek" is  more of a Yiddish word meaning "frightening.". "Yentl" is an inspiring film showing a woman going to great lengths to gain the privilege of learning the Torah. 

I delight in sharing this new knowledge with the grandkids. It does make them laugh to see grandma can find Hebrew in the craziest of places.

As for Hebrew developing my awareness in other areas of life, such as my faith; I find it exciting that in the beginning God created- bara Elohim. From the beginning He is our creator, and He just paints the scene with words producing the heavens and the earth. We are made in His image, so of course we were made to create, though perhaps not on such a grand scale. I love the Hebraic words showing His majestic sweep of a scene dividing heavens and waters and creating names like “earth” and “seas.” Later, He would ask man to hand out a few names. What authority, as this right to name names was handed to man.

As I create scenes and give out names in my writings, it is astonishing to me that I can now read Genesis 1: 1-10 in Hebrew and see that from the very beginning, IN THE Beginning ( Beh-reh-SHEET) Our God was Creator King. It blows me away to even think for a moment I was made in His image. Perhaps learning a new language is enabling me to go deeper into my own language. I pray it helps me to stand back at the end of a day’s writing and call it “good.” I’m not sure this means morally good, just that it's finished and it works.

Have a boker tov!

 

 

Kathleen has been a parent on the move for so long that she now considers herself promoted to granny on the go! Thanks to Wendy H Jones of ACW she has had the courage and direction to begin a new website called Global Grandmas. www.globalgrandmas.net

Kathleen is working on her first novel, featuring inspiring Jamaican grandmothers who she had the privilege of knowing when she lived in Jamaica. She is also learning Hebrew and visiting her grandsons over half-term. Hallelujah.