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This book, Israel , honors the memory of Professor Israel Yeivin – teacher, dear friend and colleague, meticulous and diligent scholar, a modest man who edified us with his noble character as well as his ideas. Israelis published by the Hebrew University Bible Project (HUBP), of which Prof. Yeivin was one of the first staff members. He worked in this capacity for many years, leaving his mark on the project. His scholarship focused on Masoretic manuscripts, particularly the Aleppo Codex. The fruits of his labors were published by the Bible Project and in his book on the Aleppo Codex. The wonderfully detailed notes he wrote for the Project on the thousands of erasures and corrections made in the text of the Aleppo Codex still remain unpublished. Most of these were made by the leading Masorete Aharon Ben-Asher.

The literary creativity of Kurdistani Jews included translations of liturgical poems for Jewish holidays and other special days, such as the national mourning day of the Ninth of Ab. Normally the Rabbis discouraged translating and reciting Hebrew-Aramaic canonical prayers, but permitted doing so in the case non-canonical texts. Therefore, manuscripts from (Iraqi and Iranian) Kurdistan include many such translations. Actually, most of these "translations" include many additions, interpolations, local linguistic folklore, actualia, etc. Since the original Hebrew text includes typically many allusions to other Hebrew- Jewish texts and traditions, and in many cases even to Jewish law and customs that would not be clear to the average uneducated person, the translations include specific explanations which are embedded in the main poetic texts as well. These texts are a classical example of reducing difficult poetic texts to a level that would be understood by the common folk. In addition to the translations, there are some poems which seem to be original, such as the poem about the halakhic rules for Passover, since no Hebrew equivalent has been found for them. Even in the case of those which have a Hebrew parallel, which are the majority, the length of the hymn and the order of the verses of the Hebrew original and its tafsir-translation is not always identical (at least in versions known to us). Very few of these translations have been published, while most remain in manuscript form. Some tafsirs may appear in three or more lraqi and Iranian versions, but others are known from only one manuscript. The lraqi ones are usually the oldest (ca. 1650), whereas the oldest lranian (Azerbaijani) manuscript dates from 1780. The texts, as expected, include words which today would be considered archaic or are unknown. The same is true regarding the phonology, morphology, and syntax. Some of these were recited in the synagogue, but most were recited during home rituals, such as at the Passover Seder.

We are proud to present our readers with volume 13 of our series Studies in Jewish Education . This volume is concerned with the possibility of "translating" insights derived from areas of knowledge sometimes thought to be outside the purview of education – to issues and problems on the agenda of educational thinkers, researchers and practitioners. As we have learned from our teachers, Prof. Seymour Fox, of blessed memory, and Prof. Michael Rosenak (may he be granted many more years of prolific creativity) – "translating" from philosophical systems or lead concepts, from principles deriving from the tradition of Jewish thought, or from cultural visions – to educational thought and practice, is a most complex matter. Some prefer to work in the "normative" mode, wherein normative world views are "translated" from fundamental philosophical "principles" to educational " ideals ," "goals" and "means." In the transition from one category to the next, however, certain terms must necessarily be modified or reinterpreted. This process is both enriching and impoverishing – as certain understandings are inevitably "lost" in translation even as other insights are gained. Others prefer to work in the "deliberative" mode, beginning from symptoms of malaise emanating from the field of educational practice, accessing world-views and disciplines of knowledge in order to arrive at an informed formulation of the "problem," then generating alternative solutions to the "problem" – alternatives from among which some will be chosen for implementation and others, perhaps just as promising, will have to be discarded or shelved. For those who feel more at home in this mode – worldviews, concepts, disciplines and cultural visions do not function as overarching norms, but rather as "resources," drawn upon to the degree that they are seen to address problems as experienced by those affected by them. As if this were not complex enough, Prof. Rosenak has reminded us that neither mode – normative or deliberative – is, or should be sufficient in itself. On the one hand, normative discourse that does not also have its "ears to the ground," picking up on current educational problems and addressing them in terms intelligible to those who suffer from them, will end up being sterile and hortatory. Deliberative discourse, on the other hand, is always anchored in normative assumptions, without which one could not articulate what it is about the "problem" that is "problematic," or in need of amelioration. According to Rosenak, there must be a constant, dialectical interaction between the normative and deliberative modes if educational issues are to be addressed both honestly and intelligently.

This collection deals with syntactic and semantic phenomena of the Hebrew language within the framework of theoretical linguistics. Most articles are within Noam Chomsky's framework of Generative Grammar and theories within formal semantics. The contributions are written by linguists specializing in theoretical linguistics and familiar with the Hebrew language and its uniqueness among the world's languages. The introductory chapter outlines in general terms the state of the art concerning the study of Hebrew in Israel, and highlights the significance of the theoretical approach in enriching the discourse on Hebrew linguistics as well as enabling easier access to theoretical studies. The introductory chapter is followed by two chapters describing and explaining the theoretical approach, illustrating the explanations from Hebrew. The next eleven chapters were chosen to deal with specific phenomena that are crucial in understanding the structure of Hebrew, on the one hand, and shedding light on the contribution of Hebrew to the general theory on the other hand: the verbal system, notably the binyanim; the marker et; and some issues concerning the tense system; the noun system; pronouns; adverbs; and prepositions. The last two chapters of the volume are each dedicated to a subfield of linguistics: language acquisition and neurolinguistics, respectively. One discusses two phenomena concerning Hebrew acquisition, and the other discusses the syntactic impairment in agrammatic aphasia phenomenon in Hebrew speakers. It is the only collection of its kind aimed at opening a channel of interaction between Hebraists interested in expanding the discourse on Hebrew and theoretical linguists interested in Hebrew.

Language Studies 11-12 is dedicated to Prof. Avi Hurvitz, who has taught for over four decades in the Depts. of Bible and Hebrew Language at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Many of his scholarly contributions have become classics of research. Twenty-four friends, colleagues, and former students have contributed articles on linguistic aspects of topics relevant to Hurvitz’s academic career: Hebrew of the First Temple Period, Hebrew and Aramaic of the Second Temple Period, language borrowings, dating of biblical texts, wisdom literature, Akkadian, and Ugaritic.

The collection of articles in 'The Hebrew Language in the Era of Globalization' is designed for researchers and teachers of Hebrew in Educational frameworks, and allows for a comprehensive study of varied aspects of the Hebrew language. The volume brings to center stage research issues regarding Hebrew in its cultural, social, and linguistic contexts; discusses the state of Hebrew in Israel and in the world; and looks into current curricula for the teaching of Hebrew as a Second Language. The volume is unique in that it combines theory and practice; deals with Hebrew as a first, second, and heritage language; and relates to learners of different ages and from a number of different populations – native speakers of Hebrew, the Arab sector in Israel, and Jewish communities in the Diaspora. The volume is comprised of three sections. The first section covers the following topics: The state of Hebrew in the context of Israel-Diaspora relations; Hebrew in European and American universities; the dilemma of the language of prayer; challenges confronting the modern reader of a classical text; linguistic and socio-linguistic trends in modern Hebrew; achievements of new immigrant students in academic Hebrew; the theoretical basis for the development of curricula for the teaching of Hebrew as a first and second language; and a model for a language policy in a multilingual and multi-cultural society such as Israel. The second section presents the new curriculum for learners of Hebrew in the Arab sector as well as curricula for the teaching of Hebrew in the Diaspora for kindergarten children, elementary school students and junior-high and high school students. The third section expresses concern about the future of Hebrew both in Israel and in the Diaspora in the era of globalization.

Hebrew from Scratch is also known as 'Ivrit min hathahala'. It's a comprehensive textbook, grammar and exercise book for the beginner adult student. Widely used by high school and university students. The instructions for the exercises as well as the translations of the vocabulary lists are in English. Otherwise, the course is based on Hebrew-only instruction. One of the best, friendliest, Hebrew teaching books, this book immerses the student in Hebrew, but without overwhelming the English speaker who is trying to learn a language that is so very different than English. A guide for this book can be purchase separately. An audio CD with listening exercises organized to match the lessons in the book is available here