Hebrew is the language of Scripture and forever reminds Jews of their covenant with God and holds Judaism together. He points out that they have already eliminated many traditional elements of Judaism in their reform and should not let go of anymore. He fears the whole of Judaism will be lost if any more separate elements are removed.
A second argument Frankel makes is that God gave the Bible to the Jews in trust for safeguarding. God called upon the Jews to carry forth and spread the Word of God as found therein throughout the world. The Bible was written in Hebrew. This is why all Jews have been instructed in Hebrew and why the Jews teach Hebrew to their children -- so they can understand God's word in the Bible, of which they are the caretakers. He concedes it would be acceptable to conduct some of the service in German, but Hebrew is the language of God's revelation to man and must not be abandoned. He argues that if the ancient lawmakers in Biblical times had ever dreamed that Jews would think of giving it up some day, they would have surely passed a law against it. That they didn't shows it is unthinkable.
Frankel's idea is that Hebrew is essential to Jewish identity and that its use in the temple and synagogue...
It is God's language revealed to the Jews, and its use should, therefore, continue both in prayer and services. The use of the Hebrew language is part of what makes Jews "Jewish." He appears to endow the Hebrew language with a nearly mystical power to inspire the people and to teach them. German, he feels, should be used only in non-religious parts of the service.
Geiger, on the other hand, points out that the ancients allowed Aramaic, the root language of Hebrew and Arabic, to be used in Biblical times. Furthermore, he does not believe that Jewish identity should rest upon or depend on the use of a particular language. He also does not believe that Jews have a responsibility from God to preserve Hebrew as a language. He believes Judaism is "in the heart," so to speak, something universal, and not associated with a national language or a national identity. Praying in a foreign language that one does not understand in his view is useless; therefore, Jewish services should be conducted in "the mother tongue" of the people, in a language they are currently using everyday, in order to make a living, universal, and heart-felt Judaism more meaningful.
This obscure, nameless darshan's interpretation of B. Yevamot 62b has been particularly enduring, yet, according to Satlow, "while such an interpretation of this sugya makes a good sermon, it makes poor history ... The sugya as a whole is in fact an attempt to answer the question, Why should a man marry" (Satlow pp). And the answer that it gives is much more complex than recognized by "our" darshan
Jewish history was promoted by the scribes or the Levites in early Jewish history and later on the popular educator and teachers promoted learning of the scriptures within the Jewish people so that history would be preserved however, at the time Christianity emerged this factor influenced the ancient writings in terms of how this history was related. Some of Jewish history is so ancient that it has only been related by
Barclay goes on to identify the Christian inspiration (Christ Himself), the handicap (the effects of Original Sin), and the means for perseverance (Barclay references the word "hupomone," which is another way of saying "the patience which masters" things) (173). In the same manner, Donald Guthrie speaks of the text as showing a "need for discipline" (248). Guthrie observes that the discipline must be Christ-centered and Christ-focused: "Looking to Jesus (aphorontes
Jesus' Teachings, Prayer, & Christian Life "He (Jesus) Took the Bread. Giving Thanks Broke it. And gave it to his Disciples, saying, 'This is my Body, which is given to you.'" At Elevation time, during Catholic Mass, the priest establishes a mandate for Christian Living. Historically, at the Last Supper, Christ used bread and wine as a supreme metaphor for the rest of our lives. Jesus was in turmoil. He was
It was on a Friday night, and the room was mainly made up of older individuals, although there were a few single men and some families with children. Many of them seemed to know one another well, and laughed and talked. When they approached me as a stranger, I explained what my purpose was -- to observe the use of music during services on a typical Shabbat. They told
Yiddish as a first language in Ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities, compared to the use of local vernacular (for example, Hebrew in Israeli-Based Jews, or English in London and New York-Based Jews): in Hasidic Jews, the use of Yiddish is widespread, whereas in other Jewish groups, the local vernacular is more common. This paper discusses the reasons behind these differences, and looks at the functions that Yiddish serves in these Hasidic Jew