2008 Woodie Awards
In Defense of Learning Hebrew
David Isser
Issue date: 10/8/07 Section: Opinion
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Before more words are shed on campus, I would like to control the argument and present a rational understanding of the study of hebrew from both the administration's as well as the student's perspective. Many students both last year as well as this are continuously complaining about the necessary Judaic studies requirements, which include 4 Bibles courses, 2 Jewish History courses, and 2 Intermediate Hebrew courses. While presenting the issues surrounding all the requirements would seem appropriate, I would like to stick to the most basic and essential requirement, which is the study of Ivrit.
Oddly, many students have been complaining about this requirement for many years. One compelling argument, from the student's perspective, that has been consistently reiterated, relates to the fact that they study and/or take Talmudic courses in the morning. Because they need to deal with Hebrew texts head-on, they feel it is unnecessary to use up their credit-ceilinged schedules with redundant material. Many students want to finish their time on campus in a timely fashion; however, if only a certain amount of credits can be taken at once, and students are required to fulfill a handful of necessary courses to graduate, piling on unnecessary courses seems ridiculous. As much as I empathize with this argument, allow me to quickly present my story, and then finish with an argument negating the current campus-quibble.
In my first year on campus, I had the pleasure of taking two courses with Professor Rachel Kushner, an expert in Hebrew grammar as well as many other ancient Near East languages. After growing up in a home with both an Israeli father and a Hebrew teacher as a mother, I was convinced that this course was going to be a complete waste of my time and I could utilize the additional credits to take a class I could gain more from. If YU was limiting my credit space for every single semester, why was I being relegated to taking two courses in which I would learn nothing from, especially since was raised with Hebrew-speaking parents.
Oddly, many students have been complaining about this requirement for many years. One compelling argument, from the student's perspective, that has been consistently reiterated, relates to the fact that they study and/or take Talmudic courses in the morning. Because they need to deal with Hebrew texts head-on, they feel it is unnecessary to use up their credit-ceilinged schedules with redundant material. Many students want to finish their time on campus in a timely fashion; however, if only a certain amount of credits can be taken at once, and students are required to fulfill a handful of necessary courses to graduate, piling on unnecessary courses seems ridiculous. As much as I empathize with this argument, allow me to quickly present my story, and then finish with an argument negating the current campus-quibble.
In my first year on campus, I had the pleasure of taking two courses with Professor Rachel Kushner, an expert in Hebrew grammar as well as many other ancient Near East languages. After growing up in a home with both an Israeli father and a Hebrew teacher as a mother, I was convinced that this course was going to be a complete waste of my time and I could utilize the additional credits to take a class I could gain more from. If YU was limiting my credit space for every single semester, why was I being relegated to taking two courses in which I would learn nothing from, especially since was raised with Hebrew-speaking parents.
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