Biblical Language Brings You Closer to God, Says Hebrew Roots – Breaking Israel News

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BFB140303 Aleph BetWho is paying attention to the Torah Awakening among Christians?  Israeli Jews are beginning to take notice, as Hanoch Young explained in a recent article originally posted on United2Restore.  Here is additional testimony:  an article by Rivkah Adler of Breaking Israel News about the phenomenon of Hebrew studies among non-Jews. 

It is encouraging enough that Dr. Adler chose to write on this topic.  What is even more interesting is one of the questions she asked of her sources:  How can Jews help Christians learn Hebrew?  Of course, we understand that by “Christians” she means all of us who are not Jewish, but have an affinity to Israel – including those of us who have embraced our Hebrew identity.  The question should be an encouragement.  The more interest there is in learning Hebrew, the more our Jewish brethren will be motivated to help, resulting in an ever-expanding number of contacts and relationships. 

Who knows where this will lead in years to come?  Certainly it will contribute significantly to global support for Israel in material ways, and hasten the day that the Jewish and non-Jewish parts of the Hebrew people are reconciled and reunited.  All the more reason for us to take advantage of the Hebrew language opportunities available to us!

Source:  Biblical Language Brings You Closer to God, Says Hebrew Roots – Breaking Israel News | Latest News. Biblical Perspective.


Breaking Israel NewsLearning Biblical Language is “Torah Awakening” Needed for Hebrew Roots

Rivkah Lambert Adler
Published in Breaking Israel News, December 15, 2016

“And the whole earth was of one language and of one speech.”  Genesis 11:1 (The Israel Bible™)

bfb161221-bible
(Shutterstock)

Christians and members of the Hebrew Roots movement are united in their view that learning Hebrew is an important part of understanding the Judaic origins of their faith.

Speaking to Breaking Israel News, Bob O’Dell, pro-Israel Christian, author and co-founder of Root Source, described his interest in Hebrew as two-fold.  As a frequent traveler to Israel, O’Dell recognizes that learning modern, conversational Hebrew could help him “to fit in a bit better when visiting Israel.

However, his primary interest is “to understand the Bible better.  What motivates me here is the absolute conviction that I am not ‘seeing’ but a small fraction of the potential insights in the various passages by reading an English translation.”

Bob O'Dell (Root Source)
Bob O’Dell (Root Source)

Expanding on this idea, O’Dell expressed his belief that Christians can benefit from learning Hebrew because it will give them “the ability to look at the Biblical text without being fully dependent on previous translators.”

For O’Dell, seeking truth is an important part of his spiritual journey.  As a result, he is motivated to understand the Bible in its original language.  “I want to get the words directly no matter how difficult they are to hear,” O’Dell stated.

Asked how Jewish people can help Christians learn Hebrew, O’Dell said that, beyond teaching the basics of Hebrew reading, “I think that Jews need to help Christians learn how to study with the Jewish learning methods of interactive, respectful debate.  It is not enough to learn Hebrew.  We [Christians] need to learn how to perceive the scriptures in a more Jewish style,” he said, referring to the use of ancient Jewish commentaries.

Israel365’s Director of Christian Relations Donna Jollay spoke to Breaking Israel News about her emotional and spiritual connection to Hebrew.

“When I was literally and radically saved by God 20 years ago, He gave me a Jewish heart and I started being drawn to the most unusual things.  After that happened, I can remember being in church regularly for the first time in my life and it still tickles me when I remember how excited I got when I learned that ‘Amen’ was Hebrew.  Then I learned that ‘Halleluyah’ was Hebrew, too!  And I was even more excited to learn that it meant ‘Praise the Lord.’

“It feeds my soul to learn Hebrew.  Every nuance is a revelation of God and His awesomeness and love.  Learning it knits me together even more with Him and His beloved Hebrew/Jewish people,” Jollay expressed with great enthusiasm.

On a more practical level, she explained that Hebrew is “the language of the Hebrews who are the overwhelming majority of God’s focus in [the Bible] and throughout history.  It’s the language of the God of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yakov and I believe it’s the language we’ll all be speaking [in Messianic days].”

For Al McCarn, a member of the Hebrew Roots movement and Executive Director of B’ney Yosef North America, Hebrew is connected to his very identity.  “My primary motivation for learning Hebrew is because I have come to think of it as the language of my people.  I believe the Torah awakening among those of us who have come from Christian backgrounds is the prophesied restoration of the House of Yosef/Ephraim, which means I identify as a Hebrew.  That’s why I want to become competent in the language of Israel, the Hebrew nation.”

A Hebrew text. (Shutterstock)
A Hebrew text. (Shutterstock)

“Also, I want to learn the Bible in the its original language so I have a better understanding of the Word of God and the people of God,” he added.

McCarn discussed how Jewish people can help those who come from the Hebrew Roots movement.  “What I have found is that the knowledge and understanding Jews possess regarding the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) and the Hebrew language in which much of it was written, is something we are sorely lacking.

“If we begin to study Hebrew (either ancient or modern) with any degree of seriousness, we will learn that the best teachers are Jews, and that we do have much that we can contribute to one another.”

Mikell Clayton, President of the Joined to Hashem Hebrew Roots ministry, sees learning Hebrew as a means to an end.  “Learning Hebrew is not my focus, but rather learning Torah as the way of life given to those who desire to worship the one true Elohim (God), the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

“Since the Torah was written in Hebrew, the more familiar I can become with the language, the closer I can come to the original meaning of a life lived by Torah instructions.”  Clayton encouraged Jewish people to help “in this experience of drawing near to HaShem (God) through His revealed Torah by opening their hearts to people who have open hearts.”

Jonathan Lipnick, a Biblical Hebrew professor at the Israel Institute of Biblical Studies, has been teaching Biblical Hebrew for years and yet says, “With all of my experience and knowledge, I still find that there is more to uncover and learn every day.”  In his live video sessions with students, Lipnick reveals the meanings behind Hebrew Scriptures and texts that are completely missed when reading their translations.  “Many words in Hebrew have double or even triple meanings, and when you translate a phrase, you need to choose one of those meanings.  It is amazing to me every time to see my students so excited when they discover something new about scriptures they thought they knew so well.”


bfb161221-rivkah-adlerDr. Rivkah Lambert Adler is a Bible and Prophecy Watch reporter on Breaking Israel News.  She made aliyah in 2010 from Baltimore, where her husband served as a synagogue rabbi.  Rivkah currently lives in Ma’ale Adumim, just east of Jerusalem.  On September 11, 2001, she became passionate about the Land of Israel and the Final Redemption, about which she has been writing, speaking and teaching ever since.  


© Albert J. McCarn and The Barking Fox Blog, 2016.  Permission to use and/or duplicate original material on The Barking Fox Blog is granted, provided that full and clear credit is given to Albert J. McCarn and The Barking Fox Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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