The Department of Hebrew Language

Of all the places where the Hebrew language can be studied, the Hebrew University's Department of Hebrew Language holds singular pride of place. Hebrew, emerging from ancient Israel and revived here in modern times, is wedded to this land as to no other. Here, the language of a people can be studied and analyzed in its natural home.

The Department of Hebrew Language is concerned with the linguistic description of Hebrew. General linguistic theories and methods, as well as philological approaches, are studied and developed to analyze the structure of the Hebrew language from its beginnings to the modern period. The relationship of Hebrew to other Semitic languages is also carefully examined, and Aramaic is specifically studied as a cognate language which for centuries deeply influenced the development of Hebrew.

Typical faculty research in the Department includes: Comparative Semitics; North-West Semitic epigraphy; historical-comparative grammar of Biblical Hebrew; grammar and lexicon of Mishnaic Hebrew; the linguistic background of rabbinic and medieval exegesis to the Bible; Hebrew linguistic theory in the Middle Ages; computer-assisted development and design of Hebrew courseware; Jewish languages spoken in North Africa 1492-1912; and documentation and research of oral traditions of the Jewish languages.

The teaching program gives students a theoretical and methodic basis for pursuing related research or for engaging in teaching, linguistic editing or other practical work in the field. Through these studies, students gain an understanding of the periods and forms of the Hebrew language according to modern scientific methods, in relation to languages that are close to Hebrew because they have a common source, and to Jewish languages alongside Hebrew. Students specializing in Hebrew Language become adept at reading early sources as well as modern studies of Hebrew, and, on a broader scale, develop a scientific approach to language.