Why does the Hebrew language matter? Dr. Jeremy Benstein loves Hebrew – it’s a language that is at once, ancient and evolving, holy and daily, tribal and global. Jeremy Benstein invites you to join him on a witty and entertaining journey into the significance of Hebrew for Jews and Judaism at Hebrew Roots, Jewish Routes: A Tribal Language in a Global World. More than the title of his book and Amram Scholar Series talk, Hebrew Roots, Jewish Routes is about the Jewish people and the challenges we face as seen through our shared language, Hebrew.

For Benstein, Hebrew is a vehicle to enrich our connection to Judaism and its values. With fluency a distant goal for many, he helps us approach it by focusing on three-letter Hebrew roots, the “nuggets of knowledge,” that are the building blocks of the language. Tzedakah, for example, usually translated as “charity,” comes from justice (tzedek) and responsibility, not generosity, thus encapsulating an entire economic world view.

Jeremy Benstein is an educator and author who grew up in the Midwest and moved to Israel over 35 years ago. He is the managing editor of 929-English, a website dedicated to creating a global Jewish conversation around issues that unite and divide us, inspired by the formative text of the Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible.

Click here to purchase Hebrew Roots, Jewish Routes through WHC’s Mitzvah Mall

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Presented in partnership with the Jewish Book Coucil.

WHC’s Amram Scholar Series is chaired by Leslie Maitland.