Is Reading Psalms in Hebrew Effective Without Understanding the Language?

[Ziran]

Your aim? I doubt you had one. Your remark is childish and eristic.

My aim is to assess whether or not you know what you're talking about in regard to "comprehension" of the Psalms.

Reading Hebrew is easier than it seems. For comprehension, I mean.

Reading comprehension in the Psalms is far from easy. If it were, you would not have avoided the question and instead answered simply.

You need grammar to tell you how the words relate to each other.

Yes and no. Pattern matching is better place to start. Anyone can do it with knowledge of the Hebrew alphabet and some basic kabalistic principles in their metaphorical toolbelt. Psalm 49 is a good example:


49:1
למנצח לבני־קרח מזמור׃

49:2
שמעו־זאת כל־העמים האזינו כל־ישבי חלד׃

49:3
גם־בני אדם גם־בני־איש יחד עשיר ואביון׃

49:4
פי ידבר חכמות והגות לבי תבונות׃

49:5
אטה למשל אזני אפתח בכנור חידתי׃

49:6
למה אירא בימי רע עון עקבי יסובני׃

49:7
הבטחים על־חילם וברב עשרם יתהללו׃

49:8
אח לא־פדה יפדה איש לא־יתן לאלהים כפרו׃

49:9
ויקר פדיון נפשם וחדל לעולם׃

49:10
ויחי־עוד לנצח לא יראה השחת׃

49:11
כי יראה חכמים ימותו יחד כסיל ובער יאבדו ועזבו לאחרים חילם׃

49:12
קרבם בתימו לעולם משכנתם לדר ודר קראו בשמותם עלי אדמות׃

49:13
ואדם ביקר בל־ילין נמשל כבהמות נדמו׃

49:14
זה דרכם כסל למו ואחריהם בפיהם ירצו סלה׃

49:15
כצאן לשאול שתו מות ירעם וירדו בם ישרים לבקר וצירם [וצורם] לבלות שאול מזבל לו׃

49:16
אך־אלהים יפדה נפשי מיד־שאול כי יקחני סלה׃

49:17
אל־תירא כי־יעשר איש כי־ירבה כבוד ביתו׃

49:18
כי לא במותו יקח הכל לא־ירד אחריו כבודו׃

49:19
כי־נפשו בחייו יברך ויודך כי־תיטיב לך׃

49:20
תבוא עד־דור אבותיו עד־נצח לא יראו־אור׃

49:21
אדם ביקר ולא יבין נמשל כבהמות נדמו׃


נצח is the 7th sephirot. Here it is in focus in the 49th (7x7) Psalm. It is embedded in the first word, embedded in the middle, embedded in the end. Comprehension of the Psalm needs to begin here. There are several important symmetrical patterns similar to this embedded throughout the Psalm. This is consistent throughout the entire book. Yes, the Hebrew language is needed, but no, it is not easy. Describing it as easy discourages a deep comprehension, לבי תבונות, indicated in bold and red, not coincidentally in the 4th verse, which results, naturally, in encouraging נמשל כבהמות נדמו, which is how the Psalm is concluded. משל כבהמות נדמו is not a good thing in this context.

Post automatically merged: Aug 29, 2024

follow through by checking out some good Hebrew resources

May I recommend? "Letters of Light" It's wonderful and possibly one of the most useful Hebrew language resources that I've found. I've read it many times, and I refer back to it often. It's free online, and a rather quick read.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

There's also a story in the Zohar, at the beginning, which tells a parable of the Hebrew Alphabet. This is also interesting reading. The compiler of the Zohar deemed it foundational. It's a fun story, but, a tad bit cumbersome. There is at least one free translation online. I found it to be problematic at the end. If you or any other readers are interested in my corrected translation, send me a message.

 

[Xenophon]

My aim is to assess whether or not you know what you're talking about in regard to "comprehension" of the Psalms.



Reading comprehension in the Psalms is far from easy. If it were, you would not have avoided the question and instead answered simply.



Yes and no. Pattern matching is better place to start. Anyone can do it with knowledge of the Hebrew alphabet and some basic kabalistic principles in their metaphorical toolbelt. Psalm 49 is a good example:


49:1
למנצח לבני־קרח מזמור׃

49:2
שמעו־זאת כל־העמים האזינו כל־ישבי חלד׃

49:3
גם־בני אדם גם־בני־איש יחד עשיר ואביון׃

49:4
פי ידבר חכמות והגות לבי תבונות׃

49:5
אטה למשל אזני אפתח בכנור חידתי׃

49:6
למה אירא בימי רע עון עקבי יסובני׃

49:7
הבטחים על־חילם וברב עשרם יתהללו׃

49:8
אח לא־פדה יפדה איש לא־יתן לאלהים כפרו׃

49:9
ויקר פדיון נפשם וחדל לעולם׃

49:10
ויחי־עוד לנצח לא יראה השחת׃

49:11
כי יראה חכמים ימותו יחד כסיל ובער יאבדו ועזבו לאחרים חילם׃

49:12
קרבם בתימו לעולם משכנתם לדר ודר קראו בשמותם עלי אדמות׃

49:13
ואדם ביקר בל־ילין נמשל כבהמות נדמו׃

49:14
זה דרכם כסל למו ואחריהם בפיהם ירצו סלה׃

49:15
כצאן לשאול שתו מות ירעם וירדו בם ישרים לבקר וצירם [וצורם] לבלות שאול מזבל לו׃

49:16
אך־אלהים יפדה נפשי מיד־שאול כי יקחני סלה׃

49:17
אל־תירא כי־יעשר איש כי־ירבה כבוד ביתו׃

49:18
כי לא במותו יקח הכל לא־ירד אחריו כבודו׃

49:19
כי־נפשו בחייו יברך ויודך כי־תיטיב לך׃

49:20
תבוא עד־דור אבותיו עד־נצח לא יראו־אור׃

49:21
אדם ביקר ולא יבין נמשל כבהמות נדמו׃


נצח is the 7th sephirot. Here it is in focus in the 49th (7x7) Psalm. It is embedded in the first word, embedded in the middle, embedded in the end. Comprehension of the Psalm needs to begin here. There are several important symmetrical patterns similar to this embedded throughout the Psalm. This is consistent throughout the entire book. Yes, the Hebrew language is needed, but no, it is not easy. Describing it as easy discourages a deep comprehension, לבי תבונות, indicated in bold and red, not coincidentally in the 4th verse, which results, naturally, in encouraging נמשל כבהמות נדמו, which is how the Psalm is concluded. משל כבהמות נדמו is not a good thing in this context.

Post automatically merged: Aug 29, 2024

May I recommend? "Letters of Light" It's wonderful and possibly one of the most useful Hebrew language resources that I've found. I've read it many times, and I refer back to it often. It's free online, and a rather quick read.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

There's also a story in the Zohar, at the beginning, which tells a parable of the Hebrew Alphabet. This is also interesting reading. The compiler of the Zohar deemed it foundational. It's a fun story, but, a tad bit cumbersome. There is at least one free translation online. I found it to be problematic at the end. If you or any other readers are interested in my corrected translation, send me a message.

Again, I did not say understanding the Psalms is "easy." I said it is "easier" than OP perhaps believed. Later---in reply to your earlier fatuous objection---I explained by noting that understanding the Psalms is within reach of people of moderate intelligence. Witness the number of Jews down the ages who read the Psalms in the original, the number of Christian seminarians who are required to learn Hebrew. Any student of Psalms will, of course, avail himself of commentaries to facilitate understanding.

So the question at this point is not whether OP can be brought to understand Hebrew. It is whether you can be brought up to scratch in English.

Post automatically merged: Aug 30, 2024

Thanks for the advice! I really appreciate it and will definitely follow through by checking out some good Hebrew resources and focusing on the basics.

At chabad.org you can learn to chant Psalms in Hebrew daily. At "Tellihim Audio." You'll need your own written text to follow along, though.

 

[Sunnylil]

My aim is to assess whether or not you know what you're talking about in regard to "comprehension" of the Psalms.



Reading comprehension in the Psalms is far from easy. If it were, you would not have avoided the question and instead answered simply.



Yes and no. Pattern matching is better place to start. Anyone can do it with knowledge of the Hebrew alphabet and some basic kabalistic principles in their metaphorical toolbelt. Psalm 49 is a good example:


49:1
למנצח לבני־קרח מזמור׃

49:2
שמעו־זאת כל־העמים האזינו כל־ישבי חלד׃

49:3
גם־בני אדם גם־בני־איש יחד עשיר ואביון׃

49:4
פי ידבר חכמות והגות לבי תבונות׃

49:5
אטה למשל אזני אפתח בכנור חידתי׃

49:6
למה אירא בימי רע עון עקבי יסובני׃

49:7
הבטחים על־חילם וברב עשרם יתהללו׃

49:8
אח לא־פדה יפדה איש לא־יתן לאלהים כפרו׃

49:9
ויקר פדיון נפשם וחדל לעולם׃

49:10
ויחי־עוד לנצח לא יראה השחת׃

49:11
כי יראה חכמים ימותו יחד כסיל ובער יאבדו ועזבו לאחרים חילם׃

49:12
קרבם בתימו לעולם משכנתם לדר ודר קראו בשמותם עלי אדמות׃

49:13
ואדם ביקר בל־ילין נמשל כבהמות נדמו׃

49:14
זה דרכם כסל למו ואחריהם בפיהם ירצו סלה׃

49:15
כצאן לשאול שתו מות ירעם וירדו בם ישרים לבקר וצירם [וצורם] לבלות שאול מזבל לו׃

49:16
אך־אלהים יפדה נפשי מיד־שאול כי יקחני סלה׃

49:17
אל־תירא כי־יעשר איש כי־ירבה כבוד ביתו׃

49:18
כי לא במותו יקח הכל לא־ירד אחריו כבודו׃

49:19
כי־נפשו בחייו יברך ויודך כי־תיטיב לך׃

49:20
תבוא עד־דור אבותיו עד־נצח לא יראו־אור׃

49:21
אדם ביקר ולא יבין נמשל כבהמות נדמו׃


נצח is the 7th sephirot. Here it is in focus in the 49th (7x7) Psalm. It is embedded in the first word, embedded in the middle, embedded in the end. Comprehension of the Psalm needs to begin here. There are several important symmetrical patterns similar to this embedded throughout the Psalm. This is consistent throughout the entire book. Yes, the Hebrew language is needed, but no, it is not easy. Describing it as easy discourages a deep comprehension, לבי תבונות, indicated in bold and red, not coincidentally in the 4th verse, which results, naturally, in encouraging נמשל כבהמות נדמו, which is how the Psalm is concluded. משל כבהמות נדמו is not a good thing in this context.

Post automatically merged: Aug 29, 2024

May I recommend? "Letters of Light" It's wonderful and possibly one of the most useful Hebrew language resources that I've found. I've read it many times, and I refer back to it often. It's free online, and a rather quick read.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

There's also a story in the Zohar, at the beginning, which tells a parable of the Hebrew Alphabet. This is also interesting reading. The compiler of the Zohar deemed it foundational. It's a fun story, but, a tad bit cumbersome. There is at least one free translation online. I found it to be problematic at the end. If you or any other readers are interested in my corrected translation, send me a message.

Thank you so much for the recommendation! 'Letters of Light' sounds really promising—I’ll definitely check it out. The Zohar story also sounds intriguing. I’d love to see your corrected translation, so I’ll be sure to reach out! Thanks again for sharing

Post automatically merged: Aug 30, 2024

Again, I did not say understanding the Psalms is "easy." I said it is "easier" than OP perhaps believed. Later---in reply to your earlier fatuous objection---I explained by noting that understanding the Psalms is within reach of people of moderate intelligence. Witness the number of Jews down the ages who read the Psalms in the original, the number of Christian seminarians who are required to learn Hebrew. Any student of Psalms will, of course, avail himself of commentaries to facilitate understanding.

So the question at this point is not whether OP can be brought to understand Hebrew. It is whether you can be brought up to scratch in English.

Post automatically merged: Aug 30, 2024

At chabad.org you can learn to chant Psalms in Hebrew daily. At "Tellihim Audio." You'll need your own written text to follow along, though.

Thanks again for the help! I just checked out Chabad.org, and I had no idea about the site before—it's really useful!

 

[Xenophon]

Thank you so much for the recommendation! 'Letters of Light' sounds really promising—I’ll definitely check it out. The Zohar story also sounds intriguing. I’d love to see your corrected translation, so I’ll be sure to reach out! Thanks again for sharing

Post automatically merged: Aug 30, 2024

Thanks again for the help! I just checked out Chabad.org, and I had no idea about the site before—it's really useful!

( see---https://www.jtsa.edu/biblical-hebrew-at-jts/) The Jewish Theological Seminary (founded 1886) offers a pay-for study course. They---not my unreliable self--- say you can learn to meaningfully read the scriptures in 18 months of regular study. This includes 90 minutes of in-class study per week. The institution describes itself as "conservative Jewish," so I doubt you're dealing with a McSchool here. In a nutshell, if you put in the sustained attention, you'll be meaningfully reading the Psalms in the foreseeable future. It's a natural outcome. (Interestingly enough, in Chinese, "natural" is 自然的 Why does that ring bells? It sounds like "zi ran." Or, more exactly, "Ziran, duh.")

 

[Ziran]

"conservative Jewish,"

The Conservative Movement avoids/denies mystical or spiritual concepts in Jewish textual study.

They say you can learn to meaningfully read the scriptures in 18 months of regular study.

They're talking about "Peshat", comprehension of the simple meaning on the surface. It's a good place to start, but, the Conservative Movement's version of "meaningful" is woefully incomplete.

 

[Xenophon]

The Conservative Movement avoids/denies mystical or spiritual concepts in Jewish textual study.



They're talking about "Peshat", comprehension of the simple meaning on the surface. It's a good place to start, but, the Conservative Movement's version of "meaningful" is woefully incomplete.

Now this is useful to know. (Though perhaps not a huge consideration for OP who was seeking entry-level Hebrew.)

Post automatically merged: Sep 1, 2024

Now this is useful to know. (Though perhaps not a huge consideration for OP who was seeking entry-level Hebrew.)

The Conservative Movement avoids/denies mystical or spiritual concepts in Jewish textual study.



They're talking about "Peshat", comprehension of the simple meaning on the surface. It's a good place to start, but, the Conservative Movement's version of "meaningful" is woefully incomplete.

To clarify my remark about "easier," I was talking about OP getting a learner's permit to drive, as it were, not entering a stock car competition. In a word his Peshat permit.

 

[Sunnylil]

( see---https://www.jtsa.edu/biblical-hebrew-at-jts/) The Jewish Theological Seminary (founded 1886) offers a pay-for study course. They---not my unreliable self--- say you can learn to meaningfully read the scriptures in 18 months of regular study. This includes 90 minutes of in-class study per week. The institution describes itself as "conservative Jewish," so I doubt you're dealing with a McSchool here. In a nutshell, if you put in the sustained attention, you'll be meaningfully reading the Psalms in the foreseeable future. It's a natural outcome. (Interestingly enough, in Chinese, "natural" is 自然的 Why does that ring bells? It sounds like "zi ran." Or, more exactly, "Ziran, duh.")

Thank you, it sounds promising! I'll definitely check out their site and online course program. I think it'll save me a lot of time compared to trying to figure everything out on my own

 

[Xenophon]

Thank you, it sounds promising! I'll definitely check out their site and online course program. I think it'll save me a lot of time compared to trying to figure everything out on my own

There are scads of websites teaching every language. Many of them are free; JTS isn't.

 

[Shade]

As a chaote, I commonly used words I didn’t know the actual language of, as long as I knew what it meant, an example I still say the “Ashem Vohu” prayer. But it wasn’t uncommon for me to make a sigil with languages I didn’t know, recite the words in my head and get the meaning buried in my subconscious also it makes forgetting the phrase easier.