|
Shalom Dear Harold jitschak,
Today, Kaf Alef of Tevet (Hebrew Date) - the Birthday of Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, is the day of the Hebrew language, as declared by the Israeli government.
Ben Yehuda
Eliezer Ben-Yehuda (1858-1922) was a pioneer in the revival of spoken Hebrew who made his ideology approachable to the common man through the popular media of his time, newspapers. At the same time he helped found the Language Committee and composed the largest and most comprehensive Hebrew dictionary of his era, which aimed to record the Hebrew vocabulary from all periods.
Ben Yehuda was considered a funny Jewish guy who simply used his brain to invent new words. He revived more than 300 Hebrew words in modern Hebrew by understanding that Israel is a melting pot of cultures and languages.
Among the many hundreds of words Ben-Yehuda is
credited with creating are:
"bubba" (doll)
"glida" (ice cream)
"khavita" (omelet)
"khaydak" (bacteria)
|
You can watch a short video clip about Ben Yehuda by clicking on the link or on his picture below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVBM1_9EttY
In addition, you are welcome to listen to a very nice song by Yaron London about Ben Yehuda below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X-n7iO9I0g
The translation of the song follows:
Like the prophets, zealous about G-d (in Hebrew also name / noun)
He was zealous about the verb,
the adjective, and the noun.
And at midnight, oil-lamp in his window,
He would write in his dictionary stacks
and stacks of nice words, words
which fly, which roll from the tongue.
Eliezer, when will you lie down to sleep
You're practically bent over.
And Hebrew, which has waited 2,000 years
Will still be waiting for you at dawn.
Eliezer Ben Yehuda,
An amusing Jew.
Words, words, words
He invented from his feverish brain.
If Hebrew has slept for 2,000 years, so what?
Come, let's wake it up, and invent "initiative" (yozma), clothes-iron (mag-hetz), bomb (p'tzatza),
furniture (rihut).
With feather tip, in fluid writing,
He wrote k'ruvit (cauliflower), he wrote g'lida (ice cream);
he wrote all of the Ben Yehuda Dictionary.
And he went on creating words,
And his fast quill didn't rest,
And the language grew
And didn't recognize itself in the morning.
Eliezer Ben Yehuda ...
And when a son was born to him, he said:
This firstborn I will call Ben Yehuda, Itamar
Who from infancy to withering
From the day of his entering the covenant
(brit-milah) until his death
Will have a covenant, with Hebrew
And will fight to wipe out foreign language.
Itamar - truly became a man,
Tall, handsome and well-spoken,
And the language he spoke was Hebrew.
Itamar Ben-Avi (In Hebrew an Acronym for Eliezer Ben Yehuda)
Whose father was a prophet,
A man after my own heart.
Eliezer Ben Yehuda ...
YOM HULEDET SAMEACH LA'IVRIT
HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEBREW!!!
After receiving numerous inquiries about publishing our apps on the Android platform, we are happy to announce that our first Android app is now in the air!!!
It's our interactive eBook "My First Hebrew Experience".
You can find it on Google Play Store under the name:
"iHebrew Beginner 1"
Web link:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tricode.ulpanor
The equivalent iOS app can be found on Apple App Store under the name:
"iHebrew Beg1"
Web link:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ihebrew-beg1/id668472211?mt=8
Please also notice our unique App for iPad:
1. Hebrew From Insight Out: The Five Books of Torah
at:
https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/ulpan-or-hebrew-from-insight/id564589088?mt=8
2. Hebrew From Insight Out: The Book of Genesis
at:
https://itunes.apple.com/hk/app/ulpan-or-hebrew-from-insight/id576316832?mt=8
Please make sure to download the latest update to make the apps work with the new operating system - iOS7.
Enjoy!
Orly & Yoel
|
