Here we go again. I arrive at Canford Community College in Hounslow after another sleepless night in the Heathrow IBIS Budget Hotel, directly under the incoming northern flight path. It’s not the hotel’s fault I didn’t sleep; it’s because I’m on shpilkes (tenterhooks). The staff see the state I’m in and offer me a complimentary breakfast to ward off the collywobbles. I take one look at the fry-up buffet and flee in panic.
The college reception area is thronged with teenage candidates. Approaching my 79th birthday, I am clearly the oldest. A young Indian woman offers me her chair. I politely decline. A mum wearing a hijab gives me a warm smile. I smile back. In the college sports hall, the exam venue, I am the lone kippah ranger.
What am I doing at Cranford College? Ah, yes: I am scheduled to take the final biblical Hebrew A-level paper here. As an external student, I am unable to sit the exam at Jewish schools offering the subject. Staying overnight in Heathrow enables me to tackle the set texts from the Books of Samuel and Kings, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, rather than having to navigate the trip from home through the morning rush hour. A good plan. Unfortunately, insomnia has rendered it totally obsolete.
So, why am I putting myself through this? My son suggests I’m on an ego trip. He may be right, but it is also true that I love a challenge. Having acquired a modern Hebrew A-level in my mid-forties, I feel a compulsion to top it off with its biblical equivalent in my late seventies.
Why am I telling you this? Well, my ambition is to teach this stuff. I want to share my knowledge of how this beautiful Hebrew language of ours actually works.
I have already sketched out a syllabus. This is my premise: a grasp of biblical Hebrew can essentially be obtained from a study of Psalm 121, the one which begins: “I raise my eyes to the hills.”
BTW: by “grasp”, I do not mean the ability to translate word for word, though this would be facilitated. Rather, it is an appreciation of the style and grammar of biblical Hebrew characterised by add-ons of prefixes and suffixes around basic roots, to signify different verb tenses, prepositions and pronouns. Not forgetting the ubiquitous commencing Vav. Whew! Sounds exciting? Okay, I get it; there is unlikely to be a queue around the block on enrolment day.
Oh dear, I think I may have said too much. I received my results a few weeks ago: a “B”. It turns out that my knowledge of biblical Hebrew warranted at least an “A”. However, my essay answers in English let me down. Odd really as I was an English lecturer for the last 18 years of my working life. I’m not going to ask for a re-mark though: I’m convinced it’s Hashem’s way of teaching me humility.
After we are done with Psalm 121, you can bring your own favourite text for a similar analysis. The only requirement is the ability to decode Hebrew characters. Still interested? I’m contactable through the JC. The course is most likely to take place at synagogue in Edgware on a weekday afternoon. Members of other communities are welcome. Shalom al Yisrael! (peace be upon Israel!)
Lawrence Cohen is a lecturer and Hebrew teacher
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