From "Five on Faith"
Each week I ask readers a question involving faith and spirituality for the "Five on Faith" section on Saturday's Religion page. This week's question: Jews learn the Torah in Hebrew; Muslims learn the Qu'ran in Arabic; Hindus learn the Vedas in Sanskrit. Catholics used to have to learn the Bible in Latin. Should our faith be taught in the language of the people who wrote it? Why or why not?
The following responses were written by 8th Graders at B'nai Shalom Day School, a Jewish day school in Greensboro:
By Cassie Borenstein
A person's faith should be taught in the language of the people who wrote it. If somebody translated the Torah from Hebrew to English, its literal meaning might be different from what actually happened in the Torah because in biblical times, some Hebrew words might have been different than they are today. As well, if the Torah were in English, there would probably be less controversy between rabbis about what the Torah is trying to say. Having controversy over what the Torah says makes it all the more interesting.
By Emily Altman
Our faith should not necessarily be taught in the language of the people who wrote it. Instead, it should be taught in the language that helps people learn most easily. For some people, it is hard to learn in a language that they are not able to speak. Practicing their religion in their native language would have an important effect on them; they would actually understand what they are praying about, rather than just reciting prayers without thinking. Learning about religion in a language one can understand means that for generations to come, people will know what they are praying about.
By Jack Henza
We need to learn our religion in its original language, lest part of our tradition, our identity, be lost. Not only is Hebrew an important part of our Jewish identity, but many times the text and meaning of the holy Torah have been lost in translation. Before the creation of Israel, Hebrew was used only for prayer; it was dead as a spoken language. Now, however, it has been recovered and is used as the national language of Israel. It would be a terrible thing if the reverse happened, and Hebrew became only a spoken language and was removed from prayer.
By Maddie Sperling
Religious texts should be taught only in the language in which they were written, so as to preserve their holiness. As a Jewish young adult, I have had experience with studying ancient texts, many of which I did not understand. I consider overcoming this obstacle and learning to understand ancient Hebrew texts as one of my highest achievements. I feel an intense relationship with my ancestors as I read from the Torah. I sometimes wonder if one of my distant relatives was a rabbi thousands of years ago. Maybe he took part in recording the text on which we Jews place such high spiritual value.
By Sam Fraifeld
There are some aspects of Judaism that cannot be conveyed in a language other than Hebrew because some of the meaning would be lost in translation. When reading different versions of the Torah in any language but Hebrew, a verse may have many different translations. The Hebrew meaning may have been unclear, so the translations are given from commentary. If we do not read the original Hebrew, we may find that we have a different version of the Torah from our neighbor. This would be terrible because the Torah is the central piece that keeps every branch of Judaism together.
By Sophie Kaplan
We should be able to read and learn about our religion in the language we speak. Even though what we are learning might have been written in another language, it would be most efficient if it were in a language we are able to understand fluently. I think that the Torah should be translated into whatever language you need to be able to learn about it. If G-d wanted the Torah to be taught in only one language, I think G-d would made everyone able to understand that one language.
Comments (3)
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May I ask, what if one can not learn in another language does that keep him from membership in the church or synagogue.
THANKS
Posted on March 19, 2005 10:39 PM
I really don't think one can ever study the Torah or Bible in it's original form, no matter the language. My understanding is that the Torah and Old Testament were tranlated to Greek, the Bible into Latin then English. I also have read that all the tranlations we now have are retranslations from the Greek or Latin because no Hebrew versions survived from the pre-translation period.
Posted on March 20, 2005 12:26 PM
To F Reid: Of course it does not. Why on earth would it?
To Tony: If you read a King James bible and a Torah in Hebrew, the difference will be astounding. Honestly, there is a lot that has been lost in Anglicization. Even when the Torah was in Greek, a Hebrew oral tradition survived. Anyway, the point is that there is a lot of valuable meaning to be had in reading a Hebrew text.
Posted on December 28, 2008 4:35 PM