Hebrew Roots, Jewish Routes: A Tribal Language in a Global World, by Jeremy Benstein, is an entertaining and informative trip through the many avenues of the Hebrew language, both today and in antiquity and all places between. I have two reservations which in no way diminish my appreciation for this book or love of Hebrew.
A. The author has a (sometimes unconscious) fear that the split between English and Hebrew as the two dominant Jewish languages is largely detrimental to the Jewish identity of English-speaking Jews. Without Hebrew, Judaism is pale and skinny. To be fair, he does not quite say that, but the implication is often there. This slant ignores the fact that for most of our history Jews have spoken another language than Hebrew, and except for the very select few, had rudimentary Hebrew skills at best.
B. This book can make Jews who simply do not have the time, or “skills” to learn Hebrew feel like second-class Jews. This is not stated in the book but is widely implied. The fact is, it is far better to read an excellent translation of a Hebrew text (one that is annotated, that explains the process of translation from Hebrew to English) than have a poor knowledge of Hebrew.
C. Still read this book, just don't feel bad about yourself. You are a good Jew.
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