The End of Month One!

As I mull over the last week, my mind seems to perpetually return to one subject - the Hebrew language. Now whether because I've just finished the first half of a killer midterm or because of the five classroom hours a day I spend attempting to learn the language, Hebrew has been on my mind and in my conversations more than ever before. Of course, we all know that immersion is the key to linguistic success; my time here certainly has cemented the veracity of that adage in my mind. And, while the last month has been filled with more new verbs and adjectives and construct states than I could possibly convey through a blog, living in Israel and learning this ancient language has given me insight into what was before just an exercise in rote memorization. Hebrew is, in many ways, a perfectly accurate representation of the Jewish people, of their constancy and fluidity. As the language of the Bible, of the liturgy, and of ancient Rabbinic literature, Hebrew is fixed - quietly and permanently. Yet at the very same moment, Hebrew is in motion - a language continually shaped and molded by modern needs and desires. Often, ancient Hebraic words, rooted in history, will change their identity and meaning. And therein lies the unique duality of the Hebrew language: it is at once an expression of sacred Jewish principles and at the same time an assertion of the exuberance and vitality of modern Jewish culture. Over a wonderful Shabbat dinner last week, as the conversation turned to how I was getting along in my Ulpan class, a native Israeli began to muse about the nature of Hebrew. She said of the language: "It teaches you to understand the history and the morality of the people who use the words; Hebrew teaches you to understand the Jewish people." It is in that simple phrase that the woman summed up what is most remarkable about the Hebrew language - and I couldn't agree more.

This week truly has gone by in a kind of blur; in between class and homework and avoiding the pesky stray cats that seem to be lurking everywhere in this city, I feel like I haven't had time for much else! Last Friday, however, I began what I know will become part of my regular routine: volunteering at a Jerusalem soup kitchen. Located next to the great Jewish market I mentioned in my first post (called in J-lem: Mahane Yehuda), the kitchen opens its doors in a religious section of town (as much as I loved that white paper jacket they had me put on, I think I'll forego the tank top next time : ). All joking aside, what a great experience it was to volunteer in Jerusalem! Completely unbeknownst to me until just last week, poverty rates in Jerusalem are the highest in the entire country: nearly 42 percent of all residents and 56 percent of all children live at or below the poverty line. The opportunity to use my Hebrew was a wonderful addition to my soup kitchen experience, but much more important were the connections I made with people for whom Jerusalem is not a vacation destination, or a place to do a six month stint, but instead a place where getting from one meal to the next can be a callous and exhausting endeavor.

So that's it for now! The next few days promise to be restful ones; I think we all will need a bit of relaxation after midterms. Until next time...

B'Shalom,
Meagan