Moshe Sokolow | Yeshiva University (original) (raw)
Papers by Moshe Sokolow
![Research paper thumbnail of They Regard it [Grammar] as Nearly Heretical" Hebrew Grammar and Philology in the Beit Hamidrash, Beit Haseifer, and Beit Hak'neset](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/98283607/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](Hebrew Studies, 2022
Describing his own work as “the first attempt since the Mikhlol to record, explain, and arrange... more Describing his own work as “the first attempt since the Mikhlol to record, explain,
and arrange the tradition of grammatical knowledge systematically,” Zalman
Hena (1687–1746), one of the outstanding Hebrew grammarians of his era, built
a theoretical linguistic edifice (a youthful opus was even called Binyan Sh’lomo)
on a combination of the critical analysis of his predecessors and considerable
original, even radical, thinking. If one of the accomplishments of the Haskalah
was the renaissance of Hebrew, then it appears that Zalman Hena bears significant
responsibility for that achievement, even though it is likely that he would have
dissociated himself from that movement as did most of the Orthodox communities
of Central Europe in which he lived.
Yonatan Wormser, a professor of Hebrew language at the College of Efrata,
provides us with a comprehensive portrait of Hena’s theories on phonology,
including vocalization and the nature of the letters, and morphology, including the
construction of Hebrew roots, verbal stems (binyanim) and conjugations, and the
classifications of nouns. The book also covers matters of syntax, semantics, and
rhetoric, such as the use of particles, the definite article, gender and number,
absolute and construct states, parts of speech, and word order.
Another chapter describes Hena’s attempts to formulate new rules, or recast old
ones, to account for many of what his predecessors saw as exceptions and
anomalies. Because he was dedicated to the proposition that Hebrew is a God-given
language and, hence, perfect, he sought to limit the number of grammatical
exceptions to those that were crafted deliberately to draw attention to (unspecified)
esoteric meanings. A final chapter details Hena’s application of his grammatical
theories to standard Ashkenazic liturgical texts to correct what he saw as numerous
mistakes in vocalization and punctuation. This effort met with considerable
resistance and had a patent impact on Hena’s life and reputation.
Herein, we shall endeavor to place Hena’s work, and Wormser’s informative
and functional guide, into a larger historical and cultural context, exploring the role
and impact of formal grammatical study in three dimensions: the beit hamidrash
(representing traditional religious scholarship), the beit haseifer (Jewish education),
and the beit hak’neset (apropos of Hena’s liturgical emendations).
Torah Education Network (T.E.N.) ; Educators Council of America, Torah Education Department of the WZO, Max Stern Division of Communal Services of Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (YU), 1998
Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, Yeshiva University., 2007
Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, Yeshiva University., 2006
Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society, 1979
Teachers College Record, 2003
NY: Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary., 1987
Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society, 1986
Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education & Administration, Yeshiva University, Mar 1, 2021
Jewish Educational Leadership is distributed to members of The Lookstein Center.
THERE IS little to beat the satisfaction of a job well done. You stand at the doors of the ward w... more THERE IS little to beat the satisfaction of a job well done. You stand at the doors of the ward waving goodbye to the patient you have just helped nurse back to health. There are smiles all round and, perhaps, even a few tears (not to mention the chocolates). That is why you came into nursing. That is what it is all about.
Journal of Semitic Studies, 2008
Journal of Research on Christian Education, 2013
Jewish and Muslim philosophers, alike, regarded the formation of proper habits to be the key to e... more Jewish and Muslim philosophers, alike, regarded the formation of proper habits to be the key to effective education. They also considered rational acceptance of religious obligation to be mandatory for successful observance. This essay examines the relationship between these two dimensions of religious education: knowledge and reason on the one hand, and habit and action on the other hand, in the philosophical and pedagogical works of Abu Hāmid al-Ghazāli (1058–1111,) Moses Maimonides (1135–1204), and the anonymous Sefer Ha-Hinnukh (13th century).
Jewish Quarterly Review, 2007
Video of book talk by faculty author, Dr. Moshe Sokolow, introduced by Shulamis Hes, Librarian, P... more Video of book talk by faculty author, Dr. Moshe Sokolow, introduced by Shulamis Hes, Librarian, Pollack Library.
Hebrew Studies, 2022
Describing his own work as “the first attempt since the Mikhlol to record, explain, and arrange... more Describing his own work as “the first attempt since the Mikhlol to record, explain,
and arrange the tradition of grammatical knowledge systematically,” Zalman
Hena (1687–1746), one of the outstanding Hebrew grammarians of his era, built
a theoretical linguistic edifice (a youthful opus was even called Binyan Sh’lomo)
on a combination of the critical analysis of his predecessors and considerable
original, even radical, thinking. If one of the accomplishments of the Haskalah
was the renaissance of Hebrew, then it appears that Zalman Hena bears significant
responsibility for that achievement, even though it is likely that he would have
dissociated himself from that movement as did most of the Orthodox communities
of Central Europe in which he lived.
Yonatan Wormser, a professor of Hebrew language at the College of Efrata,
provides us with a comprehensive portrait of Hena’s theories on phonology,
including vocalization and the nature of the letters, and morphology, including the
construction of Hebrew roots, verbal stems (binyanim) and conjugations, and the
classifications of nouns. The book also covers matters of syntax, semantics, and
rhetoric, such as the use of particles, the definite article, gender and number,
absolute and construct states, parts of speech, and word order.
Another chapter describes Hena’s attempts to formulate new rules, or recast old
ones, to account for many of what his predecessors saw as exceptions and
anomalies. Because he was dedicated to the proposition that Hebrew is a God-given
language and, hence, perfect, he sought to limit the number of grammatical
exceptions to those that were crafted deliberately to draw attention to (unspecified)
esoteric meanings. A final chapter details Hena’s application of his grammatical
theories to standard Ashkenazic liturgical texts to correct what he saw as numerous
mistakes in vocalization and punctuation. This effort met with considerable
resistance and had a patent impact on Hena’s life and reputation.
Herein, we shall endeavor to place Hena’s work, and Wormser’s informative
and functional guide, into a larger historical and cultural context, exploring the role
and impact of formal grammatical study in three dimensions: the beit hamidrash
(representing traditional religious scholarship), the beit haseifer (Jewish education),
and the beit hak’neset (apropos of Hena’s liturgical emendations).
Torah Education Network (T.E.N.) ; Educators Council of America, Torah Education Department of the WZO, Max Stern Division of Communal Services of Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (YU), 1998
Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, Yeshiva University., 2007
Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, Yeshiva University., 2006
Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society, 1979
Teachers College Record, 2003
NY: Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary., 1987
Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society, 1986
Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education & Administration, Yeshiva University, Mar 1, 2021
Jewish Educational Leadership is distributed to members of The Lookstein Center.
THERE IS little to beat the satisfaction of a job well done. You stand at the doors of the ward w... more THERE IS little to beat the satisfaction of a job well done. You stand at the doors of the ward waving goodbye to the patient you have just helped nurse back to health. There are smiles all round and, perhaps, even a few tears (not to mention the chocolates). That is why you came into nursing. That is what it is all about.
Journal of Semitic Studies, 2008
Journal of Research on Christian Education, 2013
Jewish and Muslim philosophers, alike, regarded the formation of proper habits to be the key to e... more Jewish and Muslim philosophers, alike, regarded the formation of proper habits to be the key to effective education. They also considered rational acceptance of religious obligation to be mandatory for successful observance. This essay examines the relationship between these two dimensions of religious education: knowledge and reason on the one hand, and habit and action on the other hand, in the philosophical and pedagogical works of Abu Hāmid al-Ghazāli (1058–1111,) Moses Maimonides (1135–1204), and the anonymous Sefer Ha-Hinnukh (13th century).
Jewish Quarterly Review, 2007
Video of book talk by faculty author, Dr. Moshe Sokolow, introduced by Shulamis Hes, Librarian, P... more Video of book talk by faculty author, Dr. Moshe Sokolow, introduced by Shulamis Hes, Librarian, Pollack Library.