Ever since the earliest times, Jewish scholars have looked to the Hebrew language as a source of holiness and a wellspring of wisdom. Both letters and words, it has always been assumed, they have hidden messages and secrets to be sought after, as if we are opening a shell to extract the fruit. Rabbi Benjamin Blech has gathered many examples of the meanings hidden within Hebrew words and has explained them to the modern reader_even those who do not know any Hebrew. The result is both a fine illustration of this activity as well as a book rich with Jewish insight and teachings.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
Rabbi Blech, the master teacher whose dynamism inspires in the classroom, discloses the excitement that generates from hidden meanings lying beneath the surface of the biblical text and basic Hebrew words. This work will be helpful and valuable to those new to Torah study as an opportunity to taste multifaceted treasures of Judaism, as well as those more learned, enabling them to discover new meaning to previously observed.... (Rabbi Benjamin Yudin )
In hundreds of illustrations dealing with a vast array of topics?Israel, God, Torah; life and death; truth and falsehood; good and evil; joy and sorrow; love and hatred; peace and war; the blessings of life (wealth, wisdom, soul, friends); man, woman, andfamily; biblical heroes and villains; and prophecies and predictions?the author conveys the major ideas of Judaism as they are expressed in the secrets built into simply Hebrew words....
In hundreds of illustrations dealing with a vast array of topics?Israel, God, Torah; life and death; truth and falsehood; good and evil; joy and sorrow; love and hatred; peace and war; the blessings of life (wealth, wisdom, soul, friends); man, woman, andfamily; biblical heroes and villains; and prophecies and predictions?the author conveys the major ideas of Judaism as they are expressed in the secrets built into simply Hebrew words....
Language Notes
Text: English, Hebrew
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39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Secrets of hebrew Words,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Secrets of Hebrew Words (Paperback)
Did you know that hidden in the Hebrew word for israel is a clear allusion to the patriarchs and matriarchs of the Jewish people? Did you know that the number of commandments in the Torah is indicated by its very name? What fundamental truths of the jewish faith are revealed by Hebrew words? How can one understand their many levels of meaning and thereby grasp the essence of each? In The Secrets of Hebrew Words, Rabbi Benjamin Blech takes readers on a richly rewarding journey through the fascinating world of acronyms, gematria (the reckoning of numbers), and other techniques, revealing profound secrets of Jewish thought, cultural values, and religious perspective. Rabbi Blech explores a vast array of topics that convey the major ideas of Judaism: Israel, God, and Torah; life and death, truth and falsehood, good and evil, joy and sorrow, love and hatred, peace and war; the blessings of life (wealth, wisdom, the soul, friends); man, woman, and family; biblical heroes and villains; and prophecies and predictions. Each word pertaining to a given theme is presented in a succinct one-page analysis, providing an informative glimpse into its significance. Readers will understand the real power behind a lie as indicated by the Hebrew word for falsehood, sheker. They will find the key to the jewish approach to immortality embedded in the word kever (grave). And they'll experience countless other insights as they examine all of the words in this thought-provoking book. The Secrets of Hebrew Words is an intriguing collection of linguistic gems that will entertain readers while giving them a deeper insight into the jewish faith and its people.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Tiny text, but makes some good points,
By
This review is from: The Secrets of Hebrew Words (Paperback)
This book is essentially traditional but using the Kabbalistic method of Gematria (numerology) as a jumping off place for homiletic teachings. This is a standard approach paralleling old homilies based on Biblical quotations. The author also uses phrases & separates words/phrases into parts to make his points--a very clever way of both teaching & helping students to recall teachings. It somewhat resembles, the Jungian psychological method of amplification wherein a person explores what a symbol means specifically to him or her, & is reminiscent of Jung's idea of synchronicity (meaningful coincidence) an acausal phenomenon whereby the future draws the present rather than the past driving the present. Some of the teachings are wise, even profound: p. 21: "As the Midrash so beautifully states, excessive kindness to the cruel is but another form of cruelty to the righteous," p. 105: "Why do people fight against others? Because they are not whole or at peace with themselves," & p. 195: "No person is ever to be `acquired' by another. Even a child does not `belong' to his parents. A child is a person, not an object, a human being not a thing. To be treated like a possession is wrong. It is also damaging. It deprives an individual of proper self-perception." Thus, the author has an obvious feel for psychology. It's very odd though that he uses Gematria with a BCE date on p. 210! I especially liked p. 18: "Judaism long ago acknowledged that God is not only our Father in heaven, but our kind, compassionate, and forgiving Mother as well," though I think this is rather controversial. I'm also unsure of some of his statements such as p. 99: "Hebrew is the oldest language." Traditionally? Most chapters are just okay IMHO.
Scientifically, Gematria correspondences are only illustrative. If one took all words in a Hebrew dictionary, calculated their Gematria (numerical equivalents), & ordered them by numbers, there would be many words with the same number. Homilists (e.g. our author) choose those supporting his point. Regarding coincidences, it is naïve to think they are inherent--it's like 2 people with same birthday in a small group--seemingly unlikely, but statistically correct. Gematria is not predictive, but one must allow the Homilist poetic license. On the other hand, the title addresses "Secrets." This implies they are inherent rather than traditional & per the standard acronym "Pardes" (the 4 levels of interpretation), "Sod" means secret. IMHO this book is not primarily Sod but homiletic. Further, it's quite expensive & of its 215 numbered pages 71 are spacers & the rest average ½ page of text per page. Thus, the text is equivalent to only 70 odd full pages.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Secret of Hebrew Words,
By
This review is from: The Secrets of Hebrew Words (Paperback)
I purchased this as a gift because I love the first one I bought so much. It gives insights a non-Hebrew could not have other wise. Very well done. Much wisdom
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