Hebrew Lessons for Dummies

     After listening to "Be Your Own Weatherman", a podcast recorded by StreetWise Hebrew, I now can successfully talk about weather in hebrew. Listening to this podcast made me realize how problematic not being able to speak Hebrew in Israel can be. As an American, I cannot expect every israeli to speak english. Although I am learning slowly, I fear that it will not be fast enough. Hebrew is the only languages that is spoken around the world that connects the jewish people. Not only that, but it also has been in use for thousands of years, and today, as reform jews, we have a responsibility to continue the jewish language and culture. If Hebrew was not continued, there would be no translation of the torah, the mishnah, or the talmud, which are the major texts that distinguish judaism from other monotheistic religions. Without Hebrew, the jewish people today would be much more scattered and unconnected compared to the jewish people today.