Eight Steps for the Beginning Hebrew Student

by Neal Walters The first goal for a beginning Hebrew student is to learn how to read and pronounce Hebrew words and sentences, even if the the student doesn’t understand the meaning. Hebrew does not use the Latin alphabet used by most of the western world. The student must learn how to recognoize and pronounce 22 Hebrew letters and several vowel points, which are written above or below the consonants. Believe it or not, students don’t learn Hebrew for the same reasons, and you, too, should examine your goals. Is your goal to learn to read the Hebrew scriptures, or is it to talk to your cousin in Israel? Or maybe you are trying to learn to pray the traditional prayers in Hebrew. One tool for beginning to learn Biblical Hebrew is to learn the basic vocabulary. You can get list of Hebrew words and their frequency of use, so it makes sense to learn the most popular words first. We offer the “Top 400 Words of the Hebrew Bible” as an audio-product on 4 CDs, or it’s also included within our beginner software tutorial. If you learn how to conjugate Hebrew verbs, it will help you with both Biblical and Modern Hebrew. Even though there are minor differences, the verb conjugation is basically the same. While many nouns overlap between the two, the subjet matter is quite different. Hebrew words with various silent or interchangeable letters may confuse beginning students. In Hebrew, there are two silent letters “ALEPH” and “AYIN” that students often mix up. Further, there are two letters “SHIN” and “SAMECH” that have the “S” sound, and two letters “TAV” and “TET” that have the “T” sound. Hebrew numbers come in two forms, masculine and feminine. So you basically have to learn to count to 10 two different ways. Learning to tell time and doing simple math problems are great ways to enforce the learning of numbers. Games certainly make learning fun, especially for children. It is common for Hebrew study to begin at age 3 for Jewish children. So if you are wondering if your child can learn Hebrew, the answer is a resounding YES! Most students of modern Hebrew must also learn the cursive letters. This is almost like learning a second Hebrew alphabet, because they are quite different from their printed counterparts. The time-tested method of writing the letters over-and-over on lined paper works today as well as it did years ago. See “At Home with Hebrew” to view videos of the above features at our Learn Hebrew Alphabet website. This article is available as a unique content article with free reprint rights.

Christians I like to Judge

The Bible tells us not to judge. Judgment is best left to the ultimate determiner of right and wrong, God. Another reason we should not judge is to protect our own reputation. We tend to judge loudest against our own sins that we see in other people. We project onto others because we don’t like to see the mirror image of our sins. Look closely at what upsets you in other people and you will see yourself. We tend to be indifferent about the sins of others that we don’t own ourselves. Judging others is also a dishonest way of praising ourselves and it may also reflect doubts in our own faith.

But if no one on Earth is passing judgment, who defends the faith? I believe God wants us to defend the faith. Not in the terms of a Torquemada style inquisition, but in terms of a Pauline style of apologetics. I think it can be done as long as you are discussing the behavior and not the person.

So here are some of my favorite outrageous Christian behaviors. I know I own some of these sins, but I’m pretty sure I don’t own all of them. So here I go, in no particular order (at least I don’t think so).

The Self-righteous Christian- I know that is redundant and we are all guilty. Try to remember that there are only two reasons why one should witness. First, Jesus told you to do it. Second, because you love your fellow man. If you are self-righteous about your faith, this means your faith is in your faith and not in Jesus Christ. Don’t make threats of eternal damnation (I’m saved and you’re doomed to Hell.). Reach out to people out of a spirit of love, like Christ did. Yes, He occasionally spoke about damnation, and the fate of the unsaved is clear, but He seemed to reserve those speeches for the phony religious leaders. People who are very confrontational about their faith are probably wrestling with their own doubt. Christ took the calm approach because He knew the truth.

The Christian Theodicies- Sorry, I couldn’t think of a better word. These are the people who speak for God outside of a Biblical context. The kinds who claim they know what God’s divine judgment or other motives are when looking at current events. The kinds that say, “Hurricane Katrina wiped out New Orleans because it was a sinful city.” I don’t know why Christian people like to do this. I guess they are just trying to make some sense out of a seemingly senseless world. Now I can’t make an outright claim that these examples are not divine intervention, but one really shouldn’t speak on God’s behalf. Besides, Katrina steamrollered a huge area outside of New Orleans. Did God miss the mark that day? Personally, I try to stay with the Job approach. Though God loves me, He doesn’t owe me an explanation for what He does. The Holy Spirit is probably doing me a favor by leaving me out of the loop.

Televangelists- I think we can safely say that 90% of the preachers you see on television are con artists. I think this is one of the reasons why some Christians don’t watch television. It’s too embarrassing. We as a church should do a better job at policing up this multi-billion dollar business that preys on the elderly, the poor, the sick, and the desperate. Can you picture Christ entering those television temples and kicking over the tables? Some of these guys may have started out with the best of intentions, but once that money started rolling in, they went off course. How do you know which ones are legitimate? A wise young pastor told me once that you really shouldn’t become too attached to any pastor that you don’t know personally. Take a good look at their ministry. Are they spreading the Gospel or are they self-promoting? Are they edifying God or themselves? Are they consumed with donations? Are their “miracles” revealing God or are they just a sideshow? Do they sell holy trinkets and other gimmicks? You will notice that the further they move away from Christ’s teachings, the more they use His name.

The Church of Your Divine Happiness- These modern churches teach that God exists to make you healthy, wealthy and happy. The leaders lay off of the heavy religious teachings and say whatever it is to get people into their church. This approach might build up their church and give them their own earthly kingdom, but this Christian “lite” doctrine doesn’t build God’s church. Remember, He is not here for us. We are here for Him. If your Christian purpose in life is seeking anything other than Him, then you will be disappointed.

Pop culture Christian authors- Go into a local bookstore and see if you can tell the difference between secular self-help books and Christian self-help books. Nowadays you can’t. You’ll see the big smiling author (pastor) on the front cover with a million dollar smile, an $80 haircut, an $800 suit, plastic surgery, Botox, and an airbrushed photo. Are they sharing religion or themselves? The titles of the books will say, “Ten steps that YOU can take to make YOUR life better,” or, “How to reap God’s Blessings.” Is that what Christianity is all about? I thought we were here to serve God and make other people’s lives better? Remember, a secularist turns inward to improve his life. A Christian turns outward. Many of these books talk about self-esteem. I have yet to find self-esteem in the Bible. The Bible is about self-denial. And a book that sells a million copies is not necessarily righteous. I can’t find one instance in the Bible where God’s Word was popular.

Bad Christian leaders- If you are going to assume the role of a Christian leader you have to understand that every aspect of your life is going to be placed under a microscope. Every mistake you make is going to reflect on all other Christians and on Jesus Christ. You are responsible for Christ’s reputation. Pray for strength, and then find somebody close to you, your spouse or a trusted friend, and have him or her help keep you accountable. Many men struggle with temptations involving sex and money, and many leaders feel the need to speak on God’s behalf. If you are a man struggling with sexual temptation and are tempted by the church secretary, don’t get into a situation where you are alone with her. And don’t try to give the, “It just happened” excuse. Spontaneous adultery doesn’t happen. It takes time to develop the relationship and then it takes an additional effort to get the two of your to a private location. If you are tempted by the love of money, hire somebody to manage it for you and a separate person to audit the accounts. If you have heard the Word of God and are ready to tell it to the television cameras, run what you are going to say past your peers first and try to filter God’s Word from your own word or Satan’s word.

Bad doctrine- Two of my favorites are the “health and wealth” church and the PromiseKeepers. It is hard to be critical of them because they have brought a lot of people to God, but their doctrine makes me cringe and I pray that people they help convert to Christianity will one day grow out of their doctrine. Christ never promised health and wealth on Earth. He promised trials and a way to handle those trials. PromiseKeepers tell us that if we keep some rules then we will better men and get closer to God. Christianity is not about following rules to get closer to God. It is about growing closer to God and then following His rules. Christianity is more of a relationship than a religion.

Christian homophobes- Now I know that is an overused term, but there are too many Christians out there that think we need to tie a leper’s bell on all of the homosexuals. Homosexuality is a sin and it is repulsive to most of us but why is the homosexual treated differently from any other sinner? Is it because we feel so powerless when dealing with our own heterosexual sins and temptations? Some Christians act like it is the only sin in the Bible and it didn’t even make the top ten. Adultery made the top ten, and most people who have divorced and remarried are adulterers. We accommodate this sin, but not the sin of homosexualism. I am not trying to promote homosexualism, just consistency.

Divorced Christians-The terms of a Biblical divorce are very narrowly defined, but that doesn’t stop Christians. Divorce is abhorrent, especially when children are involved. Why did I pick divorce? Not just because it is wrong. A lot of things we do are wrong and that doesn’t stop us from doing them. Divorce is repugnant because it is the antithesis of Christianity. Christianity is about unselfishness. Divorce is selfishness defined.

The Verse Memorizers- I have a minor annoyance with Christians who insists that we memorize scripture. I cannot find a Biblical reference that outright tells us to memorize scripture. There are plenty that say, know the scriptures, and meditate on the scriptures. But I can’t find anything about memorization. I understand that having the discipline to memorize verses insures that you will be studying the scriptures verses, but I have 2 problems with memorization. 1. We take too much of the Bible out of context. Memorizing individual verses will exacerbate this problem. 2. Which verses do you choose to memorize? Do we tend to select only the ones that we agree with? Do we decide that John 3:16 is more important than 1 Chronicles 1:9? We are no longer wondering tribes of illiterate people. We are not relying on oral history or a few circulating hand written manuscripts. Do we really need to memorize verse when we can easily open up our Bible or the internet?

Christian men with who have an Old Testament view of women. These guys consider women as second-class citizens and property, or merely as objects of temptation. Christ did not think this way. He had women in His inner circle. He used a woman to witness to the Samaritans. Women are listed prominently in leadership roles in the New Testament.

The Jesus or Mary (Catholic) image worshippers- You hear about those images that appear in odd places once or twice a year. The Jesus image on a piece of burnt toast, or the Mary image in the reflection of a window. I can’t outright say that all of these images are phony. But the problem is we really don’t know what Jesus and Mary looked like.

Christian business activities- A lot of their activities are identical to the practices of the cutthroat secular world. Should a Christian business accept credit cards? I use a credit card so I really shouldn’t be slamming them. Maybe they need to use credit card services in order to stay in business? But there are other customs I don’t like to see. How about the infamous shipping and handling charges? Why do these businesses calculate S&H charges based on the total price of the product you purchased? Doesn’t the post office charge by weight?

Christians who use Satan as an alibi- Is everything that goes wrong in your life really Satan’s fault? What if the reason your life is a series of rolling disasters is due to the poor decisions that you have made? Now I know that Satan is sneaky and a conniver, but the Bible speaks a lot about his limits, not his power.

God e-mails-If you love God you will forward this. If you are not ashamed you will forward this to everyone in your address book. Guilt is not a good motivator to spread the Gospel. Your unsaved family and friends will just tune it out. You must show them what it is to be saved. The absolute worst kinds are the ones that say you will be blessed if you forward it to x number of people. Those instantly earn the delete key.

The Bible editors- We all do it sometimes. We think that this part of the bible is literal, but that part is metaphorical. Remember, “Did God really say that, did God really mean that?” is what Satan said in the garden.

Something Aint Right

http://www.somethingaintright.com

Butterfly Kisses

“Where has the time gone?” I mumbled to myself. “Just when I
think I am organized, something unexpected pops up and that does
away with my schedule.” Telephone calls, unending questions from
my son, and ‘honey dos’ were just a few interruptions of the
morning.

I sighed as I stood at my kitchen window washing dishes and
wondered what else the day might bring. I was tired, and the day
had only begun.

I watched our youngest daughter from the window while washing
the dishes. She was oblivious to a watchful eye, as she
frolicked in a field of wildflowers with butterflies flitting
around her. She whirled and twirled as a ballet dancer. Suddenly
my flower child sat down, right in the middle of the field,
blond head bobbing from side to side with music, she alone could
hear.

Tossing the dishtowel on the cabinet, I strolled outside to join
my ballerina in the field of colorful flowers. She held her
finger to her lips to silence me as I approached. Obliging, I
eased down cross-legged before her.

Suddenly the most beautiful butterfly lit on her cheek. Eyes
wide with wonder, she couldn’t keep quiet another moment. A
giggle bubbled from within her, breaking the silence. A glorious
sound of robust laughter filled the air as I joined in the
celebration of life while caught up in the moment.

She boasted, “I just got a butterfly kiss.” (I prefer to call it
a kiss from God.) I’m certain it was a gift from God. Leaning
towards her smiling face, I fluttered my eyelashes on her cheek.
“That’s it,” she exclaimed, “That’s just like the butterfly!” A
brief moment of ecstasy for both mother and daughter transpired
in the middle of the field, and I gleaned a treasured memory to
tuck away for future years.

God’s timing was perfect. Somehow, the dishes didn’t seem so
important anymore, nor the schedule and interruptions of the day.

Recently we celebrated her 31st birthday. She now has three
beautiful daughters to join in their own dances, or exchange
butterfly kisses. I hope she hasn’t forgotten.

CASES OF UNUSED BIBLES..A POEM

A friend of mine telephoned me the other day
He said come on up to South Carolina way
I have cases of unused Bibles still in the box
I will give them to you said my friend Mike Cox

I drove I-95 to the other side of Marion Lake
I was thinking unused Bibles for goodness sake
I’ll take those Bibles and pass them around
They need to be used and not in boxes bound

I had a great visit with Mike and his son
They were renovating a motel and having fun
The motel building had been vacant for awhile
The old furniture and fixings made quite a pile

Jonathan Johnson bought the sad looking place
He said I’ll change it and give it a new face
Soon those old rooms will be nice living quarters
Owned by the residents and not rented by boarders

I loaded the cases of Bibles and away I drove
Brought them back home to my pecan grove
I then asked the Lord who to give them to
To the inmates in the local jail I gave a few

Now those Bibles are not collecting dust
People are reading about God in whom I trust
The Word has been bound for far too long
It was good to hear Brother Mike sing a song

Copyright 2005 Irvin L. Rozier , Author of My Walk with the Lord, www.selahbooks.com, ISBN code 1589301137

About the Author

Author, preacher, retired military