Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Symbolic Hebrew Foundations

We are learning symbolic Hebrew this year.

What is Symbolic Hebrew?
Look at the first column and see the pictures? Ancient, or early Hebrew was symbolic. The picture represented not a sound, like modern alphabets, but rather they focused on meaning. You can see how over time the pictures were changed to more unrecognizable forms, then changed to Latin and Greek and appeared merely as lines to represent sounds. There was a diminishing attention of meaning, until it all disappeared altogether. Now we teach our children "A" says long a, short a, etc. But this doesn't hold meaning for our children. Our modern day English is flat, not to mention confusing, in comparison to the beauty and depth of the symbolic language of the past. (similar to comparing business writing to poetry--which holds a depth of rhythm and feeling).

But what if we could teach our children a greater depth, relevance, and understanding of the symbolic hebrew, that leads to a greater appreciation for and understanding of Latin, Greek and modern English?



This is a helpful char to understand the gist of how things changed over time. Though it's one person's interpretation, so bits I've noticed a few errors and pieces differ from what he's got on here. But again, the general idea is super helpful to see.

We can...it's super cool!

So each month I get to focus on one Sumbolic Hebrew letter/number (for they were one and the same..no distinction back then). Each symbol carries with it basic principles and meanings, along with a number, letter, shape, etc. Each one holds a wealth of information. But how?

Let's illustrate the first symbol: Aleph -- ox-head
This symbol, ox-head, represents an ox. It can represent strong, powerful, leader, #1, etc. It is the predecessor to the Greek Alpha, or letter A.
Image result for aleph ancient


This chart below shows how it has changed over time...


Here's the Second symbol: Bet -- tent/house
This symbol represents a house, family, or being inside. It can also represent 2, as there is a division inside (for a man a woman...also could mean partnership). It is the predecessor to the Greek beta, or letter B.




If you put them together the Greek ABBA is just sounds that create the name of a famous music group--haha, or it could mean Alphabet--the series of 26 letters we currently use (Alpha-beta), if you just take the first half.

But in Hebrew, ABBA means Father. And symbolically the meaning could be interpreted a variety of ways, such as...The Strong, powerful leader, of the house or family.

Wow! How much more beautiful and powerful is being able to grasp the meaning behind the name and letters/symbols? Hebrew definitely puts God back into our Education!

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So, how do I learn this?
Like I said, each month I focus on one symbol/letter. We enjoy trying to guess what the symbol represents and looks like. We play and guess and recreate it with our fingers and such. Then we read a story that illustrates many of the principles behind the symbol. This gives our children a chance to discover the meaning for themselves, so it sticks deeper and feels more wonder-filled for them. Then we sing a short, simple song that goes along with the basic principle--a type of affirmation of sorts to stick in their head whenever they see the symbol. Then finally we allow the principle to be discovered during the week and month as we play and notice those principles in our daily lives. And while we do that, we recall and retell the story and principles through playing with toys that go along with the story.

For Example. Aleph --ox-head
We talked about the ox and how people back then used them for--their value to society. We then told the story of Ollie the Ox who wanted to be powerful and strong like his dad and lead the other oxen. And we sand the "I am Powerful and Strong" diddy. Then that month I put out a red ox beanie baby and let my kids retell the story and such. And when someone helped carry in groceries and was showing strength I'd point out "Wow. you are powerful and strong!" Little things like that and singing the song a lot.


Side note: Later in the month I did point out that the letter A looks like the oxhead, upsidedown. And they thought that was amazing. I explained that pictures and meanings were the foundation of our alphabet and help it make more sense. And now I see a greater appreciation for letters and numbers.

And here are some other photos I made to help instill the principles of the next three symbols.

Bet - Differences/partnership
Gimel - service in action
Dalet -  the door
Anyway, the way I do this is through a Symbolic Hebrew curriculum that was created by Katie Hansen--after lots of research of various hebrew sources and through great prayer and effort/desire to bring something of truth and beauty to the world. And it is great. (though it may seem foreign to those of us who were unfamiliar with hebrew, esp symbolic Hebrew, like I was initially.)

It's purpose includes teaching these foundational symbolic principles and building a morally strong character, as well as other purposes. It is full of tons of helpful ideas for further exploring these principles though other books, movement, activities, etc. She even includes a dance and emphasis on a different culture for each one. There are art projects and games and all sort of things. But at this point in my life I just try to sneak in a 15 minute fun focus once a month during a FHE and that's all we need for now. Just the principles 1-8 for this first year (of the 22 total--which would take 3 years total at that rate). As we continue to grow we can build deeper and deeper on these great foundational principles.

If you are interested in learning more you can check out her website. She has a simple online membership, you can try for one year. Or you can buy the online + the parents guide books (which are online, but you'd have to print everything on your own). I have a binder I print and put stuff in, with an overview in front. I like this for having just the story, song, symbol and words in...but if I wanted everything...I'd rather just buy the books. They are beautiful and make it so easy. (she also has a blog of other info if you wanted to read other stuff)

I also found this interesting article on the evolution of hebrew: http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Grammar/Unit_One/History/history.html

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