The Mystique of the Hebrew Language: A Journey through Time and Tradition

The Hebrew language holds a place of profound importance in Judaism. It is used to bless, to pray, and to study Torah. The Ten Commandments even include a prohibition against using Hashem's name in vain, and a bracha said in vain (bracha l'vatala) is considered a serious misdeed. Amulets also testify to the significance of the language; they are, after all, a combination of letters that create a new reality. From all this, it is clear that Hebrew is not just any language; it possesses a unique power, primarily because the world was created with it. We asked Rabbi Zamir Cohen, whose book "The Code" is dedicated to the secret of Hebrew letters, about the power of Hebrew and why Judaism considers it the oldest of languages. "The Torah teaches that humanity spoke one language until the infamous incident of the Tower of Babel," Rabbi Cohen explains. "During that revolt, humans used their unity for negative purposes, prompting Hashem to intervene and confound the singular language they all spoke."But how do we know it was Hebrew?

"Aside from Jewish tradition, especially Kabbalah, we find proof in the names of people from generations before the Tower of Babel: Adam is called so because he was created from the adama (earth), Cain from the phrase 'I have acquired (kaniti) a man with Hashem,' and Noah because 'This one will comfort (yenachamenu) us from our work and the toil of our hands,' and so forth. These are all Hebrew words. Only Eber, Shelach's son, a descendant of Shem and Noah, who was righteous and did not participate in building the Tower, preserved the original sacred language, which he passed on to Abraham our forefather, his descendant. Abraham was the sole person in whom the original language was preserved." 

What about the unique significance of Hebrew?

"Kabbalists argue that the Hebrew letters contain real spiritual lights and forces embedded within them by Hashem, and with these letters, He created the world. In contrast, you can liken this to chemistry formulas; there, combinations of different elements create a certain reality, and here - the combination of Hebrew letters and their energies creates the reality expressed by that word. In the "Sefer Yetzirah," attributed to Abraham, it is written: Twenty-two letters, He engraved them, hewed them, weighed them, and exchanged them. He combined them, and through them, He created every creature and everything yet to be created. Thus, through these combinations, Hashem fashioned the details of creation - each detail by the particular combination of letters that constitutes it."

And what about other languages? Did they originate from Hebrew, or are they entirely separate?

"The Hebrew language is the source and root of all languages worldwide. When exploring linguistic connections and similarities between parallel words in different languages, astounding connections are revealed. For instance, 'samurais,' a fully Japanese word, resonates with 'shomrim' (guardians). 'Alternative' resembles 'alter native,' meaning find a path, with 'alter' stemming from 'tour,' to search. Even the English word "cat" finds a Hebrew link. Its root leads to ancient Latin, where a cat was called 'catholus.' In English, the term shortened to 'cat,' though today its Hebrew origins aren't apparent. Traces of Hebrew are also found in other languages: French "chat," German "katze," and so forth. More words where the similarity remains include 'eretz' - 'earth,' 'lev' - 'love,' 'marah' - 'mirror,' 'semel' - 'symbol,' 'ayin' - 'eye,' 'atik' - 'antique,' 'peirot' - 'fruit,' 'kushia' - 'question,' 'nafal' - 'fall,' 'irgun' - 'organization,' and 'raav' - 'raving'." 

Rabbi Cohen also points to the order of the letters, intriguingly paralleling English. Another fascinating point is that not a few original Hebrew words have been distorted over the years, such that their current meaning vastly differs from the original. For instance, we all know the word "chashmal" refers to a common physical power, but originally, it was entirely a spiritual kabbalistic term. "Neshef" is recognized as a dance party, but it once was synonymous with 'night.' "Lepatan" is a dessert, yet the original meaning was a main dish eaten with bread. Sometimes, changes completely reverse meaning, such as the expression "asmachta," now considered highly reliable evidence, initially implying flimsy proof not to be relied upon at all.