Not Your Typical Church Lady

Exciting news: this year for Christmas, I got a new Bible! This probably doesn't sound quite as exciting to you, but it makes the Bible nerd in me giddy with joy. It was the only thing that I really, truly wanted. It's been on my radar for a year and a half.

But before I tell you about it, we must go back in time together so that you may gain some context as to why this new Bible is so special. A few years ago in our adult Sunday School class, we were in a discussion on how things get lost or changed in Bible translations. Our King James Versions, New International Version and other translations get the job done nicely. However, we acknowledged that due to cultural differences between then and now, as well as medieval political powers (King James) that wished to perhaps sway the populace in one direction or the other, the original meanings, words and intents in some places, may not be what we've got today. Unless we knew Hebrew and could read the original scrolls, how could we know? And then I thought to myself: Why can't I learn Hebrew? I've got until I'm dead to figure it out. And thus began a new adventure.

Last year I began to quietly learn the Hebrew alphabet. Each week I'd study a few more letters. I learned the alef bet song. I practiced writing my letters. It was like being in kindergarten all over again, but from the comfort of my own home and no one minded if I used the wrong crayon. Thanks to the internet, there was a whole host of Hebrew learning tools to choose from. Eventually I was able to begin to sound out words. There was just one problem: I don't speak Hebrew. I don't know the actual language. I could not distinguish what was just letters put together to practice reading the sound (ex: "blif" or "fap") and what was a real word ("star" or "boy".)

Rosetta Stone offered a free three-day trial on Hebrew so I tried that. The program was interactive so it involved me yelling the practice words at my computer which made me the most interesting thing in the house. The computer would listen to the words I said and make me do it again if I pronounced them wrong. This would have been great if there wasn't a six year old coming in to interrupt. The computer would hear her interruption and assume it was me saying the words incorrectly. I did not buy the program at the end of three days. I settled for just learning a word here and there, which I'd usually forget. And that brings me to my new Bible.

It's "The Complete Jewish Study Bible – Insights for Jews and Christians." It lists the books of the Bible by their English name (ex. Ezekiel) and by the Hebrew name (Yechezk'el). It includes many Hebrew words as well as their meanings. In peeling back the layers of time in my studies this past year, I've learned that there is beauty and mystery hidden in the Hebrew words, bringing a depth to the Bible that I had previously not experienced because it had been lost in translation. The timing could not have been better, having just finished reading my regular bible the whole way through. So it is a new year, with a new beginning, in a new bible. B'resheet in Hebrew means "In the beginning" which are the first words in Genesis, as you know.

It feels good to be back at the beginning. It feels good to continue learning, however slowly it may be. It feels good to be on my way back to The Way. So that's my "exciting" news. What about you? What will you focus on doing or learning this year? A particular book of the Bible? A topical study? Maybe a new trade or a new hobby? What would you learn if you could learn anything? What are you waiting for? Don't be afraid to start at the beginning. If you are passionate about it get going! Shall I poke you with a stick? We all have to start somewhere. B'resheet... in the beginning...