On Reading My First Hebrew Word

On Reading My First Hebrew Word

Ed. note: As part of October's month of Memphis firsts, I'm happy to share this guest post from Aaron Brame.

Come to the school where I work, and you will be surrounded by Hebrew. There are Hebrew books on every shelf, Hebrew posters on the walls, and the sounds of children singing in Hebrew echoing down the halls. I don’t know Hebrew, and when I shut the door to my classroom, I am the only illiterate there. I am also the teacher.

baruch

Before joining the Margolin Hebrew Academy, I was aware that there was an Orthodox Jewish community in Memphis. I would sometimes see them walking to and from services on Saturdays, but I never came into contact with them. Never mind that I lived only a few miles from the Orthodox school and synagogue - we lived in different worlds.

Then I met my students. They have taught me what it means to live an Orthodox Jewish life in Memphis—how to maintain a very specific, Torah-based lifestyle in the midst of our city. Like other high school students, they stress out over AP exams, audition for plays, and play basketball (extremely well, I've come to find out). But they also study Hebrew, keep the Sabbath, and commit their lives to Jewish law.

I have learned a lot about Judaism since I started teaching at the Hebrew academy, but I’ve learned even more about the people who make Memphis what it is.  After living here for 26 years, I thought I understood all I needed to know.  But now that I am a part of this thriving community, I realize that I only knew part of it.  What would Memphis be without my new students and their families? It wouldn’t be Memphis at all.

Not content to remain illiterate in my own classroom, I went out last week and got a Hebrew primer for adults. I learned my first consonants and vowels—bet, kamatz, reish, shuruk, chaf, and sin--and penciled in the review exercises in my book. The next day, standing in the hallway at school, I searched the many Hebrew posters and signs that hang on the walls, looking for a word I understood.

I found one.  Baruch, (בָּרוּך), or “blessed,” the first word of most Jewish liturgical blessings.  It wasn’t much, but it was a beginning, and a reaffirmation of the value of education, the power of study, and the joy of understanding one another.

I accosted a passing student and had him check my work; he gave me a passing grade.

Aaron BrameAaron Brame has been teaching English for twelve years.  When not teaching, he’s probably reading something by Raymond Carver, recording new music with The Perfect Vessels, or working on his blog.  He lives in East Memphis with his wife and two children.

Comments Make Us Happy

4
Leave a Comment
The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
David
Wonderful story. Blessings be to you and your family Mr. Brame. 
October 11, 2012 5:20pm
Rivki Wiener
Beautiful!  Great  way to go into shabbos. The appreciation goes both ways,thank you Mr. Brame.
October 12, 2012 4:27pm
Meir Maimon
It was so nice to read your Blogspot.com and it's truly worm my heart. Thank you so much. Meir
October 13, 2012 9:24pm
Tania Addess
Thank you for your illuminating take on teaching at our children's school. I always wondered what it must be like for non-observant Jews and non-Jews who, daily, come to teach, enrich and help mold our children. I hope and pray that our children, likewise, learn and embrace the diversity they encounter in their lives.
October 14, 2012 8:21am