Ch. N. Bialiks Essay Gillui we-chissui ba-laschon - Einzelansicht

The course can be conducted in English or/and German, depending on the preferences of the participants.

In 1915 Chaim Nachman Bialik (1873-1934) had written his essay "Gillui we-chissui ba-lashon". At the core of this daring essay is the quest about the language of God and its difference from that of men. Is the human being, through his language(s), able to communicate parts of God's language? Is God's language only verbal or also non-verbal? Already the translation of that essay's title poses difficulties; it demands to choose, that is, eventually, to interpret. Which word is to be chosen for the Hebrew gillui? One might very well argue for its English equivalent revealment, even more so, since with it the tonality of the title would be preserved: "Revealment and Concealment in Language". Nonetheless, every choice in translation is to stress some connotations and neglect others. In this case, one has to consider the meanings of disclosure or discovery as well. 

In Bialik’s language analytical and poetical thought reached an effective unity. Conceptual relations are insinuated through parables. Bialik’s thought, in this respect, is related to the Midrash. By the reading of that essay, we will explore the lexical, syntactic, and semantic difficulties in comprehending (modern) Hebrew. The overarching goal of this language course shall be the acquisition of those means with whose aid the independent study of complex Hebrew texts becomes possible.

Basic as well as accompanying texts (primary and secondary) will be made available timely.  

Advanced knowledge of Hebrew.

During the semester brief translation exercises will be assigned. At its end, a comprehensive translation has to be prepared, i.e., the own translation shall be introduced, cogitated, and commented.