In recent decades, an increasing number of Israeli yeshivos have shifted to teaching Torah in Ivrit. This trend has become highly visible in many prestigious institutions. When a prominent maggid shiur delivered his first shiur klali in the Mir in Ivrit, it made headlines, reflecting a broader movement within the Torah world. This led to other yeshivos following suit. At first glance, Ivrit appears to be the obvious choice for Israeli students: it is the language they speak, the language they hear at home and in society, and the language in which they think. Teaching in a language familiar to students seems like common sense, an approach that promises easier learning and faster absorption of Torah concepts.

Yet here lies a paradox: the very language Israeli students speak daily can, in fact, become a profound obstacle to Torah learning. Ivrit and Lashon HaKodesh share letters and roots, giving the illusion of similarity, but they are fundamentally different languages. These superficial similarities mask deep divergences in syntax, grammar, vocabulary, and cultural meaning. Unfortunately, these differences are rarely addressed explicitly in the classroom. Students are left to assume they understand what they are learning. When they struggle, they internalize a sense of inadequacy, often blaming themselves rather than recognizing the language barrier at the heart of their difficulty.I personally attest to this.

A student may ask: “If the Torah is written in my language, why can’t I understand it?” The answer is simple and rarely told: the Torah is not written in modern Hebrew. It is written in Lashon HaKodesh, the sacred language of Chumash, Tanach, Mishnah, and the words of Chazal.

Modern Hebrew, by contrast, is a human construct, created for everyday communication. When students mix the two often without realizing it, they stumble. Confusion sets in. Frustration grows. Behavioral challenges appear in the classroom. And tragically, in Israel today, the default “solution” is often medication which is a very big problem.

This is heartbreaking and entirely avoidable. With proper instruction in Lashon HaKodesh, students can access Torah with clarity, depth, and joy. The problem is not intelligence, diligence, or effort. It is the language framework through which they are trying to learn.

Imagine the transformation: students who were once lost in the words of Torah suddenly connecting, understanding, and thriving. This is not a theory. It is possible. And it begins with one change: teaching the Torah in the language it was meant to be learned.

The problem is not just Eretz Yisroel. It is an international crisis — even here in Lakewood. Let me share a few stories that personally happened to me here.

I was speaking to a Rosh HaYeshiva who was genuinely excited and proud to tell me that he had just brought in a new maggid shiur to his yeshiva, from Eretz Yisroel. He described him as a great talmid chacham, someone with real depth and breadth in Torah. I shared in his excitement and told him how wonderful that was.

Then I asked one simple question: does the rebbi know English?

The answer was immediate and matter-of-fact: no, he does not know English at all. He added quickly, almost defensively, that the rebbi knows Torah inside and out.

I responded honestly. That may be true but language still matters. Torah has to be transmitted, not just possessed.

The reply came exactly as expected: “Don’t worry. The boys will pick it up. After six months, they’ll understand.”

This is not education. This is not chinuch. It is the opposite. It assumes that months of confusion, frustration, and lost clarity are acceptable collateral. They are not.

I once dealt with a BMG kollel yungerman who had difficulty with basic translation in Chumash. I told him plainly that he needed to go to my course. He answered confidently, “No, no, I have no problem. My wife is Israeli and she helps me with translation.”

I told him that Ivrit itself is the problem. Modern Hebrew is not Lashon Hakodesh. Confusing the two leads to serious mistakes in understanding Torah.

Another time, I received a phone call from a rebbi in Lakewood asking for advice. He was dealing with bochurim aged eighteen to twenty who were completely clueless in translation. He told me, “I have an advantage, I know Ivrit, so I have no problems with translation.”

I replied to him and said, “You do have a problem. Can you translate one word for me והיה?”

He thought for a moment. And then he couldn’t translate it.

He was stunned. He said, “But you told me you have no problems with translation.”

He was completely dumbfounded.

Two Languages, Two Worlds

Lashon HaKodesh is not merely a historical artifact or a “religious language”; it is the language of Hashem, used at the time of creation to bring the world into existence. Every word, every root, carries meaning and spiritual power. Ivrit, however, is not a natural evolution of Lashon HaKodesh; it is a modern project, deliberately engineered by Eliezer Ben Yehudah to construct a renewed national culture. Ben Yehudah aimed to create a language that would unify the Jewish people in Israel, particularly in the wake of massive immigration waves from Europe. To achieve this, he borrowed European-style grammar familiar to Yiddish-speaking communities, introduced foreign loanwords, and reassigned new meanings to ancient words.

The result was a language that resembles Lashon HaKodesh the way instant soup resembles a traditional Shabbos broth: superficially similar, but fundamentally different beneath the surface. On the outside, it looks like the holy tongue; in reality, it has been reshaped, modified, and secularized.

Many Israelis refer to Ivrit as “yeshivishe lashon”, a term that seeks to bridge the gap between modern and sacred usage. Yet this expression is misleading. It blurs essential distinctions and obscures our mesorah, our timeless chain of Torah tradition. Only Lashon HaKodesh is the pure language promised to be restored after the war of Gog and Magog,

as Zephaniah 3:9 states: כִּי אָז אֶהְפֹּךְ אֶל־עַמִּים שָׂפָה בְרוּרָה לִקְרֹא כֻּלָּם בְּשֵׁם ה’ לְעָבְדוֹ שְׁכֶם אֶחָד

“For then I will turn the peoples to a pure language, so that all of them will call upon the Name of Hashem, to serve Him with one shoulder (in unity).”

The holy tongue is destined to communicate spiritual clarity and divine intent; Ivrit is a tool of modern nationalism. Confusing the two languages weakens the bridge to Torah and compromises the depth of understanding that students can achieve.

Grammar Matters – And the Differences Are Vast

To learn successfully, students must understand Lashon HaKodesh. Many modern Hebrew speakers assume they already do, but this assumption is false and can be damaging. Ben Yehudah’s revival of Hebrew made the language accessible for everyday life, but in doing so, he blurred distinctions essential for understanding Torah.

Simplified Roots and Words

Modern Hebrew often uses the same form for nouns and verbs. For example, רָשָׁע can appear as both a noun and a verb, while in Lashon HaKodesh:

רָשָׁע (noun) = wicked person
רָשַׁע (verb) = acted wickedly

“Ignoring the ethical and existential weight of the text erases nuance and diminishes its moral force.”

Shifts in Meaning

Words that once conveyed sacred or awe-inspiring concepts have changed.

נורא originally meant “awe-inspiring” or “majestic,” but today it often means “terrible” or “awful.” In the first Bracha of the Shmoneh Esrei, it describes Hashem’s majesty, חס ושלום-not something negative-but many Israelis today misunderstand it.

חָשְׁמָל in Yechezkel 1:4 refers to a mystical, divine force—spiritual, not physical. Today it means electricity,

אגדה once revealed rabbinic wisdom; today it is translated as “fairy tale.” עוף in halachah includes all fowl, but in modern Hebrew it usually means chicken.

The word מִשְׁכַּן comes from the root ש-כ-ן, meaning “to dwell.” In the Torah, it refers to the Mishkan, a holy tent where Hashem’s Presence rested. Today it is used for the Knesset (מִשְׁכַּן הַכְּנֶסֶת), and applying a sacred word to a secular or oppositional setting destroys its holiness and can confuse children.

To truly understand Torah, one must know Lashon HaKodesh and differentiate it from Modern Hebrew. Only then can students grasp the awe, holiness, and spiritual force embedded in these words.a phenomenon I have personally witnessed in my teaching.

Verb Usage

Modern Hebrew relies on past, present, and future tenses. Lashon HaKodesh uses aspects with the Vav Hahipuch, allowing verbs to move between past and future. These distinctions are crucial for interpreting Chumash, Tanach, and halachic texts accurately.

Modern Hebrew typically follows subject-verb-object (SVO), like English:

הילד אכל תפוח – “The boy ate an apple.”

Lashon HaKodesh usually follows verb-subject-object (VSO):

ויאכל הילד תפוח – “And the boy ate an apple.”

These differences affect both clarity and the moral weight of the text.

These structural gaps mean that an Israeli student reading Torah is like an English speaker reading Shakespeare: familiar letters, unfamiliar meaning, constant mental strain. Students can read the words, but deep comprehension is lacking. Confidence erodes, leading to…….“The problem must be me”

The Danger of Ivrit Translations

Some educators have attempted to bridge the gap by translating Torah into modern Hebrew, most famously Avraham Ahuvia’s Tanach RAM. Even secular educators protested: “This removes the heart of the Bible.” While translating Shakespeare into modern English may simplify comprehension, the stakes for Torah are infinitely higher. Torah is Divine; every letter carries meaning.

An Ivrit translation looks like Torah and feels authoritative, but it is filtered through modern assumptions. Students who rely solely on these translations risk replacing Hashem’s words with approximations. Such translations may temporarily ease comprehension, but over the long term, they threaten to sever students from the original text and from layers of meaning accessible only through Lashon HaKodesh.

Ivrit and Lashon HaKodesh may appear similar, but they are profoundly distinct. Confusing them makes learning difficult, motivation collapses, and Torah feels distant. Properly taught, Lashon HaKodesh restores understanding, reverence, and love for Torah. Students can read independently, gain clarity, and internalize spiritual truths.

Teaching Torah in the students’ mother tongue may seem convenient, but convenience without precision risks disconnection from Hashem’s words. The joy and confidence that come from mastery of Lashon HaKodesh are irreplaceable. When provided with the proper tools, students do more than learn they love to learn, establishing a foundation for lifelong Torah growth.

Jooish News

Jooish News

LAMA ZEH? Teaching Torah in Ivrit | Rabbi Dovid Abenson

Grammar Matters – And the Differences Are Vast

Shifts in Meaning

Verb Usage

The Danger of Ivrit Translations

Further Reading