Recently a new project has begun in Israel of translating the Hebrew Biblical text into a more contemporary, “Israeli,” Hebrew to enable many students who have difficulties in understanding the original “archaic” text to understand the Bible without the “barrier” of its ancient language. Examples of this translation and comparison with the original will be given and discussed. Is it a good idea to “divorce” a classical text from its original language, just to make it more understandable?
About the Speaker: PROFESSOR YONA SABAR received his B.A. in 1963 from the Hebrew University, Jerusalem. In 1965 he was awarded a Yale University fellowship to study in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Literatures, receiving his Ph.D. in 1970. He taught at Yeshiva University and Yale University for two years. In 1972 he joined the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), Department of Near Eastern languages and Cultures, serving as a Full Professor since 1982 till the present. He is the author of 15 books and many articles.
