Learning Hebrew Online - The Return to ZionBy Shira Choen-Regev - The HebrewOnline Team
Shalom friends,
Everyonehas dreams: a dream for a better life, for freedom, forself-fulfillment, for prosperity; a dream of living in your dream-home,for having loved ones around you. Dreams! in some cases, many people share the samedream. They can be scattered around the world and carry the same dreamfor many generations. They may be told that it is impossible, thattheir dreams are like a fairytale and will never come true. They mayeven believe this to be true. But, somewhere, deep in their heart, theyknow that this dream should become a reality, and that they should makeit happen. They keep it in their prayers, they look back to times inhistory when their dreams were fulfilled and draw strength from thepast.
This is the dream of the Return to Zion.Thisterm was first coined after the destruction of the Second Temple(mentioned in the Song of Degrees), and referred to the event in whichthe Jews returned to the Land of Israel from the Babylonian exile,following Cyrus's Declaration (הַצְהָרַת כֹּרֶשׁ, hatsharat Koresh) in538 BC.
The biblical meaning of "TheReturn to Zion", was later on borrowed from the ancient event and wasadapted to the modern-era fulfillment of the dream of Jews scatteredaround the world to return to the Land of Israel.On March 2010 HebrewOnline will host a three-session seminar about the modern Return to Zion– dream and reality. In this seminar, the internationally acclaimedexpert Neil Lazarus will examine Herzl’s dream, as well as otherZionist dreamers and thinkers. He will look into the events that pushedthis dream into fulfillment after 2000 years of exile. And what happenswhen a dream turns into reality – is it the final stage or actually abeginning of a new stage, a new dream?
Pleasejoin our seminar and learn more about the Return to Zion. In themeantime, you may learn some related words, phrases and verses in thisNewsletter.חֲלוֹמוֹת נְעִימִים
שִׁיבַת צִיּוֹן
Transcription: xalom Translation: dream Part of speech: Noun, masculineמְצִיאוּת
Transcription: metsi’utTranslation: realityPart of speech: Noun, feminineתִּקְוָה Transcription: tikva
Translation: hope Part of speech: Noun, feminine
A Song of Ascents.
When the LORD brought back those that returned to Zion,
we were like unto them that dream.
and our tongue with singing.
then said they among the nations:
'The LORD hath done great things with these.'
Turn our captivity, O LORD,
as the streams in the dry land.
They that sow in tears
shall reap in joy.
Though he goeth on his way weeping that beareth the measure of seed,
he shall come home with joy,
bearing his sheaves.You can listen to Chanan Yovel singing this psalm to the music of Pinchas Minkovsky or Yosa’le Rosenblat here.
Atthe conclusion of the Yom Kippur prayers and at the conclusion of thePassover Seder, Jewish people pray and express their wish to return toZion, to Jerusalem. The Passover story reminds us that the return toour land happened once, but could happen again, if not this year, thenin the year to come.
Picture: Alon Konortov
Theodor Herzl (בִּנְיָמִין זְאֵב הֶרְצְל , Binyamin Ze'ev Herzl((1860-1904) was the dreamer, founder, and the father of modernZionism. He is known as the “Visionary of the State” (חוֹזֶההַמְּדִינָה, xoze hamedina).In 1902 he published a Noveldevoted to Zionism “Altneuland” (Old New Land). On the cover of thisbook he wrote in German what had become the motto of the Zionistmovement: “Wenn ihr wollt, ist es kein Märchen” (If you will it, it isno fairytale) or in Hebrew: אִם תִּרְצוּ, אֵין זוֹ אַגָּדָהIm tirtsu, eyn zo agada
Improve Your Hebrew - Learn Hebrew Online click here