Diḳduḳ leshon ʻIvrit
Judah Monis (1683–1764)
Diḳduḳ leshon ʻIvrit: Dickdook Leshon Gnebreet = A Grammar of the Hebrew Tongue, Being An Essay To bring the Hebrew Grammar into English, to Facilitate the Instruction Of All Those Who Are Desirous of Acquiring a Clear Idea of this Primitive Tongue by Their Studies; In Order to Their More Distinct Acquaintance with the Sacred Oracles of the Old Testament, according to the Original. And Published More Especially for the Use of the Students of Harvard-College at Cambridge, in New-England.
Boston: Jonas Green, 1735
This page from the first Hebrew grammar book published in America displays the first complete set of Hebrew types to appear in a printed book in colonial America. The author, Judah Monis, was born into a family of Portuguese conversos (those who pretended to reject Judaism), possibly in Italy or North Africa, and studied in Livorno and Amsterdam. He arrived in New York around 1715 and served as a rabbi there and in Jamaica. He moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, a few years later. In 1720, he became the first Jew to graduate from Harvard. He converted to Christianity in March 1722, a month before accepting a position as the school’s first Hebrew instructor. At that time, Hebrew was a required subject of the curriculum, in a fashion modeled after well-established European universities.
In colonial America , and especially in Massachusetts, the study of Hebrew had a particular significance. From the very beginning, Harvard College , founded in 1636 as a stronghold for Puritanism in New England, was tasked with educating the new generation of clergy. The Puritans considered knowledge of Hebrew essential for translations and accurate interpretation of the Bible. Students were expected to be proficient in reading the sacred texts in their original language. They were obligated to take Hebrew classes four times a week.
Initially, the students had to manually copy the handwritten textbook. In 1735, after efforts resulted in acquiring a full set of Hebrew letter types, the Hebrew grammar was finally printed in 1,000 copies. The students were required to buy the book, with the cost added to their bills. Harvard used the textbook until 1763.
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