[edanm]

Out of curiosity, why Hebrew? (I'm a Hebrew speaker)

> Language is an artifact of the culture that created it, and it crystallizes the values and beliefs of that culture. By learning the language, you can enter into an entire other world.

A common take, although I don't know if I would take it too far. Hebrew specifically has the advantage of having been re-created from nothing only a relatively short time ago (150 years more or less), so maybe in a sense it's more explicitly codified.

I'm genuinely curious what kind of things you think that learning Hebrew shows about Hebrew-speaking culture though - I'd love to be proven wrong!

[dagav]

I'm Jewish and my father is Israeli, so I was learning to connect with them and my heritage. I'm no expert on Hebrew but one thing I noticed is it's connection to the Bible:

Adam means "Man" or "Mankind" in Hebrew.

"Earth" is Adama.

"Human Being" is Ben Adam, literally "Son of Adam", or "Son of Man".

[dagav]

I wrote this in a rush so here is my clarified point:

"Adama" means "Land", "Earth", or "Ground".

"Adam" means "Man" or "Mankind". Adam was created by God from the ground, and "Adam" is derived from "Adama".

"Ben Adam" means "Human Being", literally "Son of Adam" or "Son of Man".

So when you say "Human Being" in Hebrew, you are directly referencing the creation of Man by God in Genesis.