Bar mitzvah gift suggestions for a Hebrew language aficionado?
October 11, 2022 3:14 PM Subscribe
A young man of my acquaintance is about to celebrate his bar mitzvah. He's a great kid, and he really doesn't need things, which leaves me a little stumped for coming up with an appropriate gift. He has really taken with an enormous amount of enthusiasm to learning Hebrew. Are there any suggestions for a good bar mitzvah gift (beyond a really good dictionary) for a linguistically inclined young person?
Are we talking learning Hebrew as in modern conversational Hebrew? Or as in biblical Hebrew/learning his Torah portion?
If the former, depending on his learning level, maybe he'd appreciate a book in Hebrew that he already knows in English -- depending on his Hebrew reading level, maybe Green Eggs and Ham or the first Harry Potter? This is among other things a fun way for a kid to learn vocabulary, since they can easily figure out words they don't know from context if they know the story already.
If the latter, he may appreciate a tikkun korim, which is a tool for learning Torah chanting -- it has every Torah portion with vowels and cantillation marks in one column and just as it appears in a Torah scroll on the other. (His synagogue would appreciate this too, since then they can hit him up for more chanting duties in the future!)
posted by goingonit at 5:08 PM on October 11, 2022 [2 favorites]
If the former, depending on his learning level, maybe he'd appreciate a book in Hebrew that he already knows in English -- depending on his Hebrew reading level, maybe Green Eggs and Ham or the first Harry Potter? This is among other things a fun way for a kid to learn vocabulary, since they can easily figure out words they don't know from context if they know the story already.
If the latter, he may appreciate a tikkun korim, which is a tool for learning Torah chanting -- it has every Torah portion with vowels and cantillation marks in one column and just as it appears in a Torah scroll on the other. (His synagogue would appreciate this too, since then they can hit him up for more chanting duties in the future!)
posted by goingonit at 5:08 PM on October 11, 2022 [2 favorites]
Assuming you mean Biblical Hebrew, a tikkun is a traditional and solid gift. If he's very studious, he might appreciate a copy of Marcus Jastrow's "A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli, and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature." It's a dictionary and a standard resource for people who study Talmud.
If you mean modern Hebrew (Ivrit) I have no idea but someone here probably can help if you can specify.
posted by epanalepsis at 5:28 PM on October 11, 2022 [2 favorites]
If you mean modern Hebrew (Ivrit) I have no idea but someone here probably can help if you can specify.
posted by epanalepsis at 5:28 PM on October 11, 2022 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Oh, yes, I should clarify -- I mean Biblical Hebrew.
posted by pleasant_confusion at 6:00 PM on October 11, 2022
posted by pleasant_confusion at 6:00 PM on October 11, 2022
You could get him a beautiful silver yad (Torah pointer).
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 7:35 PM on October 11, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 7:35 PM on October 11, 2022 [2 favorites]
Oh, please, for the love of all that is holy, whatever you give him, also give him money.
posted by shadygrove at 7:50 PM on October 11, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by shadygrove at 7:50 PM on October 11, 2022 [6 favorites]
Seconding shadygrove. Part of this experience (for those who have a financially comfortable mishpoche) is being considered adult enough to manage a fair amount of money, and put it toward his own interests or goals. But I get wanting to give something that reflects your understanding of him, too.
posted by desert outpost at 9:10 PM on October 11, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by desert outpost at 9:10 PM on October 11, 2022 [1 favorite]
For what it's worth, I know a young person who doesn't need things and actively didn't want physical gifts for a Bat Mitzvah present. Her absolute favorite presents from people who demonstrated respect for her self-knowledge by not getting her physical stuff. In particular, she appreciated donations to charities that she found meaningful. Given this young man's love of learning language, perhaps you could donate to a literacy charity in his honor?
posted by yankeefog at 1:03 AM on October 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by yankeefog at 1:03 AM on October 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 3:50 PM on October 11, 2022 [1 favorite]