FOURTH IN LINE, FIRST IN HONOR
Jews around the world see themselves as descended from the sons of Jacob, the twelve tribes of Israel. Among these twelve sons, the most significant is certainly the fourth in line: Judah. He was not the oldest of the sons, but he was the most influential. His descendants founded the capital of their Kingdom of Judah in a small hilltop city called Jerusalem.
THE BIBLICAL ORIGIN OF THE NAME
Following the destruction of the Temple, the entire nation acquired the name of the “Judeans” which eventually became "Jews". But what is Judean? In the book of Genesis, the matriarch Leah “conceived again and bore a son, and said, This time I will praise the Lord, therefore she named him Judah” (Gen 29:35). In English this name is just a collection of arbitrary sounds. But in fact, the word for praising or thanking someone in Hebrew is hodaya. Leah says “I will praise” – odeh – and names Judah – Yehuda.
LEARN THE AUTHENTIC HEBREW MEANING
Now we can understand that the entire Jewish nation (or should we say Judean?) is built on the concept of gratitude. The Modern Hebrew word toda which means "thank you" also comes from the same root. The uniqueness of Hebrew is that it allows you to play with the words and come up with beautiful and meaningful connections. Take eTeacher's online Hebrew course with the best Israeli teachers and open yourself up to new horizons of meaning.
