This is a great pleasure for me to hold this conversation with Professor Glynnard.

He's written an extraordinary book, fantastic book, and I was struggling to think, how could I introduce this so that you could understand what a marvelous book it is and what could I say about it?

And then it occurred to me that the work has been done for me.

Because a man by the name of Alan Mintz, who I'm very sorry to say has recently passed away,

and who was a great scholar of Hebrew language and Jewish studies taught at the Jewish Theological Seminary,

wrote a review of Professor Glynard's book in the Jewish Review of Books,

and I'll read just the first paragraph of that review as a way of enticing you to this conversation.

He wrote the story of Hebrew, referring to the title of the book.

The story of Hebrew? Really?

Except for the imprimatur of a great university press,

one might expect to find such a book in the young adult section of the library.

But after reading Lewis Glennert's witty and learned

volume, I not only understand why he called it that, I'd be tempted to go in one

better and suggest the adventures of Hebrew. It's a great story because there's

nothing inevitable about it. Whether it was the period of the Bible or the Mishnah or Maimonides, there was always

a danger, often the likelihood that Hebrew would be lost in the breakup of great communities

and subsequent migrations. That Hebrew managed to emerge from each crisis enriched is a fact

we can appreciate only in retrospect.

Each station along the way is in fact its own story thick with complications, suspense,

and surprise.

So I read that as a tribute to Professor Mintz, his memory, be for a blessing, and to you, Professor Glynnard.

So welcome to Tikva.

...