Hebrew Grammar in Contact with German Grammar during the Jewish Enlightenment: Pronouns as Case Study

This essay offers an initial examination of the influence of German grammatical theory on Hebrew grammatical works at the beginning of the Jewish enlightenment (late eighteenth century). The examination is based on the terminology and description of one issue—Hebrew pronouns—as presented in two main works: Moses Mendelssohn's booklet Or lintivah (Berlin, 1783); and the comprehensive grammar of Judah Leib Ben-Ze'ev, Talmud lashon ‛ivri (Breslau, 1796). The essay reveals the German sources of these two scholars and analyzes the manner in which the sources were used. This analysis paints a picture of their careful and selective adaptation of the German model, while illustrating the manner in which they perceived Hebrew grammatical elements through German features. This approach has left its imprint on Hebrew grammar to this day.