Golfer,kjchosid, and DaasYochid – Though I understand where each of you is coming from in your opinions. I respectfully do not agree. I find it hard to think that our Avos or Moshe Rabbeinu conversationally spoke EXACTLY in the the way the Torah is written. And when I make a bracha, the language in which I am making it, which is LOSHON KODESH is, in fact what else if not Ivrit? It surely is not French, English, or Yiddish. I do not not daven “Zei Gebensched, Eibishter,” I say Boruch Atah Hashem. These words inarguably are Hebrew.
You may not like or hold by Eliezer Ben Yehudah for many reasons, but IMO he did one very good thing in his life by revitalizing the Hebrew language and making it more accessible to all of us. I guess this is one of those issues where none of us will change the opinions on either side. That’s fine, as long as we have civil discussions about it. Personally I think we are arguing semantically on this issue. We may not all be so far apart in our thinking.