Hebrew a "dead" language?

In a recent blog, James Davila gave a good response to some more sub-par journalism that has plagued the field of Biblical Studies as of late. The journalism implied that Hebrew was almost non-existant for 2000 years! While Jim gave a good answer citing all of the Hebrew that was produced from 200 CE to 1800 CE, it should be added that writing books and discussing the books meant that Hebrew was more than what graduate students typically expect or are required when approaching Hebrew. Hebrew was being preserved as a 'second language' in traditional Jewish circles, at a skill level that was high and fluent. Hebrew was alive and in continuous use, and this can serve as a recommended target level for graduate students who would like to control Hebrew as a second language, to be able to think, read, express themselves, and relate to texts within Hebrew and the Hebrew world. Exactly what a student of any other literature would expect.