Biblical Hebrew

Starts Thursday, February 29 (weekly on Thursdays through June, then picking up again in the Fall through December)

11:45 am - 12:45 pm

Classes via Zoom

$100/member, $130/non-member

No returns.

 

East Midwood Jewish Center is offering a beginners course in Biblical Hebrew starting at the end of February. The course will be taught on Zoom by Rabbi Sam Levine. It will run on Thursdays, from 11:45 -12:45. 

Unlike modern Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew is not a spoken language, so the focus will be on building grammatical principles and Biblical Hebrew vocabulary. The skills gained in this class will be largely applicable to prayerbook Hebrew as well. 

We will be using the textbook The First Hebrew Primer, 3rd Edition (Simon, Resnikoff, and Motzkin). This textbook gradually builds the student’s skills with the ultimate goal of reading and understanding the Book of Ruth. 

The only prerequisite is the ability to decode Hebrew (i.e. sound out letters, vowels, and words). If you are interested in the course but cannot decode, see below for some resources. The Hebrew alphabet is not difficult to learn, and there are many good resources available. 

The first series of sessions will begin on February 29 and will continue weekly (with some breaks for holidays) into June. 

Here is the basic information:

When: Thursdays, 11:45 -12:45, starting on Feb. 29

Where: Zoom

How much: $130 (through December 2024, sessions into June and then starting back again in the fall). 

Textbook ($42 – required)

The textbook also has some supporting material that you may find useful:

Flashcards ($25 – optional)

Answer Key ($10 – optional)

Also, the entire package is available in a digital edition (less convenient for class-work, but maybe will work for you):

Complete Digital Edition (includes all three of the above plus other features) ($80)

If you are interested in the class, or for more information, please contact Marsha Zeesman (mzeesman@gmail.com).

Rabbi Sam Levine 

Resources for learning to decode Hebrew:

DuoLingo

https://www.duolingo.com/enroll/he/en/Learn-Hebrew

-Go to “LETTERS” in the menu on the left and begin.

Behrman House: Aleph Bet Quest

https://www.behrmanhouse.com/abq/abq.html

-Interactive, simple.

Introduction to Hebrew with Rabbi Peretz Rodman

Six classes of 45 minutes each

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qarhud4kbF4&list=PLyZEOTn13qqJf2MevympGEVNFRShaP-kr

-A little dry, but will get the job done.