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Learn to Read Biblical Hebrew



WHY LEARN HEBREW?

There are many reasons to learn Hebrew such as to read the Tenach (the Old Testament of the Bible written in Hebrew) in its original language or simply to learn how to pronounce Hebrew words such as those in Strong's Concordance without having to use the transliterations.

Learning the Hebrew language can be both fun and exciting. By simply studying the pages to follow for just a few minutes a day you will soon be reading Hebrew and be building a small vocabulary of Hebrew words and phrases.

THE HEBREW ALEPHBET

English uses the word "Alphabet" which is the first two letters of the Greek Alphabet; Alpha and Beta. Hebrew on the other hand uses "Alephbet" as they are the first two letters of the Hebrew Alephbet; Aleph and Bet. The Hebrew alephbet consists of 22 consonants and no vowels. The vowels are dots and dashes added above and below the consonants. One advantage to Hebrew is that the sound for each letter remains the same unlike English where one has to memorize many variations such as the word circus where one "c" is pronounced like an "S" and the other like a "K".

DIRECTION OF READING

Unlike English which is read from left to right, Hebrew is read from right to left just as many other semitic languages such as Arabic. This may sound difficult but in a very short time you will get used to it.

When sounding out a word it will be easier if you remember the Consonant (C) and Vowel (V) patterns. In English the consonants and vowels may be arranged in any order such as in the word "circle" which has the following pattern; C-V-C-C-C-V. Hebrew on the other hand is very consistent in that a vowel always follows a consonant (except the final consonant which may or may not be followed by a vowel), such as in the following words "Melek" (king) C-V-C-V-C; "Meleko" (his king) C-V-C-V-C-V and "Hamelek" (the king) C-V-C-V-C-V-C. The Yud (Y) is another exception to this as it can be a consonant acting as a vowel, just as our English "Y".

MODERN AND ANCIENT HEBREW

The pronunciation of some of the consonants and vowels have changed over the centuries but this does not affect the meaning of words so we will learn to pronounce them according to the modern Hebrew. Modern Hebrew pronunciation is also divided into two parts, Ashkenazie and Sephardic. Since Sephardic is the pronunciation adopted by the State of Israel, we will also use this pronunciation.

THE LESSONS

Each lesson includes new consonants, vowels, a practice section, new vocabulary words and sentences. The practice session will allow you to practice the new letters and vowels and refresh yourself on old ones. The vocabulary section will consist of a few words using the new letters and vowels to begin building your Hebrew vocabulary. The Sentences will allow you to begin using your new words in sentences. To assist you in learning the letters and words, I recommend that you put the letters and words you are learning on flashcards so that you can study them at any time.

Need Help?

Questions often arise when learning Hebrew. If you are having a problem or do not understand something, please send us an E-Mail. Include the Lesson number if applicable. Thank-you.



LINKS

Real One Player

The Real One player is needed to listen to the audio lessons and is available free from RealOne.com. If you have realplayer but the lessons will not play, you will need to download the newest version.

Shofar Icon

The Shofar (Ram's Horn) icon on each lesson, opens the audio file for that lesson. The audio file can be saved to your computer by right clicking on the shofar and selecting "Save Target As". An index of all audio files is also available.

Document Icon

Each lesson is also available in jpg format for printing by clicking on the document icon. You can save the jpg file to your computer by right clicking on the jpg file and selecting "Save picture as".

Learn Hebrew Book

A revised and updated version of these lessons in booklet form (cassette tape included), is now available at the bookstore.





Front Page The Alephbet Audio Files
Lesson 1   Lesson 2   Lesson 3  
Lesson 4   Lesson 5   Lesson 6  
Lesson 7   Lesson 8   Lesson 9  
Lesson 10 Lesson 11 Lesson 12



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