Beginners Biblical Hebrew
Speaking, Reading and Writing
SH HEB 101 4 Credits* (56 hours)
Course Instructors: Three certified JS School of Hebrew: Hebrew for the Nations Israeli teachers under the direction of Crystal Rudolph.
Class Times: The course meets live for three one-hour sessions a week (two on Monday and one on Wednesday) for 14 weeks, starting March 1st 2021 through June 2021 (with a few breaks due to Israeli/Jewish holidays). The sessions will be recorded and made available within a few days for those who cannot make the live sessions.
- Mondays: 9-10 AM, 10:10-11:10 AM Eastern Time (4-5 PM, 5:10-6:10 PM Jerusalem Time) – 2 one-hour sessions with a 10 minute break between them.
- Wednesdays: 9-10 AM Eastern Time (4-5 PM Jerusalem Time) – 1 one-hour session
Course description: This Beginner’s Biblical Hebrew class is immersive and contextual: serious about learning the language but in an enjoyable way. Learn to speak, read and write Biblical Hebrew! Key verses or phrases from the Hebrew Bible will guide each class. (Please note: the topics below may be presented in a different order.)
Learning Outcomes: Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Recognize and use the most common vocabulary in the Hebrew Bible in various contexts and forms.
- Identify basic linguistic structures, including noun and adjective endings, verb stems, conjugations, and parts of speech.
- Communicate simple thoughts and ideas, describe scenes, and ask comprehension questions, all in basic spoken Biblical Hebrew.
- Describe simple events in the present tense.
- Recite several verses from the Hebrew Bible from memory (e.g. Shema and a Psalm) and know a few common Hebrew blessings.
- Learn Hebrew worship songs to help facilitate memory and enjoyment.
- Know (in Hebrew!) basic regions, cities, and land features of the Hebrew Bible that provide crucial tacit information for the reader of the Tanakh.
Expectations: Weekly assignments and occasional quizzes.
*Jerusalem Seminary (JS) courses are engagingly academic and taught by experts in their field living in Israel. While JS’ courses are not externally accredited, they can be taken for internal JS credit. Any internal JS credit will accrue and at a later time would hopefully, through articulation agreements and accreditation bodies, receive official accreditation; a process that JS is beginning.
Course Content
Ratings and Reviews
Steve Gallagher
Very conversational. The teaching methods were effective. Involved listening, speaking, writing, many fun exercises, dialogues. Plenty of time in class to use what we were learning with each other and with the teachers. Constant gentle correction given. Generous ratio of teachers to students. Plenty of personalized attention. Progressively taught new content. Pace was manageable.
Mel Cartera
Fun class. The friendly teachers are genuine Hebrew speakers. They take extra steps to try to teach their students by using songs and even games. They also try to give the students more insights into Israeli culture by sharing some aspects, for example, of the Passover seder, sheaf offerings, and a Jewish perspective on the timeline of history. Lessons are just right, with enough challenges.
Aaron Lim
This course was more challenging than I expected from a beginner's Hebrew course but the immersion method works and one picks up the language naturally. From only knowing Alef Bet several months ago, I have progressed to writing and conversing in simple biblical Hebrew.
One person found this helpful.
Great class! In the beginning I was not confident to learn Hebrew. I've always heard how hard Hebrew learning is, however, this class was well structured, fun, and much like building blocks - begin with your base of Hebrew letters and slowly build the language. I do believe most can learn Hebrew and all would be welcome to learn! Give it a try! I did and finished!!