I’ll never forget standing in front of my class of 12-year-old boys in 1996, and leading them in a chant. We were all chanting “Hebrew is easy, Hebrew is easy, Hebrew is easy”. These were a group of boys who would rather be anywhere else but in the classroom learning to read Hebrew. There was […]
Reading in Hebrew
Hebrew reading practice
It is important to focus on your Hebrew reading practice. Without putting in the effort, it will be very difficult to achieve fluency. It really is like everything else. Let us use learning to read English as a comparative example. Even if a person has grown up speaking English (ie: it is their mother tongue) […]
Hebrew reading practice
So many students ask me how many hours should I put into Hebrew reading practice? That is a good question. However, before I can even answer the question, I need to ask a few questions of my own: how fluent do you want to become? How important is Hebrew reading practice to you? What is […]
What is the best program to learn Hebrew?
When a person starts on their Hebrew learning journey it is important to ask questions about how to go about doing it. The first, and possibly the most important question is what is the best program to learn Hebrew? It is important to find the program that fits your character and learning style. Answering the […]
Can you learn Hebrew by yourself?
If I had to write this blog twenty or thirty years ago, and had to answer the question can you learn Hebrew by yourself? My answer would have been very different to what it is now. Thirty years ago, the internet existed, but was in its infancy. There may have been a few online courses […]
Hebrew alphabet chart – is it helpful?
When I was growing up, my mother bought me an alphabet chart to learn to the English alphabet. Similarly, she also bought me a Hebrew alphabet chart. This really helped me to start becoming familiar with the Hebrew alephbet chart. It gave me an opportunity to recognise shapes, and to start associating the shape with […]
Ancient Hebrew Alphabet
The ancient Hebrew alphabet is one of the oldest alphabets in the world. In fact, it is said to be the oldest recorded alphabets. Some other ancient alphabets include Latin, Egyptian hieroglyphics. One person who is interested is Douglas Petrovich, an ancient inscription specialist. In 2016 he stated that the over 3800 years ago, the […]
Hebrew alphabet song – does it help to sing it?
Whether a person is from an English-speaking background, or a speaks a different language, chances are he or she would have learnt the alphabet of their language through singing a song. For people who learnt the English A, B, C, it would have been sung at the beginning of their reading journey to help them […]
How long does it take to learn Hebrew?
So many people want to learn Hebrew. They either want to learn it to be able to participate in Synagogue services, convert to Judaism, or have a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. Or they may just be interested in Hebrew as a language. However, many people in today’s world are time-poor and want to know how […]
Is Hebrew worth learning?
Many people learn Hebrew for a variety of different reasons. Some people learn it because they want to convert to Judaism. Others learn it because they are returning to their Jewish roots, and did not learn Hebrew as a child. Or some might want to learn Hebrew because they want to learn to read the […]