Tree of Life by Jerusalem artist – David Fisher*
דְרָכֶיהָדָרְכֵח-נֹעַם, וְכל-נְתִיבוֹתֵיהָ שָלוֹם
עֶץ-חַיים הִיא לַמַחַזִיקִים בָה, וְתֹמְכֶיָהמְאֻשָר.
D’racheiha dar’chei noam, vechol netivoteiha shalom.
Etz chayim hi lamahazikim ba, vetomcheiha me’ushar.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
She is a tree of life for those who take hold of her, and all who retain her are happy.
Proverbs 3:17,18
Shalom talmidei Yvrit! Shalom students of Hebrew!
Now that you have completed the ‘Hebrew Bytes – Yvrit Le’at Le’at Course‘, or whether you simply are browsing here out of interest in the Hebrew resources recommended, may I encourage you to persevere in your learning of the language as it truly is a “pleasant path” to walk and whatever you retain will be a source of happiness!
Hebrew is one of the miraculous restorations accomplished by our God in modern history and it is a privilege to participate in it and to share in the riches that come with it. Modern Hebrew is not far removed from the ancient, biblical Hebrew so it helps in being able to read the Bible and prayers in their original language.
May you indeed find it to be a blessing in your life as you invest your time and effort in “taking hold” of the beautiful, restored language of Hebrew.
~Keren Hannah
RESOURCES for further study:
Click on any of the bolded titles below to purchase the recommended item via Amazon.
The Easy-Shmeezy Guide to Hebrew
This is a small, handy, pocket-size guide that is presented in a simple, and indeed easy-shmeezy, fun manner, while covering the basics you need. Especially useful if you are making a trip to Israel – or if you bump into Israelis wherever you may be – and, believe me, they do get around the globe!
Colloquial Hebrew (The Complete Course for Beginners)
This is an expanded Modern Hebrew course for Beginners. It will prepare you to converse generally, read menus and signs, and read and write basic Hebrew.
Each lesson, or unit, contains dialogue of everyday encounters and situations, both entertaining and realistic of life in Israel. The units introduce vocabulary and grammar that you can practice in the exercises that follow. The course is well and thoughtfully arranged, with simple explanations and helpful examples. As with any course, the more you invest in it the more you will receive from it.
Two optional 60 min.CDs, which are a great help with correct pronunciation, are also available with this course.
Prayerbook Hebrew the Easy Way
This study introduces Hebrew grammar and prayer found in the Jewish Prayerbook. A really enjoyable study that I (Cindy) at this time am working my way through. Consider downloading the audio companion Companion to Prayerbook Hebrew the Easy Way.
With this study, we can’t stress enough how invaluable it is, if you possibly can, to find a haver, or haverah – a study partner.
The First Hebrew Primer: The Adult Beginner’s Path to Biblical Hebrew, Third Edition
The goal of this language course is to get the student reading and understanding Biblical Hebrew as quickly as possible. The lessons emphasize recognition and translation — and from one (Cindy) who has worked extensively with this book — the lessons take a great deal of work on the part of the student to reach this goal. The end reward — you will have learned most words that occur 200 or more times in Scripture.
An important note: don’t forget to purchase the answer book along with the course book Answer Book for The First Hebrew Primer and consider the purchase of the companion CD’s Companion to the First Hebrew Primer which are well worth the investment.
This is a course that having a haver, or haverah – a study partner, is priceless — especially one with a great sense of humor!
by Randall Buth
Based on the premise that language is first learned through listening, Book One uses 1000 illustrations in combination with audio CD’s for a natural language acquisition.
Book Two continues with the use of CD’s and goes a bit deeper into the grammatical structure of Biblical Hebrew through dialogues, drills, notes and annotated readings, focusing on the book of Jonah.
I (Cindy) am only on Book One at this time but I wanted to say, now that I have the basis of the Aleph-Bet and rudimentary grammar, what a fun and relaxing study it is proving to be!
The Koren Sacks Siddur: A Hebrew/English Prayerbook, Standard Size (Hebrew Edition)
While appreciating the value of personal prayer, which after all is the gift we have been given to converse with our God, there is something very precious and noble in the centuries old communal prayers that have been preserved in the Jewish Prayer Book – the Siddur. I (Keren) particularly enjoy this new beautifully bound and presented publication, The Hebrew/English Koren Siddur. The Introduction and commentary by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks are illuminating and inspirational, as well as useful.
An added bonus, pointed out in the Foreword, is that “…the Siddur connects those who use it to the Land of Israel in very contemporary ways. It contains, for example, the prayer for the welfare of Israel, as well as the prayer for the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces. It reflects our celebration of Israel’s Independence and our sorrow for those who have fallen in its defense.”
I sincerely recommend that you invest in this Siddur and pray, together with the people of Israel, for God’s purposes of Redemption for Israel and the nations.
The Delitzsch Hebrew Gospels – from Vine of David
This is a English translation of the Gospels based on the nineteenth century Delitzsch Hebrew Gospels. The Hebrew translation is on the right with the English on the left. It reads easy with vowel marks to aid with the pronunciation of the Hebrew and the glossaries and charts at the end are invaluable!
