Customer Reviews

Alef-Bet: A Hebrew Primer

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is perfect for an English-speaking adult gentile wishing to encounter Hebrew. I learned the alef-bet (alphabet), including the daunting vowels, with relative ease. The vocabulary is simple enough to be effective, and the use of religious references gives it depth. Simplicity is defined in this case as: Everything I needed was present and sufficient with the application of effort and practice.

The Shumskys present it as "A Hebrew Primer" and it is exactly that. The Marilyn Bass art is clever and effective, although occasionally I could not tell if a child was a boy or a girl.

The test of this book came when I recited a blessing for a Rabbi and he offered two corrections and otherwise praised my effort.

I was surprised at how easy it was to learn the alef bet. This book is excellent! It teaches each letter and the vowel points phonectically. I think this book would be great for any adult wishing to learn the very basics of hebrew. Although I'm sure it would be a great book for children in elementary school also. The only problem I had with the book is that it introduces many words with letters that it hasn't taught you yet. Which makes reading those words difficult. Overall, I highly recommend this book. I plan to buy the next book in the series, Olam Gadol. So it must be a good book! :)

Although I'm an adult learner, I didn't find this kids' book at all inappropriate. The lessons are presented clearly, with pictures and lots of exercises to practice what you learn in several different ways. I learned a lot and am ready to get the next book.

This is a great introduction to Jewish life even for a Jewish child adopted by a non-Jewish family. I highly reccommend it to anyone interested in Jewish studies.The best point? It teaches prayer along with the Hebrew Language. I'm looking forward to work on the program's second book. Olam Gadol!

This book is useful for beginners of any age. It has clear descriptions, colored pictures, vocabulary words, prayers and much more...

The only improvement could be explanations of pronunciation. However, this book is geared towards programs where an instructor is involved in the process. If you have no instructor available it is still a very useful book and I would highly recommend it.

I am not Jewish and have never studied Hebrew previously but I found it very helpful. Blending the customs, traditions, prayers, blessings, and stories, with the letters made learning more enjoyable and kept things fixed in my mind. I'm looking forward to trying out the rest of the series.

When I first purchased this book, I admit that I was "put off" as it is intended for children. However, as an adult, and one who was struggling with the print letter and certainly the vowels, I must praise the writers of this book for explaining the lettering and vowel system in laymans terms. I found the exercises extremely beneficial, and was quite surprised at how much I learned. I finished the complete book in about 1 week. I also enjoyed learning about Jewish traditions, of which I had heard but never really "knew".