Customer Reviews

Learn Hebrew Today: Alef-Bet for Adults

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is, without doubt, the best introduction to the aleph-bet that I've encountered. I am a 40+ year old Jew-by-choice, and I wanted to learn Hebrew, but live in an area where such courses are difficult to find. I had tried repeatedly with other standard texts but, without a teacher or course to guide me, I was finding it slow going. I encountered this book as I was struggling to read the basic Hebrew prayers and blessings. Less than a month of study later, I could at least pronounce the prayers passably and I had acquired the entire aleph-bet and vowel points. It helped to turn what initially appeared to be an impossible task for a rapidly calcifying brain into a smooth introduction to Hebrew writing and pronounciation.

I have been struggling with the Hebrew letters for years. All the standard grammars introduce you to the letters and then whoosh! You are looking at pages of unfamiliar symbols that make your head ache and your heart sink. This book is a godsend. It takes you slowly but surely through the letters and you put them together in small words at first and being rewarded with quick results, you end up doing more than you would have done without this feeling of achievement. The text is not patronising at all and just one week after purchasing this book I can read the Hebrew Bible making the correct sounds; I might not know what I am reading but I can now get on with that stage! If you are struggling at the same stage as me (proto-beginner) invest in a few bucks and get going with your Hebrew!

This book was exactly what I was looking for. It is for those who attend synagogue services and hear the blessings but can't read the prayer book. I can now follow along in the prayer book and I am working on my first Aliyah in Hebrew.

Don't buy this book. Better sources exist for FREE; search for:

1) ancient-hebrew dot org and you'll find a good site. on the left-hand side will be the menu; scroll down till you see "learn hebrew". "alphabet" and more is available--with audio files--for free.

2) "foundationstone" this is a free downloadable program that teaches hebrew.

3) "hebrew4christians" dot com and you'll have another good source.

4) "learn-hebrew dot co dot il" is a free Hebrew vocabulary website offering 46 topics in over 1700 Hebrew words and phrases. For each word and phrase you can find a transcription & Translation and to hear the right way of saying it.

These sites will not only teach you everything for free that this book instead sells to you but a whole lot more. This book is also over-simplified. It's mostly a waste of time since any adult or child, with the correct motivation, can learn much more than this book offers at a much faster pace. Also, the "script" form of the letters was calligraphed and not practically written for the beginner who wishes to actually write it. "The First Hebrew Primer" gives a much better source with three choices of style available: book print, block print, and script. A student can easily write Hebrew immediately with this book's help. However, make sure whether you're wanting to learn Biblical or Modern Hebrew because pronunciation and other aspects of the language can differ between the two. If you would like two good "modern" Hebrew sources, check out the "Foreign Service Institute Hebrew Basic Course," which you might find for free online. Search for "free fsi-language-courses". The other is, "Colloquial Hebrew: the Complete Course for Beginners" by Lyttleton and Wang you might find extremely useful!

be'hatslacha! (Good Luck!)

The book teaches the Hebrew alphabet (Alef Bet) by going through blessings. What's good about the book is that it teaches consonants and vowel points at the same time so that you're making sounds right away. What's not so good is that it doesn't teach you grammar. So, you can learn the words in the book, but can't make your own sentences or figure out the meaning of related words.

This book was designed as a tool to teach adults how to read and pronounce the Hebrew Alef-Bet (Alphabet) for the purpose of reading and understanding traditional prayers and blessings. I found this to be a useful guide in learning the letters of the Hebrew alphabet along with their appropriate pronounciations.

This book is simple and uncluttered. With some work, I can't imagine anyone would have difficulty using this as an aid to learn Hebrew. Certainly it will take some practice and work on the reader's behalf--notably, one should be willing to set aside some time each day for going over the letters and pronouncing them. With a few weeks practice, the blessings introduced in the latter chapters and included in the rear of the book are approachable. Also included are helpful hints for pronounciation, and the chart of the Hebrew Alphabet in block letters and script w/ Hebrew name (English and Hebrew), along with page reference for that letter.

This little book is a fantastic way to begin your Hebrew education. When I started it, I couldn't read, pronouce, or write one syllable of Hebrew. I'd sat through many awkward services in my life, reading the English translation of what everyone else seemed to understand. Now, after going through this book twice in one week, I can read and pronounce Hebrew at a glance, and I'm beginning to write and read written Hebrew script. It's incredible. If you want to learn Hebrew, before you begin any other series, get your letters down first. This book is totally worth buying.

This book will teach you to read Hebrew. I bought this book as my first step in learning Hebrew so that I can read the Old Testament in the original Hebrew. After reading this book, I feel confident in my ability to read Hebrew words, and feel ready to begin my study of vocabulary and grammar. This book is absolutely amazing. The author uses repetition, and builds on what you have learned each lesson, so that by the time you reach the 10th lesson, you have no problem remembering the previous 9. My only complaint about this book is the authors use of Jewish terms to define the sounds of characters. This is fine of course for the Jewish student, but as a non-Jew, not knowing how to pronounce the words he is using causes some minor problems. Aside from that, this book is absolutely perfect.

I kept racking my brain for something negative to say about this book ... but I failed. It does its job well. It is complete and concise (heck, it's even on acid-free paper, and only costs $8.95!). The letters are large and clear (so you won't confuse vav with zayin, or chet with tav). It is filled with exercises, culminating in excerpts from the siddur (it feels great to be able to actually read something REAL and not designed for 'beginners'). My advice? Buy this book!

This book is good in that it teaches consonants and vowel points simultaneously. Instead of teaching the letters alphabetically, it teaches them as they appear in several brachot, first the blessing over wine and then the blessing over candles. So, you're learning to read by reading written Hebrew. You're learning nikkudot at the same time you learn the alef bet, so you can pronounce anything in the siddur by the time you're finished. As a plus, it also instructs you on how to pronounce the Name when reading a prayer. We've been using this with a class of adults for several years and now even those who didn't have a Hebrew education as children can read from the siddur. This book is not meant to teach vocabulary or grammar.