Live Video Classes: Registration – Special Introductory Price: $250 ($350)

Beginning Biblical Hebrew, Level A introduces learners to the basics of the Hebrew language in an engaging and interactive way. Starting from the absolute beginning level, Hebrew will be used for at least 90 percent of all communication that takes place, which will increase in complexity as the course progresses. Learners will describe pictures, express ideas, read and discuss texts, and ask one another questions in order to obtain information, all with a focus on immediate comprehension in Hebrew, and not via translation. This forces learners to think in the language right from the start, building the necessary foundation for fluent reading. Noun and verb morphology and syntax patterns for biblical Hebrew narrative are introduced implicitly and contextually absorbed. For homework, learners will continue their immersive experience as they work through video and audio material in Hebrew, reading exercises, and assessment quizzes that measure the learner’s progress. Between the homework and the live classes, learners will be exposed to the breadth of the language, including singular and plural nouns, adjectives, participles (present tense), qatal (past tense), vayyiqtol (sequential past  tense), imperative, and number and gender concord.

Beginning Biblical Hebrew Level B continues building on the communicative foundation laid in Level A, but begins introducing the grammatical structures of biblical Hebrew via dialogue and verse memorization, audio-lingual drills, vocabulary stories, text comprehension audio, and annotated readings, all intended to give learners basic fluency—both spoken and reading—in the Hebrew language and a working knowledge of the foundations of Hebrew grammar. Hebrew will be used for at least 90 percent of all communication that takes place, as learners describe pictures, express ideas, read and discuss texts, and ask one another questions in order to obtain information, all with a focus on immediate comprehension in Hebrew, and not via translation. Pronouns, interrogatives, verbless clauses, word order in Hebrew narrative, and an introduction to and summary of all the Hebrew verb forms and functions, including several of the most common weak roots, will be covered, as well as Jonah 1:1–3 and three vocabulary stories. (Note: while all five major binyanim/stems have and will continue to be used, each binyan will be considered in more detail in subsequent levels.)