Hebrew For Dummies E-Book

Jill Suzanne Jacobs

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fremdsprachen
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 569

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

Discover Hebrew with the world's most straightforward guide to one of the world's most beautiful languages. Shalom! Are you ready to dive into an ancient-yet-modern and rich language full of nuance? Then open up Hebrew For Dummies and get started learning your way around Hebrew by immersing yourself in its sounds and rhythms. You'll start with the basics--like simple grammar and the Hebrew alphabet--before you move onto commonly used phrases and small-talk. This book gets you used to the more unfamiliar sounds of the Hebrew language--like gutturals--that English speakers aren't used to seeing. It will also help you: * Recognize what Hebrew has in common with English (and what it doesn't) * Learn to read from right to left, get a handle on the basics of Hebrew grammar, and pick up your first few phrases * Discover commonly used expressions that help you get around, shop, eat, and have fun Complete with online resources that help you pick up Hebrew by listening to real speakers have actual conversations, Hebrew For Dummies is the perfect companion to help you work your way towards Hebrew fluency!

Leseprobe

Hebrew For Dummies®, 2nd Edition

Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2022 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2022932609

ISBN: 978-1-119-86202-4 (pbk); 978-1-119-86203-1 (ebk); 978-1-119-86204-8 (ebk)

Hebrew For Dummies®

To view this book's Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and search for “Hebrew For Dummies Cheat Sheet” in the Search box.

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

About This Book

Foolish Assumptions

How This Book Is Organized

Icons Used in This Book

Beyond the Book

Where to Go from Here

Part 1: Getting Started with Hebrew

Chapter 1: You Already Know Some Hebrew

Taking Stock of What’s Familiar

Speaking Hebrew Like a Native

Counting in Hebrew

Recognizing Tips to Help You Read Hebrew

Chapter 2: The Nitty-Gritty: Basic Hebrew Grammar

Making Sense of Hebrew Syntax

Recognizing Parts of Speech

Understanding Gender and Number

Chapter 3: Shalom, Shalom!: Meeting and Greeting

Greeting and Saying Goodbye

Making Grand Introductions

Getting Better Acquainted

Extending and Responding to Invitations

Asking Questions: The Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How

Part 2: Hebrew in Action

Chapter 4: Getting to Know You: Making Small Talk

Shootin’ the Breeze

Talking About Yourself and Your Family

Chatting About the Weather

Six Days You Shall Labor: Talking About Work

Getting Addresses, Phone Numbers, Email, and Instagram/Twitter handles

Chapter 5: Eat! Eat! You’re So Thin!

Jewish Love Means Never Having to Say “I’m Hungry”

Getting Down to Business: Food, Glorious Food!

Matching Adjectives and Nouns

Taking Your Grocery List to the Market

Going Out for a Bite

Chapter 6: Going Shopping

Exploring Places to Shop

Selecting the Perfect Outfit

Styling Your Clothes around the Seasons

Color Me Beautiful

The Israeli Fashion Scene

Getting More (and Less) Than You Bargained For

Chapter 7: Having Fun Hebrew Style

Counting the Hours and Minutes

Discovering the Days in a Week

Catching Some Culture

The Israeli Music Scene

The Animals Went on the Ark Two by Two: Visiting the Zoo!

Spicing Up Your Sentences with Adverbs

Chapter 8: Enjoying Your Free Time: Hobbies, Sports, and Other Fun Activities

Chatting About Your Hobbies

Playing and Watching Sports

Venturing Outdoors for Some Fun

Boogieing Till You Drop

Chapter 9: Talking on the Phone

Dialing Up the Basics

Asking for People and Getting the Message

Making Arrangements over the Phone

Talking About the Past: How Was Your Shabbat?

Chapter 10: At the Office and Around the House

Finding Your Way Around Your Job

Working from Home

Hanging Out at Home

Residing in an Apartment

Commanding People: Do As I Say

Part 3: Hebrew on the Go

Chapter 11: Planning and Taking a Trip

Choosing Your Final Destination (And When You Want to Go)

Coming and Going: Knowing Where You Are

Discussing the Future: Verb Forms and Popular Expressions

Finding the Hotel That’s Right for You

Checking In: Names, Addresses and Room Numbers

Checking Out and Paying the Bill

Staying at an Airbnb

Making Sure You Don’t Get Lost

Giving and Understanding Directions For Lost Souls

Keeping North, South, East, and West Straight

Chapter 12: Getting Around: Flying, Driving, and Riding

Getting Through the Airport

Renting a Vehicle and a Phone to Go with It

Navigating Public Transportation

Being Early or Late

Chapter 13: Money, Money, Money

Going to the Bank

Changing Money

Flowing with the Currency

Using Credit Cards

Using Electronic and Digital Currency

Directing Your Objects

Chapter 14: Handling Emergencies

Tackling Your Uncooperative Car

Doctor, Doctor, Give Me the News

Getting Help After You’ve Been Robbed

Part 4: Diving Deeper into Hebrew Life

Chapter 15: An Introduction to Israel

Discovering Multicultural Israel

Touring Israeli Cities and Towns

Starting at the Beginning: A Brief History Lesson

Chapter 16: War and Peace

The Big Bang

War

Paths to Peace

Environmental Cooperation May Be the Key

Part 5: Sacred Hebrew

Chapter 17: Let's Get Biblical

Figuring Out the Word Order in Biblical Hebrew

Emphasizing When God Really Meant It

Wishing, Intending, and Prohibiting

Deciphering One-Word Wonders

Counting Down the Greatest Biblical Hits

Chapter 18: Like a Prayer

Blessing: The Basics

Spiritually Speaking: Figuring Your Way around the Prayer Book

Making Prayer Meaningful

Chapter 19: Sacred Time, Sacred Space

Going to a Synagogue

Checking Out Holy Words for Holy Days

All My Life’s a Circle: Jewish Life-Cycle Events

Part 6: The Part of Tens

Chapter 20: Ten Books on Hebrew You Just Gotta Have

Hebrew Roots. Jewish Routes: A Tribal Language in a Global World

Hebrew: The Eternal Language

The Tongue of the Prophets: The Life Story of Eliezer Ben Yehuda

The Hebrew Alphabet: A Mystical Journey

Hebrew Talk: 101 Hebrew Roots And The Stories They Tell

Aleph-Bet Yoga: Embodying the Hebrew Letters for Physical and Spiritual Well-Being

The Word: The Dictionary that Reveals the Hebrew Source of English

How the Hebrew Language Grew

The Story of Hebrew

Poems of Jerusalem and Love Poems

Chapter 21: Ten Favorite Hebrew Expressions

Mazal Tov

B’Karov Etzlehḥ

Titchadesh

B’Teavon

B’Ezrat HaShem

Yishar Koahḥ

Dash

Nu

Kol HaKavod

L’Ḥaim

Chapter 22: Ten Great Israeli Phrases

Mah Pitom

Yesh G’vul L’Chol Ta’alul

Pa’am Shlishit Glidah

Im K’var, Az K’var

B’Shum Panim VaOfen Lo

Stam

Betahḥ

Ḥ

aval Al HaZ’man

Ḥ

azak V’Amatz

Yehiyeh Tov

Appendix A: Verb Tables

Appendix B: Hebrew–English Mini-Dictionary

English–Hebrew Mini-Dictionary

Appendix C: Answer Key

Chapter 1: You Already Know Some Hebrew

Chapter 2: The Nitty Gritty: Basic Hebrew Grammar

Chapter 3: Shalom, Shalom! Meeting and Greeting

Chapter 4: Getting to Know You: Making Small Talk

Chapter 5: Eat! Eat! You’re So Thin!

Chapter 6: Going Shopping

Chapter 7: Having Fun Hebrew Style

Chapter 8: Enjoying Your Free Time: Hobbies, Sports, and Other Fun Activities

Chapter 9: Talking on the Phone

Chapter 10: At the Office and Around the House

Chapter 11: Planning and Taking a Trip

Chapter 12: Getting Around: Flying, Driving, and Riding

Chapter 13: Money, Money, Money

Chapter 14: Handling Emergencies

Chapter 17: Let’s Get Biblical

Chapter 18: Like a Prayer

Chapter 19: Sacred Time, Sacred Space

Index

About the Author

Connect with Dummies

End User License Agreement

List of Tables

Chapter 1

TABLE 1-1 Counting from 1 to 10

TABLE 1-2 Counting from 11 to 19

TABLE 1-3 Counting Multiples of 10

TABLE 1-4 Counting from 21 to 29

TABLE 1-5 The Hebrew Alphabet

TABLE 1-6 The Long Vowels

TABLE 1-7 The Short Vowels

Chapter 2

TABLE 2-1 Identifying Some Common Nouns

TABLE 2-2 Personal Pronouns Used as Subjects

TABLE 2-3 Personal Pronouns Used as Objects

TABLE 2-4 Stand-Alone Possessive Pronouns

TABLE 2-5 Male and Female Pronomial Suffixes

TABLE 2-6 Nonbinary Pronominal Suffixes

TABLE 2-7 Exploring Some Common Adjectives

TABLE 2-8 Some Common Present-Tense Verbs

TABLE 2-9 Common Adverbs

TABLE 2-10 Hebrew Prepositions

Chapter 3

TABLE 3-1 Words to Describe How You Feel

Chapter 4

TABLE 4-1 All in the Family

TABLE 4-2 Calling in the Professionals

Chapter 7

TABLE 7-1 Conjugating

לִהְיוֹת

(...

TABLE 7-2 Animals You May See at a Zoo

Chapter 8

TABLE 8-1 Common Soccer Terms

TABLE 8-2 Common Basketball Terms

TABLE 8-3 Common Baseball Terms

TABLE 8-4 Other Popular Sports

TABLE 8-5 Popular Outdoor Activities

Chapter 9

TABLE 9-1 Verb Suffixes

Chapter 11

TABLE 11-1 Rattling Off the Months

TABLE 11-2 Names of Countries

TABLE 11-3 Common Hotel Amenities

TABLE 11-4 Information to Know When You Check into a Hotel

TABLE 11-5 Looking for Locations

TABLE 11-6 Giving and Understanding Directions

Chapter 13

TABLE 13-1 Looking at Hebrew Prepositions

Chapter 14

TABLE 14-1 Helpful Words to Use with a Mechanic

TABLE 14-2 Body Parts

Chapter 17

TABLE 17-1 Checking Out Biblical Word Order

TABLE 17-2 Looking at Biblical Verbs

List of Illustrations

Chapter 15

FIGURE 15-1: The expulsion of the Jews.

FIGURE 15-2: The Pale of Settlement.

FIGURE 15-3: The Middle East under Ottoman control.

FIGURE 15-4: Israel in 1948.

Guide

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Table of Contents

Begin Reading

Appendix A: Verb Tables

Appendix B: Hebrew–English Mini-Dictionary

Appendix C: Answer Key

Index

About the Author

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Introduction

Hebrew is an incredible language. If you’re picking up this book, I'm guessing that you have at least a passing interest in the subject, which thrills me because I think that Hebrew is an amazing, fascinating, and beautiful language. It’s the only language in the history of the world to go from a deep freeze to a fully thawed, living, spoken language again. When you speak Hebrew, you’re part of that amazing linguistic history. Whether you’re interested in Hebrew because you want to communicate with your Israeli cousins, want to brush up on the subject so you can understand prayers and other sacred Jewish literature better, or want to impress your Jewish in-laws, Hebrew For Dummies can help.

About This Book

This book is a great place to start regardless of your motivation for picking up or dusting off your Hebrew skills. It won’t make you fluent overnight (though wouldn’t that be nice?) or turn you into a Biblical scholar, but Hebrew For Dummies can give you a solid foundation in both conversational Hebrew and the Hebrew of prayer, sacred texts, and holidays. As if that’s not enough, I also share with you my love of things Jewish and the delightful, sometimes quirky culture of the modern State of Israel, where the largest group of Hebrew speakers resides today. But if you aren’t planning on taking a trip to the Middle East, don’t worry: Hebrew is alive and well all over the world. You can find plenty of opportunities to practice your language skills. (If you’re not sure where to turn, I have you covered with some tips on where you can find Hebrew speakers and Hebrew sources right here in North America.) בְּהַצְלָחָה! (beh-hahtz-lah-ḥah; Good luck! Much success to you!)

This book is only the beginning — but I hope it’s a good one! You can pick up a language only through exposure and repetition, so go online and listen to the audio files for this book again and again. Be sure to practice, practice, and (you knew it was coming) practice. Go to places where you hear Hebrew and speak Hebrew in your home and workplace. Teach your favorite Hebrew words and expressions to everyone you know. Before you know it, Hebrew will creep into your mind, soul, and heart, and you’ll speak it day and night!

Here are a couple of conventions that I use in this book for your reading pleasure:

For this second edition, we’re proud to include the Hebrew letters for each word (with vowels), along with the pronunciation (how to say the word) and translation (what the word means in English). In the pronunciations, the stressed syllables are italicized.

Because Hebrew language is often gender-specific (with masculine and feminine nouns, verb forms, and so on; see

Chapter 2

for an explanation of gender), I’ve included the following abbreviations wherever necessary:

Masculine singular (MS)

Feminine singular (FS)

Nonbinary singular (NB)

Masculine plural (MP)

Feminine plural (FP)

To help you develop your language skills, For Dummies language books include

Talkin’ the Talk dialogues:

Here’s where you get to see Hebrew in action. These relatively short, real-life dialogues use the vocabulary and grammatical concepts that I introduce in the book.

Words to Know blackboards:

Here’s where you can find the key words and phrases I introduce. It’s all here: the word as it’s written in Hebrew, the proh-nun-see-aye-shun, and the translation.

Fun & Games activities:

I’m a teacher; I just can’t help myself. So, at the end of each chapter, I include some fun little exercises to help reinforce your newly acquired Hebrew.

Foolish Assumptions

My father taught me never to assume anything. He even had a little ditty about assumptions that I won’t repeat here. But my editor said that I had to come up with some assumptions about you, the reader. So here they are:

You know no Hebrew — or if you learned Hebrew in religious school, you don’t remember a word of it.

You’re not looking for a book that will make you fluent in Hebrew; you just want to know some words, phrases, and sentence constructions so that you can communicate basic information in Hebrew.

You don’t want to have to memorize long lists of vocabulary words or a bunch of boring grammar rules.

You’re inexplicably drawn to all yellow-and-black books.

You want to have fun and pick up some Hebrew at the same time.

Do any descriptions sound like you? Well, good. I bet you’re in good company.

How This Book Is Organized

This book is organized into six parts plus an appendix. The six parts are broken down into chapters. I’ve organized the chapters around active topics — things you want to do (like go to a bank, go to a restaurant, or go to a synagogue). Each chapter gives you the lowdown on the Hebrew you need to know to get by while doing that activity. And, though I know that you don’t want to be bogged down by grammar rules, I sneak a grammatical tidbit or two into each chapter. Don’t worry: I make these brief excursions as quick and painless as possible.

Part 1: Getting Started

This part of the book starts with the basics. I introduce you to the Hebrew letters and vowels and give you some basic Hebrew vocabulary. I explain how I represent the Hebrew sounds in English letters (so you don’t have to crack your teeth reading the Hebrew, although I encourage you to try). In Part 1, I also give you a basic grounding in Hebrew grammar.

Part 2: Hebrew in Action

Here’s where I really get going. In these chapters, I give you basic Hebrew vocabulary to start using in your daily life — when you rise up, when you lie down, in your home, and when you walk (to quote from an important Hebrew prayer). Part 2 gives you the words to meet and greet, flirt and work, eat and drink, and shop ’til you drop. I also give you vocabulary to use when you go out for a night on the town and when you talk about it on the phone the next day. And I give you all the words you need when you’re hanging out at home and cleaning up your place after you’ve made a mess.

Part 3: Hebrew on the Go

Here’s where I start to get practical. I cover dealing with money, going to the bank, asking directions, getting around using various forms of transportation (funny thing — I don’t mention camels; oh well), and hitting the road for a trip. So, if travel bug has paid you a visit, take a look at Part 3. I give you the words and phrases you need for planning the trip. And I also give you some vocabulary for handling — God forbid — an emergency.

Part 4: Israeli Life

When you travel to Israel or converse with Israelis about Israeli life, you’ll need a specialized vocabulary. In these chapters, I’ve got you covered. You’ll learn the names of some Israeli cities and towns, Israel’s diverse religious, cultural and ethnic groups, and how to talk about Israel’s history, conflicts and quest for peace. There’s even a bit of Arabic in these chapters, too.

Part 5: Sacred Hebrew

Where would Hebrew be without Judaism? In this part, I present the sacred side of the Hebrew language. I tell you all about blessings, prayers, and Jewish holidays.

Part 6: The Part of Tens

What would a For Dummies book be without one of these? I’ll put my top ten lists up against anyone’s. In this section, I give you ten Israeli sayings so you can sound like a real צַבָּר (tzah-bahr; native Israeli), plus the top-ten Hebrew sayings heard in the Jewish Diaspora (that’s everywhere outside of the Land of Israel). I also give you a list of some great reads about the wonderful, wild, and wacky world of Hebrew. It’s all here.

Appendixes

Here’s all the nuts and bolts. The cogs that make Hebrew run — verb tables and a Hebrew-English/English-Hebrew dictionary. And it doesn’t stop there. I put the answers to the Fun & Games activities (which you find at the end of each chapter) here too. This is the place to go when you want some information, and you want it fast.

Icons Used in This Book

Sometimes, I want to point out something that’s especially important or interesting: a grammatical concept, something to remember, a tip to help you with your Hebrew skills, or a bit of insider insight into the wonderful world of Jewish culture. In these cases, I use the following icons, which you can find in the margins.

This icon accompanies helpful tips for picking up the Hebrew language.

Think of this icon as that string around your finger that reminds you of all the little things you’ve gotta do but tend to forget. This icon flags important concepts that you have to keep in mind while you study Hebrew. You know what they say: God is in the details.

This little guy is by far my favorite icon. When you see this icon, you know that I’ve taken the opportunity to cram in all sorts of interesting information about the Jewish world — religious and secular — in Israel and the Jewish Diaspora (lands outside Israel).

Ah, grammar. Can’t live with it; can’t live without it. This icon alerts you to instances where I point out the quirks of the Hebrew language and all those grammar rules that underlie the language’s structure.

The website associated with this book gives you the opportunity to hear Hebrew in action. The site features audio files of native Hebrew speakers bringing to life some of the dialogues from the pages of this book. I bet you’ll be amazed by how beautiful Hebrew can sound. Check it out at: www.dummies.com/go/hebrewfd2e.

I really tried to make this foray into Hebrew as painless as possible for you, but every now and then, I felt the need to explain things in technical terms. Don’t worry — you can skip the paragraphs marked with this icon and still get all the Hebrew you need for basic conversation.

Beyond the Book

In addition to what you’re reading right now, this book comes with a free, access-anywhere Cheat Sheet containing tips and techniques for learning Hebrew faster. To get this Cheat Sheet, simply go to https://www.dummies.com and type Hebrew For Dummies Cheat Sheet in the search box.

Where to Go from Here

First, the good news: You don’t have to read this entire book. In fact, you don’t have to read any of it. (But if that’s the case, you probably wouldn’t have bought it.) Anyway, here’s my point: This book is organized so that you can read only the chapters that interest you and skip the rest. At no point in the text do I assume that you’ve read any of my scintillating writing in other chapters or sections, and I won’t get insulted if you want to read only certain chapters.

If you’re interested in the religious stuff, by all means, go straight to chapters 17, 18, and 19. But if you’re interested in the day-to-day stuff, or if you just want to know how to ask that cute Israeli out on a date, Chapter 3 may be your cup of tea. Take a look at the table of contents and turn to the chapter that most interests you. Go ahead and do it! Read this book out of order. Skip chapters. I won’t tell anyone. In fact, I’ll never know.

All right, all right, I do have to add a few exceptions to the read-anything-you-want rule. You’ll probably want to read Chapter 1, which gives you an overview of the book. And if you’re a grammar geek, you’ll looooove Chapter 2. If you aren’t a grammar geek (most people despise the stuff, and I can’t say that I blame them), you may want to look at Chapter 2 anyway. Here’s a tip from someone who knows: After you understand the basics of Hebrew grammar, picking up the rest of the language is a cakewalk. So, consider checking out Chapter 2.

Part 1

Getting Started with Hebrew

IN THIS PART …

See the links between Hebrew and English.

Master the basics of Hebrew grammar.

Say “Hello” — and “Goodbye”.

Chapter 1

You Already Know Some Hebrew

IN THIS CHAPTER

Identifying English-sounding words in Hebrew

Recalling Hebrew sayings and words

Figuring out English words that come from Hebrew

Counting in Hebrew

Eyeing the Hebrew alphabet

!בָּרוּךְ הַבָּא (Bah-rooh Hah-Bah!; Welcome to Hebrew!) In studying Hebrew, you’re joining millions of other Hebrew speakers around the world. Its two centers are Israel (of course) and North America, which is home to many Hebrew newspapers, Hebrew-speaking camps and schools, and institutions. You’re also speaking the Bible’s original language and one of the most ancient languages still spoken today. Furthermore, you’re speaking the only language in the history of the world known to have undergone a revival, returning fully to being a spoken language after hundreds — perhaps even 2,000 — years of being relegated to correspondence, literature, and the sacred world of prayer and the Bible.

Hebrew was once almost exclusively a holy language — a language of prayers and ritual, of the Bible and other sacred texts, and a language above the humdrum of the everyday. That’s no longer true. The same ancient and holy tongue is now the language of sunbathing on the beach, eating dinner, going to the doctor, and carrying out the myriad events of everyday life.

All languages are portals — openings to culture and friendship, literature, and ideas. Discover any one of these portals, and a whole new world opens up to you. Discover Hebrew, and a whole Jewish and Israeli world is yours.

Taking Stock of What’s Familiar

If you’ve ever been to a synagogue or had a bit of Jewish education, you probably know a little Hebrew already. But even if you’ve never walked through a synagogue’s door or studied anything Jewish, you probably still know some Hebrew words. You’ve probably heard the word amen, for example. That word is Hebrew! Amen comes from a word meaning “faith” or “belief,” and people usually say it at the end of a prayer. And the word Hallelujah? Hebrew again! The word literally means “Praise God.” Even the word alphabet derives from the Hebrew words for the first two letters of its alphabet, aleph and bet. (To see what the Hebrew alphabet looks like, check out “Recognizing Tips to Help You Read Hebrew” later in this chapter.)

You may have heard other Jewish words, of course, such as שלעפּ (shlehp; to drag or pull) and קְוֶעְהְהָשׁ (kvehtsh; to complain), which are actually Yiddish (the language of the Jews of Eastern Europe combining Old High German, Hebrew, and other languages) and are part of the Israeli vernacular today. You may never have thought about other words that have Hebrew roots. Did you know that cinnamon is a derivative of the Hebrew word קִנָּמוֹן (kee-nah-mohn), which appears in the biblical book The Song of Songs? The English word dilute may derive from the Hebrew word דַּל (dahl), which means “weak” or “thin” and first appears in the biblical book of Genesis.

Some people claim that Hebrew is the mother of all languages. No matter what its history or origin, Hebrew, a language that has its origins in the Fertile Crescent, has crept into North American spoken English. This process works in reverse, too, as many English words and phrases have crept into the Hebrew language. Interestingly enough, although you as an English speaker may identify some words as English, some of them derive from Italian and French, which shows the universality of certain words. But if you say the following words with an Israeli accent, you’re speaking Hebrew!

Hamburger

Macaroni

Pizza

Cafe

Radio

Internet

Telephone

Incidentally, The Academy for Hebrew Language, the institute responsible for creating Modern Hebrew words, created an authentic Hebrew word for the telephone. The academy called the telephone a שָׂח-רָחוֹק (sahch-rah-chohk), which put together the words for conversation and long distance. So, telephone translated as “long-distance conversation.” Pretty clever, huh? This word didn’t stick with the Israeli public, however, so הֵלֵפוֹן (telephone) it is.

INTRODUCING THE ACADEMY FOR HEBREW LANGUAGE

Hebrew, the language of the Bible, is spoken today in Israel and around the world as a modern language. The question, of course, is where all these modern words come from? Who decides? The answer is הָאָקָדֶמְיָה לַלָּשׁוֹן הָעִבְרִית, (ha-ah-kah-dee-mee-yah la-lh-shon hah-eev-reett; The Academy for Hebrew Language), an institute founded in Israel in 1953 to oversee the language’s development and to create new words as the need arose in a manner consistent with Hebrew’s historical development. So, although Hebrew is an ancient biblical language, new words needed to be developed, such as high tech (תַּעֲשִׂיָּהעָלִית; tah-ah see-yat ee-leet) and start-up company (חֶבְרַת הֶזְנֵק; hehv-raht hehz-nehk), surfboard (גַּלְשָׁן; gahl-shan), jet lag (יַעֶפֶת; yah-eh-feht), and even — when you’ve had a few too many — hangover (חֲמַרְמֹרֶת; ḥah-mahr-moh-reht).

Other timely words include נְגִישׁוּת (neh-shee-goot; affordability), חֲרִיגָנוּת (ḥahr- ree-gahn-oot; exceptionalism), נְתוּנֵי עָתֵק (nee-too-nee ah-tahk; big data), תַּג הַקְבָּצָה (tahg-hahk -bahk-tzah; hashtag), הַעֲלָמַת זֶהוּת (heet-ahm-aht zah-hoot; anonymization), עִילוּת (ee-loot; gentrification), אַחֲוָה (ah-vah; solidarity), and ְ תַּצלוּם מָסָךְ (tahtz-loom mahḥ screen shot).

The Israeli public doesn’t accept all the words the academy invents, of course, although the academy’s decisions are binding for government documents and the official Israel Broadcasting Authority.

Israelis aren’t above taking matters into their own hands and creating words of their own. In the 1990s, Motorola Israel Corporation introduced wireless phones, coining the new word פֶּלֶא-פוֹן pela-phone (meaning “wonder phone).” You can find out more about the academy at: https://hebrew-academy.org.il/. Here’s a great video on the Academy (it’s in Hebrew, but there are English subtitles); https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cY62gLh10CM You can even check out their Facebook page and “like” it at www.facebook.com/AcademyOfTheHebrewLanguage.

Speaking Hebrew Like a Native

When speaking a foreign language, you want to sound as authentic as possible. Use the tips in the following sections to start. The most important parts of sounding like a native are persistence and practice — and then some more practice! Listen to the dialogues from this book (available online) as much as possible. Spend as much time listening to Hebrew spoken by native speakers as you can.

Memorizing vocabulary and certain stock phrases and repeating them to yourself until you can say them at quite a clip is also helpful. In no time at all, you may fool people into thinking that you speak Hebrew fluently — or close to fluently, anyway.

Stressing out (not)

The first tip I give you has to do with the way syllables are stressed. In American English, we often stress or place emphasis on the first syllable in each word, as in “When speaking a foreign language … .” But Hebrew often places the emphasis on the last syllable. So, if you were speaking that previous phrase with an Israeli accent, you’d place your emphasis on the last syllable: “When speaking a foreign language … .”

GESTURING LIKE THE BEST OF THEM

Gestures provide the flourishing touch to help you seem like a native speaker. Use the following gestures when you‘re speaking in Israel:

Holding one hand at about shoulder level with the palm upright and all the fingers cupped together in the center means ! רֶגַע (reh-gah; wait a minute).When you want to catch a cab, point your index finger down at the ground, indicating that you want the cab to stop where you’re pointing.

In Israel, the American thumbs-up sign has traditionally been seen as an unfriendly gesture that means you’re בְּרֹגֶז (broh-gehz; mad or pissed off at someone).

Interestingly, an ad campaign in Israel once encouraged kids to make a thumbs-up sign to drivers when they’re crossing the street, with the drivers returning the thumbs-up as an indication that they see the children and will let them cross without running them over. So, thumbs-up is taking on a positive connotation!

Getting out the gutturals

The second piece of advice I’ll give you has to do with certain Hebrew letters that are pronounced at the back of the throat. Use these tips to pronounce them:

ע (eye-

yeen

): This letter makes a barely audible guttural sound in the back of the throat. For practical purposes, this letter is nearly a silent syllable.

כ (

ḥ

ahf

 ): This letter makes a sound you don’t hear in English. It’s a hard H sound, like the one you make when you clear your throat. In this book it is written as an

ḥ

.

ח (

ḥ

eht

): This letter makes a strong throaty H sound. In this book, this syllable is written as

ḥ

.

ר (

raysh

): Traditionally this letter makes an R sound as in

round

. To sound like a native, roll this syllable like a Spanish R, and try to produce the sound from the back of your throat.

Find out about the rest of the Hebrew alphabet in “Recognizing Tips to Help You Read Hebrew” later in this chapter.

A PEOPLE DISPERSED, A LANGUAGE INTACT

Hebrew served as the vernacular during the ancient Jewish commonwealth until it was conquered by the Romans in 70 CE (Common Era). Then Jews fanned out across the globe to Asia, Africa, and Europe. Even though they were dispersed, the Jewish people continued to practice their religion (Judaism) and remained literate in their language (Hebrew).

Hebrew continued to be the language of prayer, study, and correspondence for Jewish people. Gradually, Jews adopted the languages of their host countries as their spoken language. They mixed Hebrew with their host countries’ languages, giving rise to new Jewish languages such as Ladino, Judeo-Arabic, and Yiddish.

In the 1800s, a movement began to revive Hebrew as a spoken language. Eliezer Ben-Yehuda championed the cause and moved to אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל (eh-rehtz yees-rah-ehl; the Land of Israel) to revive Hebrew, writing the first Modern Hebrew dictionary. Today, Hebrew is one of the two official languages in Israel (Arabic being the other) and is a living, spoken language for millions of Israelis and other Hebrew speakers across the globe.

Opening your mouth to say “Ah!”

Third, watch the pronunciation of your vowels. When pronouncing the ah sound, pronounce that vowel fully. Open your mouth wide and say “Ah” as though you were at the doctor’s office. Hebrew doesn’t have a short i sound (like the vowel sound in sit), so any time you see an i, remember to make it a long sound, like the ee in Whoopee! In Hebrew, oh sounds are long, as in over.

Hebrew is a Mediterranean language, and as such, it has a certain nasal quality. More so than in English — but actually a lot like in French — you use your nasal cavity when making sounds. Here’s a less-technical tip: When speaking Hebrew, try to fake a French accent. At the very least, your Hebrew will sound better than it does with an American accent!

Counting in Hebrew

Learning how to count is fundamental to the study of any language. Hebrew divides words into masculine and feminine genders (see Chapter 2), and numbers are no different; they have masculine and feminine forms. You may feel a little confused, but don’t worry! Table 1-1 gives you the cardinal numbers (the numbers you use for counting) from 1 to 10. When you want to count without counting objects, use the feminine form. See “Counting objects” later in this chapter to find out how to incorporate gender into numbers.

TABLE 1-1 Counting from 1 to 10

Number

Masculine

Feminine

1

אֶחָד (eh-ḥad)

אַחַת (ah-ḥat)

2

שְׁנַיִם (shnah-eem)

שְׁתַּיִם (shta-yim)

3

שְׁלוֹשָׁה (shloh-sha)

h שָׁלוֹשׁ (sha-lohsh)

4

אַרְבָּעָה (ahr-bah-ah)

אַרְבַּע (ahr-bah)

5

חֲמִשָּׁה (ḥah-mee-shah)

חָמֵשׁ (ḥah-mesh)

6

שִׁשָּׁה (shee-shah)

שֵׁישׁ (shesh)

7

שִׂבַּע (sheev-ah)

שֶׁבַע (she-vah)

8

שְׁמוֹנָה (shmoh-nah)

שְׁמוֹנֶה (shmoh-neh)

9

תִּשְׁעָה (teesh-ah)

תֵּשַׁע (tey-sha)

10

עֲשָׂרָה (ah-sah-rah)

r עֶשֶׂר (eh-sehr)

Counting objects

The gender of the number you use when you want to count something depends on the gender of the noun you’re counting. (Sound confusing? Don’t worry. You can do it.) Counting objects in Hebrew is easy. Just remember to do the following things:

Figure out the gender of the noun you’re counting.

If you want to talk about one book, first you must figure out whether the noun

book

is masculine or feminine. (It’s masculine.) So, when you count books, you need to use the masculine form of the number.

Place the number appropriately before or after the noun.

For the number 1, you place the number after the noun. So rather than saying “one book,” you say, “book one” (סֵפֶר אֶחָד;

seh

-fehr eh-

chad

). But after you get to the number two, place the number before the noun. In Hebrew, the plural of

סֵפֶר

is

סְפָרִים

(sfah-

reem; books

). So, to say “two books,” you say שְׁנֵי סְפָרִים (

shnay

sfah-

reem

); for “three books,” say שְׁלוֹשָׁה סְפָרִים (shloh-

shah

sfah-

reem

); for “four books,” say אַרְבָּעָה סְפָרִים (ahr-bah-

ah

sfah-

reem

); and so on.

The number 2 in Hebrew is an exception. When you’re specifying two of something, say “two boys” (יְלָדִים; yuh-lah-deem) or “two girls” (יְלָדוֹת; yuh-lah-doht), and drop the last syllable (im) of the number 2. So, you get יְלָדִים (two boys) and שְׁתֵּי יְלָדוֹת (two girls). Drop the im regardless of the noun you’re counting.

Counting higher

To form the numbers 11–19, place the second number in front of the 10. In the masculine form, for example, 11 is אַחַד עָשָׂר. In the feminine form, 11 is אַחַת עֶשְׂרֵה (ah-chaht es-reh). Table 1-2 shows the numbers 11–19.

Use the appropriate gender for the 10 and the additional number that makes up the compound number.

The multiples of ten (10, 20, 30, and so on) are easy because these numbers are gender-neutral. Table 1-3 shows the multiples of 10.

TABLE 1-2 Counting from 11 to 19

Number

Masculine

Feminine

11

אַחַד עָשָׂר (eh-ḥad ah-sahr)

אַחַת עֶשְׂרֵה (ah-ḥaht ehs-reh)

12

שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר (shnehym ah-sahr)

שְׁתַּיִם עֶשְׂרֵה (shtehym ehs-reh)

13

שָׁלוֹשׁ עָשָׂר (shloh-sha ah-sahr)

שְׁלוֹשָׁה עֶשְׂרֵה (shlosh-ehsreh)

14

ַ אַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר (ahr-bah-ah ah-sahr)

אַרְבַּע עֶשְׂרֵה (ahr-bah es-reh)

15

חֲמִשָּׁה עֶשֶׂר (ḥah-mee-shah ah-sahr)

חָמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה (ḥah-mesh es-reh)

16

שִׁשָּׁה עֶשֶׂר (shee-shah ah-sahr)

שֶׁיֵּשׁ עֲשָׂרָה (shehsh ehs-reh)

17

שִׁבְעָה עָשָׂר (sheev-ah ah-sahr)

שְׁבַע עֲשָׂרָה (shvah es-reh)

18

שְׁמוֹנָה עֶשֶׂר (shmoh-nah ah-sahr)

שְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה (shmoh-neh ehs-reh)

19

ש תִּשְׁעָה עָשָׂר (teesh-ah ah-sahr)

תְּשַּׁע עֶשְׂרֵה (tshah-esreh)

TABLE 1-3 Counting Multiples of 10

Number

Hebrew

Pronunciation

20

עֶשְׂרִים

ehs-reem

30

שְׁלוֹשִׁים

shloh-sheem

40

אַרְבָּעִים

ahr-bah-eem

50

חֲמִשִּׁים

ḥah-mee-sheem

60

שִׁשִּׁים

shee-sheem

70

שִׁבְעִים

sheev-eem

80

שְׁמוֹנִים

shmoh-neem

90

תִּשְׁעִים

teesh-eem

If you want to say something like “21” or “47,” however, you have to pay attention to gender again. (See Table 1-4.) The pattern for making these numbers is to state the number in the tens, such as עֶשְׂרִים (ehs-reem; 20) and then add the word for and (וְ’; veh), followed by the single number, such as אֶחָד (eh-chad; one). So, 21 would be עֶשְׂרִים וְאֶחָד (ehs-reem veh-eh-chad).

TABLE 1-4 Counting from 21 to 29

Number

Masculine

Feminine

21

עֶשְׂרִים וְאֶחָד (ehs-reem veh-eh-ḥahd)

עֶשְׂרִים וְאַחַת (ehs-reem veh-ah-ḥat)

22

עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁנַיִם (ehs-reem oosh-nah-yim)

עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁתַּיִם (ehs-reem ush-tah-yeem)

23

עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁלוֹשָׁה (ehs-reem oosh-loh-sah)

עֶשְׂרִים וְשָׁלוֹשׁ (ehs-reem veh-shah-lohsh)

24

עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבָּעָה (ehs-reem veh-ahr-bah-ah)

עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבַּע (ehs-reem veh-ahr-bah)

25

עֶשְׂרִים וַחֲמִשָּׁה (ehs-reem vah-ḥah-mee-shah)

עֶשְׂרִים וְחָמֵשׁ (ehs-reem veh-ḥah-mesh)

26

עֶשְׂרִים וְשִׂבַּע (ehs-reem veh-sheev- ah)

עֶשְׂרִים וְשֵׁשׁ (ehs-reem veh-shehsh)

27

עֶשְׂרִים וְשִׁבְעָה (ehs-reem veh-sheev- ah)

עֶשְׂרִים וְשֶׁבַע (ehs-reem veh-sheh-vah)

28

עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁמוֹנָה (ehs-reem ush-moh-nah)

עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁמוֹנֶה (ehs-reem ush-moh-neh)

29

עֶשְׂרִים וְתִשְׁעָה (ehs-reem veh-teesh-ah)

עֶשְׂרִים וְתֵשַׁע (ehs-reem veh-the-sha)

If you can count to 30, you can count to a million! For all the numbers, you follow the same pattern as in Table 1-4. First, state the number that’s the multiple of 10 (20, 30, 40, and so on); then add וְ (veh; and) plus the single digit: שְׁלוֹשִׁים וְאֶחָד (shloh-sheem veh-eh-ḥahd; 31), אַרְבָּעִים וְאֶחָד (ahr-bah-eem veh-eh-chahd; 41), and so on.

To count by hundreds, first say the feminine number of the quantity of hundreds, such as four (אַרְבַּע), and then add the word for hundreds (מֵאוֹת). This pattern continues until a thousand:

100

מֵאָה

may-ah

200

מָאתַיִם

mah-tah-yeem

300

שְׁלוֹשׁ מֵאוֹת

shlohsh-meh-oht

To count by thousands, first you say the feminine number of the quantity of thousands and then follow it with the word for thousands, אֲלָפִי (ah-lah-feem). This pattern continues to 1 million. The Hebrew word for 1,000 is אֶלֶף (eh-lehf), and the word for 2,000 is אַלְפַּיִם (ahl-pah-yeem):

1,000

אֶלֶף

eh-lehf

2,000

אַלְפַּיִם

ahl-pah-eem

3,000

שְׁלֹשֶׁת אֲלָפִים

shloh-sheht ah-lah-feem

10,000

עֲשֶׂרֶת אֲלָפִים

ah-seh-reht ah-lah-feem

1,000,000

מִלְיוֹן

meel-yohn

Several chapters in this book give you an opportunity to practice using numbers. Check out Chapter 9 to find out how to ask for and give phone numbers. Also see Chapter 14, which is all about money. Don’t you love counting money?

Recognizing Tips to Help You Read Hebrew

Hebrew is no ordinary language. Quite the contrary. Hebrew dates back more than 3,500 years to antiquity, and the Hebrew alphabet is quite possibly the first alphabet known to humankind. Hebrew was the language of King David and King Solomon, and the Bible’s original language. Furthermore, ancient people called the Phoenicians based their alphabet on the Hebrew alphabet. The Greeks based their alphabet on the Phoenicians’ letters. And the Latin letters you’re reading right now are derived from the Greeks’ letters! So, although the Hebrew language may look a little different, only four degrees separate it from what you’re used to.

In Jewish circles, using the terms CE (Common Era) and BCE (Before the Common Era) instead of the terms AD (Anno Domini, or year of our Lord) and B. (Before Christ) is customary. In Hebrew, you say לִפְנֵי הַסְּפִירָה (leef-nahy hah-sfee-rah; before the counting) and אַחֲרֵי הַסְּפִירָה (ah-chah-ray hah-sfee-rah; after the counting). 2021/22 is 5782, dated from the time of Creation, placed at 3761 BCE.

Figuring out the Hebrew alphabet’s shapes, sounds, and stories

The Hebrew alphabet is one of the oldest alphabets still in use today. Even though the letters look different from the Latin characters that comprise the English alphabet, don’t be intimidated! Just spend some time memorizing the shapes and sounds of these Hebrew letters and reading Hebrew will be easier!

Like many ancient alphabets, the Hebrew alphabet is written from right to left. Hebrew consists of 22 letters, all of which are consonants. Vowels aren’t written within the consonant letters; rather, they’re written in the form of dots and dashes below the consonant letters. For a more complete discussion of Hebrew vowels, see “Those dots and dashes they call vowels” later in this chapter.

The pronunciation I provide in this book is the Sephardic (Mediterranean) pronunciation, which is spoken in Israel today. Ashkenazi (European) pronunciation differs slightly; the vowels, for example, have different pronunciations, and a few consonants are different as well. I use Sephardic pronunciation in this book.

Deciphering the consonant letters

Table 1-5 shows the Hebrew letters and their sounds.

TABLE 1-5 The Hebrew Alphabet

Name of the Letter

Pronunciation

Hebrew Character

The Sound It Makes

Aleph

ah-lehf

א

Makes no sound.

Bet

beht

בּ

Makes a B sound as in boat.

Vet

veht

ב

Makes a V sound as in veterinarian.

Gimmel

gee-mehl

ג

Makes a G sound as in girl.

Dalet

dah-leht

ד

Makes a D sound as in door.

Hey

hey

ה

Makes a soft H sound as in hello.

Vav

vahv

ו

Also makes a V sound as in veterinarian. (Don’t ask me why.)

Zayin

zah-een

ז

Makes a Z sound as in zipper.

Chet

ḥeht

ח

Makes a strong guttural H”sound. In this book, this letter is represented as ḥ.

Tet

teht

ה

Makes a T sound as in teaspoon.

Yod

yohd

י

Makes a Y sound at the beginning of a word, as in young. This letter also behaves like a vowel at times. I discuss it in “Those dots and dashes they call vowels” later in this chapter.

Kaf

kahf

כּ

Makes a K sound as in kite.

Khaf

khahf

כ

Makes a strong guttural H sound. This letter is represented in this book as kh.

Lamed

lah-mehd

ל

Makes an L sound as in lemon.

Mem

mehm

מ

Makes an M sound as in mouse.

Nun

noon

נ

Makes an N sound as in no. (And you thought only Catholics had nuns.)

Samekh

sah-mehḥ

ס

Makes an S sound as in soda.

Ayin

ah-yeen

ע

Makes a barely audible guttural sound in the back of the throat. (For practical purposes, as most non-native speakers can’t make this sound, this letter is a silent letter. You pronounce the vowels that are placed below it, but the letter itself doesn’t make a sound.)

Pey

pay

פּ

Makes a P sound as in popsicle.

Fey

fay

פ

Makes an F sound as in fish.

Tzadi

tzah-dee

צ

Makes a hard Tz sound as in pizza. In this book, I represent it as tz.

Kof

kohf

ק

Makes a K sound as in Kansas.

Reish

raysh

ר

Makes an R sound as in round. This letter is actually a guttural letter. Roll it like a Spanish R and pronounce it from the back of the throat.

Shin

sheen

שׁ

(Not Charlie’s brother or Martin’s long-lost son.) When the dot is on the right side of the letter, it makes a Sh sound. as in show. In this book, I represent it as sh.

Sin

seen

שׂ

When the dot is on the left side of the letter, it makes an S sound as in Sam.

Tav

tahv

ת

Makes a T sound as in toe.

Those dots and dashes they call vowels

Originally, Hebrew had no vowels. Vowels, in the form of dots and lines below the consonants, were added to Hebrew writing in the seventh century CE. Before then, people read without vowels. Even today, most books, magazines, and newspapers in Modern Hebrew — not to mention the Torah scroll — are written without vowels.

Modern Hebrew has both long and short vowels. As a general rule, a long vowel can make up one syllable, but a short vowel needs either another vowel or a שָׁוְא (shuh-vah; two vertical dots below a consonant) to form a syllable. For more on the שָׁוְא, see “Introducing the Shvah” later in this chapter.

As I mentioned earlier, vowels are divided into long and short vowels. This categorization doesn’t have to do with their pronunciation but with the fact that long vowels are usually in open syllables — syllables that end with a vowel — and short vowels are usually in closed syllables — syllables that end with a consonant. The long vowel חִירִיק מָלֵא (Chirik Maleh), however, holds its sound longer than the corresponding short vowel חָרִיק חַסֵּר (hirek haser). Table 1-6 shows the long vowels.

TABLE 1-6 The Long Vowels

Name of the Vowel

Pronunciation

In Hebrew

The Sound It Makes

Hirik Maleh

ḥee-reek mah-leh

iאִי

Makes an Ee sound as in see

Holam

ḥoh-lahm

אֹ

Makes an O sound as in more

Kamatz Gadol

kah-mahtz

אָ

Makes an Ah sound as in saw

Shuruk

shoo-rook

אוּ

Makes an Oo sound as in mood

Tzere

tzay-reh

אֵ

Makes an A sound as in cape

Vav Cholam

vahv ḥoh-lahm

אוֹ

Makes an O sound as in snow

Note: In this table, I used the letter א (aleph) so you could see how the vowels look when they’re attached to a consanant. (The vowels are the little squiggles and dots around the א.) Unlike in English, Hebrew vowels can never be written alone; they’re always attached to a consonant.

Table 1-7 shows the short vowels.

TABLE 1-7 The Short Vowels

Name of the Vowel

Pronunciation

In Hebrew

The Sound It Makes

Herik Haser

ḥee-reekḥah-sehr

אִ

Makes an Ee sound as in see

Kamatz Katan

kah-mahtz kah-tahn

אׇ

Makes an O sound as in more

Kubutz

koo-bootz

אֻ

Makes an Oo sound as in mood

Patach

pah-tahḥ

אַ

Makes an Ah sound as in saw

Segol

seh-gohl

אֶ

Makes an Eh sound as in end

Note: In this table, I used the letter א (aleph) so you could see how the vowels look when they’re attached to a consanant. (The vowels are the little squiggles and dots around the א.)

Sometimes, the Kamatz Patah, Kamatz Katan, or the Segol is paired with a Shvah. This pairing doesn’t change the pronunciation.

The Kamatz Katan looks identical to the Kamatz. If you see something that looks like a Kamatz at the beginning of a word followed by a Shvah or between two Shvah, it's probably a Kamatz Katan and should be pronounced O.

Introducing the Shvah

The Shvah looks like a colon (:), and you find it below letters. Hebrew actually has three types of Shvahs (but they all look the same):

Shvah Na (sh

vah nah

), which opens a syllable

Shvah Nach (sh

vah nah

ḥ

), which closes a syllable

Shvah Merahef (sh

vah

mehr-rah-

ḥ

ehf

 ), known as the

flying shvah

, which results from two Shvah Nas being next to each other in a word

The Shvahs don’t make their own sound but are essentially placeholders for the consonant above them. The Shvah Naḥ, however, holds the sound a little bit longer. You can tell a Shvah Naḥ because it usually comes in the middle or at the end of a word. A Shvah Na is at the beginning of a word or syllable

Doing it with a Dagesh

The little dot that you see in the middle of letters is called a Dagesh. Most of the time, this dot doesn’t change the pronunciation of the consonant except for three letters. I discuss this point later in this section.

Hebrew has two types of D’geshim (duh-gehsh-eem; the plural form of Dagesh):

Dagesh Kal (dah-

gehsh kahl

)

:

Appears at the beginning of all words and at the beginning of all syllables in the following letters:

בּ

(Bet),

גּ

(Gimmel),

דּ

(Dalet),

כּ

(Kaf),

פּ

(Pey), and

תּ

(Tav).

Dagesh

ḥ

azak (

dah

-gehsh

ḥ

ah-zahk

)

:

Appears after the word

the

, which in Hebrew is a prefix consisting of the letter Hey and the vowel Patach below it.

Don’t get too hung up on this distinction, because all D’geshim look the same!

Sometimes in Hebrew, a letter acts like a weak letter, such as a ה (Hey) or a נ (Nun), and disappears in the course of verb conjugation. (By “weak letter,” I mean that it sometimes drops out during conjugation.) When a weak letter disappears, a Dagesh Chazak appears in the letter that comes after the dropped letter. Also, certain word patterns called Mishkalim (meesh-kah-leem), in which all the words belong to a certain category (such as professions, colors, and physical challenges), have a Dagesh in one of the letters. Words that describe physical challenges, such as blindness and deafness, for example, always take a Dagesh ḥazak in the middle letter of the word.

HEBREW AS THE HOLY TONGUE — DON’T BITE IT

Judaism has always regarded Hebrew as a sacred language. Hebrew is often referred to as לְשׁוֹן הַקֹּדֶשׁ (le-shohn hah-koh-desh; the Holy Tongue), and even the Hebrew word for letter, אוֹת (oht), means “sign” or “wonder.” In fact, during the period of Hebrew’s revival as a spoken language, some people objected, saying that Hebrew was simply too sacred for saying things like “Take out the garbage.”

Also, all Hebrew letters have numeric value. A particular form of Jewish numerology called גִּמַּהְרִיָּה (gee-meht-ree-yah) plays on the words’ numeric values. Both the Hebrew word for wine (יַיִן;yah-yeen) and secret (סוֹד;sohd) have the same numerical value. The Talmud has a saying, “When the wine goes in, secrets come out!” Other Jewish sacred writings claim that the Hebrew letters are the manifestation of divine energy patterns and even that the universe’s DNA is composed of Hebrew letters.

A 13th-century mystic, Rabbi Abraham Abulafia, created a form of Jewish meditation, similar to yoga, based on the Hebraic forms. And a 16th-century mystic, Rabbi Isaac Luria, developed another form of meditation based on visualizing the Hebrew letters.

Are you totally confused yet? What difference does adding a Dagesh make? In the Sephardic pronunciation that Israelis and most Hebrew speakers today use, adding a Dagesh almost never makes a difference in pronunciation. But in a few cases, when a Dagesh is placed within a letter (always a consonant), it changes the way you pronounce that consonant. When you add a Dagesh to the letter ו (Vet), for example, the V sound becomes a B sound, and you pronounce the letter like bet. When you pair a Dagesh with the letter ḥaf, the ḥ sound becomes a K sound, so the sound of that letter becomes kaf. Finally, the letter פ (Fey) with a Dagesh becomes a פּ (Peh).

Reading and writing from right to left

Hebrew, like other ancient Semitic languages (such as Acadian, Samarian, Ugaritic, and Arabic), is written from right to left. Why? Is there a preponderance of lefties in the region? No!

Maybe you’ve read the Bible, in particular the part where Moses comes down from the mountain with the Ten Commandments in hand. And if you haven’t read the Bible, perhaps you’ve seen the Mel Brooks film version in History of the World: Part 1. When Moses came down from the mountain, what was he holding? A copy of an email from the Almighty? A scroll of papyrus? No. He was holding two stone tablets! You may ask, “Well, how did the Ten Commandments get on the stone tablets? Did Moses have a special pen or something?”