So now, you have learned the alphabet, you have learned you first few hundred words, what’s next?
First, you need to decide if you want to specialize in a certain direction, i.e. do you have specific Hebrew goals? Or are you a generalist, and just want to improve your overall Hebrew?
Here are some questions that might help you decide if you want to specialize?
Are you planning a specific trip in the near future? If so, you might want to focus on conversational Hebrew. The Pimsleur courses provide a great foundation for conversational Hebrew. Pimsleur (as of March 2008) has two levels of Hebrew (where as they have three levels for other modern languages). Each level consists of 30 lesssons, each 30-minutes each. It is recommended to listen in your car, and NOT to exceed one lesson per day. Thus, in approximately 30-days you will finish Level 1, and in another 30-days you will finish Level 2. Cost is about $189 per Level.
Is your goal to read the Bible only? I.e. you do not plan to travel to Israel, and you are primarily interested in Bible study?
Is your goal to read Rabbinical Hebrew works (such as Talmud, Rashi, Midrash)? In this case, you will have to learn some medieval Hebrew. Typically, this type of learner will already have good base of Biblical Hebrew.
Do you have a goal to study in Israel? Do you need to take college courses where Hebrew is the primary language? If so, you might need to consider an Ulpan course in Israel (which maybe required to being accepted into your desired study program).
Are you making Aliyah (migrating) to Israel? Do you want to learn before you go, or wait and take Ulpan courses when you get there?
The courses below are currently not available
We still offer the HaYesod course for Modern Hebrew (30 Lessons). This course was made by Neal Walters, based around the existing HaYesod textbook, but we did not record with Israelis. Unfortunately, it is only available on cassette tapes. The HaYesod text is a great book, consisting of about 75 lessons or chapters. Each chapter begins with about 10-20 vocabulary words, then one story, very cleverly written, usually about one or two pages in length. This is followed by a brief grammar explanation, and practice questions at the end of each chapter (ideally you would write out your answers to the questions, where both questions and answers are in Hebrew). For more info: HaYesod Modern Hebrew Home-Study Course
Neal has also created the Weingreen Biblical Hebrew home study course. So far, we have only done 8 lessons. J. Weingreen wrote a classical text called ‘A Practical Grammar for Classical Hebrew’. ‘Classical Hebrew’ is an academic code word for ‘Biblical Hebrew’. The Weingreen text has advantages and disadvantages. Is is very obtuse for a beginer to pick up and learn from it. It is basically a college level text book or reference book. Once you complete this book, you will always look back to it as a great reference. Since the book is rather intimidating to beginners, Neal basically simplified it with his own worksbooks and Audio-CDs (or cassettes). Neal gives examples to all the exercises, and reads the exercises and answers on the CDs so you can hear the proper pronunciation. For more info: Weingreen Biblical Hebrew Home-Study Course
We also carry the ‘Ulpan Or’ courses. ‘Ulpan’ is the Israeli word for a Hebrew language class. There are many ‘Ulpan’ schools in Israel. One Israeli company created ‘Ulpan’ courses for English speakers. They start at the very beginning, and move up. The level 3 course includes a booklet on how to read media, such as Israeli magazines, newspapers, and websites. The course also includes songs, poetry. Level 2 has a great book that focuses on Hebrew verbs. You can order an entire level, or you can pick and choose. For more info: Ulpan-Or Products (in our online store)