Hebrew/Introduction

About this Textbook

The purpose of this Hebrew WikiBook is to help English readers learn Hebrew. Taking advantage of the capabilities of hypertext, this Wiki Book can be used in several different ways. The prerequisite for all of them the phonetic Hebrew alphabet. After that, a learner can go through in numerical order starting with Hebrew/Basic 1 or focus on vocabulary-based topics. For instance, a student could begin with Hebrew/Food and move onto related topics like Hebrew/Meals, Hebrew/Drinks or Hebrew/Fruit. Lessons have links to suggested prerequisites, related topics and more advanced lessons.

Note: At this point the lessons are all very introductory. More advanced levels should come. In general, the level 2 lessons assume students have become familiar with the content of level 1 and so forth.

The Hebrew Language

Hebrew (עִבְרִית ‘Ivrit) is a Semitic language, a member of the larger Afro-Asiatic language family, spoken by more than 7 million people in Israel and about 6 million in Jewish communities worldwide, totalling 13 million. It is the language of the state and people of Israel and one of the two official languages of Israel. It is mostly studied and spoken by Jews and students of Judaism and Israel, linguists, archeologists and theologians specializing in the Middle East and its civilization. For more information click here.