- "Hebrew was natively spoken by the Israelites and remained in regular use as a spoken language by their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans."
Hebrew is the language of the Jewish people, and learning to read and write in Hebrew is crucial for religious study.
Hebrew Alphabet: Learn the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet and their pronunciation.
Basic Grammar: Learn the basic grammar rules of Hebrew language, including noun and verb conjugation.
Vocabulary: Learn essential Hebrew vocabulary, including common nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.
Pronunciation: Learn to pronounce Hebrew words accurately.
Reading: Learn how to read Hebrew script, including vowel and consonant placement.
Writing: Learn how to write Hebrew script, including proper form and stroke order.
Biblical Hebrew: Study the Hebrew language as it is used in the Bible and other religious texts.
Modern Hebrew: Study the Hebrew language as it is spoken in modern times, including current vocabulary and idioms.
Hebrew Culture: Learn about Jewish culture and traditions, including customs, holidays, and history.
Hebrew Literature: Study Jewish literature, including poetry, prose, and religious texts.
Hebrew Law: Study the legal system of Jewish law and how it is interpreted and applied.
Hebrew Music: Study Jewish musical traditions and listen to Hebrew music.
Hebrew Art: Study Jewish art and its role in Jewish culture.
Hebrew Philosophy: Study Jewish philosophy and its influence on Western thought.
Hebrew Mysticism: Study Jewish mysticism, including Kabbalah and other mystical traditions.
Hebrew Education: Learn about Jewish education and its importance in Jewish culture.
Hebrew Theatre: Study Jewish theatre and its role in Jewish culture.
Hebrew Food: Learn about Jewish cuisine and its importance in Jewish culture.
Hebrew Social Justice: Study Jewish social justice movements and their impact on Jewish culture.
Hebrew Immigration: Learn about Jewish immigration and its impact on Jewish culture and history.
Biblical Hebrew: This is the original form of Hebrew that was spoken during the time of biblical prophets and kings. It is characterized by its use of archaic forms of verbs, nouns, and pronouns.
Mishnaic Hebrew: This type of Hebrew was used between the third and fifth centuries AD to write the Mishnah, a collection of Jewish oral traditions. It is similar to biblical Hebrew but somewhat simplified and evolved.
Medieval Hebrew: This refers to the Hebrew used during the Middle Ages in Jewish literature, particularly during the Golden Age of Jewish culture in Spain (10th-12th centuries). This included poetry, philosophy, and rabbinic commentaries, and is characterized by its more complex grammar and syntax.
Modern Hebrew: This is the Hebrew spoken in modern-day Israel and used in contemporary Jewish literature. It was revived in the 19th and 20th centuries as part of the Zionist movement, and is based on biblical and Mishnaic Hebrew but has incorporated many new words and linguistic features to facilitate modern communication.
Liturgical Hebrew: This is the sacred language of Jewish prayer and worship. It incorporates elements of biblical, Mishnaic, and medieval Hebrew and is used in traditional services and ceremonies.
Yiddish: This is a Germanic language with significant Hebrew and Aramaic components that was spoken by Ashkenazi Jews in Eastern Europe for hundreds of years. It has its own distinctive grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation.
Ladino: Also known as Judeo-Spanish, this is a Romance language that was spoken by Sephardic Jews in Spain and the Ottoman Empire. It incorporates Spanish, Hebrew, and Arabic elements and is still spoken by some communities today.
- "The Hebrew language died out after 200 CE."
- "However, it was largely preserved as a liturgical language, featuring prominently in Judaism (since the Second Temple period) and Samaritanism."
- "Having ceased to be a dead language in the 19th century, today's Hebrew serves as the only successful large-scale example of linguistic revival."
- "It is the only non-extinct Canaanite language, and is also one of only two Northwest Semitic languages still spoken, with the other being Aramaic."
- "The earliest examples of written Paleo-Hebrew date back to the 10th century BCE."
- "For this reason, Hebrew has been referred to by Jews as Lashon Hakodesh (לְשׁוֹן הַקֹּדֶשׁ, lit. 'the holy tongue' or 'the tongue [of] holiness') since ancient times."
- "The language was not referred to by the name Hebrew in the Bible, but as Yehudit (transl. 'the language of Judah') or Səpaṯ Kəna'an (transl. "the language of Canaan")."
- "Hebrew survived into the medieval period as the language of Jewish liturgy, rabbinic literature, intra-Jewish commerce, and Jewish poetic literature."
- "The first dated book printed in Hebrew was published by Abraham Garton in Reggio (Calabria, Italy) in 1475."
- "With the rise of Zionism in the 19th century, the Hebrew language experienced a full-scale revival as a spoken and literary language."
- "According to Ethnologue, Hebrew was spoken by five million people worldwide in 1998."
- "After Israel, the United States has the second-largest Hebrew-speaking population."
- "Pre-revival forms of Hebrew are used for prayer or study in Jewish and Samaritan communities around the world today."
- "Modern Hebrew is the official language of the State of Israel."
- "As a non-first language, it is studied mostly by non-Israeli Jews and students in Israel, by archaeologists and linguists specializing in the Middle East and its civilizations, and by theologians in Christian seminaries."
- "Hebrew was natively spoken by the Israelites and remained in regular use as a spoken language by their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans."
- "Approximately 220,000 fluent speakers" in the United States.
- "The latter group utilizes the Samaritan dialect as their liturgical tongue."
- "Pre-revival forms of Hebrew are used for prayer or study in Jewish and Samaritan communities around the world today."