Hebrew Language Skills and Using Phonetic Hebrew

Hebrew language skills add an important sense of identity along with capacity for a student celebrating b* mitzvah.  The ability to see the letters’ connections between various words enhances understanding and meaning. The skills-and-drills training certainly operate on a different level when a tutor can say, “Fifth line, third word, second letter is a vet and not a bet. Tell me why that’s so.” Ultimately learning the Hebrew passages via Hebrew decoding is a far simpler learning process. For students who already have some Hebrew reading ability, a wide range of tutors can be found online. These professionals can asses your student’s ability and suggest a tutoring schedule to meet your Hebrew capacity goals. The accountability factor of regular meetings with a tutor is also a huge benefit. A few minutes of practice a day on a consistent basis makes exponential progress!

Some students have no Hebrew language experience, and the presumption is that it would be impossible for that to change in the course of a year or 18 months. Not true! The number of opportunities to start from scratch with custom tutorials by qualified educators has never been greater. Originally one had to find individual tutors with local reputations known in their communities. These are still viable options, but not the only options. There are entire companies that exist to deliver remote, customized, Jewish education including Hebrew language skills. These companies work with students across the county and around the world. Your location should not be a problem!

Increasingly families rely upon the phonetic transliteration of Hebrew passages. They use the transliteration along with audio files to learn the various parts of their ceremonies. While many Jewish educators and clergy wish it were otherwise, the process remains an effective training tool for performative outcomes. Be advised: there are multiple transliteration systems out in the wild! Be sure to “know the code” of the particular system you are using. The tutor or celebrant providing the transliteration should also provide the accompanying audio files.