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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