Frequently Asked Questions

The courses were made for heterogenic groups of Hebrew (modern and biblical) learners. Participants should be able to read in Hebrew and have some vocabulary. Familiarity with at least a few dozens of Hebrew words and some grammatical concepts (the definite article, object marker, etc.) is also necessary. If you never studied Hebrew before, these courses might not be the best starting point for your journey. On the other hand, even if you are in a very advanced level, you will find great value in applying your knowledge to the literary and linguistic analyses of the biblical text.

Yes, I also do "normal" private tutoring of Hebrew. If that's what you prefer at the moment you can still contact me for that purpose. A level of mastery that would suffice for participation in my courses can be achieved within approximately half year of intensive (twice a week) study plan.

Even though all courses are attended by students of different levels of Hebrew, the earlier courses are slightly easier than the more advanced ones. This is due to the fact that the courses were originally conducted with a core of returning students attending virtually all of them, so some topics are covered more thoroughly in the first courses. Nevertheless, the focus of the classes is the text at hand and not the language concepts themselves. That allows me to expand on those concepts whenever I feel it is necessary. Bottom line is if you are on the beginners side, it is recommended to start from Genesis, but you can still gain a lot from other courses.

The main thing that sets my courses apart is the particular dosing of language learning on one hand, together with bible studies on the other. There are indeed many courses out there where you can learn Hebrew or Biblical Hebrew. I teach and taught in some of them myself. There also are many bible study groups, both online as well as in the real world. My courses were born out of an attempt to take Hebrew learners and equip them with conventional analytic tools and accompany them as they apply their hard earned knowledge of both Hebrew language and the Hebrew bible in real life. In practice, it means we study thoroughly text units from within the bible. That allows us to both understand these texts better, and also learn through them about the language (and by extension - the culture and history) in which they were originally written.

I keep my classes at a maximum number of 7 students, often fewer, so as to allow for an intimate yet fruitful and engaging study atmosphere.

The courses were originally created as a cooperation with another online Hebrew school, titled "Reading the Bible Together". That means that a heterogenous group of Hebrew learners would meet to read the bible in Hebrew. Our main focus was the text itself, coupled with Biblical Hebrew language related materials.

Each course consists of 7 classes (45 min. each) taught on a weekly basis in the afternoon (EST time), typically covering one chapter (for example: Genesis 18, Deuteronomy 5, Isaiah 5, etc.). A full list of courses is available under my courses tab, where you can find courses covering chapters from the books of Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy and Isaiah. The list updates every couple of weeks as soon as a new course is ready to launch.

During class, we read together the Hebrew text, verse by verse, and discuss primarily language related aspects that the particular verses at hand present us with, compare it to other biblical texts (which we also read aloud, of course!) and to contemporary ancient near eastern sources that can shed light on the issue at stake.

Yes. After each unit I send you exercises, flashcards and more. Additionally, each study group has its own Whatsapp group where the students can ask questions and discuss freely. It can take me time to reply on those, but I never left an unattended inquiry!

The courses are offered as entire units, so the short answer is no. However, I make sure to record my lessons, so if you missed a class you will always have a recording that allows you to return the following week without missing out much.

We all have our innate biases, myself included. I try my best to be aware and open about my own. I define myself as an Israeli, secular Jew. What it means is that I am more familiar with academic and rabbinical approaches to the text. However, I am not a religious or other spiritual authority, thus I don't seek to influence my students' (some of whom actually ARE priests and Rabbis who are way more eligible to discuss faith related issues than me!) religious beliefs. My focus is primarily to help you read the text in Hebrew. You are welcome to take this knowledge to your own spiritual home, wherever it might be. Needless to say, whatever your beliefs are, you are warmly welcome, as long as you are respectful of the different views and beliefs voiced in class.

Sure, here's a class I conducted a while ago, as part of the Deuteronomy 6 course. You won't find much beyond that because my recorded classes are unlisted, available only to the students themseves. To protect the privacy of my students, I never share anything without their consent.

Either way, keep in mind that a class is not a video production, and the experience of learning through interaction is different from learning through watching or reading. Thus, I would invite you to take part in an example class with one of my active groups, which in my opinion can give you a better idea of what to expect.

In order to enroll in one of the courses you need to contact me, either through the contact tab or via email. Even though available courses are published on the home page and on my Facebook page, they still tend to be very dynamic, so I prefer to pass students real-time information about available courses personally. We are a small "school", which means I have a few active groups at the moment, plus a few of the courses listed (not all!) that are scheduled to start within weeks or months, at a designated day and time for the weekly meetings. In case the course that interests you doesn't have an immediate date to start, or doesn't suit your availability, don't worry! As soon as registration enables me to open the class, I'll let you know.

A singular course costs 180$, and a 3 course package costs 500$. Each course consists of 7 classes, 45 minutes each. Since It is a small operation, all payment related issues are concluded through direct communication with me! I prefer it this way over an automatic purchase on the website at this point. Payments are possible via Paypal, credit card or bank transfer. Once payment is made, you will receive an email with all the links and materials necessary.