How Difficult Is The Hebrew Alphabet?

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I am sure you have already seen the letters of the Hebrew Alphabet, and in particular the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible). Perhaps you have already tried to learn the Hebrew alphabet or even some Hebrew grammar. In the next few web pages, you will gradually be introduced to each of the Hebrew letters, how to write them, and how to pronounce them. In the lessons on the Tanakh, we build on this foundation and start to study the Hebrew Bible itself.

If you do not already know the Hebrew Alphabet, at first everything will seem strange and unfamiliar. Because the Hebrew letters look so different from English, many people assume that Hebrew must be a difficult language to learn.
 

Once you have overcome the initial shock of how different the Hebrew Alphabet is to English, how strange it looks and how different the vocabulary and sounds of the language are, Hebrew really isn’t any harder to learn than languages such as French, German or Spanish.

In fact, Hebrew is perhaps easier to learn than many languages, since the working vocabulary is relatively small, and certain fundamental concepts run all the way through the language from beginning to end. Once you know the Hebrew Alphabet, everything tends to fall into place and progress in actually reading and understanding the Hebrew Bible can be surprisingly fast. If you continue with the lessons on this web site, you will find one day that you can pick up the Tanakh and understand whole chunks of what you are reading. You will understand much more from your trips to Israel and the connections to your rich Biblical heritage.

There is a Hebrew proverb, Kol techilot kashot, which means All beginnings are hard. Starting to learn the Hebrew Alphabet will be difficult at first, but if you take it step by step, you will soon be amazed at how much progress you have made. The hardest step, however, is to learn the Hebrew Alphabet. The more progress you make, the easier the journey will get. It's well worth the effort. What could be more wonderful and exciting than to pick up the Hebrew Bible, and understand the same words that were given directly to Moses, or read by King David, or written by the prophets? A translation of the Hebrew Bible, however good, is only a translation, and does not convey the beauty and majesty of the original inspired and God-breathed Scriptures. Reading a translation is like looking at a photocopy of a beautiful work of art – nothing is more beautiful and awe-inspiring than the original Hebrew Bible.

Although all beginnings are hard, Hebrew is a pure language, an inspired tongue, given by the angels to man to reveal God's Word. However difficult the path might be, and with all humility, set your heart to understand the Hebrew Alphabet, as the first step to understanding the Tanakh.

 
Hebrew is a fascinating language, full of beauty and simplicity and yet powerful enough to express the complexities of a modern civilisation. Not only will the study of the Hebrew Bible allow you to read the Word of God in its original language after the passage of thousands of years, but you will also be receiving a solid foundation in Modern Hebrew. If you have an opportunity to visit Israel, who knows how much more enjoyable your experience will be if you can speak Hebrew?

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