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Articles & Books From Jill Suzanne Jacobs
Discover Hebrew with the world's most straightforward guide to one of the world's most beautiful languages. Shalom! Are you ready to dive into an ancient-yet-modern and rich language full of nuance? Then open up Hebrew For Dummies and get started learning your way around Hebrew by immersing yourself in its sounds and rhythms.
Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-24-2022
The ancient language of Hebrew is still spoken today, and if you want to speak it, you need to know common greetings, basic questions, and the Hebrew alphabet. A Jewish blessing in Hebrew shows the language in action.If you’re attending a Shabbat dinner, familiarizing yourself with the common rituals of the special event is a great idea to help you thoroughly enjoy the night.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
The Hebrew alphabet is comprised of 24 letters and a point system that denotes vowel sounds because the alphabet itself has no vowels. The following table lists the letters and their sounds followed by the points and which vowel sound each represents.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Even outside Israel, Hebrew is an important part of Jewish life. Throughout history, the Jewish people have continued to hold onto the language of their native land. Today, although the majority of the world's Hebrew speakers live in Israel, about a million Hebrew speakers live outside of the state of Israel, most of them in North America.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
The syntax (the arrangement of words to make sentences), or Tachbir (tahch-beer), of a Hebrew sentence is quite different from English. Have a look at the basics of word order — what syntax looks like in English, and how Hebrew is different. Also discover how to say there is and there isn't, because if you can use this simple sentence construction, you can say a lot — just plug in the noun of your choice, and you'll be speaking Hebrew!
Article / Updated 04-19-2017
If you’re attending a Shabbat dinner, familiarizing yourself with the common rituals of the special event is a great idea to help you thoroughly enjoy the night. The information below will help you understand what Shabbat is, common Jewish traditions, Hebrew phases and language to know, and what to expect from the night of festivities!
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Hebrew offers you many choices of ways to say hello and good-bye. Here are a few things to say in greeting:
Shalom. (shah-lohm; Hello; peace.)Mah Ha'Inyanim? (mah hah-in-yah-neem; How are things?)Mah Nishmah? (mah neesh-mah ; What's up?)Mah Shlomcha? (mah sh-lohm-chah; How are you? Literally: How is your welfare?
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Of course, when you buy clothes, you want to dress for the season. Whether you are wearing Begadim Yomiyim (beh-gah-deem yoh-mee-eem; casual clothes), Levush Chagigi (lah-voosh chah-gee-gee; dressy clothes), or even your Bigdei Shabbat(beeg-day shah-baht; Sabbath clothes, the Hebrew equivalent of "Sunday Best"), or if you live in a climate with four seasons, you want to have handy all kinds of clothes for the different weather.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
To master Hebrew — or any language — you need to be able to ask questions. The following table lists the common question words and a few common questions that can come in useful if you’re in a Hebrew-speaking community:
Question
Hebrew (pronunciation)
Question
Hebrew (pronunciation)
Who
Mi (mee)
How
Eich (ech)
What
Mah (mah)
How much does it cost?
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
You can use this great all-purpose Jewish blessing in Hebrew any time you experience something new (such as eating the first fruit of the season), or experience something wonderful — a wedding, a new job, a new contract, or whatever).
Hebrew: Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech Ha’Olam, Sh’hecheyanu, V’Kiyemanu, V’Higianu LaZman HaZeh.