Hebrew Begins With Shalom is my Hebrew reading programme. Updated in 2024, I have used it successfully in teaching learners for over 20 years.
Hebrew Begins With Shalom is a course for either young people who are required to learn to decode Hebrew characters in order to be able to recite a portion from Torah on the occasion of their Bar or Bat Mitzvah, or adults of any denomination who would like to attain a level of fluency in the vocalization of Jewish prayers and sacred texts.
Beginning with the Hebrew word Shalom, represented by the letters Shin, Lamed, Vav, Mem and progressing through the Aleph-bet, the course builds on and consolidates combinations of consonants and vowels. Identification and pronunciation of syllables is considered crucial and is taught early on and is reinforced throughout.
Words and phrases of religious/ethical significance based on the Jewish prayer book (Siddur) and Hebrew Bible (TeNaKH) are emphasized, with some Modern Hebrew (Ivrit). In the final part of the book, the learner will have the opportunity to read some of these beautiful texts in their entirety with benefit of translation.
Lawrence Cohen Writing 