Reading the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible in the language in which it was written is to open a window into a different world and times. We are as a culture more than 3,000 years distant from the nomadic tribes who wandered the Middle East from amongst whom emerged a radical new understanding of Creation and the Creator. Learning to read Biblical Hebrew is an adventure in difference. Ancient Hebrew is linguistically distant from European languages and employs structures and techniques to impart meeting which are foreign to English speakers.

This intensive course introduces the student to Biblical Hebrew and lays the groundwork for further study. It works with fragments of scripture from the start and leads the student gently through the Hebrew text into a growing understanding of how Jewish narratives are constructed and how their writers thought of their world and expressed that understanding. This Biblical Hebrew language course is both fun and intensive, and will bring the student through the early stages of learning a language which is both radically different and beautifully rich in its theology and world view.

From the start we read extracts from the Hebrew Bible, and over six days of intensive study we provide you with the basic tools to understand the Hebrew language. By the end of the week students are tackling extended passages. No prior knowledge of other languages is needed.  Sessions begin on Sunday and will run throughout the day and evening with an extended break for lunch and in the afternoon.   The course will end at lunchtime on Friday in time for Shabbat.  Some may wish to arrive the night before (Saturday) the course starts, which is an option to consider when registering.

You will be advised on the textbook and the only pre-requisite is knowing the alphabet, and you will be given details for both upon registration.

Tutor bio:  Your tutor is Rachel Montagu, who graduated from Cambridge University with a degree in Classics and was ordained as a rabbi at the Leo Baeck College in London in 1984. She teaches Biblical Hebrew for a diverse range of audiences, including CityLit in London.