Shalom Aleichem: Learn to Read the Hebrew Prayerbook (English and Hebrew Edition)

This book is great. I am currently converting with Conservative. The lessons are very straight-forward. You go from reading the alefbeit to simple words, then sentences, and finally passages. There are "goal words at the top of the page, and you learn the letters with the goal words. It also uses vowels (dots under Khav, crosses under Shin), and the siddurs I've seen do not. I have only been using this book a week or two and can recognise many words in Hebrew and pronounce them correctly, some better than the English transliteration! The only tip I have is, like others have said, go to services as much as you can, and borrow or buy a siddur to go with it if you feel so inclined. The practise words (words under the letter on the page) are a bit on the small side, so if you have vision issues grab a magnifier. If you want it new, try the Jewish Men's Clubs Store. Good luck!

As others have said, this book uses the theory of using a familiar song "Shalom Aleichem" to teach the different letters and sounds of Hebrew. It works best if you are in a class or with a teacher who knows the correct pronunciation of that song. If you don't, you can always buy the tape Shabbat at Home (Sephardic) or First Steps in Hebrew Prayer- the Most Important Jewish Prayers, Blessings and Principles for the Very Beginner(Ashkenaki). The English instructions for reading assume Sephardic pronunciation, but it is very easy to teach/learn Ashkinazic from this book as well. There is no grammar or vocabulary taught. When I took a class with this book, I was given the instructions to attend Friday night services on a regular basis. Since all of the words from this book come from the Friday night service, that will help a lot.

I can't help wondering if Noah Golinkin ever taught music to beginners, for this book follows a similar process. However, instead of learning scales and other musical excercises that gradually build in complexity, you are dealing with the Hebrew alphabet in much the same way. At first, I was slightly perplexed when I opened the book. There are apparently no instructions or guide to how the "system" works. You get half a page of frighting looking Hebrew, and what looks like a song. Don't be discouraged, turn the page and get stuck right into pronouncing "M" in all its possible ways. By about the third or forth page you understand the methodology, and see the sense in it. Once you have finished going through this slim volume, turn back to the beginning, and go through it a second time. After this you will have no problems reading Hebrew. Of course, you may not fully understand what you are reading! But, that is another story, and fortunately there are plenty of books to help you translate what you can now pronounce. The main benefit is that you will not be left mumbling half remembered Hebrew prayers, and wondering where on the page you should be, whilst everyone around you appears to be fluent.

Shalom Aleichem is an excellent resource. It builds words and phrases in a very methodical fashion, working toward being able to read the Shabbat hymn "Shalom Aleichem" (hence the title). There are also reading exercises toward the end using other hymns and liturgy from the prayerbook. By the end of the book, a surprising repetoire of Hebrew words and phrases has been built - but be aware that this is primarily a "learning to make the right noises" (i.e. reading aloud) kind of book. It does not teach grammar or reading comprehension, except to the extent that the individual teacher will delve into those areas. Its main goal is to enable fuller participation in services.I learned basic Hebrew reading skills from this book, and have taught adult Hebrew using it. The way the book builds words and concepts is effective and seems to work well for people. Folks that I know who have used other basic Hebrew books, and found the experience painful, like this one a lot. It prepared me for further studies in biblical Hebrew, and also prepares classes nicely for prayerbook Hebrew.The only drawbacks are that the organization is, at times, awkward and the content sometimes seems a little jumbled, with little explanation. But these do not detract from the effeicacy of the book in any significant way. The teacher simply needs to be prepared for them.

I am a convert to the religion, nothing helped my new hebrew skills more then this small book. I'd tried tapes and fancy computer programs but this is the thing that worked. If you are converting, learning, or mastering this book is GREAT