Hebrew at Kollel

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During Kollel, students will have a brief introduction to the letters of the Alef-Bet, key vocabulary words, and key concepts for prayer. We will focus on Biblical Hebrew as a holy language: the language of the Torah, and of most of our blessings and prayers. We will investigate the ways that some Jews find mystical secrets and meanings in each letter. Students will share their prayer-learning at NSP’s monthly Shabbat morning services. Students will not be expected to master decoding (sounding out Hebrew) during Kollel classes this year.

*I strongly encourage families to display the weekly coloring sheets and other projects proudly on the refrigerator or another prominent spot: visual culture in your home is the best way to reinforce the learning we do in class. Children will remember the letters of the Alef-Bet if they see them every day. I, for one, grew up staring at the Alef-Bet at every meal, on my Noah’s Ark Alef-Bet dishes.

During separate opt-in tutoring sessions, students will work their way through a series of 12 packets to learn decoding (sounding out Hebrew) and basic translation skills through liturgical vocabulary and excerpted stories from the Torah. The decoding curriculum will be followed by an extended liturgical curriculum which draws on the same skills and vocabulary.

it honors the diversity of our community’s practice, offers Nonbinary Hebrew adaptations and gender-inclusive language for children and families, and it emphasizes Hebrew as a rich and holy language. I am excited to pilot this program with our partners at Hinenu: The Baltimore Justice Shtiebl.

The 12-unit curriculum is self-paced. Some students might enjoy completing parts of the reading and exercises independently, but all will benefit from individualized attention either from a tutor or via their caregivers. I would expect each unit to take, on average 2-4 sessions with a tutor, depending on the student’s needs, pace, and ability to work independently.