A Project Genesis website

Learning Hebrew

Question

How many different words would one have to learn in order to read the Torah? Not the number of total words in the Torah, not how many times a word is used, but the number of different Hebrew words a person would need to know in order to be able to read the Torah. thank you.

Answer

Hi! I have consulted with a well-known Torah teacher. He feels that about 400 words would be sufficient to be able to read and understand most of the verses in the Torah. Maybe 500 to be safe. One would have to understand Hebrew grammar as well, though, since a given word form, such as the word “diber” (speaking) takes numerous forms depending on the subject and tense (m’daber, dibur, m’daberes…).

If you are really interested in being able to read Torah, I would suggest doing it with a teacher as well. Much of the richness of Torah is gained by learning from someone whose character is a reflection of the Torah that one is learning.

One good resource for this is called “Partners in Torah”. (partnersintorah.org, phone number 800-STUDY-4-2.) In this program, the coordinators find pairs of people, one of them more experienced, to study together by phone once a week or so. Of course, I don’t know whether that suits your particular situation.

I wish you a lot of success. Please let me know if I can help in any way.

Best wishes,
Michoel Reach

Follow-up question

Question

Is there a good book that you can recommend that will help to teach the 500 or so words? I have read a bunch of books on learning Hebrew better, but non are really helping me that much so far.

Answer

Hi! Maybe you would do better to ask an expert. I don’t know any particular books to recommend. But probably you could use any Hebrew dictionary to show you how the verbs are conjugated and the endings and prefixes. That, plus a Chumash (five books of Moses) with translation, preferably a linear translation like the one by Metsudah.

Just start anywhere you like, and make sure you understand how each word is put together. Draw lines on the word to divide it into its sections: V|ahav|ta – V means “and”, ahav is the root for love, ta means “you”… Take your time. Practice each verse until you can read it fluently. Keep going, and keep reviewing. Always keep what you’ve learned. You will not have gone very far before you’ll be able to translate verses yourself. I wish you a lot of success.

Best wishes,
Michoel Reach