Books / Materials for Hebrew College Online Courses, Spring 2008
Please click on the link to class/es you are taking this semester to access the course readings for the class/es
Orientation to Online Study at Hebrew College
Genres and Themes of Biblical Literature
Early Childhood Institute: Teaching Jewish Values to Young Children
Early Childhood Institute: Hebrew for Early Childhood Education
Theory and Practice of Jewish Education
Hebrew Mekhina (preparatory course)
Modern Hebrew Language I
Modern Hebrew Language II
Modern Hebrew Language III
Modern Hebrew Language IV
Jewish History and Memory: Rabbinic and Medieval Periods
History and Meaning in the Study of Jewish Texts
Jewish Thought in the Modern Age
Orientation to Online Study at Hebrew College
Optional Reading
The following title is recommended but not required, you may purchase it for reference, or borrow it from a local library and use during orientation:
- Ken W. White, Jason D. Baker. The Student Guide to Successful Online Learning: A Handbook of Tips, Strategies, and Techniques. Student edition (Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2003)
Genres and Themes of Biblical Literature
Required Books:
- Any Hebrew Bible and JPS Tanakh, or JPS Hebrew-English Tanakh.
- A lexicon of Biblical Hebrew, either:
- the one-volume “BDB” (Francis Brown, S.R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament), republished recently by Hendrickson [title: Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon; or
- the newer, far more expensive English edition of the Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament by Ludwig Koehler and Walter Baumgartner, now available in a 2-volume “study edition"
- A reference grammar of Biblical Hebrew. Here are three possibilities from which to choose:
- The most up-to-date and thorough is “Joüon -Muraoka” – Paul S. Joüon, S.J., A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew, transl. and revised by T. Muraoka. 2 vols. (paperback) Rome: Editrice Pontificio Istituto Biblico, 1993. It is technical and expensive, but you won’t outgrow it.
- Still very serviceable, and with great detail on every point, is the older, less expensive “Gesenius-Kautsch-Cowley” – Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar, edited and enlarged by K. Kautsch, 2nd English edition by A. E. Cowley, Oxford: Clarendon, 1910, and reprints. Also technical and challenging to the beginner, but very worthwhile.
- The relatively inexpensive paperback edition of Thomas O. Lambdin, Introduction to Biblical Hebrew can serve as a rough and ready simplified reference grammar, and is therefore highly recommended for students without extensive experience reading Biblical Hebrew.
- Avraham Even-Shoshan, New Concordance of the Bible [Hebrew] (Jerusalem: Kiryat Sefer, 1985). This one is preferable to the older one by Mandelkern, but Mandelkern is still serviceable. It will be helpful to you in any Bible study in the future to be equipped with one or the other.
- The Jewish Study Bible, ed. Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004), an unparalleled one-volume Jewish Bible commentary and handbook.
Early Childhood Institute: Teaching Jewish Values to Young Children
Required Readings:
- Elias, Maurice J., Ph.D. Menschlekeit as a Goal of Jewish Education and Parenting.http://www.caje.org/earlychildhood/publication2/index.html
- Handelman, Maxine Segal. Chapter 1: "Developmentally Appropriate Practice,” in Jewish Every Day--The Complete Handbook for Early Childhood Teachers. Denver, CO: Alternatives in Religious Education Publishing, 2000.
- Rosen, Mark and Dina Shiner. “Making the Choice for Jewish Preschool,” Contact. Winter, 2007. Volume 9, Number 2.
- Handout: What Makes Early Childhood Education Jewish? by Marvell Ginsberg.
- Katz, Fern Rappaport. “Trust and Separation: God, Abraham, and Early childhood Educators.” CAJE Early Childhood Publication, Volume 4, June 2006.
- Vogelstein, Ilene C. "Transforming Early Education,” Sh’ma. February, 2004. AND “A Universal Mission for Early Childhood Jewish Education Programs." http://www.caje.org/earlychildhood/publication4/universal_mission.pdf
Early Childhood Institute: Hebrew for Early Childhood Education
No books required
Theory and Practice of Jewish Education
Optional purchases:
All readings for this course may be downloaded from the course website once it becomes available or read online. Because we will be doing a substantial amount of reading from the following texts, however, you may want to consider purchasing the following sources. Current book retailers prices for new copies are also indicated. Used copies are also available at online booksellers. A copy of each book will be on reserve in the library.
- Dewey, John. Experience and Education. New York: Macmillan, 1938. 5-91. $10
- - - - . Human Nature and Conduct. New York: Henry Hold and Co., 1922. Part Three. The Place of Intelligence in Conduct. 172-277. $15
- Visions of Jewish Education. Eds. Seymour Fox, Israel Scheffler, and Daniel Marom. Cambridge: University Press, 2003. 149-77. $30
- Pekarsky, Daniel. Vision at Work: The Theory and Practice of Beit Rabban. New York: Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 2006. Introduction available online at http://jtspress.org/vision-at-work-the-theory-and-practice-of-beit-rabban.html $30.
- Reimer, Joseph. Succeeding at Jewish Education: How One Synagogue Made it Work . Philadephia: Jewish Publication Society, 1997. $30
- Tyler, Ralph. What Educational Purposes Should the School Seek to Attain? Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction. Ralph Tyler. Chapter 1. 3-62. $10
Hebrew Mekhina (preparatory course)
Required Textbook
The textbook used by Hebrew College for Hebrew Mekhina is the first volume of Ivrit Min Hahatchala - Chadash (Hebrew From Scratch - New Edition) published in Israel by Academon. The book is available from the Israel Book Shop, 800-323-7723, israelbookshop.com. The cost is $40 per volume plus shipping. Mention that you are a Hebrew College student for a $4 discount. A companion collection of audio CDs can be purchased with each volume of the book. They are not required for participation in the course.
You Will Need a Dictionary
Part of learning Modern Hebrew is learning how to understand words from context, and how to use a Hebrew dictionary. That's why the textbook glossary contains only certain words key to the textbook lessons, and leaves gradually absorbing the other words as part of your language-learning process.
You will find it helpful and sometimes essential to refer to a Hebrew-English / English-Hebrew dictionary. Here are two recommendations. (We welcome your comments and recommendations. Please send these to rschindler@hebrewcollege.edu)
Michal Levy's first choice:
Multi Dictionary-Bilingual Learners Dictionary, by Edna Lauder & Liora Weinbach ($36).
A smaller dictionary with 82,000 entries:,br> The up-to-date English-Hebrew Hebrew-English Dictionary, by Shimon Zilberman ($12.75)
Both are available at the Israel Book Shop, (800) 323-7723, and possibly through other online booksellers.
Modern Hebrew Language I
Required Textbook
The textbook used by Hebrew College for Modern Hebrew I and II is the first volume of Ivrit Min Hahatchala - Chadash (Hebrew From Scratch - New Edition) published in Israel by Academon. The book is available from the Israel Book Shop, 800-323-7723, israelbookshop.com. The cost is $40 per volume plus shipping. Mention that you are a Hebrew College student for a $4 discount. A companion collection of audio CDs can be purchased with each volume of the book. They are not required for participation in the course.
You Will Need a Dictionary
Part of learning Modern Hebrew is learning how to understand words from context, and how to use a Hebrew dictionary. That's why the textbook glossary contains only certain words key to the textbook lessons, and leaves gradually absorbing the other words as part of your language-learning process.
You will find it helpful and sometimes essential to refer to a Hebrew-English / English-Hebrew dictionary. Here are two recommendations. (We welcome your comments and recommendations. Please send these to rschindler@hebrewcollege.edu)
Michal Levy's first choice:
Multi Dictionary-Bilingual Learners Dictionary, by Edna Lauder & Liora Weinbach ($36).
A smaller dictionary with 82,000 entries:,br> The up-to-date English-Hebrew Hebrew-English Dictionary, by Shimon Zilberman ($12.75)
Both are available at the Israel Book Shop, (800) 323-7723, and possibly through other online booksellers.
Modern Hebrew Language II
Required Textbook
The textbook used by Hebrew College for Modern Hebrew I and II is the first volume of Ivrit Min Hahatchala - Chadash (Hebrew From Scratch - New Edition) published in Israel by Academon. The book is available from the Israel Book Shop, 800-323-7723, israelbookshop.com. The cost is $40 per volume plus shipping. Mention that you are a Hebrew College student for a $4 discount. A companion collection of audio CDs can be purchased with each volume of the book. They are not required for participation in the course.
You Will Need a Dictionary
Part of learning Modern Hebrew is learning how to understand words from context, and how to use a Hebrew dictionary. That's why the textbook glossary contains only certain words key to the textbook lessons, and leaves gradually absorbing the other words as part of your language-learning process.
You will find it helpful and sometimes essential to refer to a Hebrew-English / English-Hebrew dictionary. Here are two recommendations. (We welcome your comments and recommendations. Please send these to rschindler@hebrewcollege.edu)
Michal Levy's first choice:
Multi Dictionary-Bilingual Learners Dictionary, by Edna Lauder & Liora Weinbach ($36).
A smaller dictionary with 82,000 entries:,br> The up-to-date English-Hebrew Hebrew-English Dictionary, by Shimon Zilberman ($12.75)
Both are available at the Israel Book Shop, (800) 323-7723, and possibly through other online booksellers.
Modern Hebrew Language III
Required Textbook
The textbook used by Hebrew College for Modern Hebrew, levels 3 and 4, is the second volume of Ivrit Min Hahatchala - Chadash (Hebrew From Scratch - New Edition) published in Israel by Academon. The book is available from the Israel Book Shop, 800-323-7723, israelbookshop.com. The cost is $40 per volume plus shipping. Mention that you are a Hebrew College student for a $6 discount. A companion collection of audio CDs can be purchased with each volume of the book. They are not required for participation in the course, as relevant audio clips can be heard via the course web site.
You Will Need a Dictionary
Part of learning Modern Hebrew is learning how to understand words from context, and how to use a Hebrew dictionary. That's why the textbook glossary contains only certain words key to the textbook lessons, and leaves gradually absorbing the other words as part of your language-learning process.
You will find it helpful and sometimes essential to refer to a Hebrew-English / English-Hebrew dictionary. Here are two recommendations. (We welcome your comments and recommendations. Please send these to rschindler@hebrewcollege.edu)
Michal Levy's first choice:
Multi Dictionary-Bilingual Learners Dictionary, by Edna Lauder & Liora Weinbach ($36).
A smaller dictionary with 82,000 entries:,br> The up-to-date English-Hebrew Hebrew-English Dictionary, by Shimon Zilberman ($12.75)
Both are available at the Israel Book Shop, (800) 323-7723, and possibly through other online booksellers.
Modern Hebrew Language IV
Required Textbook
The textbook used by Hebrew College for Modern Hebrew, levels 3 and 4, is the second volume of Ivrit Min Hahatchala - Chadash (Hebrew From Scratch - New Edition) published in Israel by Academon. The book is available from the Israel Book Shop, 800-323-7723, israelbookshop.com. The cost is $40 per volume plus shipping. Mention that you are a Hebrew College student for a $6 discount. A companion collection of audio CDs can be purchased with each volume of the book. They are not required for participation in the course, as relevant audio clips can be heard via the course web site.
You Will Need a Dictionary
Part of learning Modern Hebrew is learning how to understand words from context, and how to use a Hebrew dictionary. That's why the textbook glossary contains only certain words key to the textbook lessons, and leaves gradually absorbing the other words as part of your language-learning process.
You will find it helpful and sometimes essential to refer to a Hebrew-English / English-Hebrew dictionary. Here are two recommendations. (We welcome your comments and recommendations. Please send these to rschindler@hebrewcollege.edu)
Michal Levy's first choice:
Multi Dictionary-Bilingual Learners Dictionary, by Edna Lauder & Liora Weinbach ($36).
A smaller dictionary with 82,000 entries:,br> The up-to-date English-Hebrew Hebrew-English Dictionary, by Shimon Zilberman ($12.75)
Both are available at the Israel Book Shop, (800) 323-7723, and possibly through other online booksellers.
Jewish History and Memory: Rabbinic and Medieval Periods
Required Readings:
- Y. H. Yerushalmi, Zakhor: Jewish History and Jewish Memory (Seattle: University of Washington, 1982), any edition
- R. G. Collingwood, The Idea of History (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946), any edition
History and Meaning in the Study of Jewish Texts
- James Kugel, How to Read the Bible
- The Jewish Study Bible ed. Brettler and Berlin
- Jewish Spirituality 1 ed. Art Green
Each of these books is also intended to contribute to your aron sefarim yehudi. They are all three written by committed religious Jews. The Kugel book (which just came out last year) is an attempt to provide both a historical understanding and an early Jewish interpretive frame for much of what is found in the Tanakh. It is masterfully written, quite engaging and confronts head on the theological and religious issues I referred to above. Kugel has his own response to these issues and I don’t necessarily agree with him in every case but his approach is timely and compelling. The Jewish Study Bible provides a running commentary to the entire Tanakh in one volume. It also has essays on each book on overarching themes that relate to the study of Bible throughout Jewish history. It represents some of the finest Biblical scholarship available today. The commentators weave together modern and traditional explanations in their commentaries. We will be referring to it constantly as the course continues.. Jewish Spirituality is a two volume series edited by Prof. Arthur Green. The essays in these books attempt to link the scholarly study of Jewish texts and fundamental religious questions and issues.
Aside from these books there will be a variety of readings assigned each week. You will receive photocopies at Pardes of the weekly assigned readings.
Jewish Thought in the Modern Age
Required Readings
- Moses Mendelssohn, Jerusalem: Or on Religious Power and Judaism, translated by Allan Arkush (University Press of New England, 1983), ISBN [Paperback] 0874512646
- Martin Buber, I and Thou, translated by Walter Kaufmann (Touchstone, 1996), ISBN [Paperback] 0684717255 (note: this was originally published by Scribners, and the Touchstone edition is identical, so any edition of the Kaufmann translation is fine)
- Abraham Joshua Heschel, God in Search of Man (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1976), ISBN [Paperback] 0374513317 (the first Farrar edition appeared in 1955, and they are the only publishers of this book; all editions are identical)
- Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Halakhic Man, translated by Lawrence Kaplan (Jewish Publication Society, 1983), ISBN [Paperback] 0827603975
Recommended Reading/ Bibliography:
As the course progresses, I may occasionally recommend some scholarly essays or books chapters for you to read. Whenever possible, I will try to supply these as PDF files. Otherwise, recommended readings will be just that – readings that may be of interest to some students, and which can be pursued on the student’s own initiative outside of the course setting.
