Students must sign up for this course by the deadline. Please review the Israel Institute website for details on upcoming deadlines.
About This Course
Students can take one of the following Biblical Hebrew courses from the Israel Institute of Biblical Studies for one credit:
- Intermediate: Take your biblical studies to a whole new level by advancing your Biblical Hebrew skills. Study ancient texts in their original languages and learn to interpret them on your own.
- Advanced: Get acquainted with biblical poetry, prophecies, and wisdom literature that hold ancient secrets for you to uncover together. Read the Book of Psalms, Proverbs, and more as they were written many centuries ago.
- Expert: Learn all about the history of Biblical Hebrew and how it changed throughout different periods. Discover the Dead Sea Scrolls and extra-Biblical literature and view them in an entirely different light.
Students may not receive credit for Beginner or Improved level Hebrew.
Also note that these electives are in addition to the Hebrew taken in your cohort, not as a substitute. You do not need to sign up for more language courses from this provider after you have received credit for a course taken.
This course is 1 elective credit towards smicha
Course Objectives
These courses offer a variety of outcomes:
In the Intermediate Course, we explore the Book of Samuel, which gives us the opportunity to read fascinating stories about the power struggle for the throne of Israel and David’s succession. Through these stories we will encounter new forms of speech, unique verb conjugations and extensive vocabulary.
As an Advanced Course student, in this course we will present various Biblical genres, including prophecies, poetry and parables. Through these genres, we will study the Hebraic method of interpretation, which is based on comparisons, analogies and parallelism that will enhance your skills as a Bible scholar.
A deeper layer of Biblical meaning will emerge as we read the words of Elijah, Isaiah and Jeremiah, three prophets who led the nation through various periods of highs and lows. With your new interpretive skills, you will greater appreciate the wisdom of Elijah, the message of Isaiah, and the comforting words of Jeremiah.
Level “E” or Expert Course is intended for students who have progressed far in their journey of Biblical discovery. We move beyond analyzing Biblical Hebrew alone and look into the connection between the era, the event and the language.
Exploring 1,000 years of historical development of the Hebrew language, we study three key Biblical texts; the Song of the Sea, the Song of Deborah and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Each text represents a shift in the language, encapsulated by a historical event, through which we can appreciate the complexity of these biblical pearls.
This course is offered through the Israel Institute of Biblical Studies, part of the eTeacher Group and in conjunction with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Students will receive a full credit for this course.
This course is provided by a third party and is unaffiliated with Pluralistic Rabbinical Seminary. There may be a cost associated with this course. Pluralistic Rabbinical Seminary does receive an affiliate fee by recommending this course to students.
