About This Course
This course will offer students an immersive journey through classical Hebrew. Throughout the course, students will engage regularly with topics such as Israel, spirituality, politics, and history. This learning will help them develop their ability to explore these topics with everyone in a deep and meaningful way.
Join the live classes on Zoom Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8 pm Eastern Time
Course objectives
- To further develop and enrich the student’s Hebrew skills as well as their capacity to leverage the Hebrew language in unpacking current and critical topics in both Judaism and modern society.
- To enhance the student’s comfort in engaging with both modern and classical Hebrew texts.
- To further develop the student’s skill set in Hebrew roots, vocabulary, and syntax.
Course Overview
Please complete the Unit 1 Kedoshim assignment before the first class.
Unit/Week 1 – The journey to holiness (please complete the assignment before the first meeting)
The journey to holiness begins with our ancient text and is pursued throughout the course of our lives.
Holiness embodies not only our connection to the eternal one but to ourselves, each other, and the land
of Israel. A close reading of the Biblical text Leviticus 19 with the application of context will reveal the
depth of meaning in Hebrew roots.
Unit/Week 2 – Fulfilling interpersonal relationships
In our family relationships as in our community, we experience both honor and fear. As we grow and
develop, we learn both language and the many ways in which we can develop fulfilling interpersonal
connections. A textual and grammatical comparison of Leviticus 19 and Exodus 20 will reveal the
complexity of our relationships with parents and day-to-day observances such as Shabbat.
Unit/Week – The complexity of charity
Our connection to the land of Israel is both spiritual and physical. Our long history of farming the land
and the fulfillment of Jewish law teaches us much about the complexity of charity. Further close
reading of Leviticus 19 helps us to understand both grammatical complexities in Hebrew as well as our
obligation to the less fortunate amongst us.
Unit/Week 4 – The power of words
Our obligation to act in a kind, compassionate, and fair manner extends to every aspect of our day-to-day lives and to all our interactions. The very words we choose have a profound impact on how others
feel about themselves and the world around them. A comparison of Leviticus 19 and Numbers 12 helps
us to unpack the power words possess to help us understand both our similarities and differences.
Unit/Week 5 – Equality, compassion, and acceptance
We typically think of blindness as physical, however, blindness can manifest itself in many ways beyond
the physical. A real challenge can be to remove the mental and emotional barriers which prevent us
from seeing how we are all equal and in need of compassion and acceptance. Further close reading of
Leviticus 19 and Numbers 12 offers insights into how we understand what it means to be Jewish and
accept all who choose to follow this path.
Unit/Week 6 – Is justice blind?
We often use the phrase, “justice is blind”, yet this does not only apply to courts. In the daily life of the
community leaders play an important role in establishing and maintaining social equity. Exodus 23
offers answers and raises important questions about how we build a more fair and equitable community
and society.
Unit/Week 7 – Our physical nature
We are created in the eternal one’s image yet in our ever-changing society attitudes and beliefs about
our physical nature are also evolving. This is manifested today in the many ways in which it has become
socially acceptable to alter our bodies. Leviticus 19 offers a framework to delve into the classical Jewish
approach to this topic and how it can be interpreted.
Unit/Week 8 – The power of blessing
Grammar can be used as both a tool for constructing language as well as a tool to reveal the depth of
meaning behind the words. A blessing can be both a statement and a question with the form revealing
profound differences in meaning and emotional depth. A close reading of Genesis 27 provides insight
into the complexity of what blessings offer to both those who give and receive.
Unit/Week 9 – Our spiritual nature
Where we came from in life is just as important as where we are going. When we think of where we
came from, we often think of the physical place, however, just as important is the spiritual place. In
reading Exodus 1 we will explore our physical as well as our spiritual journey as Jews.
Meet Your Instructor
Originally from Israel, Hadassah Wrightman is a certified teacher who recently retired from The Leffell School (formally Schechter Westchester) after thirty-six years as a Hebrew instructor to all grade levels, and serving as department chair for Hebrew and Judaic Studies. Hadassah is proud to be a “student-centered” teacher, always focusing on the learning needs of her students first and constantly seeking new ways to engage with her students and improve their learning experience. To that end, Hadassah has also worked directly with teachers to improve their instruction and learning in multiple areas.
Certification, Hebrew Language and Tanakh, Kfar HaNoar HaDati Teachers' College
Certification, Education, Specializing with Working with Trouble Youth, Beit Rutenberg
Ratings and Reviews
Barbara DershowitzAn outstanding experience. Instructor Hadassah Wrightman teaches classical Torah Hebrew through total immersion lessons (Hebrew only) using select passages from the Tanach. Vocabulary, syntax, verb tense, and other linguistic topics are addressed in context. Conversational Hebrew simultaneously improves. Hadassah is a masterful guide - supportive, encouraging, and kind. Great course and teacher.
Hadassah is an excellent and patient teacher. In this immersive Hebrew class, we learnt Torah and Mishnah, often discussing deep philosophical issues and world viewpoints. I left every class uplifted - and quite frankly astounded - that we did it all in Hebrew! Just brilliant.