Testimonials and Reviews for Biblical Hebrew: Vocabulary Made Easy!
From Amazon.com
"Shalom!!!
Blair Kasfeldt's approach to memorization and application of Biblical Hebrew words is a God send! Mr. Kasfeldt moves the learner away from rote memorization to the world of mnemonics. Mnemonics prompts the learner to associate sound-a-like words and (often silly) mental images with Hebrew words and stems. It is amazing how it works! I have quickly increased my Hebrew word count and retention rate! I no longer "hit the wall" after cramming, only to lose retention of the memorized words. It was just what I needed!"
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"It has long been known that a useful tool in vocabulary memorization is the formation of unusual, and thus memorable, associations between words to be learned and an image that reminds you of both the sound and the meaning of the word. The associations do not have to be perfect, but just enough to remind you of what you are learning. Blair Kasfeldt has done a lot of creative thinking for students in this book. Taking as his basis the vocabulary for lessons 3-31 of Biblical Hebrew: An Introductory Grammar by Page H. Kelley, he has created mnemonic associations for hundreds of Biblical Hebrew words. He has included not only nouns and verbs, but also function words such as _asher_ 'that, which', that are much harder to create images of. Some of the mnemonics include hints for specific letters or vowels points of the word as it is written in Hebrew.
Admittedly, some of the mnemonics are better than others. For _shavar_ 'he broke in pieces', Kasfeldt uses the English word "shiver," and suggests imagining someone shivering so hard he breaks to pieces. That is a pretty easy mnemonic. However, when faced with _shakhakh_ 'he forgot', Kasfeldt has to stretch farther to come up with a mnemonic. He comes up with "A calf (_kaf_) receives an electric *shock* making him _forget_." The sound association is a bit distant, and the "calf" part refers to the name of the middle letter of the Hebrew word. Still, if this creates a memorable connection for you, it has done its job.
It is important to remember that these mnemonic aids are just a first step in the process of learning Biblical Hebrew vocabulary. They are intended to help you over the initial hurdle of learning what looks like a huge amount of almost impossibly difficult vocabulary. Kasfeldt points this out in his very helpful introduction, which includes advice about not just beginning your study of Hebrew vocabulary, but continuing it and making it stick for the long term.
If you are just beginning your study of Biblical Hebrew, or if you have tried but become frustrated by the burden of learning vocabulary, this book could be just what you need to get you over the vocabulary hurdle. Give it a try and see how fast you find yourself reading verses and chapters in Hebrew!"
From Lulu.com
This book is a "must have" for anyone studying biblical Hebrew! This book will help you learn the vocabulary and that'sover half of the battle.
This book is a "must have" for anyone studying biblical Hebrew! This book will help you learn the vocabulary and that'sover half of the battle.