Binyanim Intensive

Do you basically know your way around in Biblical Hebrew, but you get stymied by verbs you don't recognize? When you only see two root letters, what is missing, and where? When the vowels don't match the patterns you've learned, what is going on? This new class is addressed to you. Learn to recognize verbs in all the binyanim, with all kinds of roots.
Meeting online via Zoom
  • The course consists of two components: presentations and workshops, with a total of 13 sessions, listed below.
  • Wednesday sessions: 4:00 - 5:15 pm Eastern. (Overview, then workshops)
    Tuesday sessions: 7:30 - 9:00 pm Eastern. (Presentations)
  • All course materials are provided online as downloadable files, with recordings available for missed sessions.
Instructor: Rabbi Helen Plotkin has taught Biblical Hebrew for over 20 years at Swarthmore College, at Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, and in online courses through Mekom Torah.
Goals of the Course: This course was originally designed for people who have taken Mekom Torah's Biblical Hebrew for Everyone and are ready to review the last sections the course with fresh eyes. It is ideal for anyone with a working knowledge of Biblical Hebrew, whether solid or shaky, who would like a refresher on the forms and functions of Hebrew verbs. Special attention will be paid to situations in which you can't see all the root letters. Important and common roots in each binyan will be highlighted, with lots of examples directly from the Hebrew Bible.
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​(Note: If you know a little Hebrew but don't really know the term "binyan," you might consider waiting until January and joining the next cohort of Biblical Hebrew for Everyone.)
Course Plan (tentative):
  1. Wed Nov 6: Overview of the Hebrew verb forms and introduction to the BDB
  2. Tue Nov 12: Pa'al (Qal) review, focusing on verbs in which one of the root letters goes missing. How can you figure out the root?!
  3. Wed Nov 13: Special roots workshop with exercises
  4. Tue Nov 19: Strong roots in Nif'al, Hif'il, and Pi'el
  5. Wed Nov 20: Nif'al, Hif'il, and Pi'el basics workshop with exercises
  6. Tue Nov 26: Roots that end in ה, in Nif'al, Hif'il, and Pi'el
  7. Wed Nov 27: ל"ה workshop with exercises
  8. Tue Dec 3: Roots that begin with נ or י, in Nif'al, Hif'il, and Pi'el
  9. Wed Dec 4: פ"י and פ"נ roots workshop with exercises
  10. Tue Dec 10: Roots with an empty middle, in Nif'al, Hif'il, and Pi'el
  11. Wed Dec 11: ע"ו roots workshop with exercises
  12. Tue Dec 17: Hitpa'el, Hof'al, and Pu'al
  13. Wed Dec 18: Workshop with exercises
Tuition: The tuition for this class is flexible, like all Mekom Torah classes. You may simply tell us what you can afford; no questions asked. For those who can afford it, we ask $250 for this course, which includes ongoing access to the Biblical Hebrew for Everyone textbook and to the recordings of the classes.
​​Pay online, or by mail: Tuition Payments.​
​For more information, or for help deciding whether this  group is right for you, please enter your contact information: