Learning Hebrew presents a series of challenges to the individual never exposed to non-Latin based language. At first the challenges seem to be quite significant.

The script of course is different and one writes and reads from right to left. Once these first challenges are overcome and a person has learned the alphabet or Alef-Bet, a few more challenges arrive. The distinctive guttural sounds of various letters can cause continued confusion, though practice of course does make perfect.

The next challenge is that of vocabulary. Having used various books to learn to read Hebrew I found several to be of benefit. The most valuable ones were those who made sure to present new Hebrew vocabulary first. Then a short story utilizing this new vocabulary in conjuction with previously learned vocabulary was presented. Finally basic grammar and basic conjugation followed.

The stories became increasingly more complex and were often shortened versions of Biblical or Talmudic stories. That provides some familiarity and extra help for those already familiar with these types of stories.

The "secret" if there is one for learning Hebrew is finding the right mix of resources and varying them in your study. That is some programs are excellent for conversation, but do not address reading and writing Hebrew. Something as simple as vocabulary cards can add quite a bit to your vocabulary as well as your routine.

In my case, I used a Hebrew prayer book, I read the Hebrew BIble, I read basic stories, I used Pimsleur Hebrew, vocabulary cards, and have listened to music. I know this complicates the process since I am mixing Modern Hebrew and Biblical Hebrew. The grammar of Modern Hebrew is a subset of Biblical Hebrew so in many cases the forms are simpler and more concise. While this may complicate the learning process, the continuity of Hebrew is considerable throughout various stages.