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Written by Dr. Jeremy Benstein, "Hebrew Wordshops - A New Way to Connect to Hebrew" explores the potency of the three-letter roots that enrich our connection to Hebrew and Jewish values. 

The root of sefer, ס-פ-ר (s-p-r), gives us two phrases that at first seem unrelated, even opposite: לְסַפֵּר סִיפּוּר l’saper sipur means "to tell a story," while לִסְפּוֹר מִסְפָּרִים lispor misparim is "to count numbers." "Storytelling" and "counting" define the modern era's two cultures, which are often seen as being diametric opposites: humanities and the exact sciences, qualitative and quantitative.

But Hebrew knows no such dichotomy, treating them as related modes of reckoning, valuing, and evaluating the world. And in fact, English sometimes does the same thing, as with "counting" and "recounting," "telling" and "tallying."

There’s another homonym root that sounds like it could be connected.

Each spring, the eighth graders at Levine Academy in Dallas visit Israel for almost three weeks. For the 40 or so students, it’s a trip they anticipate with excitement for years, beginning in kindergarten when their day school begins weaving Israel throughout the curriculum and programming.

The trip marks the culmination of their day school experience, and educators at Levine Academy want to ensure the students are prepared. This year they will be using the new Israel…It’s Complicated course in eighth grade.

“We’re very excited. We want to prepare our students to be open and to know more, to ask questions. But first students need the information. The new curriculum brings it all – it’s a great source to open the discussion,” says Anna Katzman, the dean of Hebrew language and programs at Levine Academy.

Coming August 15, Hebrew in Harmony Digital will be available with a new simple setup to ensure easy access for students, teachers, and administrators.

No email addresses or passwords to remember - the app will remember you every time!

Note: If you're already set up with Hebrew in Harmony Digital in the Online Learning Center, you can continue to access it there. This is an alternate option. 

Here's how it will work:

• Purchase a license for the app (one per user) from behrmanhouse.com. Make sure you're signed into your account. If you don't have an account, you can create one on the spot.

After August 15:

• Download and open the app or view it on a computer. The administrator or education director will be prompted to sign into the app using t

Assessment is a tool to help you chart a learning path for each student. 

Written by Dr. Jeremy Benstein, "Hebrew Wordshops - A New Way to Connect to Hebrew" explores the potency of the three-letter roots that enrich our connection to Hebrew and Jewish values. 

Israel just had elections and will have them again pretty soon. And while American elections are further off, they too have colonized our consciousness. We Americans and Israelis seem to love our choosing, even if we don't always like our choices.

The word for "elections" in Hebrew is bechirot, בחירות, from the three-letter root b-ch-r, ב-ח-ר, "choose." Like many roots in Hebrew, this one spans the millennia and connects historical religious Hebrew with modern spoken Hebrew. Traditional Jewish liturgy proclaims ata bechartanu, אתה בחרתנו, "You have chosen us," whereas in secular society it is we who do the choosing. Politically, nivcharim נבחרים ("b" changes to "v" her

Here are some highlights from our new materials—our personal favorites—to make your planning easier.