I’ve made some charts to help students of (most) ages learn read Hebrew.
Here is a basic introduction to all the consonants you might meet.
Here is an advanced introduction to all the consonants you might meet.
Here is a basic introduction to all the vowels you might meet.
Here is an advanced introduction to all the vowels you might meet.
Feel free to share!
Every once in a while, I do some project that requires me to search through the TaNaKh (תנ״ך). Therefore, I’ve created four very simple resources I–and now you too–can use to search through the TaNaKh:
2. A .pdf of the TaNaKh with the regular enumerations, titles and openings/closings notices.
4. A .docx of the TaNaKh with the regular enumerations, titles and openings/closings notices.
Enjoy!
P. S. I am right now looking for verses that end and begin with certain combinations of letters. This will help me do this… somewhat.
At this link–here–are the words to four parodies I wrote for Purim, and below videos of the performances:
1. “Some Monarch Named Achashverosh”
2. “Esther”
3. “Haman”
4. “One Less Purim Without Jews”
And I appeared in a music video my awesome spouse Rabbi Dr. Raysh Weiss made for “Talk Persian To Me.” This video is separate from the Jewish organization ABCs she also made.
Happy Purim!
A few years back, I was humbled to be asked by my friend and teacher Rabbi Becky Silverstein what recommendations I had regarding gender-neutral ways to call folks to the Torah.
Tonight, while going through some old files, I found a sheet I had made up for this purpose and realized I had never posted it online anywhere.
How folks respond to the gender implications when mentioning lineages entails a chart I can provide at a future time.
With my new recording studio set up, I am happy to be making new recordings again of which I’m proud. The two recent recordings I’ve made that are most relevant to the post are of piyyutim (פיוטים, “liturgical poems”) to which I’ve set music. Their words are by an anonymous Jewish poet from some time in the early Middle Ages; Ezra Fleischer (עזרא פליישר) collected these texts in his book Pizmoney Ha’Anonymus (פזמוני האנונימוס). Each of these piyyutim were intended to be sung for the Torah readings throughout the year (and likely–the years–as the division of the piyyutim in Fleischer’s book indicates that the author was probably used to the Torah reading not taking one year, but several years). I’ve matched the two short excerpts for which I’ve composed music in accordance with as presented below (and you can click also for text and sheet music):
Parashat Naso (פרשת נשא): “Yitbarekh Elohey Olam” (יתברך אלהי עולם) recording | sheet music | text.
Parashat Nitzavim (פרשת נצבים): “Attem Nitzavim” (״אתם נצבים״) recording | sheet music | text.
Some sheet music I wrote back in 2011 but neglected to post: for Le’el Orekh Din and HaYom Harat Olam. They’re both audible at jonahrankliturgy.bandcamp.com.
I wrote a melody to sing the refrain of Elleh Ezkerah as presented in Mahzor Lev Shalem a few years back but couldn’t find this on my site anywhere. Now it is free for the world. Audio at this link.
Would you like to view this file I’ve titled “Piyyutim 5775 Parashot Mattot Masey With Sheet Music?” In it you can find sheet music and text for two piyyut excerpts for the Shabbat of Parashot Mattot Mas’ey–words originally by Rabbi Shemu’el III, with texts based on יוצרות רבי שמואל השלישי: מראשי ההנהגה בירושלים במאה העשירית מהדורת יוסף יהלום ונאויה קצומטה יד יצחק בן-צבי ירושלים כרך שני |The Yotserot of R. Samuel the Third edited by Joseph Yahalomand Naoya Katsumata (Yad Izhak Ben-Zvi, 2014: Jerusalem, Israel), Vol. 2, pp. 632-642. Click away, and sing this Shabbat–and whenever you’d like.
NOTE: In “Shim’u Omer Bey’ur Misgavkhem,” all of the non-worded notes can be sung to “ya la lai,” “yum
bum bai,” “ya da da dai,” or any other nonsense syllable(s) effective for congregational singing. Also note that the first and last 8-measure sequence of nonsense syllable(s) are intended be sung as many or as few times as desired.
