About Us

Shalom,

My name is Melech ben Ya'aqov and I've had a passion for the Hebrew language from the day I stepped off the plane in Tel Aviv in 1993. Even before I knew the language, I would sit up at night under the starry Jerusalem sky listening to Israeli radio, just to hear the words and cadence of Hebrew. Slowly, I started to recognize more and more of the language and this was the first step towards becoming fluent. When the religious studies school I was studying in told me I could learn Hebrew only two hours a week, I effectively quit, taking off most of the day and visiting different places in Jeruslaem where I would sit and study Hebrew, sometimes for up to ten hours a day. When the Rabbis of the school asked me where I was, I replied, "You want me to learn the Bible. How can I learn the Bible without first knowing Hebrew?"

Over the following years, I made it my personal mission to teach Hebrew to other newcomers to Israel from America and other places. In doing so, I developed my own memorization techniques which rely heavily on visualization, and the relationship of Hebrew words to words in English. I always tell my students, "Don't think of yourself as learning a new language, think of yourself as acquiring an extra word for something you already know how to express." I eventually went on to teach (Mathematics) in the Israeli school system, in Hebrew – a sign that I had become truly fluent in the language. Since then, I have given hundreds of talks online internationally dealing with the Tanach, Biblical archaeology ... and of course, Biblical Hebrew.

As Head Teacher & Scholar, I have assembled a team of dedicated Hebrew teachers that have one thing in common: our love for Hebrew. We are all extremely passionate about the Hebrew language and view it as our mission to teach it to those who wish to learn it. This love and enthusiasm for Hebrew will come across in every single session.

We welcome you to this exciting journey into the language, culture and texts of Biblical Hebrew.

Melech ben Ya'aqov
Jerusalem, Israel