ב׳׳ה

Zekelman Standards

3. Vocabulary and Language Skills

The language of חומש is לשון הקודש, the G-dly language with which ה’ created the world. This language is precise, and all of its details have tremendous and untranslatable significance. Additionally, any translation of תורה is by definition already interpretive, since no two languages are identical. Therefore, the ability to understand the original text of חומש is essential to be able to learn its intended meaning, as well as to be able to relate to and appreciate the commentary and scholarship that surrounds the חומש and hinges on its textual details.

Vocabulary

Enduring Understandings

  1. Any translation of לשון הקודש is already interpretive, and therefore the full meaning of the תורה can only be accessed in its original language.
  2. No two languages are identical, and therefore many words in לשון הקודש will not have one exact translation in English which conveys its full, multifaceted meaning.
  3. A student must know 90% of words in a text to be able to independently study that text. [Knowledge of less than 75% of the words in the text is “frustration level – un-teachable.”] [10]
  4. In לשון הקדוש, the שורש or שם עצם is the foundation of almost every word in חומש, and learning a large number of these roots and basic words gives us access to most of the words that will appear in all of חומש.i[11]
  5. Words in לשון הקדוש are interrelated, so learning vocabulary words gives a student access to a much greater number of as of yet unfamiliar but related words.

Essential Questions

  1. Why do I need to learn לשון הקדש?
  2. What is the best way to translate this word in this context?
  3. Is it important to know every single word in a given text before approaching it?
  4. What is the שורש/שם עצם of this word?
  5. How is this word related or similar to a word that you have already learned?

Key Knowledge:

There are many rules in לשון הקודש and for every rule, there are always exceptions

A noun in Hebrew is called a שם עצם. The word שם עצם refers to the singular version of that noun, and is considered the base word for all related forms of that noun. (E.g. משפחה is the שם עצם. Related forms include משפחות, למפשחותיהם, משפחתי, etc.)

A שורש refers to the root of a verb. It is comprised of 3 letters that should be presented with periods/full stops between each letter, and cannot be pronounced.

When a שורש appears in the word, sometimes the 3 letters do not appear consecutively, or, some of the letters of the שורש may not appear in the word at all.

A verb in Hebrew is called a פועל. Every פועל has a שורש as its root. When a שורש is conjugated into various forms (בנינים, tense, etc. – see Verbs in Parts of Speech below), and given נקודות, it becomes a פועל (which can then be pronounced).

When referring to the letters of a שורש ,the first letter is called the פ הפועל’ the second letter of the שורש is referred to as the ‘ע הפועל and the last letter is referred to as the ל הפועל’ .These are often abbreviated to פה”פ, עה”פ, לה”פ.

There are unique שורשים that are considered “weak שורשים” and they often lose letters or have different ניקוד than other שורשים in the same בנין .We refer to these unique שורשים by their weak letter. For example שורשים that are in the category of ע”ו mean שורשים where the ע’ הפועל is the letter ו’ such as ק.ו.מ. Other categories include: פ”נ, פ”י, פ”א, ע”י, ל”ה, ל”א.

Some words, depending on how they are used, can function as nouns, verbs, or adjectives. (E.g. קטן can be both a noun and adjective, and can be conjugated as a verb such as קטונתי. The word שופט is a noun, adjective and verb.)

In these standards, all words are divided into three categories: nouns, shorashim for verbs and “other words”. These other words include numbers, pronouns, prepositions and conjunctions.

Note to Teachers: Explicit, direct instruction strategies for vocabulary include the introduction of new words, including definitions, and the use of concrete examples whenever possible. Students should be given the opportunity to use the words in context rather than in isolation. Oral vocabulary activities and games can make vocabulary learning a more enjoyable experience.

[10] Gunning, 1998. Assessing and correcting reading and writing difficulty.

[11] See the Appendix to this standard for relevant studies and word lists.

3.01 שמות עצם (nouns)

A. States the meaning of 25 שמות עצם.

B. Provides the correct שם עצם from A when given its English translation.

C. Identifies and groups nouns in the חומש that share the same שם עצם, learned in A.

D. Identifies and translates previously learned שמות עצם in an unlearned פסוק when prompted by the teacher.

E. States multiple translations of a single word, when those translations have been learned in the פסוקים. (i.e. רוח – wind, spirit).

A. States the meaning of 25 new and 25 previously learned שמות עצם, equaling a total of 50.

B. Provides the correct שם עצם from A when given its English translation.

C. Identifies and groups nouns in the חומש that share the same שם עצם, learned in A.

D. Identifies and translates previously learned שמות עצם in an unlearned פסוק when prompted by the teacher.

E. States multiple translations of a single word, when those translations have been learned in the פסוקים. (i.e. רוח – wind, spirit).

A. States the meaning of 25 new and 50 previously learned שמות עצם, equaling a total of 75.

B. Provides the correct שם עצם from A when given its English translation.

C. Identifies and groups nouns in the חומש that share the same שם עצם, learned in A.

D. Identifies and translates previously learned שמות עצם in an unlearned פסוק when prompted by the teacher.

E. For words with multiple translations, can choose the appropriate translation for a given word based on its context, when the rest of the פסוק has been taught. (כי, ראש, רוח).

A. States the meaning of 25 new and 75 previously learned שמות עצם, equaling a total of 100.

B. Provides the correct שם עצם from A when given its English translation.

C. Identifies and groups nouns in the חומש that share the same שם עצם, learned in A.

D. Identifies and translates previously learned שמות עצם in an unlearned פסוק when prompted by the teacher.

E. For words with multiple translations, can choose the appropriate translation for a given word based on its context, when the rest of the פסוק has been taught. (כי, ראש, רוח).

A. States the meaning of 25 new and 100 previously learned שמות עצם, equaling a total of 125.

B. Provides the correct שם עצם from A when given its English translation.

C. Identifies and groups nouns in the חומש that share the same שם עצם, learned in A.

D. Identifies and translates previously learned שמות עצם in an unlearned פסוק.

E. For words with multiple translations, can choose the appropriate translation for a given word based on its context, when the rest of the פסוק has been taught. (כי, ראש, רוח).

A. States the meaning of 25 new and 125 previously learned שמות עצם, equaling a total of 150.

B. Provides the correct שם עצם from A when given its English translation.

C. Identifies and groups nouns in the חומש that share the same שם עצם, learned in A.

D. Identifies and translates previously learned שמות עצם in an unlearned פסוק.

E. For words with multiple translations, can choose the appropriate translation for a given word based on its context, in an unlearned פסוקi(כי, ראש, רוח).

A. States the meaning of 25 new and 150 previously learned שמות עצם, equaling a total of 175.

B. Provides the correct שם עצם from A when given its English translation.

C. Identifies and groups nouns in the חומש that share the same שם עצם, learned in A.

D. Identifies and translates previously learned שמות עצם in an unlearned פסוק.

E. For words with multiple translations, can choose the appropriate translation for a given word based on its context, in an unlearned פסוקi(כי, ראש, רוח).

A. States the meaning of 25 new and 175 previously learned שמות עצם, equaling a total of 200.

B. Provides the correct שם עצם from A when given its English translation.

C. Identifies and groups nouns in the חומש that share the same שם עצם, learned in A.

D. Identifies and translates previously learned שמות עצם in an unlearned פסוק.

E. For words with multiple translations, can choose the appropriate translation for a given word based on its context, in an unlearned פסוקi(כי, ראש, רוח).

3.02 שורשים (for verbs)

A. States the meaning of 15 שורשים when shown the שורש.

B. Provides the correct שורש from A when given its meaning in English.

C. Identifies the שורש in the חומש, from שורשים learned in A, when all three letters of the שורש appear consecutively in the word, from שורשים learned in A.

D. Identifies and groups verbs (and adjectives[14]) in the חומש that share the same שורש, from שורשים learned in A.

E. N/A

F. N/A

A. States the meaning of 25 new and 15 previously learned שורשים, equaling a total of 40.

B. Provides the correct שורש from A when given its meaning in English.

C. Identifies the שורש in the חומש, from שורשים learned in A, when all three letters of the שורש appear consecutively in the word, from שורשים learned in A.

D. Identifies and groups verbs (and adjectives[14]) in the חומש that share the same שורש, from שורשים learned in A.

E. N/A

F. N/A

A. States the meaning of 25 new and 40 previously learned שורשים, equaling a total of 65.

B. Provides the correct שורש from A when given its meaning in English.

C. Identifies the 4 letters which are commonly left out (יונה)i[12] and identifies the שורש in the חומש, from שורשים learned in A, when two or three letters of the שורש appear consecutively in the word.

D. Identifies and groups verbs (and adjectives[14]) in the חומש that share the same שורש, from שורשים learned in A.

E. Identifies and translates previously learned שורשים in an unlearned פסוק when prompted by the teacher.

F. States multiple translations of a single שורש, when those translations have been learned in the פסוקים.i[15]

A. States the meaning of 25 new and 65 previously learned שורשים, equaling a total of 90.

B. Provides the correct שורש from A when given its meaning in English.

C. Identifies the 4 letters which are commonly left out (יונה)i[12] and identifies the שורש in the חומש, from שורשים learned in A, when two or three letters of the שורש appear consecutively in the word.

D. Identifies and groups verbs (and adjectives[14]) in the חומש that share the same שורש, from שורשים learned in A.

E. Identifies and translates previously learned שורשים in an unlearned פסוק when prompted by the teacher.

F. States multiple translations of a single שורש, when those translations have been learned in the פסוקים.i[15]

A. States the meaning of 25 new and 90 previously learned שורשים, equaling a total of 115.

B. Provides the correct שורש from A when given its meaning in English.

C. Identifies the 4 letters which are commonly left out (יונה), and identifies the שורש in the חומש, from שורשים learned in A, including the following variations: 3 letters with a י between them (ממליך), 2 letters with a י between them (הגיד), and when the first letter of the שורש is a י and is replaced by a וi(הוליד, הוסיף, הוריד).i[13]

D. Identifies and groups verbs (and adjectives[14]) in the חומש that share the same שורש, from שורשים learned in A.

E. Identifies and translates previously learned שורשים in an unlearned פסוק when prompted by the teacher.

F. For שורשים with multiple translations, can choose the appropriate translation for a given word based on its context, when the rest of the פסוק has been taught. [16]

A. States the meaning of 25 new and 115 previously learned שורשים, equaling a total of 140.

B. Provides the correct שורש from A when given its meaning in English.

C. Identifies the 4 letters which are commonly left out (יונה), and identifies the שורש in the חומש, from שורשים learned in A, including the following variations: 3 letters with a י between them (ממליך), 2 letters with a י between them (הגיד), and when the first letter of the שורש is a י and is replaced by a וi(הוליד, הוסיף, הוריד).i[13]

D. Identifies and groups verbs (and adjectives[14]) in the חומש that share the same שורש, from שורשים learned in A.

E. Identifies and translates previously learned שורשים in an unlearned פסוק.

F. For שורשים with multiple translations, can choose the appropriate translation for a given word based on its context, when the rest of the פסוק has been taught. [16]

A. States the meaning of 25 new and 140 previously learned שורשים, equaling a total of 165.

B. Provides the correct שורש from A when given its meaning in English.

C. Identifies all שרשים in learned חומש, including both שלמים and חסרים.

D. Identifies and groups verbs (and adjectives[14]) in the חומש that share the same שורש, from שורשים learned in A.

E. Identifies and translates previously learned שורשים in an unlearned פסוק.

F. For שורשים with multiple translations, can choose the appropriate translation for a given word based on its context, in an unlearned פסוק.

A. States the meaning of 25 new and 165 previously learned שורשים, equaling a total of 190.

B. Provides the correct שורש from A when given its meaning in English.

C. Identifies all שרשים in learned חומש, including both שלמים and חסרים.

D. Identifies and groups verbs (and adjectives[14]) in the חומש that share the same שורש, from שורשים learned in A.

E. Identifies and translates previously learned שורשים in an unlearned פסוק.

F. For שורשים with multiple translations, can choose the appropriate translation for a given word based on its context, in an unlearned פסוק.

[12] These 4 letters are indicated by the mnemonic יונה פרח. A fifth letter, ל, is dropped only from the שרש, לקח.

[13] These variations should be taught when they appear in the text being learned.

[14] Verbs and adjectives are grouped together here, because they often function in similar ways. Adjectives are conjugated in the same way as verbs in הווה, in בנין קל. (E.g גדול, גדולה, גדולים, גדולות.)

[15] E.g. the word וירא in בראשית י“ח, ב

[16] For example, רש“י on ויגדל – שמות, פרק ב, פסוק י’,י”א.

3.03 Other Vocabulary

Prepositions and conjunctions (connecting words)[17] and other vocabulary (adverbs, numbers, questioning words, etc.)[18]

A. States the meaning of 25 of these words.

B. Provides the correct Hebrew word from A when given its English translation.

A. States the meaning of 25 new and 25 previously learned words, equaling a total of 50.

B. Provides the correct Hebrew word from A when given its English translation.

A. States the meaning of 25 new and 50 previously learned words, equaling a total of 75.

B. Provides the correct Hebrew word from A when given its English translation.

C. For words with multiple translations, can choose the appropriate translation for a given word based on its context, when the rest of the פסוק has been taught. (כי, את, עוד, על)

A. States the meaning of 25 new and 75 previously learned words, equaling a total of 100.

B. Provides the correct Hebrew word from A when given its English translation.

C. For words with multiple translations, can choose the appropriate translation for a given word based on its context, when the rest of the פסוק has been taught. (כי, את, עוד, על)

A. States the meaning of 25 new and 100 previously learned words, equaling a total of 125.

B. Provides the correct Hebrew word from A when given its English translation.

C. For words with multiple translations, can choose the appropriate translation for a given word based on its context, when the rest of the פסוק has been taught. (כי, את, עוד, על)

A. States the meaning of 25 new and 125 previously learned words, equaling a total of 150.

B. Provides the correct Hebrew word from A when given its English translation.

C. For words with multiple translations, can choose the appropriate translation for a given word based on its context, in an unlearned פסוקII  (כי, את, עוד, על)

A. States the meaning of 25 new and 150 previously learned words, equaling a total of 175.

B. Provides the correct Hebrew word from A when given its English translation.

C. For words with multiple translations, can choose the appropriate translation for a given word based on its context, in an unlearned פסוקII  (כי, את, עוד, על)

A. States the meaning of 25 new and 175 previously learned words, equaling a total of 200.

B. Provides the correct Hebrew word from A when given its English translation.

C. For words with multiple translations, can choose the appropriate translation for a given word based on its context, in an unlearned פסוקII  (כי, את, עוד, על)

Parts of Speech

The student will be able to identify and differentiate between parts of speech, and apply this knowledge to translate phrases in the חומש.

Enduring Understandings

1. As a G-dly language, לשון הקודש is both precise and concise, using grammar to incorporate information about a word in the word itself.

2. Words serve different functions and are divided accordingly into parts of speech.

3. In לשון הקודש, individual letters themselves, (as well as נקודות,) often have meanings and functions. (relevant to prefixes and suffixes).

Essential Questions

1. How many words would be required in English to give the full meaning of this Hebrew word?

2. What kind of word is this?

3. What is the function of this letter? (relevant to prefixes and suffixes)

Key Knowledge:

Nouns and verbs/adjectives are conjugated differently from one another in לשון הקדש. (Prefixes and suffixes change depending on whether the word is a noun or verb/adjective.)

Key Knowledge: (3.4 Nouns and Adjectives)

Nouns are words which refer to people, places and things.

Nouns in לשון הקודש have gender and number embedded in the way they are written.

Adjectives are words that describe nouns. In Hebrew, an adjective is called a שם תואר.

Adjectives in לשון הקודש have gender and number embedded in the way they are written, and must match the gender and number of the noun that it is describing.

3.04 Nouns and Adjectives

A. Identifies nouns from a group of learned words, and gives examples of nouns in English.

B. N/A

C. N/A

D. N/A

E. N/A

F. N/A

A. Identifies nouns from a group of learned words, and gives examples of nouns in English.

B. Distinguishes between זכר and נקבה nouns, in a group of learned words. (בקר, יום / לבנה, בהמה)

C. Distinguishes between singular and plural nouns (with –ות or –ים endings) in a group of learned words.

D. Identifies adjectives from a group of learned words, and give examples of adjectives in both לשון הקודש (from learned words) and English.

E. Matches nouns and adjectives from a group of learned words based on gender and number.

F. N/A

A. Identifies nouns in a learned פסוק.

B. Distinguishes between זכר and נקבה nouns in the חומש, including common יוצאים מן הכלל in the חומש: words that appear to be זכר but are really נקבה, or appear to be נקבה but are really זכר, or words that can be either זכר or  נקבה

C. Distinguishes between singular and plural nouns (with – ות or – ים endings) in the חומש, including words that end with  רבים endings in  לה”ק but are not plural in English (מים, פנים) and including common יוצאים  מן הכלל in the חומש: words that are  זכר but which receive – ות when in plural, (אבות, קרבנות) and words that are  נקבה but receive – ים when in plural  (שנה-שנים).

D. Identifies adjectives in a learned פסוק.

E. Matches nouns and adjectives in a learned פסוק based on gender and number.

F. Recognizes סמיכות – when one noun comes after the other, with the second noun describing or qualifying the first, and the word של is missing – when it has been pointed out by the teacher.[24]

A. Identifies nouns in a learned פסוק.

B. Distinguishes between זכר and נקבה nouns in the חומש, including common יוצאים מן הכלל in the חומש: words that appear to be זכר but are really נקבה, or appear to be נקבה but are really זכר, or words that can be either זכר or  נקבה

C. Distinguishes between singular and plural nouns (with – ות or – ים endings) in the חומש, including words that end with  רבים endings in  לה”ק but are not plural in English (מים, פנים) and including common יוצאים  מן הכלל in the חומש: words that are  זכר but which receive – ות when in plural, (אבות, קרבנות) and words that are  נקבה but receive – ים when in plural  (שנה-שנים).

D. Identifies adjectives in a learned פסוק.

E. Matches nouns and adjectives in a learned פסוק based on gender and number.

F. Recognizes סמיכות – when one noun comes after the other, with the second noun describing or qualifying the first, and the word של is missing – when it has been pointed out by the teacher.[24]

A. Identifies nouns in an unlearned פסוק (based on the way it appears in the פסוק – its prefixes, suffixes, and form of the word).

B. Distinguishes between זכר and נקבה nouns in the חומש, including common יוצאים מן הכלל in the חומש: words that appear to be זכר but are really נקבה, or appear to be נקבה but are really זכר, or words that can be either זכר or  נקבה

C. Distinguishes between singular and plural nouns (with – ות or – ים endings) in the חומש, including words that end with  רבים endings in  לה”ק but are not plural in English (מים, פנים) and including common יוצאים  מן הכלל in the חומש: words that are  זכר but which receive – ות when in plural, (אבות, קרבנות) and words that are  נקבה but receive – ים when in plural  (שנה-שנים).

D. Identifies adjectives in an unlearned פסוק (based on the way it appears in the פסוק – its prefixes, suffixes, and form of the word – and on context[23]).

E. Matches nouns and adjectives in an unlearned פסוק based on gender and number.

F. Identifies סמיכות by context, and letter changes in the first word of the pair (when there is a –ים or קמץ ה ending).[25]

A. Identifies nouns in an unlearned פסוק (based on the way it appears in the פסוק – its prefixes, suffixes, and form of the word).

B. Distinguishes between זכר and נקבה nouns in the חומש, including common יוצאים מן הכלל in the חומש: words that appear to be זכר but are really נקבה, or appear to be נקבה but are really זכר, or words that can be either זכר or  נקבה

C. Distinguishes between singular and plural nouns (with – ות or – ים endings) in the חומש, including words that end with  רבים endings in  לה”ק but are not plural in English (מים, פנים) and including common יוצאים  מן הכלל in the חומש: words that are  זכר but which receive – ות when in plural, (אבות, קרבנות) and words that are  נקבה but receive – ים when in plural  (שנה-שנים).

D. Identifies adjectives in an unlearned פסוק (based on the way it appears in the פסוק – its prefixes, suffixes, and form of the word – and on context[23]).

E. Matches nouns and adjectives in an unlearned פסוק based on gender and number.

F. Identifies סמיכות by context, and letter changes in the first word of the pair (when there is a –ים or קמץ ה ending).[25]

A. Identifies nouns in an unlearned פסוק, including nouns that are related to and look like verbs or adjectives.[19]

B. Distinguishes between זכר and נקבה nouns in the חומש, including common יוצאים מן הכלל in the חומש:  words that appear to be זכר but are really [20]נקבה, or appear to be נקבה but are really [21]זכר, or words that can be either זכר or נקבהi[22].

C. Distinguishes between singular and plural nouns, including common יוצאים מן הכלל in the חומש: words that are זכר but which receive –ות when in plural, (אבות, קרבנות), and words that are נקבה but receive –ים when in plural (שנה-שנים).

D. Identifies adjectives in an unlearned פסוק (based on the way it appears in the פסוק – its prefixes, suffixes, and form of the word – and on context[23]).

E. Matches nouns and adjectives in an unlearned פסוק based on gender and number, and identifies common יוצאים מן הכלל in the חומש, matching nouns and adjectives which would not otherwise appear to go together (יד חזקה).

F. Identifies סמיכות by context, changes in the אותיות, changes in ניקודi[26], and טעמי המקרא.

A. Identifies nouns in an unlearned פסוק, including nouns that are related to and look like verbs or adjectives.[19]

B. Distinguishes between זכר and נקבה nouns in the חומש, including common יוצאים מן הכלל in the חומש:  words that appear to be זכר but are really [20]נקבה, or appear to be נקבה but are really [21]זכר, or words that can be either זכר or נקבהi[22].

C. Distinguishes between singular and plural nouns, including common יוצאים מן הכלל in the חומש: words that are זכר but which receive –ות when in plural, (אבות, קרבנות), and words that are נקבה but receive –ים when in plural (שנה-שנים).

D. Identifies adjectives in an unlearned פסוק (based on the way it appears in the פסוק – its prefixes, suffixes, and form of the word – and on context[23]).

E. Matches nouns and adjectives in an unlearned פסוק based on gender and number, and identifies common יוצאים מן הכלל in the חומש, matching nouns and adjectives which would not otherwise appear to go together (יד חזקה).

F. Identifies סמיכות by context, changes in the אותיות, changes in ניקודi[26], and טעמי המקרא.

[19] Some examples: שופט, מפשט, מצוה, שופטים ושוטרים, שומר

[20] Body parts that come in pairs –e.g. יד/ידים, עינים/עין – and words relating to land and location – e.g. ארץ, מקום, עיר

[21] בית, לילה

[22] מחנה, שמש, רוח, אש See list in רש“י on בראשית, פרק ל“ב, פסוק ט‘, “המחנה האחת והכהו“.

[23] Context is essential with adjectives since they are often identical to nouns and verbs.

[24] E.g. בני ישרא–ל, תולדות נח, רוח א–לקים, פתח האהל, עבד אברהם, עבד עברי. The teacher can illustrate the changes in אותיות and/or ניקוד but this is not necessary until later grades.

[25] E.g. בני ישרא–ל, זעקת סדום

[26] E.g. ‘דְבַר ה instead of ‘דָבָר ה

3.05 Pronouns

Key Knowledge:

  1. A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun.
  2. Nouns can serve as either a subject or object: who or what is doing the action is the subject, and who or what is receiving the action is the object.
  3. Different kinds of pronouns replace nouns, depending on whether they are the subject or object. (For example, אני refers to a subject and is a subjective pronoun, and אותי refers to an object and is an objective pronoun, just like in English, “I” refers to a subject, and “me” refers to an object.)
  4. Pronouns also appear in other forms depending on how they are used in the sentence. For example, there are demonstrative pronouns to point something out (e.g. this, those – זה, זאת…), interrogative pronouns to ask questions (e.g. who, what, etc. – מי, מה), and prepositional pronouns to describe relationships in time and place (e.g. with, to, etc. – אלי, אתי, עמי, ממני).
  5. For every pronoun, we need to figure out who or what it is talking about. This is the pronoun’s referent (what the pronoun refers to). Pronouns match their referent nouns in gender and number.
  6. There is no such thing as “it” in לה”ק. Since all nouns, not only people, are either זכר or נקבה, the pronouns that replace them are always זכר or נקבה as well.
  7. In לה”ק, pronouns are often indicated by prefixes and suffixes attached to other words, instead of being written separately.

Note to Teachers: The first standard for each kind of pronoun is the ability to use that kind of pronoun in English. This standard should be taught as a fundamental, introductory unit to pronouns, in which the teacher points out to students how pronouns are used and their different varieties, and students have the opportunity to use them in a class discussion or exercise. The English pronouns themselves may not be new to first graders, but this הקדמה will make them more aware of the kinds of pronouns we use and the roles that they play.

A. Substitutes subjective nouns with pronouns, and identifies to what or to whom the pronouns refer, in English[27]; and states the subjective pronouns in [28]לשון הקודש, and translates them from לה”ק to English and vice versa.

B. N/A

C. Substitutes possessive nouns with pronouns, and identifies to what or to whom the pronouns refer, in English (my, mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs).

D. Substitutes objective nouns with pronouns, and identifies to what or to whom the pronouns refer, in English (me, him, her, us, them).

E. Uses demonstrative pronouns appropriately as a substitute for “a,” in English (this, that, these).

F. N/A

G. N/A

H. Uses interrogative pronouns – questions to which the answer is a noun/pronoun – in English, and responds to interrogative pronouns by providing the correct nouns. (e.g. who, to whom, whose, what, which…).

A. States the referent of a subjective pronoun in a learned פסוק, whether the pronoun is written separately in the פסוק or embedded in the word.[29]

B. N/A

C. Substitutes possessive nouns with pronouns, and identifies to what or to whom the pronouns refer, in English (my, mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs).

D. Substitutes objective nouns with pronouns, and identifies to what or to whom the pronouns refer, in English (me, him, her, us, them).

E. Uses demonstrative pronouns appropriately as a substitute for “a,” in English (this, that, these).

F. N/A

G. Identifies the prefixes איתן and the pronouns to which they refer, in learned פסוקים.

H. Translates the interrogative pronouns in לה”ק, and responds correctly to questions that begin with them. (e.g.מי, מה, למי)

A. State the referent of a subjective pronoun in a learned פסוק, even when the referent is in a different learned פסוק.

B. Distinguishes between first, second and third person pronouns (גוף ראשון, גוף שני, גוף שלישי…).

C. In learned פסוקים, identify possessive suffixes and state the pronouns and referents to which they refer.

D. States the objective pronouns in אותי,אותך) – לה”ק…)  and can state the reference noun that they replace in learned פסוקים.

[30]

E. States the demonstrative pronouns in לה”ק and translates them (from לה”ק to English and vice versa) (זה, זאת, אלה, אלו…).

F. N/A

G. Identifies the suffixes תהימון and the prefixes איתן and the pronouns to which they refer, in learned פסוקים.

H. Responds to questions beginning with the לה”ק interrogative pronouns, answering using the correct noun from the פסוקים . (e.g  איזוהי מיהו,)

I.  States the interrogative pronouns in לה”ק and  translates them (from לה”ק to English and vice versa ,’מי, מה, איזו, איזה וכו)

A. State the referent of a subjective pronoun in a learned פסוק, even when the referent is in a different learned פסוק.

B. Distinguishes between first, second and third person pronouns (גוף ראשון, גוף שני, גוף שלישי…).

C. In learned פסוקים, identify possessive suffixes and state the pronouns and referents to which they refer.

D. Identifies objective pronouns and states the nouns that they replace in learned פסוקים.i[30]

E. States the demonstrative pronouns in לה”ק and translates them (from לה”ק to English and vice versa) (זה, זאת, אלה, אלו…)

F. Recognizes that pronouns can be attached to prepositions as suffixes, and identifies to which pronouns these suffixes refer.  (e.g.לי, אלי, ממני, אתי, עלי…).

G. Identifies the suffixes תהימון and the prefixes איתן and the pronouns to which they refer, in learned פסוקים.

H. Responds to questions beginning with the לה”ק interrogative pronouns, answering using the correct noun from the פסוקים . (e.g  איזוהי מיהו,)

I.  Identifies interrogative pronouns and the nouns to which they refer in learned פסוקים

A. States the referent of a subjective pronoun in learned or unlearned פסוקים, whether the pronoun is written separately in the פסוק or embedded in the word.

B. Distinguishes between first, second and third person pronouns (גוף ראשון, גוף שני, גוף שלישי…).

C. In unlearned פסוקים, identify possessive suffixes and state the pronouns and referents to which they refer.

D. Identifies objective suffixes and states objective pronouns to which they refer in learned פסוקים.i[31]

E. Identifies demonstrative pronouns and the nouns to which they refer in learned פסוקים.

F. Identifies prepositional pronouns and the nouns to which they refer in learned פסוקים.

G. Uses the prefixes איתן and the suffixes תהימון to aid in the independent translation of חומש words.

H. Responds to questions beginning with the לה”ק interrogative pronouns, answering using the correct referent noun indicated by the pronouns in the פסוקים.

I.  Identifies interrogative pronouns and the nouns to which they refer in learned פסוקים

A. States the referent of a subjective pronoun in learned or unlearned פסוקים, whether the pronoun is written separately in the פסוק or embedded in the word.

B. Distinguishes between first, second and third person pronouns (גוף ראשון, גוף שני, גוף שלישי…).

C. In unlearned פסוקים, identify possessive suffixes and state the pronouns and referents to which they refer.

D. In unlearned פסוקים, identifies objective pronouns and suffixes, and the nouns to which they refer.

E. Identifies demonstrative pronouns and the nouns to which they refer in unlearned פסוקים.

F. Identifies prepositional pronouns and the nouns to which they refer in unlearned פסוקים.

G. Uses the prefixes איתן and the suffixes תהימון to aid in the independent translation of חומש words.

H. Responds to questions beginning with the לה”ק interrogative pronouns, answering using the correct referent noun indicated by the pronouns in the פסוקים.

I.  Identifies interrogative pronouns and the nouns to which they refer in unlearned פסוקים

A. States the referent of a subjective pronoun in learned or unlearned פסוקים, whether the pronoun is written separately in the פסוק or embedded in the word.

B. Distinguishes between first, second and third person pronouns (גוף ראשון, גוף שני, גוף שלישי…).

C. In unlearned פסוקים, identify possessive suffixes and state the pronouns and referents to which they refer.

D. In unlearned פסוקים, identifies objective pronouns and suffixes, and the nouns to which they refer.

E. Identifies demonstrative pronouns and the nouns to which they refer in unlearned פסוקים.

F. Identifies prepositional pronouns and the nouns to which they refer in unlearned פסוקים.

G. Uses the prefixes איתן and the suffixes תהימון to aid in the independent translation of חומש words.

H. Responds to questions beginning with the לה”ק interrogative pronouns, answering using the correct referent noun indicated by the pronouns in the פסוקים.

I.  Identifies interrogative pronouns and the nouns to which they refer in unlearned פסוקים

A. States the referent of a subjective pronoun in learned or unlearned פסוקים, whether the pronoun is written separately in the פסוק or embedded in the word.

B. Distinguishes between first, second and third person pronouns (גוף ראשון, גוף שני, גוף שלישי…).

C. In unlearned פסוקים, identify possessive suffixes and state the pronouns and referents to which they refer.

D. In unlearned פסוקים, identifies objective pronouns and suffixes, and the nouns to which they refer.

E. Identifies demonstrative pronouns and the nouns to which they refer in unlearned פסוקים.

F. Identifies prepositional pronouns and the nouns to which they refer in unlearned פסוקים.

G. Uses the prefixes איתן and the suffixes תהימון to aid in the independent translation of חומש words.

H. Responds to questions beginning with the לה”ק interrogative pronouns, answering using the correct referent noun indicated by the pronouns in the פסוקים.

I.  Identifies interrogative pronouns and the nouns to which they refer in unlearned פסוקים

[27] I, you, he, she, we, they

[28] אני, אתה, את, הוא, היא, אתם, אתן, הם, הן

[29] E.g. ויהי מבדיל – הרקיע. ויתן אותם – ה’, המאורות

[30] For example, in the פסוק that states “ויוסיפו עוד שנא אותו” ( (בראשית, ל”ז:ח, the objective pronoun אותו refers to יוסף.

[31] For example, ויקחהו is ויקח אותו.

3.06 Prepositions, Conjunctions and the Definite Article

Key Knowledge:

  1. A preposition is a word that indicates the relationship between two things in time and place (or other relationships), e.g. on, with, over, under, before, after, from, to, in, like
  2. A conjunction combines two words – i.e. and.
  3. In English, the word “a” is called an indefinite article, and the word “the” is called a definite article, as it refers to something specific. In לה”ק, we do not have the indefinite article – “a.” The letter ה serves as the definite article – “the.”
  4. The word את either means “with” or is untranslatable. The untranslatable את acts like an arrow, pointing to the direct object that receives the action in the פסוק. This kind of את always comes before a definite noun (a noun with a definite article, a possessive noun, or a proper noun). E.g. “בראשית ברא א-לקים את השמים…”
  5. The two meanings of את can be recognized from two common groups of words that students are familiar with. את as “with” is the basis for the words אתי, אתך etc., which mean with me, with you…. (Standard 3.05 F). את as a direct object marker is the basis for the words אותי, אותך etc. – the objective pronouns (3.05 D).

A. Knows that the תורה is divided by חז”ל into סדרותi(#1), and that the תורה is also divided into פרקיםi(#3 in Appendix).

A. Knows that the סדרות are from חז”ל but the פרקים come from when the Torah was translated and is not from Jewish sources.

B. Distinguishes between a פרשה פתוחה and פרשה סתומה and understands their function. (#2 in Appendix)

A. Knows that the סדרות are from חז”ל but the פרקים come from when the Torah was translated and is not from Jewish sources.

B. Uses the division of פרשיות פתוחות and  סתומות to divide the text into ענינים (rather than only using פרקים for topic division). (#2 in Appendix)

[32] Not to be confused with ו ההיפוך – see Appendix for the rules that differentiate them.

[33] וילך חרנה – אל חרן

[34] Note: Introduce other, less common, meanings of ב and כ as they appear.

[35] There is no prefix ש in חומש. However, this standard has been retained because the ש appears in the סידור, נ”ך and מפרשים, so knowing this letter is necessary for a complete mastery of לשון הקדש and the ability to learn מפרשי חומש and other sacred texts.

[36] See 3.b.05 D.

3.07 Verbs

Key Knowledge:

  1. Verbs in לשון הקודש have tense, person (גוף), gender and number embedded in the way they are written. (See Appendix for a chart of verb parsing.)
  2. The ניקוד (and sometimes added letters) of the verb gives us information about it.
  3. There are patterns of how to conjugate a verb, called בנינים, which alter the meaning of a שרש. (There is no parallel in English.)
  4. The בנינים are divided into 4 categories: simple, forceful, causative and reflexive. (Each of the first three has an active and passive form.) Identifying the unique pattern of ניקוד and אותיות of each בנין, gives us insight into the meaning of a word and helps us to translate it correctly.
  5. The 4 active בנינים are: קל (simple), פיעל (forceful or sometimes causative), הפעיל (causative) and התפעל (reflexive). See the Appendix for the conjugation of each בנין.
  6. Each active בנין as a matching passive בנין. The 4 passive בנינים are:נפעל (Simple- partner of ק”לi) הפועל (Causative- partner of הפעילi) פועל (Forceful- partner of פיעל)
  7. Verbs also have tense or aspect. Tenses are עבר (past), הווה (present or participle), or עתיד (future). Verb forms can also be in ציווי (imperative) or in two types of infinitive forms, known as שם הפועל – regular infinitive (e.g לשמור) and the infinitive absolute also known as the infinitive of emphasis (מקור)
  8. Infinite absolute verbs are often found before a future tense verb with the same שורש. E.g מות תמות, שמוע תשמשו. They serve to emphasize the action and cause the translation ‘surely’, e.g. “You will surely die”. The infinitive absolute can also be found on its own, indicating ongoing action. E.g. הלוך ונסוע – “he was traveling on”. Another example is שמיר and זכור in the עשרת הדברות. See Rashi שמות כ:ח on the word זכור.

A. Identifies verbs from a group of learned words, and gives examples of verbs in both לשון הקודש (from learned words) and English.

B. N/A

C. N/A

D. N/A

E. N/A

F. N/A

G. N/A

A. Identifies verbs in a learned פסוק.

B. Identifies that אותיות איתן before a verb indicate future tense [in any בנין], in learned פסוקים.i[37]

C. N/A

D. N/A

E. N/A

F. N/A

G. N/A

A. Identifies verbs in a learned פסוק.

B. Identifies verbs in future tense by the איתן prefixes, differentiates the pronouns by also looking for the accompanying suffix ( ת-י, י-ו, ת-נא) and translates accordingly in learned פסוקים.

C. Identifies that אותיות תהימון after a verb indicate past tense, in learned פסוקים. (See pronouns with regard to their translation.)

D. Identifies  בנין קל verbs in הווה (the present tense) and their גוף , by their conjugation [38] in learned פסוקים.

E. Identifies verbs in ציווי by their conjugation (look like future tense but are missing איתן prefix) in learned פסוקים.

F. N/A

G. N/A

A. Identifies verbs in a learned פסוק.

B. Identifies verbs in future tense by the איתן prefixes, differentiates the pronouns by also looking for the accompanying suffix ( ת-י, י-ו, ת-נא) and translates accordingly in learned פסוקים.

C. Identifies that אותיות תהימון after a verb indicate past tense, in learned פסוקים. (See pronouns with regard to their translation.).

D. Identifies  בנין קל verbs in הווה (the present tense) and their גוף , by their conjugation [38] in learned פסוקים.

E. Identifies verbs in ציווי by their conjugation (look like future tense but are missing איתן prefix) in learned פסוקים.

F. N/A

G. N/A

A. Identifies verbs in an unlearned פסוק (based on their format).

B. Identifies verbs in future tense by the איתן prefixes, and accompanying suffix when needed ( ת-י, י-ו, ת-נא) and translates accordingly in learned פסוקים.

C. Identifies verbs in past tense by the suffixes תהימון, and translates accordingly, in unlearned פסוקים.

D.Identifies  בנין קל   verbs in הווה (the present tense) and their גוף , by their conjugation [39] in unlearned פסוקים.

E. Identifies verbs in ציווי by their conjugation (look like future tense but are missing איתן prefix) in unlearned פסוקים.

F. Identifies verbs in מקור and  שם הפועל forms, in learned פסוקים.

G. Identifies when learned verbs are passive as opposed to active.

H. Identifies objective suffixes when attached to a verb (see 3.05 D) and translate the verb accordingly, in learned and unlearned פסוקים.

A. Identifies verbs in an unlearned פסוק (based on their format).

B. Identifies verbs in future tense by the איתן prefixes, and accompanying suffix when needed ( ת-י, י-ו, ת-נא) and translates accordingly in learned פסוקים.

C. Identifies verbs in past tense by the suffixes תהימון, and translates accordingly, in unlearned פסוקים.

D. Identifies  בנין קל   verbs in הווה (the present tense) and their גוף , by their conjugation [39] in unlearned פסוקים.

E. Identifies verbs in ציווי by their conjugation (look like future tense but are missing איתן prefix) in unlearned פסוקים.

F. Identifies verbs in מקור and  שם הפועל forms, in learned פסוקים.

G. Identifies when learned verbs are passive as opposed to active.

H. Identifies objective suffixes when attached to a verb (see 3.05 D) and translate the verb accordingly, in learned and unlearned פסוקים.

A. Identifies verbs in an unlearned פסוק (based on their format).

B. Identifies verbs in future tense in all of the active בנינים , differentiates between them, and translates accordingly, in learned and unlearned פסוקים.

C. Identifies verbs in past tense in all of the active בנינים, differentiates between them, and translates accordingly, in learned and unlearned פסוקים.

D. Identifies verbs in הווה in all of the active בנינים, differentiates between them, and translates accordingly, in learned and unlearned פסוקים.

E.  Identifies verbs in ציווי in all active בנינים, differentiate between them, and translates accordingly in learned and unlearned פסוקים.

F. Identifies verbs in מקור and הפועל שם forms in all of the active בנינים ,differentiates between them, and translates accordingly, in learned and unlearned פסוקים.

G. Identifies verbs that are in the passive בנין of נפעל, in learned and unlearned פסוקים.

H. Identifies objective suffixes when attached to a verb (see 3.05 D) and translate the verb accordingly, in learned and unlearned פסוקים.

A. Identifies verbs in an unlearned פסוק (based on their format).

B. Identifies verbs in future tense in all of the active בנינים , differentiates between them, and translates accordingly, in learned and unlearned פסוקים.

C. Identifies verbs in past tense in all of the active בנינים, differentiates between them, and translates accordingly, in learned and unlearned פסוקים.

D. Identifies verbs in הווה in all of the active בנינים, differentiates between them, and translates accordingly, in learned and unlearned פסוקים.

E. Identifies verbs in מקור forms in all of the active בנינים, differentiates between them, and translates accordingly, in learned and unlearned פסוקים.

F. Identifies verbs that are in the passive בנין of נפעל, in learned and unlearned פסוקים.

G. Identifies objective suffixes when attached to a verb (see 3.b.06 D) and translate the verb accordingly, in learned and unlearned פסוקים.

[37] See pronouns with regard to their translation, and ו ההיפוך for how they are commonly used in חומש.

[38] Often but not always a חולם after the first letter of the Shoresh. However, this is not the case for all verbs of the ע”ו and ע”י category where the הווה form is different. E.g: בא, באה, קם,קמה, שב,שבה etc.

[39] As above, previous footnote.

Syntax (Sentence Structure)

The student will be able to construct the meaning of the פסוק based on analyzing its parts, including word combination, word order and dividing a פסוק into phrases.

Enduring Understandings

1. The sentence structure of לה”ק is different from the sentence structure of English.
2. תורה comes with a set of rules for punctuation and sentence structure in the form of טעמי המקרא, which are הלכה למשה מסיני.
3. Just like words serve particular functions, such as nouns (naming words) and verbs (action words), different parts of a פסוק or sentence provide different kinds of information (subject, action, description, etc.).

Essential Questions

1. How would this פסוק or phrase be written differently if it were in English?
2. What do the טעמי המקרא tell us about how to organize and understand this פסוק?
3. What is this part of the פסוק doing/telling us?

Key Knowledge:

  1. פסוקים in לה”ק cannot be translated word for word into English without changing the order of the words.
  2. In order to translate the פסוקים into meaningful sentences, the words need to be grouped into two and three word unit and translated for meaning rather than individually and literally. For example, ויאמר ה’ אל משה means “Hashem said to Moshe,” and not “he said Hashem to Moshe.”
  3. Nouns, verbs and adjectives are all conjugated differently from one another in לשון הקדש. (Prefixes and suffixes change depending on whether the word is a noun or verb.)
  4. A פסוק may or may not be a complete sentence. (Some פסוקים are dependent clauses reliant on previous פסוקים).
  5. A פסוק may contain one or more ‘English’ sentences.
  6. The simplest Hebrew sentence comprises of a noun and a verb or an adjective.
  7. The person doing the action or the person or item being described in a sentence is called the subject. “Who” is doing the action or “Who or what” is this talking about?
  8. The person or thing that receives the action (verb) is the direct object of the sentence.
  9. The indirect object identifies to whom or for whom, the action of the verb is performed. E.g: “ויעקב נתן לעשו לחם ונזיד עדשים”. – Yaakov is the subject, the food (לחם ונזיד עדשים) is the object – Yaakov gave food; עשו is the indirect object – he is the one to whom the food was given.

The rest of the sentence will give us additional information like where, when, why or how something was done.

3.08 Grouping and Word Order

A. Groups the פסוק into phrases (of two or three words), when translating a learned פסוק.

B. Changes word order appropriately when translating phrases in learned פסוקים.

A. Groups the פסוק into phrases (of two or three words), when translating a פסוק for which literal translation is provided but grouping into phrases is not.

B. Changes word order appropriately when translating a פסוק for which literal translation is provided but grouping into phrases is not, identifying when word order is different than in English.

 A. Groups the פסוק into phrases when translating an unlearned פסוק, according to the rules of סמיכות (see nouns) and context

B. Changes word order appropriately when translating an unlearned פסוק, identifying when word order is different than in English.

3.09 Parsing the פסוק

A. Identifies the אתנחתא and סוף פסוק, and their roles, and divides an unlearned פסוק into two parts accordingly.

A. Identifies the זקף קטן, זקף גדול, סגול, רביעי, and their roles, in addition to the אתנחתא and סוף פסוק, and their roles and reads, translates and punctuates the פסוק accordingly.

A. Identifies מרכא-טפחא, קדמא-אזלא and the תביר-טפחא as indicating words that should not be separated for translation, and reads, translates and punctuates the פסוק accordingly in addition to being able to divide the פסוק based on the טעמי המקרא learned in previous years.

Vocabulary

The student will be able to:

  • explain the system of ניקוד used in תנ”ך.
  • explain variations of ניקוד found in many areas of grammar and parts of speech.

Note to Teachers: This standard is for advanced students. Understanding ניקוד together with the other language skills already mastered, gives students the skills needed to understand רש”י when he deals with דקדוק and to better understand other מפרשים which focus on דקדוק.

Enduring Understandings

1. How we pronounce the words in the תורה was taught to us by משה רבינו and includes טעמי המקרא and  נקודות.
2. The rules of ניקוד and הברה of לשון קודש and how they interact with the טעמי המקרא are evident today in our printed versions of תנ”ך.

Essential Questions

1. Why should we learn these rules? / How will these rules help me?
2. Where do we see examples of this ניקוד rule in the תנ”ך?

Key Knowledge:

  1. The common term נקודות actually incorporates a number of different items that all include dots.
  2. נקודות that actually create distinct sounds are called תנועות. They allow one to move across the word.
  3. תנועות are divided into two groups: תנועות גדולות and [38]תנועות קטנות.
  4. A syllable is called a הברה. You can only have one תנועה in any syllable.
  5. שואים are made of dots but they are not תנועות.
  6. There are two types of שואים, the נע שוא and the שוא נח, and they have distinct rules related to their purpose, placement and pronunciation[39].
  7. Other ‘dots’ include דגשים, and the מפיק ה’.
  8. There are two types of דגשים, the דגש קל and דגש חזק, and they have distinct rules related to their purpose, placement and pronunciation.

Note to teachers: The key knowledge above is elaborated upon in the Appendices. There are many important details there that need to be mastered. Please refer to those supporting documents.

[38] See Language Supplements for the differences between them.

[39] See Supplements

3.10 Understanding ניקוד

N/A

A. Differentiates between the different types of  תנועות  and can explain their purpose and distinct rules.

B. Differentiates between the different types of שואים and can explain their purpose and distinct rules.

C. Differentiates between the different types of דגשים and can explain their purpose and distinct rules.

D. Uses the rules of תנועות,שואים and דגשים to divide any word in the חומש into its distinct syllables.

E. Identifies and explains how and when the טעמי המקרא affect the ניקוד of a word.

F. Use their knowledge of ניקוד to explain variations in ניקוד of grammatical items found in חומש.

G. Use their knowledge of דקדוק to explain both learned and unlearned commentaries that refer to or explain a דקדוק rule or variation found in חומש.

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