If you’ve gone to Hebrew school anytime from 1990 until this very day, you probably had to sing the Debbie Friedman Hebrew alpha bet song. Two generations of American kids grew up learning Hebrew that way. However, there are some fundamental issues with the song and you might want to consider something else for your kids. Here’s why:
Not an Ideal Hebrew Alpha Bet Song
Hebrew has only 22 letters
When I was first learning Hebrew, I was taught the Alef Bet song. This song is sung to the tune of “Frere Jacques” and helps children learn the names and order of the Hebrew letters. However, repeating “Bet, Vet”, Kaf, Chaf” and so on, give your kids the wrong impression that these are all different letters, so they end up thinking that Hebrew has a lot more letters than it really does.
In reality, these are the same letters, they just behave differently depending on their environment and placement in a word or a sentence. The rules of Beged Kefet, as well as biblical grammar, will determine if the letter should have a Dagesh in it or not.
Gematria is essential to using a Chumash and Siddur
Gematria (numerical value of Hebrew letters) is essential to understanding many concepts in Chumash and Siddur. “Alef, Bet, Vet” makes the child think that “Vet” = 3, but as we know it is of course the letter Gimmel with the numerical value of 3. As the student gets more advanced Jewish education, Gimatrya and quick calculation of numerical value need to become second nature. This can be hard to do with the Debbie Friedman song stuck in your head.
There are countless other examples where an understanding of Gimatrya is necessary for grasping deeper concepts of the Torah. For this reason, children need to learn this system along with the alefbet.
There are better Hebrew alpha bet songs out there
There’s no denying that Debbie Friedman’s Alef Beit song is catchy. However, there are several reasons why I believe the Israeli version is superior.
First and foremost, Hebrew has only 22 letters, so it’s important to be able to recognize and recite them quickly and accurately. The Israeli version of the Alef Beit song accomplishes this in a way that is both fun and memorable.
Also, Bli Sodot is a piece of nostalgia that every Hebrew learner must know. Anyone who grew up in Israel in the 80’s and 90’s learned how to read and write with this iconic TV show and they came out alright! This version or other Israeli tunes would do the trick.
