HEBREW · STEP 5
Read shalom
Join two syllables and read a word at the heart of a Torah blessing.
Keep the beginning familiar
Continue with modern Israeli pronunciation. Start with the consonant on the right, read its vowel, and finish with the final consonant.
Read שֵׁם and שָׁם
shem, name; sham, there. Tsere gives e as in ten; qamats gives a as in father here. Both begin with shin, sh, and end with final mem, m.
The beginning שָׁ, sha, will be the first syllable of today's word.
Meet lamed
Lamed
l as in lamp
Lamed's tall stroke rises above the other letters. Give it the sound l when you blend, rather than saying the letter's name.
Read these practice syllables: לַ, לֵ, לִ
la, le, li. Lamed stays l. Patah gives a as in father, tsere gives e as in ten, and hiriq gives i as in machine.
An o written beside the consonant
Holam with vav
o, a steady “oh” sound
The upright letter ו is vav. In this vowel spelling, vav and the dot above it work together to give o. Read the consonant before them, then o. Here vav helps write the vowel; it adds no v sound.
l + o = lo
One syllable
Hebrew vowels can appear below or above the writing line. Follow the whole written pattern, not only the space underneath each letter.
Read these practice syllables: מוֹ and תוֹ
mo and to. The consonant changes from mem to tav. Holam with vav gives o in both.
Does לוֹ read lo or lvo?
lo. The vav belongs to the o spelling here. Blend l directly into o, without an extra consonant or syllable.
Build the word in two parts
Add final mem to לוֹ. You get לוֹם, lom. This is the second part of our word, not a new vocabulary word by itself.
sha + lom = shalom
Peace
- Start on the right: shin with qamats gives sha.
- Move left: lamed with holam-vav gives lo.
- Finish with final mem: m.
Join the two syllables smoothly: sha-LOM. The second syllable receives the stress, or stronger beat. Finish at m.
Read שָׁלוֹם without looking at the sound hints
sha-LOM, peace. The vowels are a and o. The word ends with final mem, with no extra vowel after it.
How many syllables do you read: two, three, or four?
Two: sha + lom. Vav is helping write the second vowel, not adding a syllable. Final mem closes the second syllable.
Find the two dots above the word. Do they do the same job?
No. The dot above shin's right side identifies sh, a consonant. The dot above vav is part of o, a vowel. Their positions tell you how to use them.
Read the last word of a blessing
In Numbers 6, Hashem gives Aharon and his sons words with which to bless Israel. The blessing ends by asking Hashem to grant peace. Find the last Hebrew word in this excerpt, on the left, and read it using the steps above.
וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם
And grant you peace.
Which word names what the blessing asks Hashem to grant?
שָׁלוֹם, shalom, peace. You can now decode this whole word within the source, even while learning the other words around it.
Read the English once more with that word in mind. The letters you have practiced now lead you into the meaning of the blessing.
Read a mixed set
Close the answers. Read each word and give its meaning before you check:
- אִם
- שָׁלוֹם
- בֵּן
- שֵׁם
- אֵם
- שָׁם
- בַּת
Check the seven words
Top to bottom: im, if; shalom, peace; ben, son; shem, name; em, mother; sham, there; bat, daughter. Shalom has two syllables; the other six have one each.
- Copy שָׁלוֹם on paper. Point to the marks for a and o, then the final m.
- Read the list from bottom to top. If you hesitate, name the letter or vowel you need to review.
- Tomorrow, read the source excerpt's final word before reopening the explanations.
Explore the sources
Lamed and holam, Hebrew Public · Letters used to write vowels, Academy of the Hebrew Language · Shalom: peace · Numbers 6:22–27