How Difficult Is The Aramaic Alphabet?

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I am sure you have already seen the letters of the Aramaic Alphabet, perhaps through the pages of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), the Targums, the Aramaic Old Testament (Peshitta Tanakh), the Aramaic New Testament (Peshitta), the Talmud or the Zohar. Perhaps you have already tried to learn the Aramaic Alphabet or even some Aramaic grammar. In the next few lessons, you will gradually be introduced to each of the Aramaic letters in turn, how to write them, and how to pronounce them. We also compare the Aramaic letters to their corresponding Hebrew letters, because if you know Hebrew, learning Aramaic will be much easier.

If you do not already know the Aramaic Alphabet, at first everything will seem strange and unfamiliar. Because the Aramaic letters look so different from English, many people assume that Aramaic must be a difficult language to learn.
 

Once you have overcome the initial shock of how different the Aramaic Alphabet is to English, how strange it looks and how different the vocabulary and sounds of the language are, Aramaic really isn’t any harder to learn than languages such as French, German or Spanish.

In fact, Aramaic is perhaps easier to learn than many languages, since the working vocabulary is relatively small, and certain fundamental concepts run all the way through the language from beginning to end. Once you know the Aramaic Alphabet, everything tends to fall into place and progress in actually reading and understanding the Aramaic of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), the Targums, the Aramaic Old Testament (Peshitta Tanakh), the Aramaic New Testament (Peshitta), the Talmud or the Zohar can be surprisingly fast. If you continue with the lessons on this web site, you will find one day that you can pick up the Tanakh and understand whole chunks of the chapters which are in Aramaic. You will be able to appreciate your rich Biblical heritage much better, and understand the true worth and wealth of the Holy Writings of Judaism.

There is a Hebrew proverb, Kol techilot kashot, which means All beginnings are hard. Starting to learn the Aramaic Alphabet will be difficult at first, but if you take it step by step, you will soon be amazed at how much progress you have made. The hardest step, however, is to learn the Aramaic Alphabet. The more progress you make, the easier the journey will get. It's well worth the effort. What could be more wonderful and exciting than to pick up the Hebrew Bible, and understand the same words that were given directly to Moses, or read by King David, or written by the prophets? A translation of the Hebrew Bible, however good, is only a translation, and does not convey the beauty and majesty of the original inspired and God-breathed Scriptures. Reading a translation is like looking at a photocopy of a beautiful work of art – nothing is more beautiful and awe-inspiring than the original Hebrew Bible.

Although all beginnings are hard, Aramaic is very similar to Hebrew. Hebrew and Aramaic are the two Holy Languages of Judaism, given to man to reveal God's Word. However difficult the path might be, and with all humility, set your heart to understand the Aramaic Alphabet, as one of the first steps to understanding the Tanakh.
 
Aramaic is a fascinating language, full of beauty and simplicity and yet powerful enough to express the complexities of a modern civilisation. Like Hebrew, it is still spoken today. Not only will the study of the Hebrew and Aramaic allow you to read the Tanakh in its original language after the passage of thousands of years, but you will also be receiving a solid foundation in Modern Hebrew and Modern spoken Aramaic today. If you have an opportunity to visit Israel, who knows how much more enjoyable your experience will be if you understand Hebrew and Aramaic?

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