Competency in the Hebrew language is the single most crucial skill you can acquire before making Aliyah. Does this mean that Aliyah is off the table if you don’t speak a word of Hebrew? No, it is fairly simple to get by day to day living in English, especially as a tourist or student. But for those making Aliyah consider this: what happens when you receive your electric bill, your army draft notice, or your lab results from your doctor all in Hebrew? How do you sign a rental contract for an apartment when you don’t understand what’s in the fine print? In some of these cases, it helps to have a friend translate; in others, it’s better to have a lawyer deal with any legal issues. Nevertheless, for all non-legal matters it is important to try to be as independent as possible. There are several ways to learn Hebrew, both before and after Aliyah: