Hebrew Font and Keyboard Layout Setup

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Contents

Installing Unicode Fonts

Before you setup your keyboard for Hebrew, make certain to install a font that supports the full Biblical Hebrew Unicode vowel set (Unicode 4.1 or above). Download and install any or all of the following freely licensed fonts:

  • Ezra SIL (Unicode Hebrew)
  • Cardo (Unicode Hebrew)
  • Keter YG (Unicode Hebrew, part of the Culmus Ancient Hebrew Scripts package)

Installing a Hebrew Keyboard Layout

The following instructions are useful for using a Hebrew keyboard layout while typing online in your web browser or offline using any text editor. If you only want a Hebrew keyboard layout while operating online wiht your browser, use the bookmarklets

Bookmarklets for your Web Browser

If you're already familiar with a Hebrew keyboard layout and simply want to begin typing Hebrew in your browser, you should definitely check out Ze'ev Clementson's open source Hebrew keyboard layout bookmarklets. All you'll need is a modern browser that includes a bookmarks bar (like, for instance, Firefox).

Operating System level keyboard layout setup

If you'd like to work in an offline text editor as well as online in your web broser, you'll need to install a Hebrew Keyboard layout for your operating system. The following instructions are useful for installing the Tiro Biblical Hebrew Keyboard Layout engineered by SIL.

Macintosh OS X

  1. Download the file: Tiro Biblical Hebrew Keyboard Layout (OS X)
  2. Open BiblicalHebrewKeyboardsInstallerOSX.zip to unpack the installer
  3. Install the Tiro Keyboard Layout (you may ignore the SIL layout)
  4. Follow these additional instructions provided by Apple, here.

(Specific instructions for installing SBL's Biblical Hebrew keyboard on earlier Mac OS versions are available, here.)

Windows

  1. Download the file: Tiro Biblical Hebrew Keyboard Layout (Windows)
  2. Open BiblicalHebrewTiro.zip to unpack the file BHebTiro(v1.5).exe
  3. Run the self-extracting archive, BHebTiro(v1.5).exe to extract the installer. The installer files will extract into a folder named Biblical Hebrew keyboard (Tiro) v1.5.
  4. Run setup.exe to install

To configure the installed keyboard layout in Windows you must follow some additional steps. The steps are slightly different depending on which view you're using for your display settings: Default or Classic View. These instructions should suffice but if you'd like some graphics accompanying the instructions, check out these step by step screenshots at this site.

Windows XP Default View

  1. Open "Control Panel" and go to the "Date, Time, Language and Regional Options" applet.
  2. When it opens click "Add other languages."
  3. continue with #3 below.

Windows XP Classic View

  1. Open "Control Panel" and go to the "Regional and Language Options" applet.
  2. When it opens click the tab "Languages."
  3. Check the "Install files for complex script and right-to-left languages" check box.
  4. If a warning message appears, press "OK"
  5. You must now press "Apply" (Setup will copy the necessary files from the installation point.)
  6. Now click the button called, "Details..."
  7. A new settings dialogue window will open called "Text Services and Input Languages." Click "Add."
  8. A small window will open called "Add Input Language." In the top drop down menu select "Hebrew." In the bottom drop down menu select "Biblical Hebrew (Tiro)."
  9. Click "OK" to close the "Add Input Language" window.
  10. Click "OK" to close the "Text Services and Input Languages" window.

Instructions for other versions of Windows may be found here.

GNU/Linux

KDE

The default X11 distribution comes with a Biblical Hebrew keyboard layout. KDE (versions 3 and 4) have a keyboard switching applet. To activate the layout:

  1. from the K Menu, find "System Systems"
  2. select "Regional and Language"
  3. select "Keyboard layout"
  4. Make sure that "Enable keyboard layouts" is selected.
  5. From the "Available layouts" list, select "Israel." Click on the right-facing arrow button to move the layout to the "Active layouts."
  6. Click on "Israel" in the "Active layouts"
  7. From the "Layout variant" box, select "Biblical Hebrew (Tiro)"
  8. Go to the "Advanced" tab
  9. Under "key to choose third level", select a key. The win key (on 104 key keyboards) or the right alt key are good choices. You may also choose a key combination that will switch keyboard layouts (Alt-Shift is a common choice).
  10. Press "Apply"

To switch layouts, either use your chosen key combination or click on the flag in the system tray.


GNOME
  1. Run the "Gnome Control Center"
  2. Under the "Hardware" category, select "Keyboard"
  3. Select the "Layouts" tab
  4. Press the "Add" button
  5. Under "Country", select "Israel"
  6. Under "Variants", select "Israel Biblical Hebrew (Tiro)"
  7. Press the "Add" button
  8. Click on the newly added layout in the list box.
  9. Press "Layout options"
  10. Under "Key to choose third level", select a key of your choice (Right alt or Menu are good choices)
  11. Press "Close"
  12. Press "Close" on the Keyboard Preferences window.
  13. Close the Gnome Control Center

Typing with the Keyboard Layout

Tiro Biblical Hebrew Layout

There are three levels of characters to choose from.

The first level is visible without using any keyboard shortcuts. To see the second level, press the SHIFT key. To see the third level, press the ALT key.

A complete map of the characters mapped to each key is available in the Tiro Biblical Hebrew Keyboard Layout manual, available here:

Keyboard Layout Level 1: Letters

Image:SBL Keyboard Layout Tiro-Normal.jpg

Keyboard Layout Level 2: Diacritics

Image:SBL Keyboard Layout Tiro-Shift.jpg

Keyboard Layout Level 3: Added Characters

Image:SBL Keyboard Layout Tiro-AltCtl.jpg

Alternative Keyboard Layouts

SIL Biblical Hebrew Layout

The SIL Biblical Hebrew Layout may be a more comfortable layout for some users since the Hebrew letters correspond closely with the QWERTY layout of Latin letters. The layout is available for Windows and Mac OS users but is not available to GNU/Linux users. To install, download the SIL keyboard layout and install in the same manner as described above for the Tiro layout. A complete map of the characters on the keyboard is available in the manual.

SI-1452 Hebrew Layout (NOT RECOMMENDED)

The default Hebrew keyboard layout that comes with many systems (including Windows and GNU/Linux/X11) is the SI-1452 layout.

This layout is not recommended for the Open Siddur Project as it does not support all the diacritical marks necessary for transcription.

On Screen Keyboards

On-screen keyboard programs are useful to see the different characters available at each level of your keyboard. You can see the characters available to type if you use an on-screen keyboard as you press SHIFT or ALT. On-screen keyboards come shipped with your Operating System:



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