THE ONLY LANGUAGE-LEARNING GAME OF ITS KIND

An immersive tabletop roleplaying adventure for learning Biblical and Rabbinic Hebrew.

Now in beta-testing.

Designed and run by Lexi Kohanski

SUMMER SESSIONS SOLD OUT

- Get on the waitlist here -

You catch sight of a cave in the hillside and pull the ragged resistance fighter in behind you. The Romans will be on you in seconds, and they won't bother with prison after this escape attempt. Only one way out. Centering yourself, you turn your heart to the ruins of Jerusalem, and a faint glow stirs around you as you utter your prayer:

תסתירנו מעיני צרינו!

Hide us from the eyes of our oppressors!

The opening of the cave suddenly becomes solid rock, and moments later the muffled sounds of Roman boots clank straight past your hiding place. The resistance fighter's eyes bulge as she whispers, "Praise the God of Jacob, Rachel and Leia — a miracle..!"

As the strange mix of satisfaction and humility fills you from fulfilling the mitzvah of Rescuing the Pursued, you turn to see where you've ended up. A figure sits on the rock across from you, surrounded by clay bowls scrawled all over with Hebrew letters. "So, I'm not the only one with a talent for spells in these parts, I see," they say. "Now do you know the words to fix my door, or are you going to do it the old-fashioned way?"

Worlds To Come is an immersive TTRPG experience for learning Biblical and Rabbinic Hebrew. Inspired by the high fantasy magic of Dungeons & Dragons and the collaborative liberatory storytelling of games like Dream Apart, Worlds To Come lets you harness the language of Torah and Talmud to imagine what it looks like to fight for a better world.

Play as a group of spellcasters traveling Roman-occupied Judea/Palestine after the destruction of the Second Temple. Meet the peoples of the Land and help them as they reel from war and exile. Fulfill merit-generating mitzvahs, face the demonic consequences of sins, and use your newfound Hebrew knowledge to cast spells that will reshape your broken world.

An Unparalleled
Learning Experience

Learn classical Hebrew like never before. Explore a fantasy world inspired by Roman-occupied Judea/Palestine, as a group of mystical spellcasters travelling the Land to bring the World to Come.

Roleplay Magic Spellcasters

Play a post-Destruction Jew who has begun to uncover the magical powers of the Hebrew language. Cast spells in Hebrew to heal the Land.

Learn Hebrew

Hebrew content is woven seamlessly into gameplay. As you improve your skills, your character grows in strength.

Navigate a Broken World Through Judaism

Everything changed, and now no one knows what it means to be Jewish. Explore what Judaism could look like in a new and broken world.

JOIN THE SUMMER CAMPAIGNS

Sundays 10am-12:30pm PT /1pm-3:30pm ET

Plus one asynchronous hour per week

Tuesdays 4-6:30pm PT

/7-9:30pm ET

Plus one asynchronous hour per week

Beta Test Price: $120

Learn Hebrew by roleplaying 2nd-century spellcasters. Four 3.5-hour sessions. For beginners only.

Acquire core Hebrew vocabulary
Learn present & past tenses
Play out your new Hebrew skills as mystical spellcasters
Only 6 slots available per group!
All four sessions require live attendance and participation

Special
Beta-Test Price:

$30/session

THIS YEAR ONLY
Pay for the Hebrew.
Play for free.

Payment Plans available

Select "Pay Later" at checkout.

This year we are beta-testing Worlds To Come, so we are offering sessions at a reduced price of $30/session. Each campaign is 4 sessions, so the total cost for a month of skill-building and roleplaying is $120. Payment plans available.

Why does this cost more than your other classes? Why can't I drop in to a session?

Good questions! Unlike our other offerings, Worlds To Come campaigns are unique skill-building experiences. We expect commitment to all 4 sessions up front, so that Lexi can tailor the story and Hebrew lessons just for you. The higher price reflects compensation for the talent and time required to provide you with a fun, fulfilling, and pedagogically excellent gameplay experience.

Sounds exciting! But can you break down the pricing for me?

We'd be happy to:

The industry-standard price for a professionally run 3-hour RPG session is $25-40.
Small-group Hebrew lessons with an experienced teacher who cares about your learning goals often have price ranges that begin at $200/hour per group.
Doing both of these at the same time is a learning experience that SIMPLY DOES NOT EXIST - except right here at the Torah Studio.
The market value for this course would be no less than $600 per person. We're asking $120 for it.

What this means is that you get to play the game for free. Because the game is still in beta-testing, you just have to pay for the Hebrew lessons.

I want to join, but I can't afford $120 all at once. What are my options?

We understand that we're asking more for this offering than our other classes. At checkout, select the "Pay Later" PayPal options at the top of the page in order to split up your payment into 4 parts. If that payment plan does not work for you, please reach out to Lexi at lexi@thetorahstudio.org and we will get you in the game!

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What's a tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG)?

Worlds To Come is an adventure game played over Zoom with some pdfs, a couple of strange dice, and your imagination. The experience of playing a TTRPG feels a lot like having a conversation with your friends. You'll start by creating your own character, who will have the superpower to cast spells by speaking Hebrew. The Game Master (GM), Lexi, will describe a situation that your characters find themselves in. You'll describe what your character does in response. Then the GM will tell you how your actions impact the world, and you'll say what you would do next. Sometimes you'll want to cast a spell, and everyone at the table will become Angels to help you make your magic happen. Sometimes you'll want to do a good deed, and other times you'll witness something bad. Every step of the way, the GM and the other players are here to support you to imagine visions of a better world.
Is playing a game really going to teach me Hebrew?

Yes! While we're still in beta-testing, our first group of players all rated the quality of the Hebrew education "excellent" or "very good." Lexi is designing an experience that you cannot get anywhere else. Hebrew language and Judaism are baked into the heart of this game. In addition to more traditional language learning that you'll do asynchronously, you'll spend 3 hours a week immersing in a game world that will make Hebrew come alive for you. There is nowhere else you can experience anything like what Lexi is creating.
Do I need roleplaying experience to join?

No! Whether this is your first foray into tabletop roleplaying games, or whether you're a seasoned veteran of the dice, you can play Worlds To Come. We will all be learning the rules and developing a group dynamic together.
Do I need Hebrew knowledge to join? What does "beginner" mean?

The only Hebrew knowledge you will need is the aleph-bet. That means if you see a word written in Hebrew, you should be able to pronounce it, even if you have no idea what it means. If it takes you some time, that's okay! Besides having some familiarity with the aleph-bet, no prior Hebrew knowledge is expected. We will be learning grammar and vocab from the very beginning.
What if I don't know the aleph-bet (the Hebrew writing system)?

You can still join! But you'll need to learn how to read Hebrew before Session 1. Lexi will send you lots of resources so that you can teach yourself. Learning how to read a new alphabet takes time--it's more like learning how to dance than learning sets of math equations. Lexi will schedule a one-on-one session with you to give you some tools for teaching yourself the aleph-bet, setting you up for success. If you know the letters but you don't feel GOOD at reading, you should definitely join the game! You will get better with practice.
Which campaign should I join? Can I join all three?

Each month we'll learn different Hebrew content. All the summer campaigns are aimed at beginners or near-beginners. Choose the group that fits your Hebrew needs! If you want to learn it all, you can definitely join for two or all three months! In July we'll learn: Personal Pronouns, Present tense (Qal), Prepositions. In August we'll learn: Past tense (Qal), את and -ה, Spellcasting vocab. In September we'll learn: Construct state, More past tense (Qal), Verbless sentences.
What do you mean by "Biblical and Rabbinic" or "Classical" Hebrew?

"Biblical and Rabbinic," or "Classical," Hebrew refers to the kind of Hebrew used in the Hebrew Bible and the Talmud. This game will not teach you how to speak Modern Israeli Hebrew, which is quite different. If you're interested in reading the Torah, understanding the prayers in the Siddur, or deepening your Jewish knowledge, then you should study Biblical and Rabbinic Hebrew--and this is the game for you!
What's the time commitment?

Each one-month campaign asks for you to commit 18 hours of your time over 4 weeks: 1 hour of asynchronous Hebrew learning during the week. Whenever works for you, watch a half-hour recorded Hebrew lesson, and spend about half an hour over the week on the practice exercises. 3.5 hours of live, participatory gameplay on Sundays or Tuesdays. See the schedule above for details.
Is there sliding-scale pricing?

We are offering sessions at a reduced price of $30/session. What this means is that you get to play the game for free. Because the game is still in beta-testing, you just have to pay for the Hebrew lessons. Because $30/session is already the lowest price we can afford, there is no sliding scale. Payment plans are available, though. Please see above for a detailed breakdown of our pricing for this offering.
Where do I sign up?

Meet your Game Master

Lexi Kohanski is the Torah Studio's Director of Online Learning. She will be leading all the sessions of your Worlds To Come campaign - both the Hebrew education and the roleplaying. Lexi is a CELTA-certified teacher of foreign languages with 4 years of experience teaching Biblical and Rabbinic Hebrew to Jews who are queer, converting, leftist, and otherwise marginalized from mainstream Jewish education. She is a lover of tabletop roleplaying games with a background in improvisational theater, so as your GM she will be able to spin your wildest dreams into beautiful stories. Get ready for a Hebrew-learning experience like nothing else.