This philological commentary offers students a gateway to knowledge of Aramaic language and comparative Semitics through study of the Aramaic sections of Ezra and Daniel. It has enabled generations of students to unlock, with less pain and increased incentive, the treasures of Jewish literature. Students can use it to study on their own, and it is equally effective as a textbook or supplement in the classroom, and can be completed in a semester. The commentary is an introduction to Aramaic dialectology, with the goal of building facility also in Rabbinic Aramaic, Rabbinic literature, and ultimately Talmud. It is appropriate for students with minimal Hebrew background, as it also reviews the basics of Hebrew grammar.