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I personally am not a fan of the way Hebrew is pronounced in
Israel. I much prefer the Ashkenazic pronunciation.
Indeed, I cringe when I hear someone say Yitgadal. It
turns out that I am not alone in this.<br><br>
From
<a href="http://www.ou.org/jewish_action/03/2014/fighting-taf-guys/" eudora="autourl">
http://www.ou.org/jewish_action/03/2014/fighting-taf-guys/</a><br><br>
<font size=3>Upbringing asideor, perhaps because of itI just don’t
understand the Sepharadic pronunciation. A <i>beis</i> is different from
a <i>veis</i>. A <i>kaf </i>is different from a <i>chaf</i>. A <i>pei</i>
is different from a <i>fei</i>. So why should a <i>taf </i>and a <i>saf
</i>be the same? A <i>dagesh</i> (the dot sometimes found in Hebrew
letters) has many functions. It can double a letter; for example, a
<i>dagesh</i> in the <i>gimmel</i> makes the word “<i>Haggadah</i>,”
properly transliterated with two g’s. In a “<i>mapik hei</i>,” the
<i>dagesh</i> makes the vowel precede the letter <i>hei</i>, e.g.,
“Elo-Ah” rather than “Elo-Ha” in Hallel. But what purpose does the
<i>dagesh</i> serve in the last letter in Hebrew if it is always
pronounced like a t?<br><br>
And then there’s the issue of the <i>kamatz</i>, the little t-shaped
vowel that Ashkenazim pronounce “aw” and Sepharadim pronounce “ah.” The
<i>pasach</i> (the straight line) is already pronounced “ah.” Since the
vowel symbols, like the trope marks, were designed by the
Masoretes<sup>3</sup> as an aid to reading the Torah, why would they come
up with two vowels to represent the same sound? And how would they
determine where to put each one?<br><br>
Sharing my personal befuddlement is not meant to disparage Sepharadic
pronunciation, which is a legitimate, accepted form of the languagebut
so is Ashkenazic! Can I feel some love in return?<br><br>
Rabbi Moshe Feinstein addressed this matter several times. In <i>Iggeros
Moshe</i> (<i>Orach Chaim</i> 3:5), he writes that both pronunciations
are acceptable in halachah to those who use them. As an example, he
discusses the <i>chalitzah </i>ceremony, used to dissolve the bond
between a widow and her deceased husband’s brother. This ceremony must be
performed in Hebrew to be considered valid. A woman who performed
<i>chalitzah</i> using one pronunciation would still be considered
separated from her brother-in-law, even to members of a community that
uses the other. Nevertheless, since we have no way of knowing which
modern pronunciation most closely approximates the way our forefathers
spoke, Rav Moshe rules that one is absolutely forbidden to change his
pronunciation in prayer from the way his family says it. It is not
permitted to reject one’s received tradition in favor of another practice
that is not necessarily more accurate.<br><br>
See the above URL for more. YL </font></body>
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