[Mesorah] Tizku vs Tizki

[Mandel, Seth]

Micha is right about the tendency to standardize traditional greetings.
However, tizkeh l'mitzvot is not a traditional Jewish greeting, but rather a modern invention.  IMHO, it is an excellent one, and I use it, but one cannot claim to be following masorah if one uses a Galiciane or a Litivish or a German pronunciation, since it was never used in Europe.  By the same token, one cannot claim that it was traditionally used in the plural.
The first time I heard it was in EY about 50 years ago.  I never heard anyone from Europe, or from Yemen, or from Syria ever use the blessing.  And the first time I heard it, it was "tizkeh," the proper masculine singular form.  I believe it is was an innovation in EY once most people, even charedim, started speaking Modern Hebrew, maybe not in shul, but on the street.

Rabbi Dr. Seth Mandel
Rabbinic Coordinator
The Orthodox Union
11 Broadway, New York, NY  10004

Voice (212) 613-8330     Fax (212) 613-0718     e-mail mandels at ou.org
________________________________________
From: mesorah-bounces at lists.aishdas.org [mesorah-bounces at lists.aishdas.org] on behalf of Micha Berger [micha at aishdas.org]
Sent: Friday, June 21, 2013 5:41 AM
To: Michael Kopinsky
Cc: mesorah at lists.aishdas.org
Subject: Re: [Mesorah] Tizku vs Tizki

Aside from the fact that in the Galicianisher havarah the feminine singular and the plural are homophones....

There is also the question of adapting the accepted coinage for the singular when speaking to one person. "Leshanah tovah teikhaseiv" or "teikhaseivu"? "HaMaqom yenacheim osekha/-akh" or "eskhem" and if all the aveilim are women, should it be "eskhen"? (The latter has other arguments for staying in the plural; the baqashah might also include nechamah for the niftar's neshamah, meaning there is always at least two being referred to.) AFAIK, everyone says "shalom aleikhem" even to one person, but the gemara's discussion of tokh kedei dibur has "shalom alekha rebbe [umori]."

Similarly here. The coinage is usually quoted in the plural, "tizku lemitzvos". Does one stick with the coinage, or customize the diqduq for the recipient?

Personally, I go with the latter, for two reasons:

1- My natural tendency not to conform.

2- I prefer actions that provoke thought. Someone surprised to hear "tiskeh/i lemitzvos" is likely to pause and register what the words mean. Rather than just an empty greeting ritual. How seriously does shamayim take a berakhah rattled off ritually with no kavanah content?


On Fri, Jun 21, 2013 at 12:38 AM, Michael Kopinsky <mkopinsky at _gmail.com<mailto:mkopinsky at _gmail.com>> wrote:
Of course, what I meant is that tizku is plural, and tizki is singular feminine. The singular masculine form would be tizkeh.

Lesson: I should not send emails past bedtime.


On Fri, Jun 21, 2013 at 12:26 AM, Michael Kopinsky <mkopinsky at gmail.com<mailto:mkopinsky at gmail.com>> wrote:
Tizku is masculine. Tizki is feminine or for people who don't know grammar (e.g. chassidim).

(Yeah, you'll tell me chassidim aren't wrong, they're just different. But u and i r betr than spelin or sayn things rong. :-) )


On Thu, Jun 20, 2013 at 11:33 PM, Yosef Skolnick <yskolnick at gmail.com<mailto:yskolnick at gmail.com>> wrote:
Hi-

I have heard people saying tizku limitzvos and some saying tizki limitzvos, anyone know the difference or why there seems to be a split, is one just a mistake?


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-Micha

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