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On Different Hebrew Pronunciations

By Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, The Lubavitcher Rebbe

An excerpt from a letter dated April 14, 1969:

...With reference to the question of the pronunciation, Ashkenazi or Sefardi, surely you know that there is also Yemenite pronunciation and others. The adherents of each pronunciation of course claim that theirs is the right one. As a matter of fact, in recent times there has been a growing opinion that the Ashkenazi pronunciation is a more authentic one than the Sefardi. At any rate, if you want my opinion as to which pronunciation you should use personally, my answer is that you should not mix pronunciations, at any rate not during the same prayer, or better still not even during the same day.

In view of the force of human habit, and especially inasmuch as prayer requires concentration and heartfelt devotion, it would be well to get used to one pronunciation, and to abide by it, at least insofar as prayer is concerned...

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By Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, The Lubavitcher Rebbe More articles... |

From a Letter of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory.

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Reader Comments
Latest Comments:

Posted: Aug 15, 2010

Language

With so many differing opinions, I for one , having recently made a "return" to Judaism am learning to speak Hebrew, however, I can only pray that I will always speak and never forget the language of "Love".

Posted By Rachel Fajardo, Yonkers, NY

Posted: Aug 13, 2010

It's true, Yeminite is the closest to Biblical Hebrew, but that being said, it's still really not that close. None of them are close, use whichever one you're comfortable with and your community uses. :)

Posted By Yossi, Austin, TX

Posted: Aug 13, 2010

Pronunciations

Since learning about our various pronunciations, I've always thought that the Yemenites' was the most authentic. Ever notice how often Ashkenazim spell out a "th" where they would normally pronounce an "s"? I yearned to recapture the sounds of the Holy Tongue lost to us, but apparently preserved by the Yemenite Jews. It would seem then, according to the Rebbe's letter, that our various pronunciations evolved for some reason. At any rate, I am still heartened to know that at least we Ashkenazi pronouncers can still retain the gutteral "ayin" vs the silent "aleph" and the softer "cheS" vs the stronger "chaf"— at least until Moshiach hopefully gives us all the lost sounds back. Yay!

Posted By scionofzion, Far Rockaway, New York/USA

Posted: Aug 12, 2010

Hebrew pronunciation

Yemenite is actually the correct pronunciation.
It is the most clear and accurate, and gets excellent results with G-d. I recommend it highly today.

Posted By Samir Abdelhamid, Anyang, Korea

Posted: Aug 11, 2010

prounciations

one should follow pronounciations, the language he speaks. different communities have different styles of pronunciations, and EVERY BODY is right, as i think.different styles have their own beauty. meaning is important.language changes on 10 km.

Posted By sunil pradhan, alibag, india

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