Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation?

There is a halachic rule that you follow the nusach of your parents. This is related to the mitzvah of "Honouring your parents." This Reform Rabbi is either ignorant of the ruling or does not understand how it applies to the mitzvah of honouring parents.

So, to explain. Nusach is not only the particular text format of the prayers- you will see that the prayer books for Nusach Ashkenaz are different to Nusach Sfard, Nusach Arizal (used by Chassidim) etc (yep, there are even variations for Nusach olin and Nusach Litvak but many of these regional nusach's are no longer used.)

To change nusach means doing "Heter Nedarim" and annulment of vows, something we avoid except where absolutely necessary. Thus if you pray nusach Ashkenaz you should do so properly and with the nusach Ashkenaz pronunciation.(not essential but preferrered) So, it is not a matter of conceit, but of halachah.

edit: A ger takes on the nusach of the Beis Din which converts him. I heard a rav paskin on this recently when a Ger asked if he could switch to nusach Arizal- the Rav paskened that since the Beis Din which had issued the shtar geirus was Ashkenaz, he should stick to nusach Ashkenaz.

A Baal Teshuvah is an interesting case. Where he knows his ancestry- he should try to stick to their nusach- if the ancestry is not fully known- then one nusach must be chosen and stuck to (often the nusach of the Rav who has mekareved them). So you find that most of those who are chozeret b'teshuvah take on one of the major nusachs- Ashkenaz, Sfarad or Arizal- most often this is dictated by the community they are part of- so a lot of people are adopting nusach Arizal nowadays since Chabad is so succesful as an outreach programme. In summary- the first prize is to return to the nusach of your parents (grandparents, great grandparents...), if not then to the minhag of the kehillah you are part of. However, once chosen heter nedarim is necessary to change away from it.

Ashkenazi Pronunciation

Wow, this is food for thought. I have never thought anything about the different dialects of Hebrew. I have had a hard enough time learning Hebrew. Maybe it was the way we were taught in the class I took, but it doesn't bother me at all if it sounds different. It would be like telling someone from the South to speak American English the way Midwesterners do or people from Boston. Everyone seems to have an accent. I don't think I do, but people will hear me talk and know I'm from the Midwest. I think if someone is that nitpicky, then they need to get a life. There are other things way more important than speaking a dialect the right way according to them.

As to your second question, this bigotry stuff is way out of hand just like political correctness. I am sick and tired of people calling someone a bigot because he/she has an opinion someone doesn't agree with. And if somebody who isn't Jewish wants to express an opinion, I don't care. I am not up on everything Jewish by any means. I simply post my opinion. I wouldn't call you a bigot because you don't pick their answer. Isn't this a free country still? We have a right to express our opinion on a number of subjects. I am not going to blast someone because I don't happen to agree with them. I had come across a Jewish question on YA and thought I could learn something from people who are of the same heritage. What's wrong with that? I don't think anything. If they don't like it, then they can just not look at the questions or even post an answer.

Nobody speaks Hebrew with the same accent as King David. I prefer a New Jersey accent. Course those from New Jersey probably think it isn't New Jersey.

Take a hint from the trope. There is no "Standard Trope." There are different styles. As long as a person is consistant with each trope, it's ok.

My main purpose for learning Hebrew was to read it. If I'm davaning and someone hears me pronounce something wrong, they need to work on their kavannah so they don't hear me at all.

I've been told by some online that I couldn't davan until I could pronounce each word correctly. I just told them I couldn't understand their english accent, and until they spoke like I did, I wouldn't be able to. ;)

Imagine if someone's accent was the worst thing we had to worry about?

Shalom,

Gershon

Now, to try to get the best answer in both categories I'll make a shameless attempt to evangelize.

If anyone wants to learn Hebrew so they can read the real Torah, let me know and I'll get you started. Afterall, don't you want to be able to speak the language G-d spoke?

All the different ways of pronouncing the Hebrew language are acceptable.

There are many differing methods of pronunciation amongst the Ashkenazim and Sephardim as well. Polish Jews read differently than German Jews and Morroccan Jews read Hebrew differently than Yemenite Jews.

There is no way of knowing which way is the way Hebrew was pronounced in the times of Moshe, but one thing is certain: HaShem accepts Hebrew prayers no matter how they are pronounced.

There remains a different question -- Do we daven (pray) and read the Torah in Lashon Kodesh (the Holy language), or in Ivrit M'duberet (spoken Hebrew) sometimes also called Ivrit Chaya -- Living or Modern Hebrew.

Chassidim feel that our tefila (prayer) and reading of the Torah, are sacred acts, and therefore should be said using Lashon Kodesh. Some Chassidim hold that since Hebrew is a holy language, it shouldn't be used at all as a spoken language. Others feel that only if one lives in Eretz Yisroel, it is neccessary to speak Ivrit, just as one needs to speak the language in any other country where one resides. Therefore, sometimes one will find an Israeli Jew who speaks Ivrit, but will read the Torah in Loshon Kodesh.

This is not at all a matter of conceit. On the other hand, the question might be turned around.

Modern Hebrew / Ivrit was created for the "modern state of Israel" by Ben Yehudah, who I do not believe was an observant Jew. The Land of Israel has ALWAYS been our land, and is not a NEW entity which needed a new language. Therefore, there are people who do not buy into it. Possibly the conceit, if such exists, might be on the part of those who felt they didn't want any part of the same Loshon HaKodesh with which HaShem created the world, and which has been used for over 5,000 years.

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RE:

Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation?

Okay, so this comes from a conversation I had with a good friend of mine, who happens to be a Reform rabbi and a scholar. We don't see eye to eye on a lot of things, but I respect him as a scholar, and like I said, as a friend.

Basically we were talking about modern Jewish observance, and...

From my point of view, convert, I like to hear the modern Sephardic Hebrew. I'm having enough trouble with Hebrew, I don't need more challenges.

However, I really don't think it's conceited of anyone to use the pronunciation they've used all their lives. Fortunately, we only have a few Sephardic speakers in our congregation.

Shabbat Shalom!

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