Here’s a short primer on pronouncing transliterated Hebrew words.

Hopefully this will give the Bnei Noach clarity when reading English Torah materials in print or on the web.  You can link to this page with the following URL: http://www.iheartnoahides.com/2008/12/pronouncing-hebrew-words-bas-or-bat-noah-or-noach/

Pronunciation: Sepharadic or Ashkenazic
Sepharadic = Spanish & Middle Eastern Jewry
Ashkenazic = European Jewry
Yemenite = Yemenite Jewry (very isolated)

Over the past 2,000 years of exile, the pronunciation of certain Hebrew letters and vowels has split between 2 major camps and a third smaller camp, as listed above.

It should be noted that even prior to our exile from the Land of Israel, there were inter-tribal differences in certain pronunciations.

Today, modern Hebrew in Israel follows the Sephardic rules.  However, Ashkenazic Jews within Israel still study Torah, pray, and use phraseology with the Ashkenazic pronunciations and accents.  This practice is in line with Jewish tradition, which does not so easily dismiss the ways of our fathers, including their pronunciations.

The differences in pronunciation can be broken down into three categories:

1. Letters
2. Vowels
3. Placement of Accents

I will only talk about Letters and Vowels for now, since that’s the only area that I think might be confusing for Bnei Noach.

Letters

כ – ח – Ch/Kh/h

This is the letter that has no English equivalent.
It’s that harsh, grinding sound that American’s usually can’t make right away.
“challah”  “chanukah”  “chumus”  are mistakenly pronounced as
“hallah”  “hanukah”  “hummus” (said as “hoomoos” - although my grocery store clerk called it “hum-us” which is quite funny, really.)

Hence, we see the name Noach is pronounced “Noah” in English.  “Bnei Noach” (Children of Noah) therefore goes from Noachite (like Israelite, Levite, etc.) to Noachide to Noahide.   Noahide is the most commonly used written form I see on the internet.  The most common term I hear spoken is “Noachides” and “Bnei Noach.”

This “ch” sound is also written as “kh” - as in TaNaKh (Hebrew Bible: Torah, Nevi’im, Ketuvim)

ת – T vs. S

Ashkenazic Jews say that this letter ת, when lacking a dot in it (as here), is pronounced with an ‘S’ sound.
“Good ShAbbos”
“I’m a Bas Noach” (daughter of Noah)

Sephardic Jews say that this letter ת, when lacking a dot in it (as here), is pronounced with a ‘T’ sound.
“ShabbAt Shalom”
“I’m a Bat Noach”

Yemenite Jews say that this letter ת, when lacking a dot in it (as here), is pronounced with a ‘Th’ sound.
“ShabbOth Shalom u’mevorach!”
“I’m a Bath Noakh” (the yemenite “kh” is a bit softer and further back in the throat)

Linguists that I know maintain the yemenite rules as most accurate.  However, Jews should maintain the tradition of their father, who keeps his father’s tradition, who keeps his father’s tradition.  Following one’s father’s tradition is our practice and it has kept our tradition in tact thus far.

If you are Jewish and you don’t know what your father’s tradition is, you should follow either
A) what you grew up around, or
B) what your heritage is, such as Ashkenazic, Sephardic, or Yemenite.

We’ll see what happens linguistically when Moshiach comes.

Vowels

A - as in “park the car” (non-Bostonian).  An “h” is often added after the “a”.  This doesn’t change the sound; it represents a nearly-silent Hebrew letter.
E - as in “don’t eat bread in your bed”
I - as in “you can’t ski Israeli style…you just ski”
I - as in “If I lick the floor I feel sick.” some people just write “e” since they sound similar and it avoids confusion over which “i” sound you intend.

If you read the name “Daniel” using the vowels we’ve learned so far (first version of “i” sound), you will be pronouncing the name “Daniel” as is properly done in Hebrew.

Abraham now becomes “Avraham”
Sarah now becomes “Sarah”

O - as in “Oh Canada, my home and native land…”
O - also can be as in “coffee” (New York accent), like Moshiach, which is not Mo- as in “mow the lawn”
U - as in “Superman and Spider-man were created by Jewish immigrants to America.”
Y - some people write a “y” instead of an “i” to make the first “i” sound
Y - as in “Yo! Look at those yellow yardsticks over there!”  used in “Yisrael”

ei/ai/ay - as in “let’s play a game!”  used in Bnei Noach & Bnai Noach.

Joshua   now becomes   “Yehoshuah”
Samuel   now becomes   “Shmuel”
Obadiah   now becomes   “Ovadyah”

And if you were given a biblical name, you might want to look it up to see how it’s transliterated since you now have the tools to pronounce Hebrew transliteration. 

Enjoy!

If there are areas you would like further clarified, write a comment or send me an email.

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Singular & Plural

This section was suggested by a Ben Noach named Andy. Thanks Andy!

In English you add an “s” to make things plural.  “Thing” becomes “Things.”
Additiionally, an “ies” can be added to the end.  “Berry“  becomes “Berries.”

Similar rules apply in Hebrew.  But they are a bit more complex because there is the masculine and feminine factor in the Hebrew language.  There is nothing that is gender-nuetral in Hebrew.  Whether it’s a chair, or it’s a body part, or it’s a mountain, or it’s G-d - everything is either masculaine (male) or feminine (female).  Hence, there is no such word as “it” in Hebrew.  There is either “he” or “she”.  So the previous sentence would read “Whether she’s a chair, or he’s a body part, or he’s a mountain, or He’s G-d.”

Masculine Plural

Masculine words that become plural get an “-im” added to the end, just like in English we add an “s” to the end.  So “tribe” which is “sheivet” becomes “shvatim.”  Another example is “child” which is “yeled” becomes “yeladim.”  And finally, the more relevant example for you is “son/child/descendent” which is “ben” in plural becomes “banim.”  So why don’t we say call “Children of Noah” Banim Noach?

We don’t say “Banim Noach” because that would translate as “Children Noah.”  To say “Children of Noah” in Hebrew, you would say “Banim shel Noach.”  So why don’t we say that?  What’s this “Bnei Noach” business?

“Bnei Noach” is simply the shortened version of “Banim shel Noach.”  They are both correct.  One is simply the shortened form that is used and accepted.  It’s kind of like the difference between saying “Children of Noah” and “Noahides.”  Similarly we don’t say “Banim shel Yisrael” - we say “Bnei Yisrael.”

The mechanical explanation: In Hebrew, when you have a plural noun, such as “banim” (sons/children/descendents) attached to another noun (”Noach”), the plural noun, which is the subject of the sentence, drops the “m” and becomes “bnei.”

Feminine Plural

There’s no shortening for feminine plural like there is for masculine plural. (Thank G-d!)

Whereas masculine words that become plural receive a suffix of “-im”, feminine plural words receive a suffix of “-ot” (or “-os” or “-oth” via Ashkenaz and Yemenite respectively).

So the word “poem” which is “shirah” becomes “shirot.”

The word “song” is “shir” - So how do you think we say “The Song of Songs” in Hebrew?

Masculine & Feminine Together

In Hebrew, any group of people or objects that comprises both masculine and feminine people or objects acquires masculine grammar.  So a group of 5 male Noahides and 5 female noahides would be a group of 10 “Bnei Noach.”  If it were just the 5 women, they would be a group of 5 “Benot Noach.”

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In his popular book “To Kindle a Soul” Rabbi Kelemen discusses the three ways that we raise a child.

1. Planting
2. Building
3. Prayer

Planting is the instilling of values on a constant basis.  We plant seeds of potential, of values in a child and continuously water the seed as the child grows.

Building is the sudden fixing or enforcing of an idea or habit that cannot be left to the slow growth of “planting.”

Prayer is the final component, which acknowledges that a mother and father are two out of three partners in the raising of a human being.  This aspect is important because we will never be able to watch over our children 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but G-d can.

TV works against you if you are trying to plant seeds of positive values in your child.  The TV is a force that has clinically addictive features for the viewer, especially children.  Yet this is something that spews values of the pop culture, not of the parents.

Here is an interview of a mother who does not let TV run her home.
Here is a some research on the destructive nature of television, also by Rabbi Kelemen.

This letter from More on Jonathan Pollard:
http://www.jonathanpollard.org/

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Dear President Bush,

I hope this letter finds you well as you successfully complete your second term as President.
First of all, we would like to say to you that we, the nation that dwells in Zion, greatly admire the manifold efforts you made on behalf of our security over the years. Your good works, in assisting Israel, the nation that exists forever, shall be to your eternal credit and shall bring you everlasting blessing.

Your record of good work renders us certain that you understand the motives of Jonathan Pollard when he acted on behalf of our security, passing on to us information about unconventional Arab weapons against us and about preparations for Arab terror activities against us – information that saved many lives in Israel.

It is true that through his actions he committed crimes against the United States, but he received his punishment, serving twenty-three years of prison under very difficult conditions. Jonathan Pollard is the only man in the history of the United States to receive a life sentence for passing on intelligence information to a friendly U.S. ally, with the maximum punishment for such a crime being ten years, and the average time served being between two and four years.

And indeed, the President of the United States is entitled to grant a pardon without providing any explanation, although in this case, certainly, there is a logical basis for doing so.

Moreover, His Honor is certainly aware that top-echelon figures in the United States, who previously were opposed to Pollard’s release, now support a pardon. For example, during the winter of 2006, James Woolsey, a former head of the C.I.A., stated at the Herzliya Conference on Iran and the Second World War:

“When I was in the American Government, we examined Pollard’s whole file. At the time I was against his early release, because he really did steal secret materials from the American Government, and in defense of the privileged information of the American People, I thought such a person should be punished. Now, after he has spent twenty years in prison, my opinion, which I already expressed in the Jerusalem Post, is that twenty years is more than enough. We have to consider U.S.-Israel relations.”

Therefore, we are therefore turning to your exalted self, entreating you not to conduct yourself with strictness, but with mercy and forgiveness towards a man who has already paid twenty-three years, with great suffering, and who is suffering from very poor health. Please bring this episode to a humanitarian close. In reward for this G-d will bless you and will bless America.

Sincerely,
Rabbi Shlomo Aviner

Rabbi Skobac Why Christians are turning to Judaism 1

Rabbi Skobac Why Christians are turning to Judaism 2

Rabbi Skobac Why Christians are turning to Judaism 3

Rabbi Skobac tells of a Christian becoming a Noahide

G-d, best at making in the morning, tossed
stars and planets, singing and dancing, rolled
Saturn’s rings spinning and humming, twirled the earth
so hard it coughed and spat the moon up, brilliant
bubble floating around it for good, stretched holy
hands till birds in nervous sparks flew forth from
them and beasts-lizards, big and little, apes,
lions, elephants, dogs and cats cavorting,
tumbling over themselves, dizzy with joy when
G-d made us in the morning too, both man
and woman, leaving Adam no time for
sleep so nimbly was Eve bouncing out of
his side till as night came everything and
everybody, growing tired, declined, sat
down in one soft descended Hallelujah.