Bension Kohen

Rabbi Bension Kohen or haKohen (; born in Djerba, Tunisia, died 1999 in Jerusalem) was a writer of literature on Hebrew grammar and literature. He was the author of Sefath Emeth (שפת אמת/שפתי כהן :מבטא לשון הקודש כהלכה) a work on the pronunciation of the Hebrew alphabet.

Lineage In the introduction to his work, Kohen provides a purported lineage going back over a dozen generations of kohanim born at Djerba (also see History of the Jews in Tunisia.) Among his claimed patrilineal ancestors are Rabbi (d. 1848), himself an author of multiple works on Hebrew grammar. Citing a similar lineage table from Heritage of Yehoyada HaKohen , Kohen claims to trace the family back to Yitzchak HaKohen the Elder, who had emigrated from Israel to Djerba at the Second Temple Destruction.

Safath Emeth (שפת אמת/שפתי כהן :מבטא לשון הקודש כהלכה) Kohen's flagship work, the Safath Emeth, was first printed in Jerusalem in 1987. The work presents evidence for the pronunciation of liturgical Hebrew based on Geonic literature, such as the Saadya Gaon, and the writings of medieval Hebrew scholars and grammarians such as Rabbi Yitzhak ben Shlomo Yisraeli, Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra, and the Rabbi David Kimchi. Safath Emeth includes lengthy discussions of each individual Hebrew consonant and vowel as well as a treatise on the grammatical principles of vocalic shewa.

Table of pronunciation Rabbi Kohen's research led him to produce a table of pronunciation. The table was published (with minor variations from what is listed below) on page 150 of Safath Emeth:

Hebrew letter IPA Similar-sounding Arabic letter Similar English sound Jewish community with correct pronunciation Varying pronunciation error א - Alef ا button (English Cockney) Most Jewish communities H בּ - Beth ب b All Jewish communities none ב - Veth Non-existent v Ashkenazim, Temanim בּ and פ גּ - Gimmel (Degusha) Non-existent g Ashkenazim and Sefardim ج (jīm) ג - Gimmel غ Not found in English, but comparable to the uvular pronunciation of French and German Jewish communities of Arabic nationality Gimmel degusha דּ - Daleth (Degusha) د d All communities none ד - Daleth ذ like the "th" in that and this Temanim Dalet degusha ה - Hey ه like the h in hand Ashkenazim, Sefardim Alef ו - Waw و w Temanim, Iraqi Jews V ז - Zayin ز z Most communities (soft J, like French Jean) ח - Ḥeth ح Non-existent Jewish communities of Arabic nationality Chof, Hey ט - Teth ط Non-existent (T, yet thicker) Jewish communities of Arabic nationality Taw degusha י - Yodh ي Y All Jewish communities none כּ - Kaph ك K All Jewish communities none כ - Kaph (non degusha, spelled also Chof) خ Non-existent All communities none ל - Lamedh ل L All Jewish communities none מ - Mem م M All Jewish communities none נ - Nun ن N All Jewish communities none ס - Samech س S All Jewish communities none ע - Ayin ع Non existent Jewish communities of Arabic nationality Alef, Gimmel non-degusha פּ - Peh Non existent P Most Jewish communities Peh (non-degusha), Beth פ - Peh non-degusha ف F All Jewish communities none צ - Ṣade ص Non-existent (pronounced as a thicker-sounding S) Jewish communities of Arabic nationality Samech, "Tz" sound ק - Kof ق Non-existent Iragi and North-African Jewry Kafh, Gimmel, Alef, Gimmel (non-degusha) ר Resh ر Non-existent Eastern-European and Asian Jewry Gimmel (Non-degusha), (American R) שׁ Shin ش Sh Most Jewish communities Samech שׂ Sin س S Most Jewish communities Shin תּ Taw ت T All Jewish communities None ת Taw (non degusha) ث Th Iraqi and Yemenite Jewish communities Samech, Taw (degusha)

Linguistic and historical research Rabbi Bentzion-Kohen's monumental work is considered a great work synthesizing the purported pronunciation during the time of the Rishonim and other halachic authorities. However, despite its comprehensive nature, it lacks the detailed and important philological and linguistic research carried out by other academic authorities, and therefore his research is only applicable to the period of the Rishonim and is not congruent with the pronunciation as envisaged of the Masoretes (the pronunciation of Tiberian Hebrew is explored in greater depth by researchers such as Geoffrey Khan).