Rabbi Bension Kohen or haKohen (Hebrew: בֶּנְצִיּוֹן הַכֹּהֵן; born in Djerba, Tunisia, died 1999 in Jerusalem) was a writer of literature on Hebrew grammar and literature. He was the author of Sfath Emeth, a work on the pronunciation of the Hebrew alphabet.

Rabbi
Bension Kohen
Personal
Born
Died1999
ReligionJudaism
NationalityTunisian, Israeli
ResidenceJerusalem

Lineage

edit

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

Sfath Emeth

edit

Kohen's flagship work, the Sfath Emeth, was first printed in Jerusalem in 1987.[1] The work purports to present the "authentic" pronunciation of the 22 Hebrew letters based on Geonic literature and the work of Hebrew grammarians such as Rav Saadya Gaon, Rabbi Yitzhak ben Shlomo Yisraeli and the Radak.

Table of pronunciation

edit

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 Sfath Emeth:

Hebrew letter IPA Similar-sounding Arabic letter Similar English sound Jewish community with correct pronunciation Varying pronunciation error
א - Alef [ʔ] ا button (English Cockney) Most Jewish communities H
בּ - Beth [b] ب B All Jewish communities none
ב - Veth [v] Non-existent V Ashkenazim, Temanim בּ and פ
גּ - Gimmel (Degusha) [g] Non-existent G Ashkenazim and Sefardim ج (jīm)
ג - Gimmel [ɣ] غ Gh (French)[clarification needed] Jewish communities of Arabic nationality Gimmel degusha
דּ - Daleth (Degusha) [d] د D All communities none
ד - Daleth [ð] ذ the Temanim Dalet degusha
ה - Hey [h] ه H Ashkenazim, Sefardim Alef
ו - Waw [w] و W Temanim, Iraqi Jews V
ז - Zayin [z] ز Z Most communities [ʒ] (soft J, like French Jean)
ח - Ḥeth [ħ] 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 [j] ي Y All Jewish communities none
כּ - Kaph [k] ك K All Jewish communities none
כ - Kaph (non degusha, spelled also Chof) [χ] خ Non-existent All communities none
ל - Lamedh [l] ل L All Jewish communities none
מ - Mem [m] م M All Jewish communities none
נ - Nun [n] ن N All Jewish communities none
ס - Samech [s] س S All Jewish communities none
ע - Ayin [ʢ] ع Non existent Jewish communities of Arabic nationality Alef, Gimmel non-degusha
פּ - Peh [p] Non existent P Most Jewish communities Peh (non-degusha), Beth
פ - Peh non-degusha [f] 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 [q] ق Non-existent Iragi and North-African Jewry Kafh, Gimmel, Alef, Gimmel (non-degusha)
ר Resh [r] ر Non-existent Eastern-European and Asian Jewry Gimmel (Non-degusha), (American R)
שׁ Shin [ʃ] ش Sh Most Jewish communities Samech
שׂ Sin [s] س S Most Jewish communities Shin
תּ Taw [t] ت T All Jewish communities None
ת Taw (non degusha) [θ] ث Th Iraqi and Yemenite Jewish communities Samech, Taw (degusha)

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Lefkovits, Judah K. (2000). The Copper Scroll (3Q15), A Re-evaluation: A New Reading, Translation, and Commentary. Brill. p. 560.