Q&A: Precision in Prayer, Blessings, and the Shema
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Precision in Prayer, Blessings, and the Shema
Question
Do you think there is an obligation to pray / recite the Shema / say blessings in the way people used to speak in the past, distinguishing between the letters tet and tav, het and khaf, kaf and kuf, and so on?
Answer
In my opinion, no. Pronunciation changes over time, and people follow the accepted pronunciation. This is certainly true regarding things that may be said in any language, but in my opinion also for things that specifically require the Holy Tongue.
Discussion on Answer
Yes. More precisely, pronunciation is not part of the language itself but rather the way the language is used, and therefore it changes with times and places; under any form of pronunciation it is still considered use of the same language.
Would I be right in saying that you also hold that the pronunciation as it is in our time is considered the Holy Tongue too?