Bension Kohen

Rabbi
Bension Kohen
Rabbi Bension Kohen
Personal
Born	Djerba, Tunisia
Died	1999; Jerusalem, Israel
Religion	Judaism
Nationality	Tunisian, Israeli
Residence	Jerusalem

Rabbi Bension Kohen or haKohen (

Hebrew grammar and literature. He was the author of Sfath Emeth, 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

Second Temple Destruction

.

Sfath Emeth

Kohen's flagship work, the Sfath Emeth, was first printed in Jerusalem in 1987.

Radak

.

Table of pronunciation

Rabbi Kohen's research led him to produce a table of pronunciation. The table has been published (with minor variations than 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	Most Jewish communities	H
בּ - Beth	[b]	ب	B	All Jewish communities	none
ב - Veth	[v]	Non-existent	V	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	[tˤ]	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	[sˤ]	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)

References

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

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

Lineage

Sfath Emeth

Table of pronunciation

See also

References