It's not often that you get to see a real superstar up close. Well, my town of Efrat's going to have that opportunity on Wednesday, 20 Sivan, June 2, when Yaakov Shwekey takes the stage for his first ever concert in Gush Etzion.The excitement in town over Shwekey's upcoming concert is gigantic. In fact, I feel ShwekeyMania overcoming my own family, and it's spreading into the streets. Folks that heard about his concert in Latrun - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlMsRaBAfsE - or Caesaria know that everyone present will always remember those concerts as two of the most exciting and moving performances of their lives. My kids attended the Latrun concert, and said that the evening was so electric, the audience audience was on a humongous high and would have stayed for another two hours if it were possible.
Now Efrat is going to host Shwekey. Yay. He'll be performing in the giant area where we celebrated Efrat's 25th anniversary. Thousands of people can sit comfortably there, so we know it's going to be a B-I-G night to remember.
SHWEKEY
Shwekey, 33, was born in Jerusalem and lived in Bayit Vegan until his family moved to Lakewood when he was eight years old. He's released about ten albums since his first song, Shomati, in 2001. He's performed in some of the most important concert halls/stadiums in the world.
And thanks to two years of determination by Efrat's own superstar-person Yechiel Fishman, Yaakov Shwekey is performing here. What an incredible coupe for my town!!
Tickets are on sale now by clicking on Efrat Matnas at http://www.matnasefrat.org.il/ or via telephone at 02-993-2935/6 or through Makor Rishon, http://www.makor1.co.il/.
I can't wait!!!
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Eliyahoo William Dwek.
ReplyDelete1. Shwekey is marketing himself as singing in “Lashon HaKodesh” – “The Holy Language”. However, he has twisted Lashon HaKodesh - to how he likes it to sound - from Eastern Europe.
He is unable to pronounce the vowels of Lashon HaKodesh correctly. He clearly does not know how to pronounce, “Yerushalayim.” He has distorted the words and vowels of Lashon HaKodesh to such a great extent, that some of the words he is saying are actually gobbledigook. Nonsense.
Eliyahoo William Dwek:
ReplyDelete2. The vowels can never be mixed up - because Hashem doesn't like the sound of it.
There IS a correct way to pronounce every letter of the Aleph Bet. We are not allowed to change Hashem's Torah.
Drastically changing the pronunciation of any letter is changing Hashem's Torah - and this is something very grave.
Every letter is extremely holy. Each letter has a particular sound - like a particular note. When that sound or "note" is played incorrectly e.g. I play a piano with a hammer instead of my fingers - then great damage is caused - Above - and correspondingly - below.
3. In Hebrew, the vowel "A" is "a" and "u" is "u". So “Amein” is “amein”. The vowels cannot ever be twisted into “oomein.” This is not Hebrew.
4. Especially grave – is the stubborn and continual mispronunciation of Hashem’s NAME - for centuries - by the Chassidim. This is a blatant desecration of the 3rd Commandment, and a CHILLUL HASHEM – A PUBLIC DESECRATION OF THE NAME OF HASHEM. This Chillul Hashem is happening every single day.
There is NO FORGIVENESS for this aveirah.
The breaking of the THIRD COMMANDMENT IS UNFORGIVABLE – “LO YENAKEH.”
“Lo Tissa et SHEM HASHEM ELOKECHA lashav ki LO YENAKEH HASHEM eit asher yissa et SHEMO lashav.” (Parsha of Yitro 20:7)
“You shall not take the NAME OF HASHEM, your G-d, in vain, for HASHEM WILL NOT ABSOLVE anyone who takes His NAME in vain.”
The leaders of the Chassidim are all refusing to CORRECT this Chillul Hashem. The pronunciation – especially THE NAME OF HASHEM – MUST BE CORRECTED SPEEDILY. This is urgent.
5. “Elokeinu” means, “Our G-d.” But the Chassidim have twisted the vowels into, “ElokIYNI”. What does “ElokIYNI” mean? “Nu” must be pronounced as “Nu”. It does not turn into “NI.”
It is time that Lashon HaKodesh is pronounced correctly. It is especially important to to pronounce the NAME OF HASHEM properly and stop the Chillul Hashem – the public desecration of the NAME OF HASHEM.
Eliyahoo William Dwek.
ReplyDelete1. Lashon HaKodesh is, “The Holy Language” or literally, “The Holy Tongue.” Lashon HaKodesh can therefore never be twisted into incorrect pronunciation.
The vowels and pronunciation have been so severely distorted by the Chassidim and communities of Eastern Europe, or those of ashkenazi origin - that some words have unfortunately become unrecognisable. The problem persists until today, and it must be corrected – speedily.
2. The “OH” sound cannot be changed into “OY” or “OIY”. “OY” is from Polish. Lashon HaKodesh cannot be mixed with Polish.
Some examples are below:
a) The word, “Torah” has been distorted into the word, “TOIYRAH”.
b) The name of “Moshe Rabbeinu” has been distorted into the word, “MOIYSHER.” Who is MOISHER?
It is Moshe Rabbeinu who gave us the TORAH. Moshe did not give us the ‘TOIYRAH’, and the Torah was not given to the Jewish People by a man called ‘MOIYSHER RABAIYNU.’ The name of the greatest of all the Prophets is ‘MOSHE’, and it is about time that the ‘rabbis’ and ‘dayanim’ got this right.
3. The last letter of the Hebrew Alphabet is a “TAFF”. But it has been changed into a a “Saf”. “Taff” is “TE.” It is not “Se.” It is as if someone had a bad lisp (lithp) or had some teeth missing.
On being called up to the Torah (not TOIYrah), the correct way to say the Bracha (not ‘BRUCHA’) is:
“………..BARUCH ATAH A-D-O-Shem NOTEN HATORAH.”
– Not “Baruch AtAW Hashem NOSSEIN HATORAH.”
This must be corrected very urgently.
4. The “AH” sound cannot be changed into an “AW” sound. So when a beracha is made, a person should be saying:
“Baruch AtAH….” and NOT, “Baruch ATAW……..”
5. The 8th letter of the Aleph Bet is “(G)HET”. It is guttural. It is not a “CHES.”
So a bridegroom is a (G)HATAN.
He is not a ‘CHATAN’ / ‘CHASSAN’ / ‘CHOSSON’/ ‘CHUSSON.’
6. The letter “AYIN” is guttural. The AYIN should not sound the same as the ALEPH.
The ashkenazi communities should start correcting their pronunciation.
With regard to some Sephardi communities, such as those from Iraq:
ReplyDeleteThe 6th letter of the Aleph Bet is a VAV. It is not a "WAW", as they may have been taught. "Waw" is incorrect.
The sound "WE" or "WA" is actually the NAME of Hashem.
When the 2 YUD's of Hashem's NAME are written together, the sound is "WA". However this is never pronounced. This is the only time where there is the sound "WA" in the Aleph Bet.
Here are some examples:
1. David HaMelech is "DaVID HaMelech." He is not "DaWEED HaMelech."
2. A mitzvah is a "MitzVAH." It is not a " MISSWAH " or a “MUSSWA..”
3. Mitzvot are "MitzVOT." They are not " MISSWOT " or “MUSSWOT”.
4. Mitzvotav are "MitzVOTAV." They are not "MitzWOTTAW."
SHABBAT SHALOM:
As Lashon HaKodesh is a Holy language, it cannot be mixed together with any other language. To say, “Good Shabbes!” or “Good Shabbos!” is mixing English – a Latin-based language with Lashon HaKodesh (distorted).
The correct way to greet your friend on Shabbat is to say, “Shabbat Shalom!” And with Lashon HaKodesh, a person is giving his friend the greatest greeting of all - SHALOM.
It is time that Lashon HaKodesh is pronounced correctly by all communities, both ashkenazi and sephardi.
It is especially important to make the changes to pronounce the NAME of Hashem correctly, and to begin to make a Kiddush HaSHEM in all our Tefillot.
You are 100% correct when it comes to the ayin and the het, and some of the other points you made about the ashkenazi pronounciation. But you never mentioned the so-called "kuf". How should that letter be pronounced in your opinion? Or how about the "Tzadi"?
ReplyDelete