Question: When reciting a berachah in English, does a person fulfill his obligation if he says “Hashem” instead of “L-rd” or “G-d”?
Yosef
Answer: The Mechaber rules (based on Shabbos 12b and Sotah 32a) that one may pray in any language when praying with a congregation, save for Aramaic, which angels do not know. The Beit Yosef explains that Aramaic is an unpleasant language.
The Aruch Hashulchan argues that a Jew should pray in Hebrew except when it comes to prayers like selichot and yotzrot. Shulchan Aruch HaRav states that it is far better for someone who has not mastered the Holy Tongue to pray in a language he understands.
Last week we cited a responsum of the former chief rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, zt”l (Yabia Omer, vol 1, Orach Chayim 12). He was asked about transliterated siddurim, the basic question being whether a person can discharge his obligation by reading prayers whose meaning he doesn’t understand. Furthermore, can he discharge his obligation by listening to someone else say them?
Tosafot and the Rosh maintain that a completely ignorant person cannot discharge his obligation in this manner. Rashi and Tosafot are more lenient regarding Megillat Esther. Some authorities like the Me’eri and Ravya maintain that an ignorant person can always fulfill his obligation by listening to another for such matters as Birkat Hamazon and Megillah.
The Tur (based on Berachot 45b) rules that a person can discharge his bentching obligation by listening to another bentch only if he understands what is being said. The Rema rules otherwise (in accord with Rashi). The Magen Avraham states that one should preferably listen attentively to each word being uttered. Rabbi Yosef notes that this same rule applies to tefillah, and one should actually recite word for word along with the chazzan.
The Levush maintains that a person discharges his prayer obligation when davening in Hebrew even if he doesn’t understand what he’s saying. The one listening, however, does not discharge his obligation unless he understands.
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Further in his discussion, Rabbi Yosef cites Shulchan Aruch HaRav. The Torah states, “V’achalta v’savata u’veirachta et Hashem Elokecha al ha’aretz hatova hasher notan loch – You will eat and be satiated and bless Hashem, your G-d, for the good land He gave you” (Deuteronomy 8:10). One cannot bless Hashem by uttering words one does not understand. Such words cannot be considered a blessing, even if said in Hebrew. Thus, a person must bentch in a language he understands, states Shulchan Aruch HaRav. And he must concentrate on what he’s saying. If his mind wanders, his words cannot be considered a blessing, and he has not discharged his obligation. The Shulchan Aruch HaRav adds that people who do not understand Hebrew also may not discharge their obligation via listening to the person leading the zimmun.
Some authorities (like the Rosh and Mordechai) maintain that a person always can discharge his obligation by listening to someone else say the prayer in question in Hebrew, even if he doesn’t understand what is being said. (If the prayer is said in a difference language, though, he must understand it.) Thus, a person may listen to another bentch and thereby discharge his obligation even if he doesn’t understand Hebrew. Indeed, such is the custom.
Rabbi Yosef writes that ideally one should be stringent and follow the first view. However, he seems to be lenient for Birchot Ha’nehenin, Birchot Hamitzvot, and Shabbat Kiddush (Tosafot, Sotah 32a; Magen Avraham, O.C. 62:1, Rosh to Tractate Berachot, first perek, 14, in the name of the Ra’avad all state that any language suffices). Even for Megillah, Keriat Shema, and tefillah, Rabbi Yosef finds it hard to be stringent since insisting on this view would mean that multitudes of Klal Yisrael have never discharged several of their obligations. Heaven forbid to say so.
Rabbi Yosef also cites Sefer Tzror HaChayyim (by Rabbi Shmuel Shmelke Klein, 1804-1875), who says it is far better for an ignorant person to pray in Hebrew (even if he doesn’t understand what he’s saying) than to pray in a difference language.
In reference to transliterated siddurim, Rabbi Yosef writes, “We have the ability to bring those people closer to the inheritance of Hashem via their appearance in synagogue where they will hear words of Torah, thus bringing them that much closer to Judaism.”
Rabbi Yosef seems to suggest that forbidding transliterated siddurim would lead to greater problems: “They will build altars for themselves by conducting their prayer services in the local vernacular and distance themselves even further from us like the shot of an archer. In the end, not only will their prayer services cease, but they will content themselves as well with children who will be foreigners [gentiles]. It is, therefore, a mitzvah to benefit them with these siddurim.
(To be continued)