The Pronunciation of וּרְכְז ִ ת (Num. 15.40) in Rabbinic Sources and in Light of Phoenician*

The article explores the pronunciation of the word תִזְכְּרוּ in Numbers 15.40, as discussed in Rabbinic sources and through comparative analysis with Phoenician linguistic evidence. The Rabbinic concern with precise articulation, particularly regarding the voiced sibilant /z/, is examined through texts like the Talmud Yerushalmi and Maimonides’s Mishneh Torah. This scrutiny aimed to avoid ambiguity in meaning, such as conflating the intended ‘remember’ with alternative interpretations like ‘earn’ or ‘stop up’. The study links this Rabbinic emphasis on phonological clarity to Phoenician texts, where a historical shift from /z/ to /s/ in cognate words is observed. By situating the discussion geographically and culturally in the Western Galilee and Phoenician regions, the analysis highlights the interplay of linguistic traditions in shaping Hebrew phonological norms.