Elo-ah

Most of us don’t pronounce one of the names of God, correctly. It's not "Eloha." It's "Elo-ah," or if you want to be even more precise, it's "Elo-wah." It's that simple.

I know. I might have just made some readers realize that they have gone ten, twenty, or thirty years pronouncing God's name incorrectly. Maybe your parents are guilty, or maybe it was even your rebbi who taught you incorrectly. Confession:  Until some time ago, I was also guilty as charged. If you're now wondering whether you've ever recited Nishmat, Selichot, and Hallel properly, among other prayers where this name is found -- we'll get to that in a moment. For now, stop worrying. The past doesn't matter. You can start doing it right.

Returning to the issue at hand, God’s name is "Elo-ah." This is the fact. To paraphrase the "Torah Tidbits"[1] (where this issue is discussed every so often): This is not a difference of opinion or a chumra. It's what it is. Any other way is wrong.

Now, if you think I'm wrong, let's look at some similar examples. (Note: For all of these examples, try to picture the Hebrew word in your mind, with the patach vowel under the last letter, just as it is written.) The fellow who built the Ark was named "No'ach" not "Nocha." On Rosh Hashana, we dip the "tapu'ach," not the "tapuchah," in honey, and the wind is called the "ru'ach" not "ruchah." It follows, therefore, that God's name is "Elo-ah" not "Eloha," See here for more: http://www.safa-ivrit.org/dikduk/stolen.php.

There is the question, of course, whether one who did not pronounce God's name properly in the course of Hallel (or shema for that matter) is yotzai or not.  The poskim are divided on this issue. There are those who hold that one who unintentionally mispronounces God's name is nevertheless yotzai, arguing that it can be no worse than praying in a different language. Others argue that while praying in another language is indeed permissible, one may not create a new language for this purpose. According to this approach, since God's name is not "Eloha" in any spoken language (other than one's own made up language of incorrect pronunciation), one would not be yotzai the Hallel and other such prayers.[2]

So when you recite Nishmat on Shabbat, the many Hallels throughout the year, and the Yom Kippur amida, please remember: it's "Elo-ah."

[1] Weekly publication of OU Israel, edited by Phil Chernofsky.

[2] I strongly recall hearing that Rav Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg holds the former, while Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv holds the latter.