תֹּאמֶר לֵאָה, נָתַן אֱלֹקים שְׂ כָרִ י, אֲשֶר-נָתַתִי שִפְׂחָתִי, לְׂאִישִ י; וַתִקְׂ רָא שְׂ מוֹ, יִשָשכָ ר." )בראשית, ל,יח) "And Leah said, ‘G-d has given my reward (SeCHARiy) because I gave my maid to my husband’ and she named him Yissachor.”
Why does Issachor have two consecutive letters “Sin”?
Rashbam and Chizkuni write that the name has two “Sin”s to reference the rewards of the two acts of Leah: this act of providing earlier her maid to her husband, and the earlier act of the receipt of payment for her son’s flowers.
How do we read the name?
The Mesorah (which provides vowels and punctuation) have no vowel for the second letter.
- According to most Rishonim and per the common practice, we said the name as if the second “Sin” is silent (“Yisachor”). (Ibn Ezra Shmos 3,1; Radak Divrei ha Yamim I 15,24; The Tur haAruch here; The batenura here; Nodea BeYehuda; Chavos Yair;)
- Some read the both letters (“Yissachor”). (Chassidic communities such as Dinug, Tzanz, Sigut)
- Chasam Sofer mentions a custom to read with two “Sin”s at the first reading of the name in the above pasuk (which establishes the name) and thereafter to read as if only one “Sin” (as set forth below).
- The Nachalas Yaacov mentions a custom when reading the Torah to read with two “Sin”s until Parshas Pinchas and then for the balance of the Torah to read with only one “Sin” (as set forth below).
How is the name written outside of Tanach?
- Many write the name (for contracts, Aliyah to the Torah, etc.) using two letters “Sin”. This custom has a reliable source, for on the [High Priest’s] breastplate Yissachar was written with two Sins as is explained in the tractate Sotah (36a) where the Gemara states that the word ketoledosam (‘as they were born’) implies that the spelling reflected the way their father called them [at birth], it follows that their father called them as spelled – with two Sins
- Some write the first letter getting a Shva and the second letter with a kamatz (“Yissachor”).
- Others place a vowel kamatz under the first letter a kamatz and a shva under the second letter (“Yisaschor”).
- Others state it is always written with one “Sin” (Yisachor).
Why is the second “Sin” not read according to those opinions?
- The second act of Leah of receiving the flowers was slightly disgraceful since used in trading the sleeping place of Yaacov and thus is not stressed.
- Others state that the first act of Leah needs to be hidden that of giving a maid to Yaacov.
- Others state that Yissachor gave away a letter “Sin” to his son Yov (יוב) to be called Yeshuv (ישוב) as it is written in Parshas Pinchas. It appears that the original name (from many generations earlier) was a local name for Avodah Zarah and thus was changed by adding the “Sin.”
What is the final decision on how to write this name in a Get and other matters?
- The Nodea BeYehudah states that in a Get, being called to the Torah, etc. the name has only one Sin (Yisachar). This was the custom in all of Poland. No one was ever had this name with two Sin’s. The Divrei Chaim agreed to this decision.
- Whereas, the Yishmach Moshe wrote that this name should have two Sins, as written in the Torah.
In the years 5727-5728 there was correspondence in the journal HaMa’ayan about the various customs of reading this name. These were summarized and commented on by Rabbi J. David Bleich, Rosh Yeshiva at Yeshivah University in his book Contemporary Halachic Problems Ktav Publishing House, Inc & Yeshiva University Press, New York, 1977.
