When a person studies a passage in the Talmud that cites a verse from Tanach containing the Name of God, should he pronounce the actual Name ("Ado-nai," "Elo-him"), or should he pronounce it as "Hashem" or "Elokim"?
Chacham Ovadia Yosef, in his work Chazon Ovadia (Laws of Berachot, p. 513), cites the ruling of Rabbi Yaakov Emden (1697-1776) that one should in fact pronounce God's Name when reading verses cited in the Talmud. This applies regardless of whether the Talmud cites the complete verse or only a segment of a verse. Rabbi Yaakov Emden cited as proof for this ruling a discussion in Masechet Berachot (22) where the Gemara writes that somebody who is Tamei (ritually impure) is permitted to study Talmud but may not pronounce God's Name during the course of his study. This clearly implies that normally, when a person is not Tamei, he may pronounce God's Name over the course of learning Gemara. Rabbi Yaakov Emden adds that although many schoolteachers make a point of saying "Hashem" or "Elokim" rather than actually pronouncing God's Name, they are mistaken. In fact, he records that when his father, the Chacham Tzvi (Rabbi Tzvi Ashkenazi, Holland, 1660-1718), would hear students say "Hashem" when reading God's Name in a verse in the Talmud, he would scold them and instruct them to pronounce God's Name as they would when reading from the Torah.
Chacham Ovadia thus rules that when one comes upon a verse or segment of a verse containing God's Name as he studies the Talmud or other Rabbinic text, it is a Mitzva for him to pronounce God's Name rather than saying "Hashem" or "Elokim." The exception to this rule is when the Gemara cites the text of a Beracha ("Baruch Ata Hashem
"), in which case one who studies that passage may not pronounce God's Name, and should instead say "Hashem" and "Elokeinu."
Summary: If a person studies a passage in the Talmud or other Rabbinic text that cites a verse or segment of a verse containing God's Name, he should pronounce God's Name rather than say "Hashem" or "Elokim." If the passage cites the text of a Beracha, then he must say "Hashem" and "Elokeinu" rather than pronounce God's Name.
