What Hebrew font should I use for my English sefer?

This topic has 5 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 2 years, 1 month ago by huju.

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February 9, 2021 9:11 pm at 9:11 pm #1946752

dag1
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I’m writing a sefer on sugyos of the Gemara in English. There is a lot of Hebrew mixed in with the English. The problem with the font(s) I’m using currently (calibri for english, frank ruehl for hebrew) is that the transition from English to Hebrew isn’t smooth, it’s jarring when the eyes of the reader go from the left-to-right English to the right-to-left Hebrew, and it ruins the immersion.

So, what Hebrew font can you recommend that will have a smoother transition when going from the English to the Hebrew parts of the paragraphs?

February 10, 2021 12:16 pm at 12:16 pm #1946967

meir G
Participant

it depends a bit on what eng font and the point size , its never going to be too smooth even artscroll struggles with that , the obvious thing would be to use a font similar to artscroll as im sure theyve been thru this
find a sefer that you like what you see & match it up

February 10, 2021 12:19 pm at 12:19 pm #1946979

american_yerushalmi
Participant

Having Hebrew and English mixed on the same line will always be somewhat jarring, regardless of what font you decide to use. Maybe keep it all in English. When you absolutely must bring the original in Hebrew, maybe put it in a footnote or endnote. That way, you can even add a few words of explanation without distracting the reader in the text of the sefer. Hatzlacha!

February 10, 2021 1:48 pm at 1:48 pm #1947047

Reb Eliezer
Participant

Try vilna font.

February 10, 2021 8:03 pm at 8:03 pm #1947116

mobico
Participant

I have written hundreds of pages over the years with the two languages mixed. Try 12 pt. Calibri and 14 pt. bold David.

February 12, 2021 8:12 am at 8:12 am #1947545

huju
Participant

Have you considered Helvetica Schlemiel?

March 3, 2021 8:18 am at 8:18 am #1953613

roov
Participant

“Hadassah” is a very commonly used font style for many Hebrew seforim. A licenced version can be found here: https://fontef DOT com/hadassah-friedlaender. I think there is a similar free font called Guttman Hodes. Book Antiqua is a nice English font that goes well with it. As for the font sizes, I prefer 10.5pt for the English and then adjust the Hebrew to match it in height.

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