Column #32. Contents of this weekly column are based on the sefer: EIM LAMIKRA HASHALEIM, by R' Nissan Sharoni, Ashdod, a guide to correct pronunciation of Hebrew, specifically in davening and Torah reading.

Over the many weeks that this column has appeared in Torah Tidbits, we have touched on most (but no all) of the first section of the book (see above), the part that the author calls EIN LA- MIKRA. The chapters on TROP are still being kept on hold for sometime in the (near) future. And there are a couple of chapters that are so complex and detailed that it gives you a headache - we’ll try for those also sometime in the future.

For now, let’s take a look at the next section of the book, which the author calls IMREI FI, in which he points out many common pitfalls in davening and gives brief notes towards proper pronunciation. This will be a good way to review many of the topics covered over the run of this column, and to allow us to put the learning into practice.

There is a beautiful introduction to this section borrowed from KAD HAKEMACH of Rabbeinu Bachyei, which we will also explore in the next couple of weeks.

So, remembering that this column is “towards better davening...”, let’s get to it.

The word B’CHEMLA, with compassion, modifies G-d’s return of our souls. The word that follows it - RABBA, does not go with it, in other words, we don’t say B’CHEMLA RABBA (with great compassion), but rather MODEH ANI... B’CHEMLA (pause), RABBA EMUNATECHA, great is Your faithfulness. The point is that one should pause between B’CHEMLA and RABBA.

For BRACHOT of all types, there is a reminder to be careful to slightly separate the words BARUCH and ATA so that they don’t merge to sound like BARUCHATA.

After BARUCH ATA, one should pause before saying G-d’s name.

Each letter and vowel in G-d’s name should be distinct, to avoid swallowing the ALEF at the beginning or the YUD at the end.

The accent in G-d’s name is on the last syllable (MILRA). That means it is NOT a-DO-noi (common mispronunciation in some circles), but ad-do-NOI.
[When one says G-d’s name, a “minimum” KAVANA (intention) to have in mind is that G-d is the ADON, the master and ruler of ALL. This is the basic meaning of the ALEF-DALET-NUN-YUD name of G-d. When the name is written with YUD and HEI and VAV and HEI, then (although it is pronounced as ALEF-DALET...) it should have an additional KAVANA, that of belief that G-d IS, always HAS BEEN and always WILL BE. The letters of the name as written indicate that by spelling out HAYA (was), HOVEH (is, at present), Y’H-YEH (will be).]

MELECH HA’OLAM come with the same warning as BARUCH ATA, namely, to be careful not to merge them into MELECHA-OLAM.

Here’s one that a lot of people probably don’t get right. ASHER KIDD’SHANU. There is a CHIRIK under the KUF. There is a DAGESH CHAZAK in the DALET and a SHVA NA under it. The word should sound something like this: first syllable KID, the D’, then SHA (with the accent), then NU. Linger on the DALET because of its DAGESH CHAZAK. Ask people, just for your curiosity, what vowels are under the first two letters. I think that many people would say KUF-SHVA and DALET-CHIRIK.

Because Mitzva-Brachot have a formula text, people tend to join the word V’TZIVANU with the ASHER KIDD’SHANU B’MIZTVOTAV and then they pause and say the ending phrase, whatever it is - e.g. AL N’TILAT YADAYIM, L’HADLIK NER... The correct phrasing is V’TZIVANU AL... V’TZIVANU L’HADLIK NER... V’TZIVANU LEISHEIV BASUKKA, etc.

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