Towards Better Davening and Torah Reading
Parshat Ki-Tisa

Column #18. The 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. 

This week's topic is on the lighter side, but is chosen well because it is Purim and Para Aduma time. You'll see what that means momentarily. 

The letters BET, GIMMEL, DALET, KAF, PEI, TAV are the six letters that each have two different sounds, depending upon whether there is a DAGESH (dot) in the letter or not. BET with a dot; VET without one. KAF-CHAF, PEI-FEI. The distinction for GIMMEL and DALET with and without a DAGESH has sort of gotten lost in Ashkenazi pronunciation and most S'fardi pronun- ciation as well. There are EIDOT of Jews who still diffrentiate between GIMMEL and JIMMEL, DALET and THALET. TAV with and without a DAGESH is indistinguishable in the standard Israeli Sfardit pronunciation. Ashkenazis has a distinction between TUF and SUF (as we might say), but that is just as bad as no distinction, because the TAV without a dot should be (used to be, still is iamong some groups) THAV (th as in thin - the THALET has a th as in this). 

Be that as it may, the focus of this week's column is the drop of the DAGESH KAL (as it is called - we'll get to the DAGESH CHAZAK IY"H at some point in the future) from the first letter of some words under certain circumstances. 

The general rule for BEGED-KEFET (as these six letters are sometimes called) at the beginning of a word have a DAGESH. If the preceding word ends in an ALEF, HEI (with exception), VAV (with exception), YUD (with exception), then the DAGESH drops out (with exceptions). Included in HEI are other letters at the end of a word that are voweled with a KAMATZ. They are treated as if there is a silent HEI following them. In SH'MA we find UV-LECH-T'CHA - ends with a CHAF-SOFIT with a KAMATZ. It is as if the word ends CHAF-KAMATZ - HEI. Therefore, the following word is VA-DE-RECH, not BA- (the DAGESH dropped out of the BET). L'MA-AN YIR-BU Y'MEI-CHEM VI-MEI V'NEI-CHEM. V'NEI- not B'NEI-.KAN-FEI VIG-DEI-CHEM. These happen to have been examples with BET-VET, but it happens with all of BEGED-KEFET. 

It says in the Megila: Therefore, they called these days PURIM... LA-YA-MIM HA-EI-LE FU-RIM. The DAGESH dropped out of the PEI in Purim because the word before it ends in a HEI. It always stuck me funny that at that dramatic moment in the Megila, when the holiday is getting its name, it is called FURIM. 

Similarly, this week's maftir, V'YIK-CHU EI-LE-CHA FARA ADUMA. 

There are many cases where the DAGESH does not drop out. We'll do some of them now and continue this topic next week, IY"H. The DEGESH drops after ALEF-HEI-VAV-YUD only when the two words (the one ending with A-H-V-Y and the one beginning with BEGED-KEFET) belong together in the same phrase. Sometimes they are actually joined by a MAKAF (a high hyphen). Then the DAGESH drops out easily (so to speak). IMREI-FI (at the end of the Amida). In this week's sedra, UKNEI-VOSEM (one of the ingredients in the anointing oil. The people saw KI-VOSHEISH MOSHE... 

Even when the words are not linked with a MAKAF, they can be linked contextually in the same phrase. This week's sedra is KI THISA (that's KI TISA in Sfardit and KI SISAW in Ashkenazis). The bracha for lightning, OSEH MAASEI V'REISHIT. MAASEI V'REISHIT, the works of Creation. That's a phrase. The DAGESH drops out of the BET which is preceded by a silent HEI. 

BOREI MINEI V'SAMIM. In Asher Yatzar: LIFNEI CHISEI CH'VODECHA. That's two DAGESHes dropped from the KAFs (CHAFs). 

There's more to this topic than I thought at the beginning. To be continued...