Towards Better Davening and Torah Reading
for Vayishlach

Column #5. 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. 
Last week we discussed the VAV that switches tense from past to future. Let's review and expand that topic. We'll start with the switch in the other direction - from future to past.

YOMAR (pronounced yo-MAR) means "he will say". Place a VAV before the word and you get v'yo-MAR, meaning, "and he will say". The VAV is the conjuctive VAV (VAV HACHIBUR) and does not change the tense of the verb.

When the vowel under the VAV is a PATACH, rather than a SH'VA, we get va-yo-MAR, which means "(and) he will say". 

The (and) is in parentheses because there seems to be a controversy as to whether the VAV HAHIPUCH (the tense-switching VAV) is also a conjuctive, or the tense-switching "power" of the VAV is instead of its usual role of "and". Readers: if you have anything to contribute on this topic, we'd love to share it with other readers.

Another side point is that va-yo'MAR has another form, namely va-YO-mer. Wouldn't mind hearing from readers on this too.

In the case of y'da-BEIR, he will speak, we have a variant form for the conjuctive VAV - vi-da-BEIR. When the word to get the VAV begins with a YUD with a SH'VA, the VAV gets a CHIRIK and the SH'VA disappears from the YUD. Zion and Jerusalem is TZIYON VIRUSHALAYIM. Yaakov's 3rd and 4th sons were LEVI VIHUDA. So we have y'da-BEIR and vi-da-BEIR meaning "he will speak" and "and he will speak". Vowel the VAV with a PATACH and you get va-y'da-BEIR, meaning "(and) he spoke". Past tense. VAV HAHIPUCH switched the tense from future to past. The switch from future to past is easy to spot because the VAV has a different vowel. 
Take a look at the opening p'sukim of this week's sedra for examples of the future-to-past VAV-switch. VAYISHLACH (and he sent), VA-Y'TZAV (and he commanded), VA-Y'HI LI (and I had), VA-YASHUVU (and they returned), VAYIRA (and he was afraid), VAYOMER (and he said). Every verb is in the future tense that is flipped to the past by the VAV HAHIPUCH.

The switch from past to future is trickier. The vowel under the VAV does not change. But, as presented last week, the accent of the word changes (usually). 

di-BAR-ta means "you spoke". v'di-BAR-ta means "and you spoke". Still past tense. v'di-bar-TA (switch from MIL'EIL to MIRA pronunchiation) means "and you shall speak". Same word. Same vowels. Accent stays put when the VAV is a conjuctive. Accent shifts to the last syllable when the VAV is a switcher from past to future. And here we get serious again. The Torah reader for Va'etchanan who reads v'di-BAR-ta BAM (D'varim 6:7) has changed the meaning of the words. v'di-bar-TA BAM means "and you shall speak these words (twice a day, morning and night)" - This is the mitzva to recite SH'MA twice daily. The Torah doesn't say, "and you said these words..." 

After a long list of "correct pronunciation tips" in the SH'MA in Shulchan Aruch section 61, the next section begins by telling us that "even though it is a mitzva to be meticulous in the pronunciation of the words of the SH'MA, he who recites the SH'MA without pronouncing the words carefully is considered to have fulfilled his obligation. This rule would apply to one who says B'CHOLIVAVCHA, without carefully separating the words, B'CHOL L'VAVCHA so that the LAMED at the end of the first word and the one at the beginning of the second word are both sounded. This rule would apply to one who says U'V'LECHT'CHA BADERECH instead of the correct VADERECH. LAVOTEICHEM, instead of LA'A'VOTEICHEM. 

Sloppy pronunciation that does not change the meaning of the words is covered by the Shulchan Aruch's (generous) ruling that one is still "yotzei" even without distinguishing between an ALEF and an AYIN and a CHET and a CHAF.

But there is a big, serious question as to whether saying v'na-TA-ti might invalidate the reading or not. The correct pronunciation is v'na-ta-TI (or v'naw-sa-TI - those of us who daven in Ashkenazis pronunciation are not exempt from correct pronunciation), G-d says, "And I will give...", not "and I gave".

Next week, IY"H, we'll take a more thorough look at the many MIL'EIL-MILRA trouble spots in the SH'MA, as well as other SH'MA "warnings". For some of us, it will mean serious effort to start saying SH'MA properly.