Contents of this weekly column are (mostly) 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. With Parshat Zachor being D’Oraita - required by the Torah, it made being very careful with pro- nunciation extra special. Three p’sukim out of 5846 in the Torah. And these are the only three (with the possible addition oif this week’s Maftir for Shabbat Parshat Para - which is why we are looking back to Zachor) whose public reading is a fulfillment of a Torah command. In addition to the well-known ZEICHER vs. ZECHER, resulting in reading the third and final pasuk of ZACHOR twice (some only repeat the phrase), I found my- self being really aware of the differences between SH’VA NAs and NACHs, and actually doing something about them. B’TZEI-T’CHEM (and not B’TEIT-CHEM), KA-R’CHA (not KOR-CHA), but VAI-ZANEIV (not VA-Y’ZANEIV), and then one of my favorites, O-Y’VECHA (not OY-VECHA). In my shul, at Mincha Gedola, we read ZACHOR four additional times: Ashkenazi with S’fardit- Israeli pronunciation, then in Ashkenazis (I did that one), Eidot Mizrach and Yemenite. Only after we left shul, did a “Yekkie” compalin that we left him out of the rotation. Next year, IY”H. Side comment (by not unimportant): Why do you have to be so fractionalized? Why can’t we read Zachor once for everyone? Is that not the Jewish Unity we all seek? No (personal opinion), that’s homogenization. That’s not real unity. That’s erasing all differences so that unity is not a challenge nor a prized goal. If there would have been a fight as to order, or if one group had left after their reading, that would have been disunity. When Ashkenazim and S’fardim, and Teimanim can stand side-by-side, and patiently, when the mitzva of Zachor is being fulfilled in the best way possible for each and all — that’s Jewish Unity. He eats kitniyot on Pesach and he doesn’t. But there is mutual understanding and respect for customs and practices of different groups of Jews — that’s when there is hope for real, meaningful ACHDUT (or ACHDUS). Back to PARA. Some say it too is D’Oraita. Most say that it is D’Rabanan. One way or the other, the reading (as all Torah reading) should be as correct as possible. Mentioned briefly two weeks ago, we have V’YIK- CHU EILECHA FARA ADUMA... (Bamidbar 19:2). Notice that the DAGESH from the PEI of PARA drops out becasue it follows a CHAF-SOFIT with a KAMATZ (this is like following a HEI). Problem is that many of us don’t know the proper distinc- tion between T’LISHA GEDOLA (not this one; the one that’s on the first letter of the word and points to the right) and T’LISHA K’TANA, the TROP mark on EILECHA. T’LISHA GEDOLA is one of the stop notes, like a comma, and the word following it would be PARA, without dropping the DAGESH. T’LISHA K’TANA is supposed to be a shorter note than the GEDOLA, and, more impor- tantly, it continues with the following word without a break (comma). That’s why the DAGESH drops. So when someone reads it V’YIK-CHU EI-LECHA - fancy flourish on the word and a pregnant pause, and then continues with FARA ADUMA, there’s a problem there. I don’t know about you, but I was either taught that the two T’LISHAs are the same (which is silly, if you think about it) or never caught the distinction. More on this in the future, IY”H. Don’t know how much room we’ll have for more on Parshat Para, but we’ll try. Because there are some “beauts”. Check out pasuk 19:12. The Torah is talking about the Para Aduma Ashes Potion. He (a person who is T’MEI MEIT) is to be sprinkled upon, BAYOM HASH’LISHI U’VAYOM HASH’VI’I, on the third and seventh day and then he will become TAHOR (following the seventh day). Okay, we know what the pasuk is saying. But watch how many people read it, because of the TROP and their ignorance of how the words are supposed to be broken into phrases based on the TROP. The pasuk starts with HU YITCHATA-VO (we’ll leave that phrase alone), BAYOM HASH’LISHI is TROPed with DARGA-T’VIR, and many (most?) BAALEI K’RI”A (Torah readers) follow with a significant pause. Then comes U’VAYOM HASH’VI’I YIT-HAR. This phrase has MEIRCHA-TIPCHA ETNACHTA. And again, many (most?) Torah readers will make a very brief pause after the TIPCHA before the ETNACHTAed word (after which there is a full pause). Phrasing it this way results in the pasuk saying, He shall get sprinkled with it (the Potion) on the third day, and on the seventh day he will be TAHOR. Which is not true. And knowing what the pasuk says, this wrong presentation was unin- tentional, but nevertheless, wrong. He doesn’t become ritually pure on the seventh day, after having been shpritzed on the third day. It is two “treatments” with the potion that results in his purification, which takes place on the eve of the eighth day. The fact is, that the T’VIR is supposed to be followed by a brief pause, and the TIPCHA is followed by a more significant pause. If done properly, the pasuk reads well. He shall be sprinked upon (very brief pause) on the third day (very brief pause) and on the seventh day (bigger pause) then he will be eligible (so to speak) to become TAHOR (at the proper time). See the problem? We’ll have more on this in future columns. <mtc> [The Parshat Tzav Homepage]
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