Column #89. 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.

DL responded beautifully to our request for information about rules for NASOG ACHOR (henceforth NA). NA is the situation where the accent of a word retreats from its normal position on the last syllable of a word, MILRA, to the next-to-last syllable of the word, MIL'EIL. The often happens with the first word of a two-wordphrase, when the second word is either MIL'EIL or a single-syllable word. Often, but by no means always. Here's DL's email:
Shalom... Most of the rules below are taken from R. Zalman Henne’s sefer “Tzohar Hateiva”... lived at the end of the 17th century and wrote a number of s’farim on dikduk and t’amim. The Vilna Gaon relied on him extensively in his own s’farim on these subjects.

1. NA only applies if the first word of the pair has a ta’am m’sharet and the second has a ta’am mafsik. If the second word also has a m’sharet, NA does not occur, e.g. v’kaRA ZEH el-zeh (Yeshayahu 6:3), meiAL ZEvach hash’laMIM (Vayikra 4:31).

2. NA does not occur if it would lead to the accent becoming adjacent to the accent on a preceding MILRA (or monosyllabic) word with a ta’am m’sharet. In such a case NA would be self- defeating because the result would still be two adjacent accented syllables. For example: ZOT oLAT CHOdesh (B’midbar 28:14), v’lo-KAM naVIOD (D’varim 34:10).

3. NA does not apply to words ending in a long closed syllable because such words must always be MILRA, e.g. yoTZEIR OR (Yeshayahu 45:7), yoVEIL HEE (Vayikra 25:11). However, in some forms of verbs the final syllable may shorten in order to allow NA, e.g. l’tzaCHEIK becomes l’TZAchek BAnu (B’reishit 39:14), l’shaREIT becomesl’SHAret SHAM (D’varim 17:12).

4. NA does not apply to words with the pronominal suffixes -TEM, -TEN, -CHEM, -CHEN, -HEM and -HEN, e.g. vahaveiTEM SHAMma (D’varim 12:6), ElokeiCHEM BO (D’varim 12:11). Such words remain MILRA so that the gender of the suffix is clear.

5. NA does not apply to words whose accents are on a letter with a DAGESH (either kind) or following a SH'VA NACH, e.g. l’maTEI DAN (B’midbar 13:12).

6. NA does not apply to words that are joined by a hyphen to the preceding word, e.g. v’lo-kaRAV ZEH (Sh’mot 14:20), kol-ha’oSEH VO (35:2).
7. Although for most rules of DIKDUK and TAAMIM, a SH'VA NA is not counted as a syllable in its own right, but forms part of the following syllable, this is not the case for NA. Even if the accents are separated only by a SH'VA NA, NA does not occur, e.g. yosh’VEI k’NAan (Sh’mot 15:15), v’kaRA l’CHA (Sh’mot 34:15).

I have found many exceptions to Rule 6 and some to Rules 3, 4 and 7. In addition, there are many places where NA does not occur although there is no reason why it should not, e.g. your example of mikraEI KOdesh.

On another subject in TBDATR #88, you mentioned that the DAGESH in the ALEF of TAVI-U (Vayikra 23:17) is unheard of. Not quite – there is also one in VAYAVI-U in B’reshit 43:26.

Again, thanks to DL and R' Zalman Henne for filling in the blanks of NASOG ACHOR for us.

Side point: DAVKAWRITER, the program with which Torah Tidbits is produced, does not allow a DAGESH in an ALEF, CHET, or AYIN, but does allow one in a REISH (for some reason). The programming of the way NIKUD works follows the norms of Hebrew grammar, but does not take these very rare occurrences of the DAGESHed ALEF into account. I will be requesting a correction of this "flaw" in future releases of this terrific word processor.

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