Comments in this column last week prompted the recently dormant YL to write in with some comments.

First was his notice of the amusing typo, DAGESH CHAZAL. Obviously a hybrid of CHAZAK and KAL, one might wonder if in addition to the two more-known DAGESHes and the MAPIK in a HEI, if there is some other rabbinic DAGESH around of which we know little. Or maybe the rare occurrence of a DAGESH in an ALEF can be seen not as a regular DIKDUK thing but only something passed down by Tradition. That kind of thing might be appropriately called a DAGESH CHAZAL.

But seriously folks... YL writes:
The real reason I'm communicating is because of your description of the "prefix letter MEM", which I understand looks as if that's what it is in this week's parasha. Hebrew actually has no "prefix letter MEM". There are prefix letter LAMED, prefix letter, KAF and prefix letter BET - but there is no "prefix letter MEM".

What Hebrew does have is a preposition MIN spelled MEM-NUN, generally meaning "from" (not always). The NUN of that preposition tends to assimilate into following letters, on condition that they "double", i.e., take a DAGESH HAZAK. When one of the five letters that never double is involved (you yourself list them: ALEF, HEI, HET, AYIN and REISH) one of two things happens: either the NUN does not assimilate, and the preposition remains MIN, or it does assimilate, but instead of a HIRIK followed by a DAGESH HAZAK we get a TZERE under the MEM. That TZERE is quite regular in Hebrew: take such words as PEIRUSH or KEIRUV or BEI'UR, which are derived from PI'EL verbs which normally have a doubled middle root consonant (cf. DIBBER, SIPPER which give as nouns DIBBUR and SIPPUR. When that middle root consonant never doubles the result is often a TZERE instead of the HIRIK (PEIRESH, KEIREV, BEI'ER etc.).

So: prefix letter MEM - out! preposition MIN + assimilation - IN!
Okay, YL, thanks. But it goes against what I remember being taught - the letters BACHLA"M. BET, KAF, LAMED, and MEM. But what you say does explain why the MEM behaves differently from the other three.

It also explains the difference when a letter is prefixed to a word with a HEI HAYEDI'A, the definite article THE. Look in the daily Amida, in the BAREICH ALEINU bracha. Bless our year like the good years. The (good) years. HASHANIM. As the, not K'HA but rather KASHANIM HATOVOT. Later, BAMISHPAT and not B'HAMISHPAT. On the other hand, I got it FROM THE BOY. It will be MIN HAYELED or MEI-HAYELED, with the HEI remaining on its own, not combining with the MEM.

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