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And they traveled FROM... and they camped IN...
From is the prefix letter MEM; IN is the prefix letter BET.
Let's review the vowel rules for these two prefixes.

The "from" MEM will get a CHIRIK before all letters except for ALEF, HEI, CHET, AYIN, and REISH, and the first letter of the name of the place will get a DAGESH CHAZAK. If the first letter has a DAGESH KAL (BET, GIMEL, DALET, KAF, PEI, TAV), then that DAGESH becomes a DAGESH CHAZAL.
VAYIS-U (and they traveled) MIMARA, from MARA. MILIVNA, MITACHAT, and many others. The "from" MEM has a CHIRIK and the effect of the DAGESH CHAZAK that follows it is to close the first syllable of the word. MIM, MIL, MIT... as if the letter with the DAGESH CHAZAK is double, the first letter closing the previous syllable and the second letter beginning the next syllable. Take pasuk 33:37: And they traveled from KADEISH. The syllables are MIK, KA, and DEISH. (Accent on the DEISH.) The big difference between a real double letter and a "virtual" double courtesy of a DAGESH CHAZAK, is that if there really were two KUFs, we'd be careful not to swallow the second one. We'd say MIK-KA-DEISH. With the DAGESH CHAZAK, we melt the two KUFs together as if they are one letter - which they are, so the word is MIK, linger on the KUF and continue to say KADEISH.

When the MEM is before an ALEF, HEI, CHET, AYIN, or REISH, it is voweled with a TZEIREI. Since these five letters do not get a DAGESH CHAZAK, the first syllable of the word would be "weak" with a MEM/CHIRIK. The MEM/TZEIREI is a "stronger" letter and vowel which can and does stand well as a syllable. So they traveled MEI-RITMA, not MI-RITMA, their first point of departure - And they traveled MEI- RA-M'SEIS (not RA'AM-SEIS), MEI-EITAM, MEI-ARVO- NA, MEI-ALUSH, MEI-RIMON-PERETZ, etc.

On the arrival side, and they camped IN... The Bet gets a SH'VA NA as in B'RISA, B'TZALMONA, B'HAR- SHAFER, etc. If the name of the place starts with a SH'VAed letter, then the BET gets a CHIRIK. R'FIDIM gives BIR-FI-DIM. BIK-HEILATA. BIV-NEI YA'AKON. And, third possibility, if the name of the place begins with a letter that has a CHATAF-PATACH, then the prefixed BET will have a PATACH. The place is CHATZEIROT. There is a CHATAF-PATACH under the CHET. So when they traveled from KIVROT HATA'AVA they camped BACHATZEIROT. Notice: B'CHASHMONA, but BACHATZEIROT. The CHET of CHASHMONA has a regular PATACH. The BET gets a SH'VA. The CHET of CHATZEIROT has a CHATAF-PATACH; BET-PATACH.


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