Column #112. 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.

Short column this week.
The word HU (meaning "he") is spelled HEI-VAV- ALEF. The word HI (rhymes with "he" but means "she") is spelled HEI-YUD-ALEF. In Tanach, however, HI (meaning "she") is also spelled HEI-VAV-ALEF. This spelling is much more common in Tanach than HEI-YUD-ALEF. To put number to this... HEI-YUD-ALEF occurs in Tanach less than200 times, with another 105 HAHI (68) and V'HI (37). HEI-VAV-ALEF occurs over 1000 times (split between HI and HU), with another more than 700 HEI-VAV-ALEFs preceded by a VAV or HEI. In the Torah, by the way, HEI-YUD-ALEF occurs only 11 times, only four of which are without a prefixed VAV or HEI.

What all this means to a BK (Baal K'ri'a or Baal Korei) is that when he sees a HEI-VAV-ALEF, he has two ways to read it, one right and the other wrong. If he knows grammar and is aware of the words he's reading, he'll usually get it right. But it's tricky sometimes. That's why a BK practices his layning and is not supposedto read in shul unless he is fully prepared.

In EIM L'MIKRA HASHALEIM, R' Sharoni points out for Parshat Tzav, that the first HEI-VAV- ALEFs in the sedra (until 6:22) are HI, and from there, the rest are HU. I checked. The first 4 are HI, the following 6 are HU. But among the HUs are 3 HAHIs to get right also.

Bottom line, it behooves us to be appreciative of a good BK. They are not that common and they put a lot of work into providing the rest of us with a proper Torah-reading experience.

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