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[Nov. 13] Dear Reb Phil,
In the TBDATR column of last week's TT you wrote about when LAMA is MIL'EIL and when MILRA. Unfortunately what you wrote was not quite accurate. Before a word starting with ALEPH, HEH or AYIN (but not CHET or RESH) it is laMA, MILRA without a DAGESH in the MEM. Before any other letter it is LAMma, MIL'EIL with a DAGESH in the MEM. The rule is included in Sefer Dikdukei HaT'amim written some 1100 years ago by Aharon Ben Asher, the Masorete responsible for the Aleppo Codex. He lists 8 exceptions to the rule in Tanach (none are in the Torah). The Radak gives the same rule in his Sefer HaMichlol with the same list of exceptions.
... There was also an example in last week's Parsha, which I thought was why you chose this topic in last week's TT, so it was a pity that you didn't mention it - see 12:18 and 19.

Bivracha, DL
[Nov. 14] After sending you the message about last week's column, I checked R. Nissan Sharoni's sefer Eim LaMikra HaShaleim and found there the source of what you wrote. As LAMA is never MILRA before CHET or REISH, I called R. Sharoni and spoke to him about it. He agreed that he had made a mistake and said that I am not the first person to bring it to his attention. He has a note to correct it in the next edition of the sefer. D
[Nov. 14] I thank you, DL, for the clarification... and so do the 145 LAMAs in the Tanach.