Two weeks ago, this column looked at Type One D’VEIKIM, two words, the first of which ends with the same letter as the second one begins with. Reading them without a purposeful pause between the words will usually result in blending the two sounds into one. We saw them in Sh’ma and elsewhere. Other examples: In MIZMOR SHIRCHANUKAT HABAYIT L’DAVID, we find V’LABOKER RINA. P’sukei D’zimra (and T’hilim) - MAGID D’VARAV L’YAAKOV.

Type Two D’veikim happens when a word ends in a consonant sound and the next word begins with ALEF or AYIN (and less so, with a HEI). Final MEM is a good candidate for this type of D’veikim. UR-ITEM OTO, and you will see it (the P’TIL T’CHEILET). Said without a tiny pause between the words and the MEM blends with the following word to produce MOTO - either UR-ITEM MOTO or even UR-ITE MOTO. In either case, the word OTO, it, changes into MOTO, his death. This is worse than just sloppy pronunciation; sometimes the meaning of the words get changed. But even when they don’t, the potential stick-together words should be separated by a short pause.

M. Mashal (later, Mr. Marshal) and all other French teachers, taught that in French, the blending of words is intentional. In fact, some silent consonants come back to life by blending with the beginning of the next word. Not in Hebrew.

Here’s a double example from Sh’ma: V’LI-MAD-TEM pause OTAM pause ET B’NEICHEM... Without a pause or mini- hesitation, the words come out MOTAM and MET. Here’s another multiple: V’ACHAREI EINEICHEM pause ASHER pause ATEM ZONIM pause ACHAREIHEM (not MASHER, not RATEM, not MACHA- REIHEM).

VAAVADTEM ELOHIM ACHEIRIM... (not MELOHIM, MACHEIRIM).

With a HEI, it is trickier. ETCHEM HAYOM - here, without a pause, the MEM can get rid of the HEI sound and also blend with the beginning of the word. First AYOM rather than HAYOIM. And then MAYOM.

Once again, davening slower, looking in a Siddur rather than davening by heart, and paying more attention to what you are saying, can solve the D’VEIKIM problem.

Besides EIM LAMIKRA HASHALEIM by R’ Nissan Sharoni, which remains the premier book as far as this column is concerned, we would like you to meet another book, which has had significant input for the topic of D’VEIKIM. TUV TAAM by HaMachon “SIMANIM” is a beautiful work on Taamei HaMikra, and has a section on KRI’AT SH’MA.Comes with a CD for the Torah reading melody. Distributed by Feldheim in Israel and the US.