Towards Better Davening and Torah Reading
Towards the end of the sedra we find the prohibition of making images - ...ELOHEI CHESEF VEILOHEI ZAHAV... This phrase will help us review a few different DIKDUK rules. First, notice that the DAGESH KAL in KESEF drops out, leaving CHESEF, because the word follows a word ending with YUD within the same phrase.

Second, notice that the word ELOHEI has a CHATAF-SEGOL under the ALEF, which disappears when the VAV is prefixed to it. Not V'ELOHEI, but VEI-LOHEI. No vowel under the ALEF and no contribution to the sound of the word from the ALEF.

Third, whereas ELOHEI is accented MILRA (last syllable), when it precedes a word with two syllables that is MIL'EIL, it too becomes MIL'EIL. eLO-hei CHE-sef vei-lo-HEI za-HAV. Doing this wrong does not change the meaning and therefore need not be said over correctly by the BAAL KOREI, but listen carefully on Shabbat to see if your BK is meticulous (and knowledgeable) about such things.
This pasuk helps us see things clearly.

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