Towards Better Davening and Torah Reading

Towards better Davening and Torah Reading
This one is a bit tricky - watch closely. Here's a phrase from the beginning of Parshat Sh'mot:
And the midwives feared (revered) G-d...
And here's a phrase from the book of Yehoshua:
And your eyes have seen (that which I did in Egypt)
The words are not spelled the same - that's obvious; but they are not pronounced the same either - that is more subtle. The first one (with Shifra and Pu'a) is VA-TI-RE-NA. The second is VA-TIR-E-NA. In the first case, the ALEF is "not there" at all. The ALEF has no influence on the pronunciation of the word. The ALEF is silent and there is no vowel under it, which doesn't give it any presence. VA-TI-RE-NA. In the second case, the ALEF is voweled by a SEGOL, and is therefore part of the pronunciation of the word. VA-TIR-E-NA. If a BK (Baal Korei or Baal K'ri'a, whichever tem you prefer for a Torah reader) says VATIR-ENA HA-M'YA-L'DOT... he is giving a wrong meaning to the words - and the midwives saw G-d (they didn't) - and he should reread the words correctly. Subtle, but significant.

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