Towards Better Davening and Torah Reading

Towards Better Davening and Torah Reading

To-l'dot

Yes, we've done this before; yes, we're doing it again. The sedras of To-l'dot and Sho-f'tim trigger this review.
We're not going to start this from scratch - just review some of the highlights.
There are two kinds of SH'VAs: SH'VA NACH and a SH'VA NA. They are "sounded" differently and they affect the letter that they are below differently. Things would have been a little simpler if there were different symbols for the two SH'VAs - then people would not confuse the two. Some newer siddurim are trying to help by marking the SH'VA NAs in some way or by using an exaggerated, larger SH'VA when the SH'VA is NA. That's helpful, but people need to WANT to pay attention and then need to pay attention.
In most cases, the difference between pronouncing a SH'VA correctly or not is just a matter of the beauty of the language. Occasionally, the meaning of a word can change.
A SH'VA NACH is silent. In the word for table, SHULCHAN, the SH'VA under the LAMED is NACH and when you pronounce the first syllable, you hear the LAMED, of course, but nothing extra for the SH'VA under it. SHUL. The final NUN doesn't actually have a SH'VA under it, but behaves as if it had a SH'VA NACH as well.
In the name of this week's sedra, the first syllable is TO. The LAMED with a SH'VA NA begins the second syllable and the SH'VA is slightly sounded. L'DOT. SHO and F'TIM.

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