What Are All These Dots, Then? Part 3. Originally Published February 21-22, 2020.
February 24, 2020
Well. We have pierced enough letters with dagesh kal and hazak. But we still see dots before our eyes! Last week we mentioned the schwa. As Mrs. Gallagher taught us in fourth grade and our parents before us, a schwa is written thus: ǝ. Did she know that the original word is שְׁוָא which derives […]
What Are All These Dots, Then? Part 1. Originally Published February 7-8, 2020.
February 10, 2020
So as Rabbi Akiva was dying, reciting the Shema, as he drew out the last letter of the word אֶחָד he likely was pronouncing a soft “d” sound, rather than the hard sound which we emphasize today.