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From: rhendel@king.mcs.drexel.edu (Russell Hendel)
Date: Sun, 23 Jun 1996 11:46:48 -0400
Subject: A Simultaneous Davening-Laining error//With Source

While I helped "contribute" to starting the search for laining errors
which then led to an (exhaustive) search for davening errors I decided
to retire from the contributors.  But then I realized that there is one
mistake---it occurs in both laining and davening---I correct people on
it all the time (or try and prevent them from making it) and it even has
a halachic source.  So I decided to return to the contributors.

The mistake I refer to is the so-called silent aleph. In benching the
proper pronunciation is "YERU eth hashem kedoshauv"; NOT "YIRU eth
hashem kedoshauv"(The aleph is silent). (See Psalms 34:10).  Similarly
the correct pronunciation is "HARUVANI" not "HAREUVANI" (Num 26:7;
34:14; ) and also in Deut 5:43 it is "LARUVANI" and not "LAREUVANI".

Good balay Keriah pronounce these correctly. In terms of sources for
this pronunciation: (1) Most Chumashim correctly omit the shevah under
the RESH so as to create one syllable: RU; (2) The Minchath Shai on the
above mentioned verses explicitly mentions the pronunciation; (3) I have
not yet found a grammatical reason for why the aleph becomes
silent...maybe someone out there has an idea.

Russell Hendel, Ph.d. ASA, rhendel@mcs.drexel.edu