[Mesorah] Cholov Yisroel or Chaleiv Yisroel?

[kennethgmiller at juno.com]

RSBA asked:
> Rashi this week (Haazinu) 32:14 dh: "Vachaleiv Tzon":
> "keshehu davuk, nakud 'chaleiv' – kemoy 'bachaleiv imoy'.."
> Does this mean that the correct pronunciation of 'chalav
> akum' is 'chaleiv akum'?

I think there might be a difference between a possesive and an adjective:

chaleiv akum = chalav shel akum = milk of a goy = milk that came from a goy

but chalav akum = goyishe milk
like chalav tari = fresh milk

I was going to end here with a disclaimer about the above being a wild guess, but I went to my Alcalay dictionary for more examples, and it has these:

chaleiv chem'ah = buttermilk
chaleiv leida = colostrum
chalav chamutz = sour milk
chalav shalem = whole milk

And Mandelkern' Concordance offers these:

chaleiv imo = its mother's milk (duh!!!)
chaleiv izim (Mishle 27:27) = goats' milk
chaleiv goyim (Yeshaya 60:16) -- translated simply, this might go either way. But the meforshim seem to take the chalav as a metaphor for good things which the goyim own, in which case it is not simply "goyishe milk", but "milk of the goyim".

Baruch Shekivanti!
Akiva Miller