[Mesorah] kodashim

[D&E-H Bannett]

The old-timers on the Mesorah list and those who even 
remember the days before Mesorah separated from the Avodah 
list will also remember that R' Seth and I almost always 
managed to add another two cents worth to the other 
postings.  I was planning to join this latest round of the 
kodashim/kadashim discussion but didn't get around to it. 
But, after reading RSM's masterful contribution, I feel 
young again so I'll add a bit.

On a previous round, when I commented that R' Yosef Kimhi 
had invented the previously non -existing ten vowels system, 
some posters pounced on me for apikorsut.  R' Seth, as an 
expert linguist, termed it "posited" ten vowels. I'll stick 
my neck out again with my non-academic terminology.

After the Kimhis made ten vowels, rules based on this system 
were developed, about what is "correct" Hebrew. Among them 
we find a rule of the Sefaradic grammarians that any kamatz 
that also has a meteg must be a kamatz gadol.

There is a logic to this masoret. A meteg is most often a 
secondary accent and something accented cannot be chatuf. A 
meteg can also be a warning sign: "Careful, you might easily 
mispronounce this letter or syllable". Being careful not to 
mispronounce or elide something results in saying it more 
carefully which also means that it will not be chatuf but 
slightly emphasized, what Breuer calls a nachatz.

This kamatz + meteg is a kamatz gadol rule became a masoret, 
a tradition that bal-koires should follow. So, as a 
youngster, I was taught to check in an accurate chumash if 
there is a meteg on the kamatz that verifies that it is a 
kamatz gadol.

But, when I got older and more knowledgable about chumash 
accuracy I discovered that the rule was incorrect. My 
favorite proof is the word kol with a kamatz (meaning "all 
of") kol am'kha, kol hab'khor, v'khol k'li, etc.  In the 
Keter and in the accurate manuscripts this word appears 105 
times with a meteg in the kaf in the Tanakh, 13 of them the 
chumash.  If you can see Hebrew, here are the thirteen:

1. שמות  כח,לח:   וְהָיָה֘ עַל-מֵ֣צַח אַהֲרֹן֒ וְנָשָׂ֨א 
אַהֲרֹ֝ן אֶת-עֲוֹ֣ן הַקֳּדָשִׁ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֤ר יַקְדִּ֙ישׁוּ֙ בְּנֵ֣י 
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לְכָֽל-מַתְּנֹ֖ת קָדְשֵׁיהֶ֑ם


2. שמות  לד,י:   וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הִנֵּ֣ה אָנֹכִי֘ כֹּרֵ֣ת בְּרִית֒ 
נֶ֤גֶד כָּֽל-עַמְּךָ֙ אֶעֱשֶׂ֣ה נִפְלָאֹ֔ת אֲשֶׁ֛ר לֹא-נִבְרְא֥וּ 
בְכָל-הָאָ֖רֶץ וּבְכָל-הַגּוֹיִ֑ם

3. שמות  לד,יט:   כָּל-פֶּ֥טֶר רֶ֖חֶם לִ֑י וְכָֽל-מִקְנְךָ֙ 
תִּזָּכָ֔ר פֶּ֖טֶר שׁ֥וֹר וָשֶֽׂה׃

 4. ויקרא  טו,ד:   כָּל-הַמִּשְׁכָּ֗ב אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִשְׁכַּ֥ב עָלָ֛יו 
הַזָּ֖ב יִטְמָ֑א וְכָֽל-הַכְּלִ֛י אֲשֶׁר-יֵשֵׁ֥ב עָלָ֖יו 
יִטְמָֽא׃


5. ויקרא  טו,כו:   כָּל-הַמִּשְׁכָּ֞ב אֲשֶׁר-תִּשְׁכַּ֤ב עָלָיו֙ 
כָּל-יְמֵ֣י זוֹבָ֔הּ כְּמִשְׁכַּ֥ב נִדָּתָ֖הּ יִֽהְיֶה-לָּ֑הּ 
וְכָֽל-הַכְּלִי֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר תֵּשֵׁ֣ב עָלָ֔יו טָמֵ֣א יִֽהְיֶ֔ה

6. ויקרא  כד,יד:   הוֹצֵ֣א אֶת-הַֽמֲקַלֵּ֗ל אֶל-מִחוּץ֙ 
לַֽמַּחֲנֶ֔ה וְסָמְכ֧וּ כָֽל-הַשֹּׁמְעִ֛ים אֶת-יְדֵיהֶ֖ם 
עַל-רֹאשׁ֑וֹ וְרָגְמ֥וּ אֹת֖וֹ כָּל-הָעֵדָֽה׃

 7. במדבר  ב,ט:   כָּֽל-הַפְּקֻדִ֞ים לְמַחֲנֵ֣ה יְהוּדָ֗ה 
מְאַ֨ת אֶ֝לֶף וּשְׁמֹנִ֥ים אֶ֛לֶף וְשֵֽׁשֶׁת-אֲלָפִ֥ים 
וְאַרְבַּע-מֵא֖וֹת לְצִבְאֹתָ֑ם רִאשֹׁנָ֖ה יִסָּֽעוּ׃ ס

 8. במדבר  ב,טז:   כָּֽל-הַפְּקֻדִ֞ים לְמַחֲנֵ֣ה רְאוּבֵ֗ן 
מְאַ֨ת אֶ֝לֶף וְאֶחָ֨ד וַחֲמִשִּׁ֥ים אֶ֛לֶף וְאַרְבַּע-מֵא֥וֹת 
וַחֲמִשִּׁ֖ים לְצִבְאֹתָ֑ם וּשְׁנִיִּ֖ם יִסָּֽעוּ׃ ס

 9. במדבר  ב,כד:   כָּֽל-הַפְּקֻדִ֞ים לְמַחֲנֵ֣ה אֶפְרַ֗יִם 
מְאַ֥ת אֶ֛לֶף וּשְׁמֹֽנַת-אֲלָפִ֥ים וּמֵאָ֖ה לְצִבְאֹתָ֑ם 
וּשְׁלִשִׁ֖ים יִסָּֽעוּ׃ ס

 10. במדבר  ד,מו:   כָּֽל-הַפְּקֻדִ֡ים אֲשֶׁר֩ פָּקַ֨ד מֹשֶׁ֧ה 
וְאַהֲרֹ֛ן וּנְשִׂיאֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל אֶת-הַלְוִיִּ֑ם 
לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֖ם וּלְבֵ֥ית אֲבֹתָֽם׃


11. במדבר  יט,יג:   כָּֽל-הַנֹּגֵ֡עַ בְּמֵ֣ת בְּנֶפֶשׁ֩ הָאָדָ֨ם 
אֲשֶׁר-יָמ֝וּת וְלֹ֣א יִתְחַטָּ֗א אֶת-מִשְׁכַּ֤ן ה֙' טִמֵּ֔א 
וְנִכְרְתָ֛ה הַנֶּ֥פֶשׁ הַהִ֖וא מִיִּשְׂרָאֵ֑ל

12. דברים  טו,י:   נָת֤וֹן תִּתֵּן֙ ל֔וֹ וְלֹא-יֵרַ֥ע לְבָבְךָ֖ 
בְּתִתְּךָ֣ ל֑וֹ כִּ֞י בִּגְלַ֣ל׀ הַדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֗ה יְבָרֶכְךָ֙ ה֣' 
אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בְּכָֽל-מַעֲשֶׂ֔ךָ וּבְכֹ֖ל מִשְׁלַ֥ח יָדֶֽךָ׃


13. דברים  טו,יט:   כָּֽל-הַבְּכ֡וֹר אֲשֶׁר֩ יִוָּלֵ֨ד 
בִּבְקָרְךָ֤ וּבְצֹֽאנְךָ֙ הַזָּכָ֔ר תַּקְדִּ֖ישׁ לַה֣' אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ 
לֹ֤א תַֽעֲבֹד֙ בִּבְכֹ֣ר שׁוֹרֶ֔ךָ וְלֹ֥א תָגֹ֖ז בְּכ֥וֹר 
צֹאנֶֽךָ׃

Nobody ba'al mesora or grammarian has ever suggested that 
these k'matzim are not k'tanim, shortened in s'mikhut from a 
cholam.

Q.E.D.

One can check the "average"chumashim whether they have these 
metagim.



If a meteg does make the kamatz gadol, then a ta'am m'chaber 
certainly does.

Kol 'atzmotai appears five times in Tanakh. One of them 
(Tehilim 35:6), has a ta'am.  The so-called accurate modern 
siddurim mark kol atzmotai tomarna in Nishmat kol chai as 
kal atzmotai. Hayhitakhen? In a previous round, I suggested 
that, the ta'am that makes the kamatz into gadol is a 
copyist's error

In v'khal bashalish 'afar (Yeshaya 40), the kamatz is gadol 
because v'khal  means measure or calibrate not "all  of".

I leave it to the list members whether a bal-koireh should 
read according to the 800-year old tradition or according to 
the new discoveries from the over 1000-year old accurate 
manuscripts.

Thank you Reb Seth for taking time off from kashrut to 
enlighten us and for pulling me out of lurker's mode to feel 
young again.



David