[Mesorah] She'ata / Sha'ata

[D&E-H Bannett]

It was good to see Reb Seth's posting, a rare treat since he 
left the Avodah lists to see that OU meat all over the world 
is unquestionably kosher and thus deprived us of sharing 
some of his vast linguistic knowledge. Old timers on the 
list probably remember the fun R' Seth and I had as each one 
added his two-cents worth to the other's postings.

I was overjoyed to see that R' Seth hasn't forgotten me and 
our old custom. His remark, after pointing out that all old 
siddurim had she-ata, was that he cannot point to the first 
printed siddur that changed the word to sha-atta was 
obviously meant as an opening for me to add my two-cents.

So here it is:  It seems that the first siddur to change the 
segol to a patach was that of R' Shabbetai Sofer (1615).  It 
was copied by the siddur of R' Eliyahu ben R' Azriel of 
Vilna (1704). And from there it spread and became accepted 
by all nusach Ashkenaz.

I always find it interesting that these two siddurim are 
considered serious correctors and sources to be followed 
while the following generation, R' Zalman Heneh (1725) and 
R' Yitzhak Satanov (1780's) were attacked for their 
multitude of "improvements and corrections". Even more 
interesting, despite the attacks, R' Wolf Heidenheim and R' 
Seligmann Baer accepted almost all of their "corrections" 
and they have became standard in nusach Ashkenaz.

I wonder if their will be another 2-cent reply and the 
beginning of chadesh yameinu k'kedem. But, I'm afraid that 
kosher meat is more important.

b'rakhot to R' Seth and to all Mesoraniks new and old,


David